Owen P.O.V.The room was packed with family, business associates, and media. Every detail had been meticulously planned, from the champagne fountains to the sparkling chandeliers hanging overhead. It was the kind of glamorous event that only the Brown family could pull off—everything shining, everything perfect. Except for the fact that this wasn’t just a party. It was my last stand.If I did not pull off this fake engagement tonight, Daniel would have everything he ever wanted: my company, my legacy. The board of directors had been leaning toward ousting me, spurred on by rumours of my bachelor lifestyle and Daniel’s relentless whispers in their ears. The fact that he was my cousin only made it worse. Growing up, my mother took him in after his mother died and his father walked out. She raised him like he was her own, and yet, Daniel always viewed me as competition.I could not let him take everything from me. Not after how hard I had worked to build the Brown Group. This engagement
Casey’s P.O.V.As Owen stood on the stage, the lights gleaming off his perfectly tailored suit, I could feel the weight of every single eye in the room. The pressure of the moment, the grandeur of it all, almost made me forget why we were here. Yet, as he turned to me, his gaze softened in a way that made the act feel all too real."Casey Maxwell," saying he kneeled down before me, his voice low but clear. He pulled out a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. I covered my mouth with my hand when I saw the most beautiful ring inside . "You came into my life when I least expected it, and yet, here I am, completely and utterly captivated by you. I can not imagine facing another day without you, without your smile, without the way you challenge me, push me to be better. So, tonight, in front of everyone I care about, I want to ask you… will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?"The crowd let out a collective gasp, and the cameras clicked furiously. It was hard to re
Casey’s POVThe applause from the crowd swirled around us, growing louder as Owen slid the ring onto my finger, the cool metal sending a shock through my entire body. The moment felt surreal, like I was standing outside myself, watching from the sidelines as Owen and I kissed in front of the cameras and the flashing lights. The media frenzy was in full swing, and I was trapped in the middle of it all, wearing a ring that was not mine, playing the part of a woman I was not sure I could be.As soon as our lips parted, Owen whispered into my ear, “Smile, the cameras are still on us.”I plastered on the most convincing smile I could muster, my cheeks aching from the effort. My heart raced as I stole a glance at the audience—journalists, board members, family, all of them watching us with eager eyes. We stepped off the stage, and immediately, Owen was pulled into conversations with members of the press and upper management. I stood beside him, nodding and smiling, trying to blend into the
Daniel P.O.VFrom the corner of the room, I crossed my arms, pretending to look amused by the spectacle. I had been waiting for this day, not because I wanted to celebrate his engagement, but because I knew that my time was coming. Owen had always been the golden boy, the one everyone expected to lead Brown Group into a new era. But if I could expose him, if I could prove this was nothing more than a façade, then I would be the one standing in his place.The board had already been whispering I just needed to stir the pot.I waited until the ceremony was over, and the guests began mingling again. The media was all over Owen and Casey, asking them questions, taking photos. The more public they made this relationship, the harder it would be for him to wiggle out of it when the truth came out.I approached a couple of the board members, keeping my tone light and conversational. “Well, that was quite the surprise, wasn’t it?” I said with a chuckle.One of them, Mr. Allen, turned to me with
Casey’s P.O.V.The car ride home felt charged with an unspoken tension. Owen sat rigidly in the driver’s seat, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy, as if the weight of the night pressed down on both our shoulders. I wanted to break it, to ease whatever was bothering him, but the words wouldn’t come.I glanced at him, catching the flicker of his jaw clenching, and I instinctively placed my hand on his thigh. His gaze dropped to my hand. I quickly removed it. But he then caught my hand and placed it back on his thigh.“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light. “You have been quiet since you came back from the terrace.”“It is nothing,” he said, but the way he spoke felt anything but dismissive. “Just Daniel doing what he is best at. He is causing problems again.” I nodded, not wanting to press him further, though I felt he was holding something back.We arrived at our apartment complex, and Owen parked outside. He
Casey P.O.V“I..can.not..breath..ah” I think my dress is trying to take out every freaking living daylight out of me.“Oh don't be so dramatic.I know you will just be fine.” That dumbass screamed from the other side. I should have made him wear this then would have understood what meant by choking by your dress.Adjusting the tight red dress Owen had forced me to try on and when I put on the ridiculous high heels I discovered I could not even bend to buckle up the heels otherwise this fucking thousand dollars dress will rip off .Stupid fucking dress. I choose not to wear heels. No need for another trip to the hospital. This was not me at all. It seems like it had a vendetta against my personal space. I could barely breathe, but here I was, doing a full runway turn in front of the mirror."Owen, this is absurd," I called out from inside the dressing room, tugging at the hem of the dress that refused to go lower than mid-thigh. "I look like a naughty librarian who was asking to be ben
Casey’s POVOwen placed a pile of clothes he had picked out on the counter, setting aside the ridiculous options we had previously rejected. All I could think about was how much this was going to hurt my wallet. He reached into his wallet, pulling out a sleek black credit card, ready to hand it over to the cashier, who had started scanning the items.“Wait, what are you doing?” I asked, placing a hand on his arm. “These are my clothes. I will pay for them.”Before Owen could answer, the cashier announced the total. “Twenty thousand dollars.”My head snapped toward the cashier so fast I might have pulled something. My eyes widened in shock. “Excuse me?”I knew designer clothes were expensive, but twenty thousand? I had not anticipated anything close to that. My stomach dropped. It was more than I could afford right now, and I felt the burn of embarrassment creeping up my neck.I glanced back at Owen, who gave me a tight-lipped smile and passed the card to the cashier, ignoring my prote
Zazu P.O.V.I was lying on the couch, flipping through a magazine when I heard a soft, muffled noise. I closed the magazine to see if I was hearing things or not. I heard that terrible sound of crying again. I thought I was at home alone.When did Casey come back? She left this morning before I came back from work. We did not have much communication in the last few days. I know she is hiding something for me but what? I have no idea.The sound was too faint at first, but soon it turned into something like sobbing that can puncture your ear drums. I sat up straight. It is definitely her.Why is she crying?I set the magazine aside and walked toward her bedroom. I should have brought my ear plugs.My cousin can be a nice and beautiful person but she is a ugly crier ."Casey?" I called softly, knocking on her door. "Are you okay?"There was a beat of silence before she responded, her voice thick and shaky. "I’m fine."I frowned. That did not sound fine at all. "Then why are you sounding li
Casey’s P.O.V The buzz of the gala preparations was a strange mix of chaos and excitement. The event was just a day away, and while the fallout from Rachel’s actions had initially shaken me, it had also ignited a determination in me that I hadn’t felt before. This was my chance to prove myself, to show Mr. Davenport and the supervisors that I could excel even under pressure. After the meeting yesterday, Rachel had stormed out of the office, leaving behind a trail of venomous glares and whispered threats. While her behavior had been exposed to some extent, I could not shake the feeling that she was not done with me. But I did not have the time or the energy to dwell on that. I had a gala to prepare. The morning was a flurry of last minute vendor calls and double-checking every detail. The floral arrangements, the seating chart, the lighting , everything has to fit perfectly in these puzzle. I had Karen helping me coordinate with the caterers, and even some of the supervisors had
Casey P.O.V The moment Rachel handed me that ridiculous list of tasks, I knew she was setting me up to fail. The smirk on her face as she walked away had been a silent declaration of war, and for the first time since joining the company, I was not willing to roll over and take it. Because of the disaster with the decoration Mr.Davenport had to shift his charity gala to the weekend. That was extremely embarrassing . I had spent the day scrambling to contact vendors and make last minute arrangements, but the absurdity of the tasks and Rachel’s obvious attempts to sabotage me became clearer with every failed call. But I still went with the lists and completed my task only to get burnt in the end because apparently the client never asked for those things. As the work day came to a close, I sat at my desk, staring at the crumpled list she’d given me. My colleagues whispered as they passed, their pitying glances making my skin prickle. They knew what Rachel was doing, but no one dared t
Casey’s P.O.V. The conference room was already filled when I walked in, my notebook clutched tightly in my hand. I glanced around, spotting Rachel at the head of the table. Her perfectly styled blonde hair catching the morning sunlight streaming through the windows and a confident serious look on her face gave her an air of authority that was hard to ignore. She had been a thorn in my side since the day I joined the company two days ago. Her ability to undermine me at every turn was nothing short of impressive, and I braced myself for whatever she had planned today. The other team members greeted me with polite nods, but Rachel barely acknowledged my presence, her attention focused on the papers spread out in front of her. She always had an air of control, as if every detail, every moment, revolved around her. “Morning, everyone,” Rachel began, her voice sharp and commanding. “Let’s get started. As you all know, we have been entrusted with organizing a charity gala for our clien
Casey P.O.V The plate of food was already half-empty when I returned to the living room. I had offered him to eat because it was already late.Owen was lounging on my couch, his long legs stretched out, his tie loosened just enough to make him look less put together but somehow even more attractive. He glanced up at me with a faint smile, but I could still see the tension in his shoulders still there, the storm brewing behind his eyes. Owen might have let Daniel get into his head than he let on. I hesitated in the doorway for a moment, biting my lip. He had just dropped a confession on me, a raw, unfiltered truth about how he feels about me. First I was happy that he felt something like I do for him but then confusion and fear because I knew how Owen was . I have enough experience of life time how cheating bastards are. I do not need anymore experience. It was fine until I knew what he felt because I thought it was a one -sided crush. I will soon get over it but now, I do not know ho
Owen P.O.V The office was eerily quiet as the hours dragged on. Most of the staff had gone home, leaving only the hum of the air conditioning and the faint tapping of my fingers on the keyboard. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, Daniel’s words echoed in my head. The bastard has successfully gotten into my head. Damn it. He had said Casey’s name like a taunt, he knew it would get a raise out of me. And like an idiot for a moment, I gave him what he wanted. The thought of him so much as speaking to her let alone trying to involve her in his games made my blood boil. Daniel is nothing but trouble. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples and sighed. The work in front of me felt like a burden now, a flimsy attempt to push away thoughts of Casey. Since Daniel left I was not able to concentrate. Casey had sent me a message earlier, saying her work was done for the day, but I had not had the chance to call her back yet. Grabbing my phone, I hesitated. She had said she was lea
Owen P.O.V I sat at my desk, my hand hovering over the keyboard, immersed in the details of a newly finalized contract. The past two days had been chaotic, and the remnants of it still simmered under my calm exterior. My name and reputation had been dragged through the mud, my investors rattled, my suppliers shaken. And all of it traced back to one man, Daniel Black.It had taken every ounce of strategy and persistence to stabilize what Daniel Black had tried to destroy. He hoped to see me fall but I stood on my ground, exposing his schemes in the media, ensuring everyone knew just how far he had gone. The fallout had been brutal for him. Just as I finished scanning a clause in the document, the sound of the door opening pulled my attention away from my computer. I thought it was one of the guys from the accounting section with the finance report. God I was so wrong. I wish I had not looked up.Standing before me was Daniel , he entered the office, unannounced, like he owns this place
Casey P.O.V The first day at Brown Group was nothing like I had expected. I had walked in with my head held high, eager to prove myself, but it did not take long for reality to hit. The office was sleek and modern, with glass walls, polished floors, and an air of efficiency. I was assigned a desk in the operations department, a space filled with a group of women who eyed me as if I did not belong. I could feel their stares from the moment I walked in, but I brushed it off. “Good morning,” I greeted with a polite smile, setting my bag down and adjusting the blazer I had chosen this morning. The women exchanged glances, whispering among themselves, their eyes flicking from my clothes to my face with a look I recognized all too well. Judgmental bitches get over yourself. This is an office not a New York fashion week ramp. “Morning,” one of them finally responded, her tone cold and clipped. She was tall, with sharp features and an even sharper attitude. Her name tag read Rachel Thom
Casey P.O.V The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and I stepped into the quiet hallway leading to my apartment. My heels clicked softly against the polished floors, each step a reminder of the long day that had finally come to an end. The interview at Brown Group had drained me, both mentally and emotionally. All I wanted now was to collapse on my couch and let the weight of the day fade away. Owen was out for a business meeting so I would not be thanking him for what he did any time soon. I unlocked the door and pushed it open gently, careful not to make too much noise. The living room was dark except for the faint glow of the TV, which flickered softly across the walls. I had not expected anyone to be awake, but as I closed the door behind me, I heard movement from the couch. “Casey?” a familiar voice called out groggily. I glanced over and saw Zazu sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked cozy, wrapped in a thick blanket, her dark hair slightly tous
Casey P.O.V The morning air was crisp as I stood in front of the towering glass building that was Brown Group’s headquarters. The corporate giant I had heard so much about, the one that Owen had worked so hard to build, and now, for reasons I could not quite explain, I was about to step into it. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. You can do this Casey. Show them what you have got. I had spent two days planning what I was going to do. After giving ten interviews and being rejected by eight I think I have acquired enough interview experience after not giving for five years.I was trying to figure out the best way to keep my identity hidden. I did not want any special treatment or the perception that I was here because I was his pretend fiance and now real wife which no one knows yet because we are crazy enough to get drunk and get married. But that was not the reason . I just do not want anyone to say I got this because I am his fiancée, so, I disguised myself