All Chapters of My Politically Arranged Marriage: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cal's POVWhen I woke up the house was silent.I rolled over in bed, groaning to myself. It felt like I hadn't slept much at all. The press conference had already got me worked up and then with the news leaking…Lena was heartbroken, and out of anger, we got into another argument.Then she had the nerve to compare me to my father and ask if I was putting on an act…if this was all a campaign to smear her and her family’s reputation. I didn’t know how she could think that of me…but then I thought about it more and realized, I hadn’t given her much to go off of, had I?The idea didn't sit right with me and I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. The clock on my bedside table told me that it was nearly six in the morning.That should be just enough time to squeeze in a gym session before our planned appearances around the city today; the ones we orchestrated before the news spilled.Let’s just say, neither of our families were happy about it—my father b

Lena’s POVAs the clock struck noon, Cal and I stepped off the train at King's Cross Station. Returning to London after a whirlwind of an engagement announcement was both exciting and nerve wracking.Our kiss had made the news and we were praised as everyone seemed even more convinced of our relationship than ever. Cal was right, his father did eventually call,and he was not pleased that the news leaked.He was demanding to know how it got out, but neither of us knew anything. When we couldn’t respond, Cal’s father sighed and, in political fashion, noted that it at least allowed the perfect opportunity to hold another press conference to address the engagement and our planned trip to London.Only, he ended that with the demand that we return to America as soon as possible. I ignored the frustration building in me. I was eager to get back to normal life, though I knew that was wishful thinking now.Cal was the perfect gentleman during our travels. It seemed we w

Lena's POVMy eyes stared at the door of the study that my father had just walked into. Part of me wanted to go in to see what they were talking about, or maybe just to be close with Cal again."Would you like another, madam?" a waiter asked as he walked by with the glasses of wine."Yes, please," I said as I grabbed another one and gave him my empty glass."Geez, Lena, slow down," Emily cautioned with a laugh, though she sounded a little concerned.I couldn't blame her, I was definitely feeling a good buzz and probably shouldn't drink anymore. They were just going down so well and they were making me feel so much better—which made it hard to stop."Okay, okay, last one," I replied, bringing the glass up to my lips.Emily laughed in response.I looked around at the rest of the room and found that it was just Emily and I left now. Our mum and dad had said goodbye and walked everyone out. Mum was probably off making sure the staff knew that everyone was gone and l

Lena's POV"Oh goodness, Emily!" I yelled out reaching for her arm. "What's wrong?"She looked at me, her expression a mix of hurt and confusion. I wondered if she knew about what happened last night. Did Charles tell her? Would Charles really spoil his own proposal just to vent to his girlfriend?"I think Charles is cheating on me," she said, fresh tears welling in her eyes.Well, that wasn't what I expected."What?" I asked, flabbergasted. "How-Why do you think that?""I just do," she cried, stepping further into my room. "I already told you he's been acting distant lately. It's like he's hiding something. And then he was gone all night last night and didn't message me at all. He could have been at a girl's house for all I know."Nope. He was here…chewing my ass out.Relief washed over me nonetheless, because I realized she was wrong. Charles wasn't cheating on her. He was just trying to figure out how to make her proposal special after I stole his thunder.

Lena’s POVOver the next few days, I found myself caught in the whirlwind of our newfound celebrity status. The London tabloids and BBC had all aired multiple stories of mine and Cal's relationship, causing more and more people to notice us when we went out.I wasn't royalty, but that didn't stop everyone from being obsessed with my love life.We had a few scheduled guest appearances to solidify our hold in the UK. One of the largest was the prospect of an interview on the raunchy late night talk show, "Christian After Dark," hosted by the notorious celebrity Christian Michaels. The interview loomed on our agenda, triggering my stomach to turn into knots. I hesitated as I contemplated the interview offer. My natural instinct was to shy away from the raucous and personal topics that Christian's show was renowned for. But Cal, my current voice of reason, reminded me of our need for publicity to prove the authenticity of our relationship. "We can't hide forever, Lena," Ca