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Fifty one

Author: Ese Gwede
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-27 14:10:10

~Fallon~

It started with the coffee.

Which was ridiculous, because coffee should never be the cause of anyone’s unraveling. But when you’re living in a pressure cooker — married to a man who acts like you barely exist — sometimes the little things become the breaking point.

I came down to the kitchen that morning ready for caffeine and a moment of peace. I was already tired, already on edge. The sleepless nights and the silence in this house were wearing me thin, and I just wanted one thing to go right.

But the pot was empty.

The lingering scent of freshly brewed coffee mocked me, curling through the air like a taunt. I stared at the machine, my frustration building.

“Are you kidding me?” I muttered, glaring at the empty carafe like it had personally betrayed me.

“Good morning to you too.”

I spun toward the voice, my pulse spiking — and of course, it was him.

Reid stood by the counter, perfectly put together in his tailored suit, his dark hair smooth and his tie knotted with infuriati
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  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty two

    ~Reid~The bar was quiet — the kind of place where no one asked questions and the whiskey was poured strong. Exactly what I needed.I sat at the far end, away from the clusters of after-work drinkers and couples leaning too close together. The low hum of conversation blended with the soft clink of glasses, and the dim lighting made everything feel removed — distant in a way that matched my mood.Across from me, Andrew watched with mild amusement as I downed my drink. “Rough day?”“You could say that.”He signaled for another round, settling back in his seat like he had all the time in the world. “Let me guess. Work?”“Fallon.”The name slipped out before I could stop it.Andrew’s brows shot up. “The wife?”I ignored the tone — the slight edge of disbelief like he couldn’t quite picture me discussing my personal life. Hell, I couldn’t quite picture it either. But here I was, drinking too fast and talking too much.“We had a fight,” I said, setting my empty glass down with more force th

    Last Updated : 2025-03-27
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty three

    ~Fallon~The box sitting on my doorstep was enormous.It looked expensive before I even touched it — wrapped in sleek black paper with a silver ribbon tied so perfectly it felt like a crime to mess it up. My name was printed in elegant script on the tag, the kind of handwriting that made me picture calligraphy classes and personal stationery I’d never own.It wasn’t unusual for brands to send PR packages. It came with the job. But this… this felt different.And the minute I dragged it inside and opened the lid, I knew I was right.Because this wasn’t just a PR package.It was a couple’s PR package.Luxe Amor was one of the hottest brands right now — high-end home goods and lifestyle products designed for the kind of aspirational couples everyone envied. The ones with curated homes and cozy, perfect lives. The ones who made love look effortless and beautiful.The campaign was all about romance. Cozy nights in. Beautifully styled moments that felt real but were polished to perfection.T

    Last Updated : 2025-03-27
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty four

    ~Fallon~Swallowing my pride tasted a lot like regret.I stood outside Reid’s home office, the soft hum of his voice carrying through the heavy wooden door. I should’ve turned around. Every instinct told me to forget the Luxe Amor campaign and avoid this conversation entirely. But this job — this opportunity — was too big to pass up.And like it or not, I needed him for it.I raised my hand to knock, hesitated — and then knocked twice before I could change my mind.“Come in.”The sound of his voice — low, clipped, and entirely too composed — sent something sharp through me. I pushed the door open, stepping into the room, and Reid looked up from his laptop.God help me, he looked good.He was all sharp lines and cool detachment — sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, and dark hair tousled like he’d been dragging his hands through it. His eyes, however, were anything but relaxed. They narrowed the second they landed on me.“What do you need, Fallon?”Not exactly a warm welcome. But I wasn’t

    Last Updated : 2025-03-28
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty five

    ~Fallon~I spent way too much time getting ready.Which was ridiculous. This wasn’t a date.It was dinner — a business transaction wrapped in good intentions and lingering tension. Nothing more.But that didn’t stop me from changing my dress three times. Or from standing in front of my mirror, second-guessing my lipstick and smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the midnight blue slip dress I’d finally settled on. It draped just right, the silky material clinging in places I wanted it to and flowing everywhere else.It wasn’t too much. It wasn’t trying too hard.But the nerves fluttering in my stomach told me it was still more effort than I should’ve put into a night with a man who barely spoke to me.It’s just dinner, I told myself. A peace offering. Nothing more.Still… when I walked downstairs and saw Reid waiting by the door, my breath caught.He looked good. Unfairly good. The black button-down fit him too well, sleeves rolled up just enough to show his forearms, the top but

    Last Updated : 2025-03-28
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty six

    ~Fallon~Editing the video was easy.Keeping my heart out of it? Not so much.I told myself it was just work — like every other brand deal I’d done. Just footage, just angles, just carefully curated moments designed to sell a product and a lifestyle.But the camera didn’t lie.Every time I cut a new clip, I felt it — the warmth of Reid’s hand brushing my waist, the way his fingers lingered a little too long when he adjusted my robe, the soft, almost-smile when he thought I wasn’t looking. And when I hit play and watched the way he tucked my hair behind my ear — gentle and unhurried — my breath caught.I knew it was for show. For the brand. For the internet’s favorite fairytale.But I still felt it.And the more I watched it, the harder it was to pretend I didn’t.By the time I added the final filter and hit “post,” my hands were shaking.And then I waited.The FeedbackIt didn’t take long for my phone to explode.The video went viral within the hour — likes, comments, and shares rolli

    Last Updated : 2025-03-29
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty seven

    ~Reid~The video was impossible to avoid.It was everywhere — my feed, the headlines, even the business sites that had no reason to care about influencer content. My phone hadn’t stopped buzzing since it went live — a constant stream of texts, emails, and calls. Half of them were about the merger I’d been working on for months. The other half?All about Fallon.All about us.The so-called love story we’d apparently perfected.And I hadn’t watched it.Not all of it, anyway.But the few seconds I did see played on a loop in my mind — her laugh, soft and real. The way she leaned into me without hesitation. The warmth in her eyes when she wasn’t guarded, when she wasn’t bracing for a fight.It looked real. Too real.Which was exactly why I needed to stay far away from it.“Any comment on the video, Mr. Callahan?”I didn’t even look up from my computer. “We’re here to discuss the Prescott acquisition. Not my personal life.”My assistant shifted awkwardly, her stack of notes trembling just

    Last Updated : 2025-03-29
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty eight

    ~Fallon~I found him in his office — because of course I did.The man practically lived in there, buried in his spreadsheets and power plays while the internet lost its collective mind over our so-called perfect marriage. And I… I was done being ignored.I didn’t knock. I didn’t wait. I pushed the door open and walked in, my pulse already pounding.“Are you allergic to your phone?” I demanded, not bothering with a hello.Reid looked up slowly, his expression as cool and unreadable as ever. He barely even blinked. “Good evening to you too.”“Don’t,” I warned, stepping inside and shutting the door harder than I needed to. “The video’s everywhere. It’s viral. People are obsessed — and you haven’t said a word.”His eyes flicked back to his computer. Dismissive. Detached. “I’ve been busy.”“Too busy to hit like?”“Fallon—”“Don’t Fallon me,” I snapped. “This is our image. Our marriage. And you can’t even pretend to care?”He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and that calm, collected patie

    Last Updated : 2025-03-29
  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty nine

    ~Fallon~If I had known agreeing to this charity gala meant spending another night pretending my husband actually liked me, I would’ve faked a mysterious illness and stayed in bed.But the Prescott name was listed as a major donor. The Callahan name carried even more weight. And skipping out on a high-profile event like this would only fuel the rumor mill already obsessed with our marriage.So there I was — wrapped in silk and sequins, my makeup flawless, my mask firmly in place.Even if the man at my side hadn’t said a word to me since our fight.“Smile,” Reid murmured, his hand settling at the small of my back as the cameras started flashing.I plastered one on, my teeth aching from the effort. “I hate you.”“Smile bigger,” he shot back, his lips curving into something that looked a lot like affection to anyone who didn’t know better. “The press is eating this up.”I wanted to step on his foot. Maybe stab him with my stiletto. But instead, I tilted my head toward him, letting the ph

    Last Updated : 2025-03-30

Latest chapter

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Sixty one

    ~Fallon~I should have closed the door.I should have stepped back, said goodnight, and kept the distance we were both so good at pretending we wanted.But then he said it.“I care because the thought of anyone else getting that smile makes me want to break something.”And just like that — the ground shifted.My breath caught, my fingers tightening on the edge of the door. He stood there in the dim light of the hallway — all sharp lines and tension, his jaw tight and his eyes dark.He looked… wrecked.And the worst part? It was because of me.“I—” My voice cracked. I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself. “Reid…”But I didn’t know what to say.Because I didn’t know what this was.The line between performance and reality had been blurring for weeks — in every glance that lingered too long, every brush of skin that felt like more than it should. And now, with his words hanging between us, that line had completely disappeared.I should have closed the door.But I didn’t.He stepped for

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Sixty

    ~Reid~The photo showed up in my inbox at noon.The subject line was neutral — Managing Optics — but the attachment hit like a punch to the gut.I shouldn’t have opened it. Should’ve let my PR team handle whatever crisis they were warning me about and focused on the Zurich deal. But my gut told me this wasn’t about business.And my gut was right.Fallon’s face filled my screen — all sunlight and easy laughter, her head tilted back, her hair spilling over one bare shoulder. She looked… happy.And she wasn’t alone.The guy sitting next to her was tall, broad, and entirely too comfortable in her space. His arm rested casually along the back of her chair, his body angled toward hers like he belonged there. Like he had every right to be close to her.My jaw clenched.My eyes stayed locked on the photo, taking in every detail I shouldn’t care about — the way Fallon leaned into him, the soft flush in her cheeks, the familiarity in their body language.I hated him instantly.But more than tha

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty nine

    ~Fallon~If I had known agreeing to this charity gala meant spending another night pretending my husband actually liked me, I would’ve faked a mysterious illness and stayed in bed.But the Prescott name was listed as a major donor. The Callahan name carried even more weight. And skipping out on a high-profile event like this would only fuel the rumor mill already obsessed with our marriage.So there I was — wrapped in silk and sequins, my makeup flawless, my mask firmly in place.Even if the man at my side hadn’t said a word to me since our fight.“Smile,” Reid murmured, his hand settling at the small of my back as the cameras started flashing.I plastered one on, my teeth aching from the effort. “I hate you.”“Smile bigger,” he shot back, his lips curving into something that looked a lot like affection to anyone who didn’t know better. “The press is eating this up.”I wanted to step on his foot. Maybe stab him with my stiletto. But instead, I tilted my head toward him, letting the ph

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty eight

    ~Fallon~I found him in his office — because of course I did.The man practically lived in there, buried in his spreadsheets and power plays while the internet lost its collective mind over our so-called perfect marriage. And I… I was done being ignored.I didn’t knock. I didn’t wait. I pushed the door open and walked in, my pulse already pounding.“Are you allergic to your phone?” I demanded, not bothering with a hello.Reid looked up slowly, his expression as cool and unreadable as ever. He barely even blinked. “Good evening to you too.”“Don’t,” I warned, stepping inside and shutting the door harder than I needed to. “The video’s everywhere. It’s viral. People are obsessed — and you haven’t said a word.”His eyes flicked back to his computer. Dismissive. Detached. “I’ve been busy.”“Too busy to hit like?”“Fallon—”“Don’t Fallon me,” I snapped. “This is our image. Our marriage. And you can’t even pretend to care?”He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and that calm, collected patie

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty seven

    ~Reid~The video was impossible to avoid.It was everywhere — my feed, the headlines, even the business sites that had no reason to care about influencer content. My phone hadn’t stopped buzzing since it went live — a constant stream of texts, emails, and calls. Half of them were about the merger I’d been working on for months. The other half?All about Fallon.All about us.The so-called love story we’d apparently perfected.And I hadn’t watched it.Not all of it, anyway.But the few seconds I did see played on a loop in my mind — her laugh, soft and real. The way she leaned into me without hesitation. The warmth in her eyes when she wasn’t guarded, when she wasn’t bracing for a fight.It looked real. Too real.Which was exactly why I needed to stay far away from it.“Any comment on the video, Mr. Callahan?”I didn’t even look up from my computer. “We’re here to discuss the Prescott acquisition. Not my personal life.”My assistant shifted awkwardly, her stack of notes trembling just

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty six

    ~Fallon~Editing the video was easy.Keeping my heart out of it? Not so much.I told myself it was just work — like every other brand deal I’d done. Just footage, just angles, just carefully curated moments designed to sell a product and a lifestyle.But the camera didn’t lie.Every time I cut a new clip, I felt it — the warmth of Reid’s hand brushing my waist, the way his fingers lingered a little too long when he adjusted my robe, the soft, almost-smile when he thought I wasn’t looking. And when I hit play and watched the way he tucked my hair behind my ear — gentle and unhurried — my breath caught.I knew it was for show. For the brand. For the internet’s favorite fairytale.But I still felt it.And the more I watched it, the harder it was to pretend I didn’t.By the time I added the final filter and hit “post,” my hands were shaking.And then I waited.The FeedbackIt didn’t take long for my phone to explode.The video went viral within the hour — likes, comments, and shares rolli

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty five

    ~Fallon~I spent way too much time getting ready.Which was ridiculous. This wasn’t a date.It was dinner — a business transaction wrapped in good intentions and lingering tension. Nothing more.But that didn’t stop me from changing my dress three times. Or from standing in front of my mirror, second-guessing my lipstick and smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the midnight blue slip dress I’d finally settled on. It draped just right, the silky material clinging in places I wanted it to and flowing everywhere else.It wasn’t too much. It wasn’t trying too hard.But the nerves fluttering in my stomach told me it was still more effort than I should’ve put into a night with a man who barely spoke to me.It’s just dinner, I told myself. A peace offering. Nothing more.Still… when I walked downstairs and saw Reid waiting by the door, my breath caught.He looked good. Unfairly good. The black button-down fit him too well, sleeves rolled up just enough to show his forearms, the top but

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty four

    ~Fallon~Swallowing my pride tasted a lot like regret.I stood outside Reid’s home office, the soft hum of his voice carrying through the heavy wooden door. I should’ve turned around. Every instinct told me to forget the Luxe Amor campaign and avoid this conversation entirely. But this job — this opportunity — was too big to pass up.And like it or not, I needed him for it.I raised my hand to knock, hesitated — and then knocked twice before I could change my mind.“Come in.”The sound of his voice — low, clipped, and entirely too composed — sent something sharp through me. I pushed the door open, stepping into the room, and Reid looked up from his laptop.God help me, he looked good.He was all sharp lines and cool detachment — sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, and dark hair tousled like he’d been dragging his hands through it. His eyes, however, were anything but relaxed. They narrowed the second they landed on me.“What do you need, Fallon?”Not exactly a warm welcome. But I wasn’t

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty three

    ~Fallon~The box sitting on my doorstep was enormous.It looked expensive before I even touched it — wrapped in sleek black paper with a silver ribbon tied so perfectly it felt like a crime to mess it up. My name was printed in elegant script on the tag, the kind of handwriting that made me picture calligraphy classes and personal stationery I’d never own.It wasn’t unusual for brands to send PR packages. It came with the job. But this… this felt different.And the minute I dragged it inside and opened the lid, I knew I was right.Because this wasn’t just a PR package.It was a couple’s PR package.Luxe Amor was one of the hottest brands right now — high-end home goods and lifestyle products designed for the kind of aspirational couples everyone envied. The ones with curated homes and cozy, perfect lives. The ones who made love look effortless and beautiful.The campaign was all about romance. Cozy nights in. Beautifully styled moments that felt real but were polished to perfection.T

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