The Pretend Bride's Unexpected Path To True Love

The next day...

My feet ached from all the walking I had done. My car refused to start, so I ended up running all the way to the destination. Liza had arranged to meet me outside an expensive store along the main avenue. I spotted her right away, her pale hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail and her designer clothes showing off her perfect figure. She turned, giving me a slow smile.

"Good morning, Miss Late."

"Good morning. I'm really sorry I kept you waiting. My car broke down again."

"It's alright, Thalia. I can tell you're having a rough morning, but believe me, things will get better. Just keep in mind that our client, Mr. Albert Johnson, doesn't put up with delays."

"That won't happen again," I replied, catching my breath as I tried to reassure her.

"Let's go in. We're already running late. The day is just getting started."

I followed her into the store, and for the next hour, we picked out dresses, shoes, different accessories, and even lingerie.

Liza spent most of that time glued to her phone, snapping pictures of every outfit I tried on and sending them to him. He always answered right away, telling her what he liked or disliked. The only thing he stayed silent about was the lingerie.

Once we walked out onto the street, Liza finally tucked her phone into her bag.

"I still think this whole thing is strange. What's wrong with this man, Liza?"

She just gave me a gentle smile and stayed quiet. She went straight into the spa, which was only a short walk from the store.

After we sat down in the lounge, she finally spoke.

"He said in the contract that he's not interested in sex. He just wants you at his side, always looking polished and put together."

"That's fine by me. I'd rather keep things that way."

She smiled and lowered her voice.

"Darling, if he wanted something more, I doubt you'd refuse. I know I wouldn't turn him down. Handsome man, beautiful place..."

Before she could finish, her phone rang. She moved aside to take the call, and I made my way into the massage room. Over the next few hours, I prepared myself—getting my nails done, my hair styled, makeup carefully applied, and slipping into a new set of clothes.

My heart felt heavy with worry, but I knew I had passed the point of turning back. Hours later, Liza and I stood in front of the huge mirror in the Scarlet Angels's reception area.

I wore a refined dress, tasteful but still alluring. My bag held everything I owned, and most important of all, my passport.

Liza reviewed the contract details I had just signed.

"You just need to smile and go along with whatever he says whenever you're in public. Your role is to pretend to have an emotional connection with him. There will be no sex; you'll stay in the same room as him, but he won't touch you."

Liza arranged to have all the new clothes packed into the expensive suitcases she bought for me. When the car he sent pulled up in front of the Scarlet Angels, the driver carefully loaded the luggage into the trunk.

I said goodbye to Liza and made my way to the car. The driver greeted me with a friendly goodnight, but he kept quiet for the entire ride.

At the airport, we entered the VIP lounge reserved for private flights. A jet waited on the runway, ready for departure. The driver walked me over to a flight attendant who stood by the stairs. She welcomed me warmly and guided me to my seat, making sure I was comfortable.

As I finished typing a message to my brother, I heard his voice for the first time.

"Good evening, Thalia. Welcome."

I looked up and saw Albert. His presence was impossible to ignore, and the photos I had seen never prepared me for how striking he was in person. He stood tall, with a perfect physique and an intense gaze that locked with mine.

My eyes lingered on his mouth as he took a seat across from me, moving with slow confidence.

"Good evening, Mr. Johnson..."

"Forget the 'Mister.' Just call me Albert," he said while carefully rolling up his shirt sleeve.

I couldn't help but notice his movements, the way the fabric of his expensive shirt revealed the lines of his toned arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous."

He smiled at me, his curiosity plain on his face.

"You're not going to tell me this is your first time..."

Heat crept up my cheeks, and I instantly felt foolish.

What was I doing? I needed to pull myself together before this situation slipped any further out of my hands.

"It's my first time on a plane to Italy," I admitted. "Honestly, I still don't know what you really expect from me."

"Your questions make sense, considering the contract I sent over. That's why I'm open to talking this through with you during the flight. Let me tell you why I went to your agency for help. We're about to attend a major conference, and I'll be meeting with some very important clients. But the real reason I asked for your company is that my fiancee left me. She's going to be there too, since her family, like mine, is in the spirits business. She ended our relationship and, just two weeks later, got engaged to someone else. I know she still has feelings for me. She's doing all of this just to spite me. I want to match her every move and shake up her confidence. I need to make her realize that I'm the man she truly wants."

He explained everything with such calm certainty that I almost forgot how wild this whole plan sounded. Still, he was paying me well enough to play the part.

"I understand, Albert. I'll be your girlfriend and make her jealous."

"Actually, you'll be my fiancee. We got engaged on a romantic trip to Greece."

"Fiancee?"

I repeated, my voice a little louder than I intended.

"Yes. Florence Ward and I ended things two months ago, and at the time, we were both traveling in different parts of the world. So the story we're telling is believable."

"Alright, you're the one paying."

"Good. All I need from you is to agree with whatever I say and to know when to dodge questions. I'll take care of the rest."

"Of course. Do you have pictures of your fiancee?"

"Just the ones from her company's website."

He gave me a provocative smile, making it clear he was talking about the photos of me on the Scarlet Angels site—the ones where I wore a Venetian mask over my eyes. In almost every picture, I wore nothing else. An unexpected warmth ran through me, settling in places I shouldn't have let it. Still, I decided to play along.

"Glad to know you chose your new fiancee based on those photos."

"It wasn't the photos, actually. It was your profile description that caught my attention. Then I spoke with Liza. She told me you're in college, and that you're different from the others there. You actually want something more for your future."

His words caught me off guard, but I tried not to let it show. He spoke with an easy confidence, as if nothing could rattle him.

"Don't misunderstand me, Thalia. I enjoyed looking at those photos, no doubt about that. I've thought about them more than I should admit. But I'm not just after sex, and I want to be clear about that."

"Alright. Honestly, I think your attempt to win her back is kind of sweet."

He smiled at that, but chose not to say anything more. For the rest of the flight, he let the subject drop. We talked about all sorts of things and, surprisingly, found we had a lot in common. The hours passed smoothly.

When we finally landed, he turned to me and reached for a small box from his suitcase.

"We need to make sure our story is convincing."

He opened the box, and the light caught on two sparkling rings. He picked up the solitaire and slipped it onto my finger with a practiced gentleness. Then he took the matching band and slid it onto his own hand.

"Looks like we're officially engaged."

He offered his hand and helped me up from my seat.

"This is where our story begins, my dear."