Vivienne's POV

"No, mom!" I said on the phone, nearly screaming. "It was only an accident! I'm not having s*x with the man!"

"Tell me the truth right now!" My mother yelled over the phone.

"Jesus Christ. Mom...you know me." I said, sounding like a little girl. "I went to a party and I tripped. It's the news that's twisting the whole thing."

My mother, apparently, has gotten to see the news and now she wants to bite my head off over the phone, calling to know if her sweet little angel had gone wayward.

"A party???! Vivienne Telaris Hart," She started. "What were you doing at a party?!"

"Mom, I'll call you back."

I ended the call and put my phone on flight mode immediately. The day isn't even over yet and my phone has been buzzing with calls and messages- friends and families wanting to know what's going on.

And now, I just agreed to a contract marriage with the same man. Great. As if things couldn't get any better.

I laid on my bed nearly screaming my mind out before deciding to remove my phone from flight mode and call my sister to ask for advice.

"Hey sis..." I said the moment she picked up the phone, nearly crying at this point.

"Hey V. What's up?" She answered.

"Your tone says you haven't seen the news. I need your help." I said.

"What news?" My sister, Audrey asked.

"I went to a party last week and I had a little accident. I tripped and was caught by someone. Alexander Knight - you know him "

"Yeah. The rich guy. Yeah I know him."

"Well, guess what?" I asked rhetorically. "Some media people took a picture of that moment and now, I'm going viral as the man's secret lover exposed."

"Wait. What do you mean going viral?" She asked.

"Check your Whatsapp. I just sent you a screenshot."

The call went silent for a moment as my sister checked to see what I sent her before speaking again.

"Oh my God, V." She started. "This is CRAZY..."

"Tell me about it." I said sarcastically. "And you wouldn't believe what he came to my office to do today."

"What did he do?"

"He came to ask me to marry him."

"WHAT??" She screamed.

"No no, not that kind of marriage. He asked me to agree to a fake marriage with him for one year because the news is putting one of his contract at risk." I corrected. "I'll have to fake date him for a month and then get married to him. And apparently this is the only solution, according to his PR."

"V., this is a lot to take in." Audrey confessed.

"That's not all." I continued.

"Talk to me." She said eagerly to know what I was about to say.

"He said he's going to pay me ten million dollars."

The call went silent for a moment before Audrey spoke again.

"Say that again." She said.

"I'm getting paid ten mil-"

"TEN MILLION DOLLARS!" She nearly screamed my head off over the phone. "And what did you say? Please tell me you said yes."

"That's the thing, I did." I answered. "But isn't this risky?? A fake marriage??"

"Vivienne," She pronounced my name. "Ten million dollars is no joke. I agree the news thing is crazy but babe, you're getting paid. You don't have to sleep with him do you?" She asked.

"No I don't."

"V., come let's switch places." She said with a laugh.

"Audrey this isn't funny." I responded. "I'm calling to ask for your advice."

"My advice?" She asked. "What do you need me for? He's rich, you don't have to sleep with him... and Jesus, V., look at him." I could tell she was looking at the picture I had sent her. "He's hot."

"Audrey..."

"No, I mean it." She continued. "I'm telling you, this is a gift from Heaven."

I let out a sigh, pausing momentarily before continuing.

"Mom called." I said quietly.

"She saw the news? Let me guess, she was yelling at you for being in the arms of a man."

"Yup." I responded.

"So what will you do now?" She asked.

"I really don't know." I answered. "His PR said she could get back to me later so I'm still waiting to know my next move."

"V., you've definitely got to keep me updated on the news. I need to know everything. This is the best news ever." She said, laughing.

"Best news ever?" I echoed. "Audrey my face is going viral as some cheap whore sleeping with the man."

"Yeah. And now your face will be going everywhere as his wife." She responded quickly before I could say another word.

I groaned for a bit rethinking everything. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Getting married because of ten million is crazy. I agree I'll get to save his contract, yes. But one year... And just as I was imagining what was waiting for me, another call came in.

"Sis, I'll have to call you back." I said to Audrey before ending the call to answer the one coming in.

"Hi. This is Vivienne."

"Hi. It's Stephanie, Mr. Knight's PR." Stephanie responded. "We met earlier today."

"Hi!" I said sitting up straight as if I was expecting some grand news.

"So Mr. Knight and I just went through the plan. We'll be needing some information from you before we continue." She said.

"W-What do you need?" I asked.

"We need some personal information in order to make proper preparations for the contract agreement. We'll be swinging by to pick you up tomorrow to move in with him, and-"

"Moving in?" I cut in, confused.

"Yes ma'am." She answered. "The agreement states that you'll have to live with him during the one year because Mr. Knight often hosts guests and we wouldn't want lapses and stuff like that. You know, public image and all."

"But, what about my apartment...and my job." I asked.

"You'll have to quit the job ma'am." She said plainly. "We'll sort that out tomorrow, you have nothing to worry about. And your apartment...well, we'll just have to sort that out too afterwards."

I sat on my bed as I began to imagine what my boss and colleague would say tomorrow when I show up to quit.

This is insane. What am I doing?

"Are you there ma'am?" Stephanie asked.

"Y-Yes." I answered, pulling myself together. "I'm here."

"Good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow by 1pm. Bye." She said, before ending the call.

Alex's POV

"Absolutely Mr. Michael." I let out a fake laugh, as I spoke to the caller on the other end of the phone. "It was all a misunderstanding. She's my fiancee and we're actually getting married in 3 months."

"Well, congratulations Mr. Knight. I'd definitely be flying over to make myself available." He said.

"Thank you once again, sir, for calling to check up regarding the news." I said as I ended the call.

Shit. Absolute shit.

Everything is shit and it's all her fault. What was I thinking? If I had just left her and mind my business, all these wouldn't be happening.

My girlfriend has been blowing up my phone ever since she saw that news. Yes I'm glad she finally called after a whole month of silence but- not like this. We had a fight about me being too busy and her never getting to spend enough time with me and now she's seeing online that I'm getting married.

"ALEX! ANSWER YOUR PHONE! I know you're seeing my calls. And I know you see this message. STOP IGNORING ME!!!" She had texted.

33 missed calls just in the space of a few hours.

How do I explain to her that it's all fake without her going public about it, making the present situation much worse?

I'm not unfamiliar with scandalous news like this, being who I am, but this particular one touched a hotspot.

An important prospect had seen the news report and had decided to back out and withdraw on our offer, saying he didn't want his company getting all mixed up in my "social life."

Social life.

That's how he put it.

The only solution was to lie to the man and tell him she was my girlfriend and that we had been dating privately but now we had finally decided to go public, which was the only way to make him see reason and accept that I wasn't some playboy, caught unawares with one of my girls.

"We're actually getting married." I said to him.

"Ah- You should have told me so!" He said out loud and burst into laughter brushing my shoulder. "You had me worried there."

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Kyle." I said and laughed courteously.

"We definitely need to toast to this." He said cheerfully as he waved for his assistant to go get a bottle of wine from his collection.

"To a happy union and a happy business." He toasted as he lifted up his glass to me.

"Cheers!" I responded.

If it wasn't for my PR's sake I would have sued the media house that published that news and I would have sued Vivienne herself for her little "accident", and I still might. But that wouldn't save my billion dollars worth of contract. This was far too important so I conceded, "taking advantage of the situation", as my assistant had put it.

"We're all ready, Mr. Knight." Stephanie said, standing with a tablet in hand. She has been working for me for 3 years now as my assistant and public relations officer. She's the very best.

"What time is it?" I asked, putting on my shoes.

"It's...12:11 pm sir." She answered, as she glanced at her watch.

"Did you tell Vivienne we would be coming to pick her up today?"

"Yes, sir." She responded. "We had a quick talk last night and I informed her about all she had to do before we arrive."

"Good." I said coldly, showing I clearly wasn't happy about the whole thing. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Alright, sir." She said as she turned to leave.

"Stephanie?" I called.

"Yes, sir." She stopped and answered just as she was about walking out of my office door.

"Call Manfred and have him set her room in order. Tell him to use one of my study rooms. He can move everything out to one of the available guest rooms. I'll have everything sorted out myself when we return home." I instructed her, as she was taking notes on her tablet, nodding accordingly.

"And tell him to prepare. We have some reporters coming in this evening to interview both Vivienne and I on our... relationship."

"Absolutely, sir." She nodded. "You can leave it to me."

"Okay, that'll be all." I said. "See you downstairs in 5."

By the time we got to Vivienne's workplace it was already 12:56 pm. I had expected to see her waiting outside already but she wasn't, so I entered the building to go look for her. I saw her standing with her Boss in the office lobby, having a heated conversation.

"Vivienne you need to think this through." I heard him say. "You can't just quit."

"I'm sorry sir." Vivienne responded. "But I've made up my mind."

"At least tell me why. Is it the pay? Do you want me to give you a raise? What? What is it? Tell me." I could have sworn I saw his eyes tear up a little bit.

"I-I'm really sorry sir. It's complicated. I'll recommend a friend to replace me." I heard Vivienne say.

I decided to stand afar off giving them a little privacy and not intruding on their conversation until they finished.

The two of them stood for a little bit in silence before her boss finally let out a sigh before speaking again.

"I only hope you know what you're doing." He said. "Well, in case you change your mind my door is always open to you."

"Thank you, sir." Vivienne said with a bow.

They shared a hug and said their goodbyes before Vivienne turned to see me standing there. She didn't even smile. She looked offended.

"What- No 'hi' for your new husband?" I asked sarcastically.

"I really do hate you." She said as she passed me by before finally deciding to stop and turn.

She frowned when she looked into my eyes and then gave a ridiculous bow, her smile showing she hated this whole arrangement as much as I did.

"Hi." She pronounced audibly.

Vivienne's POV

"Good afternoon ma'am." Stephanie said to me the moment I got to the car.

"Hi." I responded. "Sorry I didn't know what to bring with me so I didn't bring anything at all."

"Don't worry about that. We're going shopping anywhere." Alex said with a frown. "Get in. We don't have all day."

I fumed, wanting to shoot back but I silently obeyed for some reason. Maybe because I didn't know what to say or because a part of me was enjoying the flow of things.

"Martins." He called the driver. "Take us to the nearest boutique. We need to get some items before we go home."

"Yes, sir." The driver responded and zoomed off.

Our first stop was Gucci. Stephanie did the job of selecting some outfits for me. And I tried on, with Alex throwing side remarks as if he didn't care. On point, I stepped out of the changing room putting on a fit and flare dress and I could have sworn I saw his eyes light up in admiration.

I twirl lightly and Stephanie gave a soft laugh.

"Excellent!" She said. "We're all set sir."

We moved on to the next stop and got some shoes, jewelries and other necessary accessories. Plus, we had my hair done.

"I look fabulous!" I said in wonder looking at myself in the mirror.

"You would make a great wife ms. Vivienne." Stephanie complimented.

I could see Alex from the reflection of the mirror glancing at his watch as he impatiently sat across the studio waiting for us.

"We're all done." Stephanie declared as we made our way to the car, with me looking like a Barbie princess. I've never looked so beautiful in my whole life.

"Thank you." I said to Alex before I could stop my lips.

"Don't thank me yet. It's all part of the contract." He said, not regarding my gratitude. "We need this to be 100% believable. All I need you to get in character and actually behave like you're in love with me."

"Excuse me?" I shot out, finally beginning to lose my cool.

"Did I say something too hard for you to understand?" He said, looking up at me as he pressed his phone. "My prospect is coming in this week and we're both going to have dinner with him." He continued. "And I don't want you frowning then like you are now. You need to loosen up."

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it just as fast because he made total sense. I was a little pissed because of his arrogance and because of the way he speaks to me with no respect.

"Here we are." Stephanie said as we arrived at the gate of a grand mansion.

I couldn't help but I put my head out the window as I looked in absolute wonder, eyes wide open.

"Woowww..." I whispered like a little child.

"Welcome home Honey." Alex said sarcastically, as we made our way out of the car and up the stairs to the front door.

A man stood waiting for us, dressed in a tuxedo. I presumed he was his butler- at least I know that much.

"Welcome Mr. Knight." He said with a courteous bow.

"Thanks Manfred." Alex responded. "Do you have everything in place?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." He nodded.

"Awesome." He said as he walked right into the building without looking back to wait for me nor Stephanie.

"What about the bags?" I asked Stephanie, referring to the items we just bought.

"Don't worry they'll all be brought in." She answered with a smile. "Let's make our way in and get you familiarized with the environment, shall we?"

"Okay." I said nervously beginning to give the whole thing a second thought. But ten million dollars made me push the thought back and brace myself.

We settled in for a bit, Alex talking to someone over the phone while Stephanie showed me around and led me to my room. Everything we bought had already been brought to the room. Everything looked so wonderful I almost opened my arms wide and spin like I was in a movie.

"I know what you're thinking." Stephanie said looking at me with a coy smile, while holding a tablet as usual. "You want to open your arms and spin around."

I didn't know when I let out a laugh and turned red, blushing.

"How did you read my mind?" I asked

"It's a gift." She said, giving an expression that showed she was proud of herself.

"Okay. so..." She started, scrolling down on her tablet. "We've got some reporters coming this evening and we need to prepare you for them."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "This evening? That's fast."

"Yeah. It is what it is." She responded without looking up, still scrolling on her tablet. "We need to set a back story of how you and Mr. Knight met and how long you've been dating. We don't want lapses in your answers when they question you, now do we?" She asked, finally raising her head, smiling.

She went on to narrate some stories to me, which would help me in knowing Alex's person much better. And I must say, from how she talked about him, he wasn't that bad.

So how come he's such an arrogant pompous pr*ck? I wondered in silence.

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Stephanie asked, writing something down on her tablet.

"N-No." I responded shyly, bowing my head.

She paused for a moment practically staring at me before she spoke again.

"You have NEVER dated anybody." She stated loudly as if she couldn't believe my words. "This makes things very interesting."

My face turned red as I stood there, still dressed in one of the gowns we bought at the Gucci store.

"The reporters will be here in 2 hours." She said as she glanced at the time on her tablet. "That gives us time to prepare you. Brace yourself. You're about to enter a love story I created myself." She said as she stepped closer to me, grinning excitedly.