Chapter 05

Harper Ross

“I can't believe what I just did.

Yes, I entered into a fake marriage agreement with Liam Specter, the most arrogant and presumptuous man I have ever met in my entire existence. I feel numb, not knowing what to think, but at the same time, completely relieved to know that Emily will leave the orphanage and all my financial problems will be solved, and that's all that comforts me at the moment.

“You knew you would make the right choice, Harper,” he says, as his lips curve into a satisfied smile. “Don't worry, Emily will be with us tomorrow.” He affirms, caressing my hand on the table, which sends shivers down inappropriate places.

“At home?” I ask, and he smiles. “Yes, from now on, you live with me.”

I open my mouth to object, but am interrupted by the stunning woman who stands in front of our table. Tall, thin, and blonde, with straight, long hair falling over her shoulders. Her dark red lipstick highlights her full lips and impeccable makeup makes it clear that she's the type who cares a lot about her appearance. She examines me disdainfully from head to toe and then turns to Liam with a mocking smile.

“Liam, darling, I didn't expect to find you here!” she exclaims with a mocking smile on her lips. “Good evening, Soraya! How are you?” Liam responds, showing little enthusiasm.

“Very well, my love!” She leans in and plants a kiss on his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark. “And who is this?” she asks disdainfully, referring to me.

“This is my fiancé and the love of my life, Harper Ross,” Liam responds, looking fixedly into my eyes and with a gallant gesture, kissing my hand. I swallow in surprise, and Soraya turns redder than a pepper.

“Fiancé? Since when do you have a fiancé?” she asks with a squeaky voice, completely incredulous and angry. Her attitude irritates me, and my tongue is faster than me.

“Since now! Nice to meet you!” I exclaim, extending my hand to her.

Soraya looks at me with disdain and rejects my hand, turning to Liam with eyes full of anger. “Where is your education, Soraya?” Liam asks. Even though she's almost foaming with rage, the woman turns to me and shakes my hand.”

“Nice to meet you, dearie!”

“It's Harper!” I correct, and Liam smiles.

“Is this some kind of joke, Liam?” she asks, crossing her arms and laughing nervously.

Liam lets out a tired sigh and squeezes my hand tighter as he turns to Soraya.

“A joke?” he repeats, with a furrowed brow.

“Yeah, I didn't even know you were dating anyone, we…” she starts to speak, but Liam raises his index finger, silencing her.

“There is no 'we,' Soraya! Enough of this, respect my fiancée and go back to your table!” Liam orders, in a firm and authoritative tone.

“Of course! I'm sorry, dearie, it was a shock, but I wish… I wish you both immense happiness,” she says, giving a fake smile and turning back to her table.

Furthermore, I let out a sigh of relief as she finally leaves, leaving a trail of strong perfume in the air. Liam seems tense, and his eyes turn to me with a concerned expression.

“Sorry about that, Harper. Soraya is an old… friend!”

“Friend?” I repeat, incredulous.

“Well, we had something, but it was never anything serious,” he explains, running his hand through his hair.

“It's okay, Liam. I understand, you don't need to explain anything to me,” I reply, trying to remain calm.

“I do have to, though. We're a couple now, don't forget that,” Liam says, looking directly into my eyes and squeezing my hand. I feel a wave of heat spreading through my body, and my thoughts become confused.

“ A fake couple!” I answer, my voice slightly trembling. And I pull my hand away from his, completely awkward.

“But still, a couple!” he insists.

At the end of the dinner, Liam pays the bill, and we leave holding hands, through the front door of the restaurant. Journalists crowd around the BMW in search of the perfect photo, while we both enter the back seat silently.

“Are you okay, Harper?” he asks softly.

I take a deep breath before answering: “Yes, I'm fine!”

“I'm sorry again for Soraya. I didn't expect her to show up at the same restaurant as us,” he apologizes, looking genuinely concerned.

“It's okay, Liam. It wasn't your fault. But it's better if you sort things out with her. I don't want to get involved in past problems,” I reply, trying to appear less affected than I actually was.

“It's all sorted out with her, don't worry!” he assures me, and I nod, turning back to the window. “Can I ask you something?” he turns to me again.

“Sure!” I face him again.

“Do you have someone? A boyfriend, a fling? Someone who might not understand our arrangement?” Liam questions, looking directly at me.

I feel a little uncomfortable with the question, but I answer honestly: “No! There's no one.”

Liam smiles knowingly and teases, “Certainly because you don't want to, right?”

I swallow hard, feeling my heart race. Liam continues to smile and adds, “It's just that you're a young and very beautiful girl, very beautiful.”

“I never had much time to think about it,” I reply a little awkwardly.

“Your life hasn't been easy, has it?” he remarks.

“Not at all!”

“Now everything will be different!” he affirms, taking my hand and giving it a quick kiss.

A little while later, the driver enters a luxurious condominium, full of imposing mansions. I am impressed by the beauty of the place as the car stops in front of one of the mansions, Liam turns to me and says:

 “ We've arrived! Welcome home!

“T-thank you!” I exclaim, feeling intimidated.

Liam gets out of the car and helps me down… I look at the house and am impressed by its grandeur and elegance. The mansion has two stories, with white columns at the entrance and an impeccable garden. We exit together, and he leads me through the entrance, opening the door of the house.

“You know, Harper, I never bring anyone here. This is the first time I've shared my home with someone,” he confesses, looking at me with shining eyes.

“Never had a relationship?” I ask, intrigued.

What's his problem with real relationships?

“I've never been interested in relationships,” he responds, with a distant look. “I've always been very focused on work and my career, didn't have time to dedicate myself to someone seriously. And now, after so many years, I'm not capable of opening up to it. Besides, I've never met anyone who really interested me enough to invest in a serious relationship.”

“I understand,” I respond, trying to show empathy. “But sometimes life surprises us in unexpected ways, right? Who knows, maybe you'll find someone who makes you want to change your mind?”

Liam smiles at me, but his expression is a bit sad.

“Maybe. But for now, I prefer to focus on other things. And speaking of that, I'll show you the house.” He says, changing the subject, and his expression becomes serious again.

As he guides me through the rooms of the mansion, I feel a little sad for him, a man so rich and completely alone. That must be why he's so arrogant and cold.

Liam shows me all the rooms of the house. The mansion is truly impressive, with high-quality furniture, artworks on the walls, and a fully equipped gourmet kitchen. I'm impressed with how much space Liam has for himself, but at the same time, I feel like something is missing there. Maybe it's the lack of human warmth or a feeling that someone really lives there.

“Let's go upstairs, there's a place you need to see!”

He takes my hand and guides me to the upstairs. Liam opens one of the doors in the hallway, and I'm faced with a beautiful all-pink room with butterfly decorations. Full of toys, books, and with a huge closet full of children's clothes.

“Wow, that's beautiful!” I exclaim, enchanted.

“It's for your sister, Emily! Do you think she'll like it?”

“But it's too much, Liam. We're not used to so much luxury. You don't need to”.

He interrupts me by putting his index finger on my lips.

“Harper, to everyone, we'll be a couple, and everything that's mine will be yours. I want you and Emily to enjoy everything, don't worry about money. Okay?” He removes his hand from my mouth, and I nod with a positive gesture.

“This will be your home for an entire year, so make yourself at home. You're the owner of the house, okay?”

“Okay, that's fine! I just need to get used to all of this,” I affirm, and he laughs.

“You'll get used to it, I'm sure! Come on, let me show you our room,” he holds my hand, but I hesitate.

“O-our room? What do you mean, our?” I ask, confused. “We're, uh… sleeping together?”

He laughs, a delightful laughter that takes my breath away.

“Fiancés, Harper! We need everyone to believe that we're fiancés, even the staff. But don't worry, I'll be sleeping somewhere else, okay?” — he affirms, smiling to the side and walking towards the door, which I believe is the bedroom.

I hesitate a little, but end up giving in and following him to the room. After all, I'm there to pretend to be his fiancé and soon-to-be wife, so I need to act like one.

Christ, what have I gotten myself into?