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.

The view of the sea took my breath away. I knew I needed to call Maxwell, so I picked up my phone and dialed the school's number, silently relieved that I had remembered to use an international SIM card.

My heart pounded while I waited for the call to go through. After a moment, someone answered and transferred me to Maxwell's room. Soon enough, that sweet, familiar voice came through the line.

"Thalia..."

"Hi, Maxwell, sweetheart. I've missed you so much."

"Thalia, I'm so happy you called. I know you're traveling, but I really miss you."

My heart ached, knowing how difficult it must be for a ten-year-old boy to be away from the only family he had left. We lost our dad in an accident when Maxwell was just four. Two years ago, we lost our mom to a sudden illness. From that moment on, I took on every responsibility. At first, I managed to keep our home together and stay in school. But the bills kept stacking up, and eventually, desperation pushed me into the shadows of the life I was living now.

I hadn't taken many jobs, but ever since the first one, I always dreamed of leaving this life behind. I told Maxwell I worked as a flight attendant for private companies, and he believed me. After all, I really had worked in aviation before.

At least this contract with Albert would let me leave Scarlet Angels. I'd be able to visit Maxwell more often, and maybe even bring him home, hiring someone to help look after him.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I miss you terribly, too. I promise I'll call more often, and I'll be back soon."

"I'm doing well. My grades are good. I really want to see you, Thalia. Can we do a video call on Skype one of these days?"

"We'll set something up. I'm very proud of you. What we're going through is just temporary—remember that. I love you so much. Don't ever forget it."

"I love you too, Thalia."

We talked for a little longer. A few minutes later, I ended the call and stepped back inside, noticing the door to the suite was already cracked open.

I was sure I had left it like that before heading to the terrace. I walked in quietly; the bedroom door stood open. Albert was lying on the bed in nothing but a towel, scrolling through his phone.

I couldn't help but wonder if he had heard my whole conversation.

He glanced up and spoke without emotion. "You have twenty minutes."

His tone was cool, and he went right back to his phone. I did my best to ignore his perfect physique stretched out on the bed in nothing but a towel. I also tried not to let myself worry over whether he'd overheard my call with Maxwell.

"All right, I'll be ready."

I scrambled to get everything together, snatching my carry-on and pulling out the dress I had set aside, leaving it on the sofa where I planned to sleep. I hurried into the bathroom, took a quick shower, did my makeup, and came out wearing the hotel robe.

As I crossed the room, I caught sight of Albert's bare torso and broad shoulders as he buttoned his dress shirt. He was already in his pants, and his eyes found mine in the mirror, a sly smile curling his lips.

He was so self-assured— so impossibly confident. I nearly rolled my eyes at him as I moved into the other room. I dressed quickly and took a moment to check myself in the mirror. Satisfied, I returned to the bedroom just as he finished a glass of wine.

He looked me over with calm, measured eyes and spoke.

"Come over here."

His commanding tone grated on my nerves, but I remembered the contract and did as he asked.

I walked toward him, my steps slow and my heart pounding, all while his steady eyes followed me. He looked me up and down, saying nothing. Then he walked over to his suitcase and came back with something in his hand. Before I could see what it was, he distracted me by speaking again.

"Turn around."

I wanted to protest, maybe even snap back at him, but holding his gaze felt impossible. Instead, I turned and realized I was facing the same mirror where our eyes had met before.

He stepped close behind me, his fingers gently sweeping my hair over my shoulder. Only then did I notice the delicate necklace in his hands as he slipped it around my neck. He gently brushed my hair aside and fastened the clasp, his fingers gliding over my skin and sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. There was no way I could hide the way he made me feel now.

His gaze lingered on the place where his hands had been. He let his fingers follow the line of my neckline, and judging by the satisfied smile on his lips, he could tell exactly what he was doing to me.

"We should go. We're running late," he whispered.

"I thought you just wanted to have a drink and talk. I didn't know we were on a schedule."

"We'll save this for after dinner. One of my important clients is joining us. He called just a few minutes ago."

A flutter of nerves danced in my stomach. Pretending to be engaged to a man like him wouldn't be easy.

He walked to the door while I grabbed my purse. As we stepped into the corridor, he rested his hand gently on my back, guiding me closer.

"Everything alright, Thalia?"

"I'm just a little nervous. Honestly, I've never done anything like this before."

"Don't worry. Just stay close, be affectionate, and try not to say too much. Our story is simple: we met during one of my trips, fell for each other quickly, and got engaged on a trip to Greece."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Stay calm."

"I know you'll do a wonderful job as my fiancee." He smiled and winked at me.

As we walked toward the restaurant, I kept wondering what the next week would bring. I would have to play the part of his fiancee, sharing affection with him and accepting it in return. My heart beat faster, certain that everything was about to feel real.

We entered the hotel restaurant together. Albert kept his hand pressed to my back, his grip tightening just a little at my waist. When we reached our table, a well-dressed man stood up and smiled, extending his hand to Albert before turning his attention to me.

"Good evening, Mr. Albert. I hope I'm not intruding on your evening." He greeted Albert while they shook hands.

"Mr. Jon Bentley, let me introduce you to my fiancee, Thalia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Thalia." He smiled warmly and shook my hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jon."

"You're a lucky man, Albert. Your fiancee is stunning," Jon said as he sat down.

"I know, I was lucky to find her," Albert replied, lowering his voice as he kissed my hair and pulled out my chair for me.

After he took his seat, he placed his hand lightly on my thigh. His touch was gentle, not insistent, but the feel of his skin against mine left me slightly unsettled. The waiter arrived, and while Jon gave his order, Albert leaned toward me and spoke softly.

"Would you like to look at the menu? Do you speak Italian?"

"I know a little, but I'd be more comfortable if you chose for me."

He smiled at me and turned to the waiter, ordering in flawless Italian. He chose risotto with porcini mushrooms and beef tagliata, then selected a bottle of wine. When the waiter left, Albert and Jon dove into business talk. I sat quietly, soaking in the ambiance and the view of the sea. After a few minutes, I glanced around and spotted two couples seated at a table in the back. One of the women kept staring at us, her gaze lingering every time I looked her way.