Chapter 5 The Weight of the Ring.

Olivia's Pov

Marcus was waiting on the porch when Ashton dropped me off. His arms were crossed, his expression dark.

"Who's the guy in the Bentley?"

"We need to talk." I climbed out, waving to Ashton. He pulled away slowly, watching us in his rearview mirror.

"Liv, what's going on? You've been weird all week." Marcus followed me inside. "And is that an engagement ring?"

I held up my hand, the diamond catching the porch light. "I'm getting married."

"To who? You haven't dated anyone in two years." He grabbed my hand, examining the ring. "This is real. This is insane. Who is he?"

"Ashton Blackwell. We met at the investor event." I went to the kitchen, needing something to do with my hands. "It happened fast."

"Fast? Liv, you met him three days ago when he fired you." Marcus's voice rose. "What the hell is happening?"

I couldn't tell him the truth. The NDA was ironclad. But I couldn't lie to my baby brother either.

"He apologized for how he treated me. We talked. We connected." The words felt like ash. "I know it sounds crazy-"

"It sounds like a scam. Or like you've lost your mind." Marcus paced the small kitchen. "You don't even believe in marriage. You said it was a patriarchal trap after Mom died."

"I changed my mind."

"In three days? After one conversation with a billionaire?" He stopped pacing. "Oh my God. This is about money, isn't it? The foreclosure notice."

My silence answered him.

"Liv, no. Tell me you didn't sell yourself to some rich asshole to save the house." His voice cracked. "I'll drop out. I'll work. We'll figure it out together."

"You're not dropping out. Mom died making sure you could finish school." I grabbed his shoulders. "This is my choice. Ashton is good to me. This is real."

"You're lying. I can always tell when you're lying. Your left eye twitches." He pulled away. "I can't believe you'd do this."

"Marcus-"

"I need air." He headed for the door. "Don't wait up."

The door slammed. I stood alone in our mother's kitchen, wearing a stranger's ring, and wondered if Ashton was right about everyone being transactional.

My phone buzzed.

"How did it go? - AB"

*He knows something's wrong. Just not what."

" He'll adjust. People always do when money's involved."

I threw my phone on the counter. Ashton's cynicism was exhausting.

Another buzz. Sophie this time.

" Emergency bestie meeting. My place. Now. Wine required."

******************

Sophie shoved a wine glass in my hand the second I walked in.

"Talk. Now. Why is my Google alert blowing up with photos of you and Ashton Blackwell?"

"Google alert?"

"I set one up after you met him. I don't trust billionaires." She pulled up her laptop. "Look. 'Tech Mogul Ashton Blackwell Engaged to Mystery Woman.' There's a photo of you two leaving his grandmother's mansion. You look miserable."

"I was miserable. His father is a nightmare."

"Liv, what is happening?" Sophie sat beside me. "Please tell me you didn't sign that contract."

I held up my left hand.

"Oh my God. You married him already?"

"Engaged. Wedding's in three weeks." I drank half the wine in one gulp. "I signed this afternoon. Had dinner with his family tonight. His grandmother knows it's fake and approves. His father hates me. Marcus suspects and isn't speaking to me. So yeah, it's going great."

Sophie refilled my glass. "Okay. Deep breath. Tell me everything."

I told her about the contract, the money, the terms. When I finished, Sophie was quiet for a long moment.

"Three and a half million dollars."

"Plus Marcus's tuition and expenses."

"For one year of playing house with an emotionally unavailable billionaire." She set down her glass. "Liv, this is either the smartest or stupidest thing you've ever done."

"I don't know which one yet."

"What's he like? Really like, when you're alone?"

I thought about Ashton's face when he told me about his mother. The way his hands clenched. The vulnerability he hid behind ice.

"Damaged. Brilliant. Cold on the surface but there's something underneath. Something hurt." I stared at my ring. "His grandmother thinks I can fix him. I can't. I'm barely holding myself together."

"Maybe you just have to survive him for twelve months."

"He said the same thing about catching feelings. If it happens, suffer quietly until the contract expires." I laughed bitterly. "Very romantic."

"Do you think you could? Catch feelings?"

"For a man who views me as a business transaction? No." But even as I said it, I remembered the way Ashton had defended me to his father. "I don't know. Maybe. Which would be disaster."

"Because men like Ashton Blackwell don't fall in love with women like me. We're too different." I finished my wine. "This is temporary. I need to remember that."

Sophie hugged me. "For what it's worth, I think you're brave. Stupid, but brave."

My phone rang. Ashton.

"I should take this."

Sophie nodded, retreating to her bedroom.

"Hello?"

"We have a problem." Ashton's voice was tight. "Victoria Sterling is back in San Francisco. She knows about our engagement."

My stomach dropped. "Your ex-fiancée? You didn't mention her."

"Because she's been in Europe for five years. I didn't think she'd matter." He exhaled sharply. "She just called. She wants to meet you. Tomorrow. Lunch at her club."

"Why?"

"To assess the threat. Victoria views me as unfinished business." He paused. "This is going to get complicated."

"More complicated than lying to my brother and being insulted by your father?"

"Yes. Victoria is dangerous. She's smart, connected, and she knows exactly how to manipulate people." His voice dropped. "She's the reason I don't believe in love anymore."

"What did she do to you?"

"That's not important. What's important is that you understand she will try to break us up. She'll dig into your past, find your weaknesses, exploit them." He sounded tired. "If you're going to back out of this contract, now's the time."

I thought about Marcus, about the debt, about working three jobs until I died. "I'm not backing out."

"Good. Because the story just hit the society pages. We're officially news." He sent me a link. "Check your email. My publicist prepared a statement. Memorize it. You'll be giving interviews by Monday."

The article headline read: "Silicon Valley's Most Eligible Bachelor Off the Market: Ashton Blackwell's Whirlwind Romance with Unknown Chef."

Unknown chef. That stung more than it should.

"They make me sound like nobody."

"You are nobody to them. That's the point. Cinderella story sells." He was typing in the background. "I'm sending a stylist to your house tomorrow morning. You need a new wardrobe for lunch with Victoria. Nothing you own will work for her club."

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They're fine for your life. Not for mine." He said it matter-of-factly, no malice. Somehow that made it worse. "The stylist's name is Patricia. She's discreet and efficient. Let her do her job."

"Anything else you want to change about me?"

"Your attitude could use work, but we'll save that for later." He almost sounded amused. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be brutal."

"Ashton, wait. What am I supposed to say to Victoria?"

"The truth. That you love me, we're getting married, and she's too late." He paused. "Can you lie convincingly?"

"I've been lying to Marcus all night. I'm getting good at it."

"That's what concerns me." His voice softened slightly. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your brother. This arrangement has costs for both of us."

"What costs do you have? You're getting exactly what you want."

"Am I?" He was quiet for a moment. "Goodnight, Olivia. Don't let the wine make you do anything stupid."

He hung up before I could respond.

Sophie emerged from her bedroom. "Wine's not strong enough. I'm breaking out the tequila."

"I have to meet his ex-fiancée tomorrow. The one who broke his heart."

"Of course you do. Because this situation wasn't messy enough." She grabbed the tequila and poured two shots. "To faking it and making it."

We clinked glasses. The tequila burned going down.

My phone buzzed one more time. A text from a number I didn't recognize.

" Welcome to the family, dear. Ashton chose well. Don't let Victoria intimidate you. She's all bark and expensive shoes. - Eleanor"

I showed Sophie.

"I like the grandmother."

"Me too. Which makes this whole thing harder." I took another shot. "What if I actually start caring about these people?"

"Then you're screwed. But at least you'll be rich and screwed."

We laughed, but it sounded hollow.

Marcus's bedroom light was still off. He hadn't come home.

I texted him: *I love you. I'm sorry. This is the right choice even if you don't understand yet.*

He didn't respond.

I stared at my engagement ring, this beautiful prison I'd locked myself into, and wondered if Ashton was right.

Maybe everyone really was just transactions and survival.

"Maybe love was the lie we told ourselves to make it hurt less."