The Pretend Bride's Unexpected Path To True Love

Thalia's POV:

I joined Scarlet Angels, a luxury escort agency, a few months ago. Before that, I worked as a secretary, but that job barely paid for groceries.

I could not cover the growing stack of bills. Paying for college tuition and my brother, Maxwell Perkins's boarding school felt impossible.

I wanted to afford everything. I wished I could pay someone to look after him so I could come home to him each night. Losing our parents hurt, but the pain seemed even sharper for him.

I scrubbed away layers of makeup until only tired, pale skin showed in the mirror. Hot water ran down my back. People claimed escort money came easy, but I found it to be the hardest money I ever earned. Turning down the job never felt like an option. Debt buried me, and my little brother needed me to take care of him. After our parents died, all we had left was sadness, longing, and a mountain of bills. Keeping up with debt as a secretary felt hopeless. I nearly gave up on my studies altogether.

A friend from college helped me by introducing me to the owner of Scarlet Angels, where she worked.

At first, I did not want to go through with it. The idea clashed with everything I believed in. Things changed when child protection services threatened to intervene. I realized I could lose custody of Maxwell, since I left him alone while I worked. We were barely scraping by.

That month, my friend paid a few of my bills and told me that I would not always have to sleep with clients. If a client expected more than I was comfortable with, I could say no and walk away.

We were given the freedom to choose who we wanted to meet and could turn down any proposal.

That was how I began working at Scarlet Angels, though the job was never easy. Still, I started making enough money. I paid for my college tuition and Maxwell's boarding school, which was well-known and expensive.

I could not say I was truly happy, but I was inching closer to my goals. Now, I was paying the price for a three-month suspension after getting involved with one of the employees at Scarlet Angels. I had broken one of Liza Schmidt's rules. She owned the agency. The worst part was that I never even cared for the guy. He made a big scene, telling Liza that he was quitting because of me, when the truth was, he had taken a job in New York. While I was out of work, my small savings disappeared as I tried to cover all the bills that kept piling up.

Working on my own turned out to be even harder.

The phone rang, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Thalia. I should have ignored you for a few more months. But let's say fortune smiled on you. So, don't let me down."

Kari Martin, one of my coworkers, told me that a wealthy businessman had offered a huge sum for a week with me. The trip would take place in Portofino, Italy. When she named the payment, my heart nearly stopped. That amount could pay for my last months of school and give me the chance to leave Scarlet Angels as soon as I found another job after graduation.

What truly surprised me was that he left sex out of the arrangement. He only wanted someone to be seen with.

That gave me pause. Still, the promise of all that money without any strings made me say yes.

Liza said we would meet the next day to shop for everything I would need for the trip.

"Thalia. He picked you out of everyone. I expect you not to disappoint me. It's his first time with us. We have to keep him as a client."

He chose me based on my profile and photo. He specifically did not want sex. It felt like a stroke of luck-maybe too good to be true, I thought.

"Liza, I'll do everything I can not to disappoint you."

"I hope you give more than your best, Thalia. He's the kind of client I want to keep for good. A traditional family man who will probably marry someone in his circle but still wants something on the side. He's the perfect type of client, so make sure you take care of him."

"All right. Did he have any special requests?"

Kari told me he had not followed the usual agency contract. He wrote his own agreement. He made it clear he did not want sex. He wanted secrecy, of course. He would pay for everything-clothes, luggage, and travel expenses. He wanted me to read over the contract, and if I needed to add anything, I could. He expected me to send it back to him as soon as possible.

That news made my nerves worse. Still, the money and the hope of finally escaping this job felt worth it, I thought.

"Please send me a copy of your documents by email. I have to forward them for the travel arrangements. See you tomorrow."

"I'll send it to you tomorrow. Thank you for the opportunity."

"Don't thank me. As much as I care about you, Thalia, rules are rules. I would have kept you on suspension, but he picked you. He insisted that it had to be you, or he would not make the deal. He's paying three times our usual rate. He is offering much more than we expected. You really lucked out. See you tomorrow."

"Even so, thank you. See you tomorrow."

She ended the call, and my heart kept pounding. He picked me. He insisted it had to be me. I could not help but wonder what the reason was.

I had no idea what he looked like. I tried not to dwell on it, since the next day Liza planned to show me a photo and tell me more about him.

I took a deep breath, needing to calm down.

I went to the kitchen and made some tea. Then I called Maxwell to let him know about the trip. To him and to anyone close, I said I worked as a flight attendant on private jets for eccentric millionaires.

I picked up the phone and called Maxwell's school. After I spoke with the secretary, she connected me to his room.

"Thalia, I'm so happy you called!"

"Hi, sweetheart. I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you so much."

"Today I won the football championship, and I made it to the school Olympics for judo. I'm really happy, Thalia."

"Wow! That's amazing! Congratulations. I'm so proud of you. We'll see each other as soon as I get back from my trip."

"Where are you flying this time?"

My heart ached, but he was too young to understand the truth about my work. In a way, this time I really was getting ready to take off.

"I'm going to Portofino, in Italy. As soon as I come back, I'll hurry to see you and I'll bring you presents."

"I'll be happy to see you. I like the presents, but I like you so much more."

I kept my tears in check. I wished I could afford to pay someone to look after him while I worked. But first, I needed to clear all our overdue bills and find another job. Only then could I handle the expenses for the house and for Maxwell's schooling. He relied on me.

I took a deep breath and tried to sound cheerful for him.

"I love you so much, my sweet boy. I can't wait to see you; we'll be together soon."

"I'll wait for you! Safe travels, Thalia. I'm off to play with my friends. I love you."

"Thank you! Have fun, sweetheart. And remember, I love you more than anything. I'll call you soon. Bye."

He made kissing sounds through the phone and hung up. I wiped the tears from my face and tried to stay hopeful about tomorrow.

That was it. If the client's requests in the contract seemed reasonable, I would be leaving for Italy tomorrow, traveling with a perfect stranger.

The next day...

My feet ached from all the walking I had done. My car refused to start, so I ended up running all the way to the destination. Liza had arranged to meet me outside an expensive store along the main avenue. I spotted her right away, her pale hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail and her designer clothes showing off her perfect figure. She turned, giving me a slow smile.

"Good morning, Miss Late."

"Good morning. I'm really sorry I kept you waiting. My car broke down again."

"It's alright, Thalia. I can tell you're having a rough morning, but believe me, things will get better. Just keep in mind that our client, Mr. Albert Johnson, doesn't put up with delays."

"That won't happen again," I replied, catching my breath as I tried to reassure her.

"Let's go in. We're already running late. The day is just getting started."

I followed her into the store, and for the next hour, we picked out dresses, shoes, different accessories, and even lingerie.

Liza spent most of that time glued to her phone, snapping pictures of every outfit I tried on and sending them to him. He always answered right away, telling her what he liked or disliked. The only thing he stayed silent about was the lingerie.

Once we walked out onto the street, Liza finally tucked her phone into her bag.

"I still think this whole thing is strange. What's wrong with this man, Liza?"

She just gave me a gentle smile and stayed quiet. She went straight into the spa, which was only a short walk from the store.

After we sat down in the lounge, she finally spoke.

"He said in the contract that he's not interested in sex. He just wants you at his side, always looking polished and put together."

"That's fine by me. I'd rather keep things that way."

She smiled and lowered her voice.

"Darling, if he wanted something more, I doubt you'd refuse. I know I wouldn't turn him down. Handsome man, beautiful place..."

Before she could finish, her phone rang. She moved aside to take the call, and I made my way into the massage room. Over the next few hours, I prepared myself-getting my nails done, my hair styled, makeup carefully applied, and slipping into a new set of clothes.

My heart felt heavy with worry, but I knew I had passed the point of turning back. Hours later, Liza and I stood in front of the huge mirror in the Scarlet Angels's reception area.

I wore a refined dress, tasteful but still alluring. My bag held everything I owned, and most important of all, my passport.

Liza reviewed the contract details I had just signed.

"You just need to smile and go along with whatever he says whenever you're in public. Your role is to pretend to have an emotional connection with him. There will be no sex; you'll stay in the same room as him, but he won't touch you."

Liza arranged to have all the new clothes packed into the expensive suitcases she bought for me. When the car he sent pulled up in front of the Scarlet Angels, the driver carefully loaded the luggage into the trunk.

I said goodbye to Liza and made my way to the car. The driver greeted me with a friendly goodnight, but he kept quiet for the entire ride.

At the airport, we entered the VIP lounge reserved for private flights. A jet waited on the runway, ready for departure. The driver walked me over to a flight attendant who stood by the stairs. She welcomed me warmly and guided me to my seat, making sure I was comfortable.

As I finished typing a message to my brother, I heard his voice for the first time.

"Good evening, Thalia. Welcome."

I looked up and saw Albert. His presence was impossible to ignore, and the photos I had seen never prepared me for how striking he was in person. He stood tall, with a perfect physique and an intense gaze that locked with mine.

My eyes lingered on his mouth as he took a seat across from me, moving with slow confidence.

"Good evening, Mr. Johnson..."

"Forget the 'Mister.' Just call me Albert," he said while carefully rolling up his shirt sleeve.

I couldn't help but notice his movements, the way the fabric of his expensive shirt revealed the lines of his toned arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous."

He smiled at me, his curiosity plain on his face.

"You're not going to tell me this is your first time..."

Heat crept up my cheeks, and I instantly felt foolish.

What was I doing? I needed to pull myself together before this situation slipped any further out of my hands.

"It's my first time on a plane to Italy," I admitted. "Honestly, I still don't know what you really expect from me."

"Your questions make sense, considering the contract I sent over. That's why I'm open to talking this through with you during the flight. Let me tell you why I went to your agency for help. We're about to attend a major conference, and I'll be meeting with some very important clients. But the real reason I asked for your company is that my fiancee left me. She's going to be there too, since her family, like mine, is in the spirits business. She ended our relationship and, just two weeks later, got engaged to someone else. I know she still has feelings for me. She's doing all of this just to spite me. I want to match her every move and shake up her confidence. I need to make her realize that I'm the man she truly wants."

He explained everything with such calm certainty that I almost forgot how wild this whole plan sounded. Still, he was paying me well enough to play the part.

"I understand, Albert. I'll be your girlfriend and make her jealous."

"Actually, you'll be my fiancee. We got engaged on a romantic trip to Greece."

"Fiancee?"

I repeated, my voice a little louder than I intended.

"Yes. Florence Ward and I ended things two months ago, and at the time, we were both traveling in different parts of the world. So the story we're telling is believable."

"Alright, you're the one paying."

"Good. All I need from you is to agree with whatever I say and to know when to dodge questions. I'll take care of the rest."

"Of course. Do you have pictures of your fiancee?"

"Just the ones from her company's website."

He gave me a provocative smile, making it clear he was talking about the photos of me on the Scarlet Angels site-the ones where I wore a Venetian mask over my eyes. In almost every picture, I wore nothing else. An unexpected warmth ran through me, settling in places I shouldn't have let it. Still, I decided to play along.

"Glad to know you chose your new fiancee based on those photos."

"It wasn't the photos, actually. It was your profile description that caught my attention. Then I spoke with Liza. She told me you're in college, and that you're different from the others there. You actually want something more for your future."

His words caught me off guard, but I tried not to let it show. He spoke with an easy confidence, as if nothing could rattle him.

"Don't misunderstand me, Thalia. I enjoyed looking at those photos, no doubt about that. I've thought about them more than I should admit. But I'm not just after sex, and I want to be clear about that."

"Alright. Honestly, I think your attempt to win her back is kind of sweet."

He smiled at that, but chose not to say anything more. For the rest of the flight, he let the subject drop. We talked about all sorts of things and, surprisingly, found we had a lot in common. The hours passed smoothly.

When we finally landed, he turned to me and reached for a small box from his suitcase.

"We need to make sure our story is convincing."

He opened the box, and the light caught on two sparkling rings. He picked up the solitaire and slipped it onto my finger with a practiced gentleness. Then he took the matching band and slid it onto his own hand.

"Looks like we're officially engaged."

He offered his hand and helped me up from my seat.

"This is where our story begins, my dear."

As we settled into the car waiting for us on the runway, Albert turned toward me with a thoughtful look.

"Thalia, can you tell me your real name?"

"This is my real name. Liza should have sent all my documents to you, along with the test results..."

"Yes, she sent them, but they went to my secretary. Do the tests always get sent to the clients?"

"It's part of Liza's requirements. She insists all long-term clients see proof that we're healthy. And that we're using some kind of contraception. Just in case..."

"I get it. In case they want to have sex without a condom. It's required of the client as well, you know. I suppose Liza showed you my results."

He kept his voice calm, his eyes on me. The conversation made me nervous just by the way he talked so casually about sex.

"Actually, she sent them to my email. I didn't bother to check your results, since she said you weren't interested in sex..."

"And I don't want to have sex with you."

His words came out cold, and there was just a trace of wounded pride that left my cheeks burning, but this time it was from anger.

"I don't want to have sex with you either."

"Great, we understand each other," he said, showing no hint of emotion.

Just then, his phone rang, breaking the tension that had settled between us. I tried to ignore his conversation, drawing in a deep breath and turning my attention to the Portofino scenery outside the window.

My own phone started to ring again and again, refusing to be ignored. I tried to silence it, but for some reason, I couldn't end the call. I glanced at Albert, and he shot me a look that made his disapproval clear. Finally, after a struggle, I managed to hang up.

He kept speaking for another few moments before ending his call. Then he reached for a large box sitting between us and handed it to me.

"This is for you. And your phone should stay on silent from now on. Only answer if it's truly urgent. I'd prefer you not take calls from your clients when you're with me."

My hands trembled as I lifted the lid, bitterness rising in my throat. I'd endured worse humiliations since starting this line of work, but something about him made every judgment, every unspoken accusation, sting much more deeply.

What was going on with me? How did he manage to leave me so off balance, so quickly? After only a few hours, he was already getting under my skin in ways nobody else had managed.

I stared at the expensive phone nestled inside the box. I figured I'd have to give it back once our arrangement ended. But he seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Consider it a gift from me for agreeing to this contract."

"Sorry, Albert, I can't accept this."

"I don't like being contradicted, Thalia. Besides, we're not breaking any rules we set. And as my fiancee, you can't walk around in front of my investors or clients with just any cheap phone."

I took a deep breath and tried to settle my nerves. A week by his side would surely drive me mad. It felt almost certain.

"All right. Thank you, Albert."

He answered with a confident smile.

After I finished moving my data to the new phone, the car stopped in front of The Belmond hotel. Before I had a chance to gather my things and step out, he had already left the car and was holding the door open for me.

He reached out, took my hand, and led me through the hotel entrance. The staff welcomed us and guided us to the Dolce Vita Suite.

I tried to focus on my surroundings, soaking in the old-world luxury of the five-star hotel, but the feel of Albert's warm hand on mine made my skin prickle. While he spoke with the receptionist, I caught him watching me, his gaze lingering in a way that left me flustered. When we were finally alone in the suite, I realized how out of place I felt, almost lost. My eyes landed on the king-size bed draped in crisp white.

"Do you like our bed?"

His nearness made me take an instinctive step back. He just smiled, eyes narrowing as he watched me.

"I... I thought there would be two beds. The suite is huge, there are other rooms, but I didn't see another bed."

He moved toward me, slow and steady. This time, I stood my ground and kept my eyes on his.

"We're engaged, remember? We can't sleep apart, even if it's just us in here. People would find out pretty quickly if you slept somewhere else."

"Well, I noticed there's a large sofa in the room next door. I could always sleep there."

"I told you before, we wouldn't do anything more than kiss, and only when we're in public."

Of course, the contract spelled that out. I was expected to be affectionate with him in public and accept his gestures. I already worried about how convincing I could be. Every line of that contract replayed in my head.

My heart pounded as he came even closer. He reached up and smoothed his hand along my face, his gaze drifting down to my lips.

"We should try it now. We have to make it believable."

He stepped closer, and I found myself caught in his gaze. His lips brushed lightly over my cheek before he leaned back, smiling.

"Breathe, Thalia. You almost had me believing you were desperate for a kiss from me."

"Provocative jerk!" I pondered, pressing my nails into my palm as I tried to keep my composure.

"We have to be convincing, remember? Those were your words."

His grin grew even wider.

"I like that!"

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll start arranging my things in the closet."

"I have a better idea. I'll call reception and have someone organize everything for us. We only need to put the suitcases on the side of the closet we want. Now, let's head down to the hotel restaurant. I want to spend some time with you-and, of course, show off my lovely fiancee."

"Alright, you're the boss."

His eyes narrowed, and a sly smile crossed his lips.

"Dangerous words, those. Anyway, we'll both shower and be ready to go in thirty minutes, okay?"

"That works for me. I'll gather my things now while you use the bathroom."

"Perfect. And Thalia, I want you to eat and drink whatever you want, whenever you want. If you don't see what you want in the minibar or the small kitchen, just call reception and order anything that makes you happy. Don't wait for me to order for you. If you want something, just ask for it. You're my fiancee, so remember that. I want you comfortable and satisfied. Do you understand?"

He seemed determined to keep pushing my buttons, but I decided I wouldn't rise to the bait.

"Yes, thank you."

He smiled again and carried his bag into the spacious bathroom. Once he closed the door behind him, I headed out onto the terrace, needing a breath of fresh air.