Chapter 5 The First crack in the Ice

The next morning started with another stylist, another schedule, another text from Xander with zero emojis and maximum boss energy.

> Xander: "We're attending the KnightCorp board brunch. Noon. Wear navy."

I stared at the message, still half-asleep in my giant bed.

No "good morning." No "how did you sleep?" Just orders.

If being a billionaire's wife meant being treated like an employee, I was going to need a raise.

Still, I got up.

I pulled on the navy dress Elia had left hanging on my closet door-it hugged my body just right and made me feel powerful, even if I was still faking it. I tied my hair into a sleek ponytail, swiped on some lip gloss, and told myself I was a professional.

Even if I was pretending.

Even if my heart felt weirdly light and heavy at the same time.

Xander was waiting downstairs in the living room, checking his Rolex. When he looked up and saw me, something shifted in his expression. It was subtle-barely there-but I saw it.

For a moment... he actually looked impressed.

"You're late," he said, voice flat.

"Only by two minutes."

"Two minutes is late."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you live by a stopwatch?"

"I run a billion-dollar empire, Reina. Time is money."

I gave him a mocking little salute. "Yes, sir, Mr. Moneybags."

He almost-almost-smiled.

We headed down together, side by side, stepping into the sleek black car waiting out front. The driver nodded respectfully. I still wasn't used to people opening doors for me.

As we drove, I watched Xander out of the corner of my eye.

He looked perfect. As always.

Black suit. Crisp white shirt. Jawline sharp enough to cut diamonds. Eyes that never gave anything away.

But today... there was something else. A tension in his shoulders. Like he wasn't just preparing for a meeting-he was preparing for war.

"You good?" I asked, surprising both of us.

He glanced at me. "Why?"

"You seem... tense."

"I'm always tense."

I tilted my head. "Must be exhausting."

He didn't answer. Just turned his head and looked out the window, his jaw tight.

Okay then.

---

The brunch was held at a private club in the heart of the city. Gold fixtures. Men in expensive watches. Women in pearls and whispers. Everyone had that air of superiority that made me want to spill juice on their shoes.

Xander introduced me to the board members one by one.

"This is my wife, Reina."

Wife.

Every time he said it, I felt a little jolt. Like my brain couldn't quite believe it was true.

I smiled. I played the part. I nodded and said polite things like, "It's such a pleasure," and "I've heard so much about your work," even though I hadn't. Even though I was dying inside.

At one point, we were seated next to a woman in a blood-red dress and heels that could kill a man. She leaned in toward Xander a little too casually, her perfectly manicured hand brushing his arm.

"Xander, darling," she purred, "you never told me you were getting married."

Xander's arm moved around my waist so fast I almost gasped.

"Reina's very private," he said smoothly. "But I'm lucky she said yes."

The woman's eyes flicked to me, her smile sharp. "Well. She's... unexpected."

I smiled sweetly. "So are your eyebrows."

Xander choked on his drink.

She glared. I sipped my mimosa like I owned the room.

We made it through the rest of the brunch without any more bloodshed, but the second we got back into the car, Xander turned to me.

"What was that back there?"

"What?"

"That line. About her eyebrows."

I shrugged. "She was rude."

"She's one of the most powerful shareholders at KnightCorp."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then maybe she can afford better filler."

He looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

And then-he laughed.

Not a smirk.

Not a polite chuckle.

A real, actual laugh.

It was low and rough and completely unexpected. And it made my chest flutter in a way I did not ask for.

"What?" I asked, my voice small.

He shook his head, still smiling. "You're unpredictable."

"I thought you hated that."

He didn't answer.

He just stared at me for a second too long.

And suddenly the air between us shifted.

Less ice.

More... heat.

---

Later that evening, I stepped out onto the balcony to clear my head. The city lights stretched endlessly below me. I was still trying to process everything that had happened-how fake had started to feel a little too real.

Xander joined me a minute later, two glasses in his hand.

"I figured you earned this," he said, handing me a flute of champagne.

I took it, blinking in surprise. "Thanks."

We stood in silence for a while, sipping and not speaking.

And then I said something I hadn't planned to.

"Do you ever regret it?"

He glanced at me. "Regret what?"

"This life. The pressure. The money. The... ice."

His jaw clenched slightly. "Money was never a choice. Pressure is part of the deal. And ice?" He looked at me. "Ice keeps things from burning."

I swallowed. "That sounds lonely."

He stared straight ahead. "It is."

For a moment, I saw the cracks.

Not in his empire. In him.

Behind the cold eyes and ruthless suits, there was a boy who lost something.

I didn't ask what. I just nodded.

We didn't say anything else after that.

But the silence felt different this time.

Like we weren't pretending.

Not completely.