Chapter 5 5

The air in the room grew heavier with the weight of their arrangement. Ivy rubbed her temples, trying to steady her thoughts, but the overwhelming rush of emotions-frustration, anger, and a hint of fear-was too much to suppress. She wanted to scream, to tell him that she wasn't the woman to play this game, that she wasn't some pawn in a billionaire's scheme. But instead, she sat there, pretending to be calm as Sebastian continued outlining their plan.

"So," he said, tapping a pen on the table, "we'll start by releasing the engagement announcement in the morning. I'll handle the PR team, and you'll give your statement."

Ivy leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. "What exactly do you expect me to say? 'Oh, I'm so thrilled to marry a man I barely know, but hey, we're doing this for the family business'? That'll go over well."

Sebastian's lips curved into a knowing smirk. "It's not about truth. It's about perception. We make it look real, and people will believe it."

She clenched her fists in her lap. The audacity of it all-her career, her future, her very identity reduced to nothing more than a press release. "You really think people are going to buy that? The press, the public-none of them are stupid, Sebastian. They'll dig, they'll question. They'll tear us apart."

He was unfazed. "That's why we need to stay ahead of them. Control the narrative. Give them something they can't argue with."

"Like a fake love story," she muttered bitterly.

He glanced at her sharply, but there was no anger in his eyes, only a kind of cold, detached understanding. "Yes. A fake love story."

Ivy wanted to argue more, but something in his expression stopped her. Was he really this indifferent to the toll this would take on her? Did he not realize the mess he was dragging her into? She looked at him, studying his features, the set of his jaw, the way he held himself with quiet authority-and yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just a game to him. It was survival.

"Okay, fine," she said through gritted teeth. "We'll go through with it. But I'm not doing any of this alone. We're partners in this, whether you like it or not. I'll give my statement, but you better be ready for the fallout."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. Then, just as quickly, it was gone. "Don't worry, Ivy. I'll handle my part. But make no mistake, you're not just in this with me for the PR. You're in this because my father's got his hooks in both of us. And he's not letting go until we do exactly as he says."

The truth of his words hit her hard, like a punch to the gut. Gregory Hale's power wasn't just some abstract concept-it was real, tangible, and it had already wrapped its fingers around both of them.

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped, suddenly defensive. "I'm not a fool, Sebastian. I knew the moment you asked me to 'play along' that this wasn't just about making your family look good-it's about your survival."

For the briefest moment, there was something softer in his gaze, something almost... human. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I'm not the one who's going to end up in the firing line if this all falls apart, Ivy."

"Well, neither am I," she replied, her voice firm. "This isn't just about you."

There was a long, tense silence between them. Then, Sebastian stood, the movement sharp and decisive. "Fine. But remember, this deal works because we both play our parts. No exceptions."

Ivy stood as well, ready to leave. "I know how to play a part, Sebastian," she said coldly. "And I'll play mine, as long as you remember that I'm not a part of your world. Not really."

Without another word, she turned and walked out, feeling his gaze on her back. The house seemed too big, too cold as she made her way to the door, the sound of her heels echoing in the silence.

As she stepped back into the evening air, the weight of everything settled over her like a cloak. The city lights twinkled far below, but the view felt distant, unreachable. Nothing about this situation was simple, and Ivy had never felt more alone.

The press release. The statement. The fake romance. They were all coming, inevitable as a train wreck-and she was caught on the tracks, unable to turn away.

But what troubled her most wasn't just the deception-it was Sebastian Hale.

There was something about him. Something that lurked beneath the surface of the cold businessman, the ruthless son of a power-hungry magnate. A complexity she couldn't quite decipher, no matter how hard she tried.

As she climbed into her car and drove back to her apartment, Ivy couldn't shake the feeling that this-he-was more than just a story. He was a puzzle, and the closer she got, the more pieces she uncovered, the less sure she became of the picture they were forming.

The next day would bring the announcement. The fake engagement. The carefully curated press statement. But what Ivy didn't expect was how deeply it would sink under her skin. The lines between the real and the staged were already beginning to blur, and she was starting to wonder if the biggest lie was the one she told herself.

Was she really as immune to Sebastian Hale's world as she thought?