Chapter 3 The Lie Takes Flight

It was at the bakery that it all happened. The front door swung open with its usual jingle, and I glanced over from behind the counter, wiping my hands on my apron. Mrs. Delaney had just walked out with her tart, and I was setting myself up for the customary long afternoon. But something was wrong today, something felt...not right.

The phone rang on the counter, and I almost did not pick it up assuming it would be another supplier calling with inquiries. But, upon seeing Emma's name flash on my screen, I grabbed the phone immediately.

"You won't believe this, Lily," Emma's voice rang frantically and a little breathless through the line.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wiping away flour from my hands, suddenly feeling my heart racing as if I had just got done with some sort of cover up exercise.

"The news you have told... It's everywhere, like, everywhere," she laughed, but it was a sound of nervousness.

I froze. "What do you mean? What story?"

"The engagement! Lily, there's a headline in the tabloid today: Billionaire Baker! Alexander Westfield Finds Love in Dales. It's got your face on it, outside Sweet Crumbs, and says that you two are engaged!" Emma's voice was really incredulous. "People are already talking. This is huge. You have the whole town in a frenzy."

I stared at the phone in my hand while my stomach dropped down, and the room started to spin around me.

Oh God!

"Emma," I said, voice quaking, "It wasn't meant to happen. I never intended for it to occur."

"It is already out there, Lily. Now, there's no stopping from going forward with it." She snapped back at me, her voice wilder than she had been. "What will you do? The media is all over it, and your bakery is getting so much attention. It is insane. People are talking about you like you are some kind of what they call it? A billionaire's fiancée."

I did not know what to do. That is to laugh or to cry. The pulse was thudding in my ears as I stepped back a little and fell against the counter.

This was not good. I didn't expect it to blow up like this. All I wanted was to protect Sweet Crumbs; I didn't mean to summon the media storm beyond my control.

I didn't even manage to utter a sound before the door swung again: this time it did not allow in a customer. It was Alexander Westfield himself.

Dressed like he owned the place in a sharp suit, his face set in another curl of annoyance as ever, and yet surveyed the room as though hunting for something; he walked in. Ignoring me at first, his sight remained glued to his phone scrolling through notifications.

~Alexander's POV~

The moment I stepped in, the warm smell of freshly baked bread hung in the air like from my last visit, and it ended there. I caught a glimpse of Lily at the counter facing away from me, moving between trays of pastries with that casual grace of hers. She hadn't even noticed me yet.

I cleared my throat. "Lily."

She turned, her eyes widening as if seeing me in person was a complete surprise. But I was not here for niceties. I was here to fix this.

"You and I need to talk," I said, my voice clipped.

Her reaction changed from surprise to guardedness, then gave an affirmative nod and started walking towards me. I could see it in her eyes; she knew why I was here. She had to.

I wasted no time. "You have made the biggest mistake," I said very firmly, as the tension in my chest tightened. "This engagement nonsense must end, right now."

As Lily raised her head, confidence began to rise within her. "I didn't compel anyone to believe it. The media is the one running with it."

"There's the truth," I snapped. By your actions, you have put me in such a position that I look like a fool. If the truth gets to the public, they will see the entire town as nothing more than a joke.

She managed to cross her arms, "that's because scandal will destroy your name, Alexander, I get it, but the story has already gone viral. Everyone knows it. You go to court? Bring it here to the public? What would do more damage to your reputation than my bakery ever could?"

The way she was speaking made me feel that she was the one in control of the situation. Still, it was true. The media would be unforgiving. Such a scandal would affect not just me but everything I'd worked for.

I took a breath, willing myself to concentrate. "You don't know the extent of what this could do to me."

She met my stare with a calmness that I had not expected. "I think you will, but I'm not the benefit of this, Alexander. You're the one that's the darling of the media, who has turned this whole fiasco into a story of you 'saving' the bakery for your fiancée."

I felt my stomach tighten. She was right. The media had made me into some kind of knight in shining armor, saving the small-town bakery as an act of love. The story was catching fire with my investors and clients. They were eating it up. The good publicity and the image of me as a romantic businessman was something I hadn''' anticipated but now that it is here, not sure how to turn it off.

I took a step back, my mind spinning. This wasn't just the kind of issue I could bulldoze my way through with money or legal action. The engagement had acquired more depth than that. Much more.

Marcus stepped in as I was trying to gather myself in the bakery--the image of someone who had spent all morning trying to get things together. He nodded slightly at Lily, before turning slowly to me and giving just about the most reluctant smile possible.

"Sir," he said, low, "you might want to consider keeping this story about engagement going, at least for a while."

As I met his gaze, confusion filled me. Underneath it, frustration boiled. "What? What do you mean keep it going?"

Lowering his voice further, he leaned in closer. "Media's buying it, and frankly, your investors are eating it up. The buzz around you is stronger than it has been in months, and positive press is doing wonders for the new project."

I could feel my annoyance and frustration bubbling and simmering. "So you're telling me an invented engagement is going to do wonders for business?"

He nodded. "Exactly. It creates a more relatable, human side, something that investors, clients, and even the media can latch onto. You're being seen as more than just a cold businessman."

I couldn't decide to laugh or scream. This was crazy. I refuse to have my reputation based on some ridiculous lie, but, truth be told, Marcus was right. The buzz surrounding the so-called 'engagement' had done some real wonders to my image.

I turned back to Lily, now standing with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised as she watched the exchange. "What do you want me to do?" I asked her, the words leaving my mouth with a sense of resigned disbelief. "Keep playing along with this charade?"

There was still a lingering trace of defiance in her expression, though it softened. "I'm not the one who started this, Alexander. But clearly, you need to keep this lie going for the two of us."

I ran my hand through my hair as the weight of the decision pressed down. I hated the word about continuing this farce, but the stakes were too high. The positive press, the buzz it was all too beneficial to ignore.

"So what are you saying?" I asked, my voice tinged with frustration.

That was true. The truth was already getting skewed. It was fast taking on a life of its own.

Whether for better or worse, I had got stuck with it.

I turned toward Marcus, who gave me a silent nod, and turned back to Lily. "Fine," I said, my voice quieter now. "We'll keep up the story, but I expect you to do your part. This goes both ways."

Her voice was steady, but taut with quiet determination: "We keep up the engagement fiction while we can. We play along. But at some time, Alexander, you're going to have to deal with the truth: The longer we go with this, the harder it's going to be to untangle."

A slow breath escaped from between my lips. I knew she was right: The public was already moving to the contents in- that the fabric was taking life by itself.

I looked at Marcus, who gave me a silent nod, and then turned back to Lily. "Fine," I said, my voice lower now. "We will keep up the story, but I expect you to do your part. This goes both ways."

Lily nodded at the very faintest trace of a smile tugging at her lips. "Deal."

As much as I hated the situation, I knew that there was no choice. I had to play along at least for now. But a small, quiet part in me couldn't help but wonder how long I could keep pretending... and what it would cost me in the end.