Chapter 4

Inside an apartment in Gimley Gardens, Zayn was packing up.

This used to be his home with Yvonne, but now he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Knock, knock, knock.

He opened the door and found a woman standing there, bundled in a scarf and huge sunglasses—like she was trying way too hard to look incognito. Behind her were two men, a weird pair: one tall and skinny, the other short and round, like some mismatched duo from an old sitcom.

"Uh, who are you guys?" Zayn asked, frowning.

"Mr. Zayn, we're with the Quandt family's security team," the short and round man said.

"The Quandt family?" Zayn raised an eyebrow.

He'd just hung up with Edward, and these guys were already here?

The man seemed to pick up on his surprise. "Our employer has a... considerable network. Finding you wasn't hard.

"We're here on Mr. Edward's orders to escort you and your fiancée to Cloudcrest Estate tomorrow."

Fiancée? Zayn glanced at the woman wrapped up like a celebrity in hiding, and it clicked—this was who Edward had chosen for him.

"Why are you all bundled up? Either you're sick, or you're hiding a, uh... ugly face?" he quipped.

The woman let out an annoyed huff. "Sick? The only one with issues here is you. Don't you know who I am? Maybe you need to actually look."

With one sharp motion, she yanked off the sunglasses and scarf, revealing a face that was practically flawless—smooth skin, striking brows, and eyes that sparkled. She was gorgeous, like someone out of a magazine.

Zayn blinked, momentarily thrown. Not just because she was beautiful—but because she was Amelia Arden, one of the most famous actresses in Khelmoria.

"You... you're Amelia Arden?" He stared, trying to process.

Even though Zayn rarely followed celebrity drama, he knew about Amelia's latest scandal—it was everywhere.

'Edward, what the hell?'

He grabbed his phone and dialed. "Edward Quandt, what is this? You seriously expect me to marry her?"

Amelia had recently been blasted across headlines as the alleged "other woman" in director Lowell Keating's messy marriage. When Lowell's wife released a brutal open letter, the whole thing exploded, keeping her name all over social media.

Edward's laugh on the other end was dry. "You should be thanking me. You're marrying the most beautiful woman in Longoria.

"Look, Amelia's not just some celebrity—she's Graham Arden's granddaughter. He wants her reputation cleaned up after that scandal, so he came to me to set this up between our families.

"Getting Amelia? You should feel lucky. Who cares about a few rumors?"

Zayn rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and once you register your marriage tomorrow, the security team will take you both to Cloudcrest Estate. Our family's on holiday there, so don't keep us waiting." Edward hung up before Zayn could even respond.

Zayn couldn't help but be surprised. Cloudcrest Estate was a massive villa estate on Ignix Peak, just outside Longoria—a place practically dripping in mystery and wealth. He'd heard the elite vacationed there, but he had no idea it belonged to Edward.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't look exactly thrilled about this."

Zayn didn't answer, but the irritation on his face said it all.

Amelia's eyes turned icy. "Relax, you're not my type either. The unwanted son of the Quandt family? Plain and ordinary. Yeah, hard pass."

Zayn nooded. "Perfect. So why don't you save us both some trouble and leave."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, can't handle a little criticism? Guess you're not only mediocre, but also thin-skinned."

Zayn ignored her dig. "So, is that scandal with the film director true?"

Amelia let out a cold laugh. "What's it to you? And yeah, I liked him. So what if he's older? At least he’s got talent. Who cares if he's married?"

Zayn rolled his eyes. "Either you're crazy or just blind."

"Who I like is my business," Amelia snapped. "What, jealous?"

Zayn didn’t respond, and Amelia pressed on. "Look, I’m doing this for my grandpa. Let’s make this a show. We’ll ignore each other, and three years from now, we’re done. Simple."

"Three years?" Zayn scoffed. "That's way too long."

She rolled her eyes. "Take it or leave it. If we split before three years, my grandpa will force me out of the showbiz. So, you'll just have to deal."

By now, Zayn was seriously considering packing up and skipping town just to avoid the mess.

"Fine. Tomorrow at 9:30, bring your papers to the Clerk's office. Until then, go wherever you want."

Amelia's eyes flashed. "Tomorrow, then."

With that, she wrapped herself back up like some undercover spy and swept out the door.

***

The next morning, Zayn stood outside the Clerk of Court, smoking as he waited. In Khelmoria, both marriage and divorce registrations—at least the uncontested ones—were handled here.

Soon enough, Yvonne showed up with Eric, her arm hooked through his, a smug smile on her face. Zayn nodded at them politely, as if she were just some old acquaintance.

Yvonne frowned, unsettled by how indifferent he seemed. 'Really? He's just gonna act like I mean nothing? No way he's that unaffected.'

But with Eric right there, she kept the words to herself.

Eric noticed Zayn's calm look and grinned, extending his hand. "Zayn, thanks for letting Yvonne go. Don't worry—we'll be very happy together."

Zayn glanced at Eric's outstretched hand but ignored it, turning to Yvonne instead. "Let's get this done. I have other things to do today."

Though he was over Yvonne, the last thing he wanted was for her to see him getting married to Amelia later.

"Can you drop the act already?" Yvonne snapped, her patience running thin.

Zayn raised an eyebrow. "What act? You need me to be heartbroken to soothe your ego? Sorry, you're not worth it."

Yvonne sneered. "Fine, then put your money where your mouth is. Give back the shares you have in BeechCorp."

"Sure," Zayn said. "Buy them back at market value."

"How much?" she demanded.

He held up two fingers. "Two million. You'll be profiting. BeechCorp's worth over a billion."

Eric smirked, his tone dripping with mockery. "Oh, I get it. A cash grab. You probably checked out my background, saw I could afford it, and planned this all along. Though, I figured you’d try something like this."

He pulled out his checkbook, quickly scrawling a check for two million and tossed it at Zayn. "Two million it is. I paid for Yvonne. More than enough to last you a lifetime."