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Fifty

Penulis: Ese Gwede
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-03-26 15:19:57

~Fallon~

The second I answered my mom’s video call, her face filled my screen — already mid-sentence and in full dramatic flow.

“—and I told your aunt not to dye her hair that shade of red, but does she listen to me? No. Now she looks like she’s auditioning for a telenovela villain role.”

I burst out laughing, sinking deeper into the couch. “Hi, mom. Nice to see you too.”

She waved a hand, completely unbothered. “Ay, I see you all the time. You’re all over the internet.”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, I will.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the screen. “That kiss at the gala? Dios mío, I thought I was going to faint.”

Of course she brought that up.

“Mom—”

“Everyone’s talking about it!” she continued, completely ignoring my attempts to derail the conversation. “Your cousins won’t stop sending me articles. Even your grandmother called to ask when the babies are coming.”

I nearly choked on my water. “Mom!”

“Well?” she pressed, eyes wide with exaggerated innocence. “When
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  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   Fifty one

    ~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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-27
  • 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 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

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29

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  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and eight

    ~Reid~I kissed her.And now, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.The warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips.The way she had melted into me, just for a second, before pulling away.The soft hitch in her breath, the lingering taste of her on my lips.I should have let it go.I should have walked away, filed it under mistakes I won’t make again, and kept my distance.But I couldn’t.Because it didn’t feel like a mistake.It felt inevitable.And that—that was the part that terrified me the most.This was the problem with pretending. I wasn’t supposed to want her.This arrangement had been clean, structured—an unshakable foundation built on logic and necessity.We were business partners wrapped in a pretty package of public appearances and carefully curated affection.And I’d been fine with that.Until I wasn’t.Because somewhere between the forced smiles and the staged moments, the lines blurred.Somewhere between fighting her and defending her, between resenting her and needing her—I

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and seven

    ~Fallon~It was just a kiss.Nothing more.Nothing less.I repeated the words in my head as I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling like it held the answers to my rapidly spiraling thoughts.A kiss meant nothing.Not when it was part of a bet.Not when it was Reid Callahan.And yet my pulse still skipped when I thought about it. He was messing with my head.The way he’d looked at me—sharp, heated, entirely too confident. The slow, deliberate way he’d closed the space between us, like he’d been waiting for an excuse. The brush of his lips—firm, steady, undeniable.It had been a game.So why the hell was I still thinking about it?I groaned, throwing an arm over my face.This was ridiculous. It was embarrassing too.I needed a distraction.Anything to pull me out of my own head before I did something stupid—like replay the moment in my mind for the hundredth time and analyze every single second.I rolled over, grabbing my phone from the nightstand.Bad idea.Because the first thing th

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and six

    FallonThe moment I lost, I knew I was in trouble.Reid didn’t gloat.He didn’t smirk, or throw out some arrogant remark.No.That would’ve been too easy.Instead, he just looked at me—calm, unreadable, with the kind of patience that sent my pulse into a full sprint.And then, in that low, even voice that always got under my skin, he said, “I believe I won.”I swallowed. “So it seems.”The air between us thickened.He leaned back against the couch, fingers tapping idly against the armrest like he had all the time in the world. “You remember what’s at stake?”Like I could forget.A kiss.Not just any kiss.A Reid Callahan kiss.And if the almost kiss from the other night was anything to go by, this was about to be a problem.For me.Because despite every warning, every reason I had to not feel things, my body had other ideas when it came to him.And now?Now, I had to face the consequences.I lifted my chin. “Fine.”Reid’s brows lifted slightly, like he was expecting more of a fight.I

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and five

    ~Fallon~It started as a joke.Well, technically, it started because I caught Reid answering emails again during breakfast, despite claiming he was taking the day off. And since I was no better—scrolling through my social media feed while pretending to sip my coffee—it spiraled into a full-blown challenge.“No work emails,” I declared, setting my phone down with a dramatic flourish. “And no social media.”Reid arched a brow, clearly unimpressed. “You do realize your entire career is built on social media, right?”“And your entire life is built on work,” I shot back. “Which is exactly why we need this. A full day of unplugging. No distractions, no notifications, no meetings. Just… existing like normal people.”He huffed, setting his coffee down. “And what’s in it for me?”I smirked. “If you win, you get to kiss me.”His expression didn’t change, but I felt the shift—the sharp attention in his gaze, the way his fingers drummed once against the table.“And if you win?” he asked, voice lo

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and four

    ~Fallon~I had no idea how I ended up here.Well, actually—I did.Reid had come home earlier than expected, looking ridiculously put-together despite what I knew had to be a brutal day at work. Meanwhile, I’d been lounging on the couch, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and no intention of doing anything productive when he casually dropped a question that sent my entire evening spiraling into enemy territory.“Do you play chess?”I blinked up at him. “Are you being serious?”His lips twitched. “I don’t joke about strategy, Fallon.”Of course he didn’t. I could already picture it—Reid Callahan, eleven years old, probably reading The Art of War between school exams and power plays on the playground.But I wasn’t about to let him think he had the upper hand.“Fine,” I said, stretching lazily before standing up. “But if we’re playing something, we’re making it interesting.”That’s how chess turned into a full-blown game night.And now here we were—an hour and three games deep, sitting cross

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and three

    FallonIf the press wanted a spectacle, I’d give them one.Because I wasn’t about to let some random nobody run my name through the mud and get away with it.My phone buzzed again, the screen flashing with a name I’d been ignoring for the past half hour.Mom.I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose before finally giving in and answering.“Fallon,” she said the second the call connected. “I assume you’ve seen the headlines.”“No, Mom. I just woke up and thought the entire internet was blowing up for fun.”She sighed, the exasperation practically vibrating through the phone. “I told you this would happen. People will always look for cracks in a marriage like yours. The only way to win is to ignore it.”I rolled my eyes. “That’s not winning. That’s surrendering.”“It’s strategic,” she corrected. “If you don’t acknowledge it, the story dies faster. Engaging gives it power.”I paced the room, jaw tightening. This was so like her. The constant need to present the perfect image, to

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and two

    ~Fallon~ I woke up to war. My phone was vibrating off the nightstand, the screen lighting up with notifications so fast I could barely process them. I grabbed it, groggy, scrolling through an endless flood of texts, missed calls, and push alerts. And then I saw it. “Billionaire Reid Callahan Spotted on an Intimate Dinner Date—Where Was His Wife?” My stomach dropped. The article was everywhere. Attached were pictures—Reid at a sleek, exclusive restaurant, seated across from a woman I didn’t recognize. She was gorgeous. Brunette, sophisticated, leaning in just close enough to make the photos look damning. The kind of woman the press would love to call his real match. I scrolled faster, my pulse hammering. “Reid Callahan and mystery woman share a private dinner—sources say Fallon Callahan was nowhere in sight!” “Trouble in paradise? Callahan marriage not as picture-perfect as they want you to believe.” “Who is the woman seen dining with L.A.’s most powerful billionaire?” Th

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One hundred and one

    FallonI should not be this affected.It didn’t even happen.That was what I told myself as I unpacked, folding my clothes with unnecessary precision. That was what I repeated as I lined up my skincare bottles on the bathroom counter, arranging and rearranging them in a way that made absolutely no difference.It didn’t happen.He didn’t kiss me.He was going to.My hands froze over the drawer I’d been stuffing with newly purchased lingerie I had no actual plans of wearing.God.I closed my eyes, exhaling sharply.I was losing it.Because Reid Callahan had almost kissed me, and I’d been waiting for it.That was the worst part.Not the fact that my heart had practically lunged out of my chest, or the fact that my breath had caught when his hand slid to my jaw. Not even the way my lips had parted in pure, helpless anticipation.No.The worst part was the way I’d wanted it.The way I’d been ready for it.And the way I’d felt like a complete idiot when his phone rang, dragging him back to

  • Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract   One Hundred

    ~Reid~The house was dark when we stepped inside. Quiet. Like it hadn’t even noticed we were gone.I set our bags down by the staircase, rolling my shoulders to ease the stiffness from the flight. Fallon stood a few feet away, one hand on her hip, scanning the space like she had to reacquaint herself with it.Home.It should’ve felt like a relief to be back, to slip into familiar routines and put the past few days behind us. Instead, there was something restless in the air. Something unspoken.Something I wasn’t ready to face.Fallon exhaled, tilting her head back and stretching, her sweater riding up slightly with the motion. My gaze flickered, completely without permission, to the bare sliver of skin between the soft fabric and the waistband of her jeans.I looked away just as fast, flexing my hands at my sides.This wasn’t the time.Not when my mind was already tangled with everything that had happened on this trip. The banter, the closeness, the easy way she fit into my life when

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