Chapter 6 6

Felicie's smile froze on her face. It was a perfect, crystalline moment of shock.

"Your... fiancée?" she repeated, the word tasting like poison.

The reporters nearby, smelling blood in the water, surged forward. Microphones and cameras were thrust into their faces.

"Mr. Benjamin, is this true?"

"When did this happen?"

"Who is she?"

Camden ignored them all. He kept his cool gray eyes on Felicie, a silent challenge passing between them. He was using Edlyn, a human shield made of midnight silk and borrowed diamonds, to end a war before it began.

Edlyn felt a strange sense of detachment, as if she were watching a play. She was a character, a plot device. She remembered her instructions: smile. So she did. She tilted her head slightly, letting the light catch the diamonds at her ear, and offered a small, serene smile, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Felicie's mask of composure cracked. Her eyes, filled with venom, darted to Edlyn. "Harding?" she sneered, recognition dawning. "The bankrupt gallery Harding? Camden, you can't be serious. She's... nobody."

"She is with me," Camden said, the two words delivered with enough chilling finality to silence the entire press corps. He gave Felicie a nod that was a clear dismissal.

He steered Edlyn away from her, up the marble steps and into the grand hall of the museum. As soon as they were through the doors, the cacophony faded, replaced by the polite murmur of the city's elite.

"Well done," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. "You followed instructions."

"Is that a compliment?" she whispered back.

He didn't answer. He released her waist, the warmth of his hand vanishing instantly, leaving the air between them cold again. The performance was over.

Two men in suits approached them. Edlyn recognized them from the file. Preston Vance and Carter Hayes, two of Camden's board members.

"Well, well," Preston said with a broad smile. "Camden Benjamin. You've been holding out on us. A fiancée?"

Camden's public persona snapped back into place. "Preston, Carter. I'd like you to meet Edlyn Harding. Edlyn, these are two of the men who question my every decision."

The men laughed. Edlyn gave them the small, quiet smile she was perfecting.

"A pleasure," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"She's a quiet one," Carter observed, looking her over. "A welcome change."

Camden draped his arm around her waist again, the gesture feeling practiced now. "Private conversation, gentlemen," he said, a subtle command beneath the pleasantry. "Walk away."

They took the hint, melting back into the crowd.

As soon as they were gone, Camden released her. He stepped back, creating a distinct distance.

"Stay here," he commanded. "Don't talk to anyone. I need to speak with my father."

He turned and disappeared into the throng of black ties and designer gowns, leaving her alone in a sea of sharks. He thought she was a liability. A loose end to be managed.

She felt a flash of anger, but she held it in. She was desperate, not proud. She was his fiancée. And she would play her part.