Amaira watched Theodore walk away, her heart heavy with a sense of shame and regret. He didn’t glance back, and the sting of that silent goodbye gnawed at her. Her uncle’s intrusion had exposed a part of her life she had hoped to keep hidden, and now Theodore knew more than she had ever wanted him to.

She sighed deeply, heading back to her apartment, her mind racing with thoughts of what tomorrow would bring.

The next morning arrived faster than she’d expected. Amaira stood in front of the mirror, examining the bruise on her cheek left by her uncle’s slap. The redness was stubborn, refusing to fade, despite all her attempts to cool it down with ice and soothing creams. Great. Just great.

With a frustrated huff, she reached for a small skin-colored patch to cover the worst of it. This’ll have to do. She sighed, knowing full well it wasn’t ideal. To top it off, she grabbed her reading glasses and a face mask. The mask would hide most of the bruise, even though it made her look like she was trying to avoid a police line-up.

This is ridiculous, she thought as she stared at her reflection. She looked like some sort of undercover agent—except she was just trying to hide a bruise from her future fake husband.

As she hurried towards Theodore’s office, she kept pulling at the edges of her mask, trying to adjust it so that it didn’t seem too suspicious. But the more she fussed with it, the worse it seemed to look.

When she reached the sleek lobby of his office building, she took a deep breath and walked up to the receptionist. The woman sitting behind the desk gave her a sharp, skeptical glance, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked, her tone icy, eyes darting to the mask.

“I have an appointment with Mr. Theodore. He called me yesterday.” Amaira’s voice came out muffled through the mask.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “Name?”

“Amaira.”

There was a pause as the receptionist looked her up and down, clearly thinking Amaira looked like some sort of undercover spy. Amaira could practically feel the woman judging her whole appearance—the big glasses, the mask, and the overall suspicious vibe she seemed to be giving off.

“I’ll need to verify that,” the receptionist said, picking up the phone and dialing Theodore’s office. Amaira shifted awkwardly on her feet, feeling more and more ridiculous with each passing second.

“Mr. Theodore, there’s a... uh... suspicious woman here who says her name is Amaira,” the receptionist said, clearly not trying to hide her skepticism.

Amaira cringed. Suspicious woman? Really?

A few seconds later, the receptionist put the phone down, still eyeing Amaira with a mix of curiosity and caution. “He said you can go up. Take the elevator to the top floor.”

Amaira mumbled a thank you and hurried toward the elevator, grateful to escape the receptionist’s watchful gaze. As the elevator doors closed, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Why did I even wear this mask? This is ridiculous.

When the doors opened again, she stepped out into Theodore’s office. His assistant wasn’t at her desk, so she made her way directly to his door. With a deep breath, she knocked.

“Come in,” his voice came from inside.

Amaira hesitated for a moment, then opened the door. Theodore was seated behind his massive desk, but as soon as he looked up and saw her, his expression shifted from his usual calm demeanor to one of amusement.

“Well, now I understand what the receptionist meant by 'suspicious,’” he said, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Amaira’s face flushed with embarrassment beneath her mask. She had hoped the mask would go unnoticed, but clearly, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Take off the mask, Amaira,” Theodore said, leaning back in his chair with an eyebrow raised.

Reluctantly, Amaira pulled the mask off her face, revealing the patch she had stuck to her cheek to hide the bruise. Theodore’s gaze lingered on the patch for a moment, his expression softening.

“You didn’t have to hide it,” he said quietly. “I already saw what happened yesterday.”

Amaira pressed her lips together, feeling exposed. “I didn’t want to look like I’d been in a fight... or worse,” she mumbled.

Theodore’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Well, it’s not like you were the one doing the hitting,” he said, a hint of anger flashing in his voice as he remembered her uncle.

Amaira shifted uncomfortably. “I’m fine, really. It’s just... I didn’t want to draw attention to it.”

Theodore stood up from behind his desk and walked over to her, his gaze serious. He gently reached out and touched the side of her face, just above the patch. “Amaira, you don’t have to hide anything from me.”

His voice was calm but firm, and for a moment, Amaira felt the weight of his words. She wanted to pull away, but there was something comforting in his touch, something that made her feel protected—even in this absurd situation they were in.

She looked up at him, trying to make light of the moment. “Well, I’m not sure walking around with a giant patch on my face is the best look for my first day as your... uh, fake wife.”

Theodore chuckled softly, dropping his hand. “Trust me, I’ve seen worse.”

She let out a nervous laugh, the tension between them easing slightly. “Well, at least that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.”

“True,” Theodore said with a smirk. “But we do have other things to discuss. Sit down.”

Amaira sat in one of the chairs across from his desk, still fidgeting with her glasses, feeling self-conscious under his gaze.

“So,” Theodore began, settling back into his chair. “We need to finalize the details of this... arrangement.”

“Right,” Amaira said, trying to focus on the reason she was here, rather than her bruised cheek.

Theodore glanced at her, his expression turning serious again. “Look, I know this isn’t exactly conventional, but I need you to understand that this is going to be more than just a simple ‘contract’ between us.”

Amaira furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, people are going to ask questions. We have to make this look convincing—especially to my mother. If we’re going to pull this off, you’ll need to be around me a lot more than just for formal events. We’ll need to be seen together. People will need to believe we’re a couple.”

Amaira swallowed hard. The whole situation was becoming more complicated by the second. “So... what you’re saying is, I’m going to have to spend a lot more time with you?”

Theodore leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Yes, Amaira. And that means you’re going to have to get used to me.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Great. Just what I always wanted.”

He chuckled, his smirk widening. “Welcome to the job.”