As Alina entered her car and drove to her apartment, her thoughts drifted back to Victor. He had been so calm, so patient since their marriage. It was as if he was waiting for something, but she couldn’t figure out what.

When she arrived at her apartment, she saw him sitting on the sofa, looking as handsome and composed as ever. He stood when she entered, his dark eyes locking with hers. There was an intensity in his gaze, a quiet force that made her heart skip a beat.

"Welcome home, my dear wife," he said, his voice smooth and warm. Alina couldn’t help but notice the way the words lingered in the air, almost as if he were savoring them.

She froze for a second. His words caught her off guard. There was something about the way he said it—something deeper than just a formality. But Alina quickly composed herself, her mind focusing on the task at hand.

"You don’t need to act kind in front of me, Victor," she replied sharply, her tone firm. "Just act normal in front of my family. We’ll continue with the plan, and that’s it."

Victor’s expression shifted slightly, a shadow of sadness crossing his features, but he didn’t say anything. He simply nodded and moved toward the kitchen.

Alina’s mind raced as she made her way to her room. What had she just felt? It wasn’t attraction—no, she refused to believe that. But there was something about him. Something that made her heart beat faster, even when she didn’t want it to.

Her phone buzzed on the bedside table. It was Ema, her trusted assistant.

"Hello, Ema," Alina answered, trying to push thoughts of Victor aside.

"Ma’am," Ema began, her voice tinged with urgency, "your family wants to meet Victor. They’ve invited you both to a dinner tomorrow evening."

Alina’s heart skipped a beat. This was it—the moment when her family would finally meet Victor. Would they approve of him? Would they see through their arrangement? Alina quickly masked her anxiety and replied, "Tell them we’ll be there."

After the call ended, a wave of emotions washed over her. She hadn’t realized how much pressure this dinner would bring. She had to be careful. She couldn’t let her family suspect anything about her true feelings.

She needed to talk to Victor about the dinner and prepare for tomorrow. She didn’t want to, but she had to. Exhausted, she wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she forced herself downstairs. When she reached the living room, she saw Victor standing by the window, his expression unreadable as he stared outside, deep in thought.

"Victor," she called.

Hearing her voice, he turned to look at her but said nothing.

Alina sighed and pointed to the sofa. "Sit down."

Without a word, he complied.

"We need to go to a family dinner tomorrow," she informed him.

Victor’s eyes darkened slightly as he processed her words. He had expected this moment to come but not so soon.

"Tomorrow night, we have to act like we’ve been in love for a long time," she continued. "We need them to believe we’re a happy couple."

Finally, Victor spoke. "You don’t need to worry about tomorrow’s dinner. Just go and rest."

Alina, too exhausted to argue, nodded. "We’ll talk about it tomorrow."

She turned and went upstairs, her body aching for sleep. Victor watched her retreating figure in silence, his expression unreadable. His thoughts, however, were anything but calm.

He had never expected to meet his father-in-law so soon.