Chapter 5 The Unexpected Tabloid storm

Bang Bang Bang!!!, I woke to Sophie banging on my bedroom door like a fire alarm.

“Emma!” she shouted, her voice frantic and powerful. “You need to see this!”, “You really need to”

Groaning, I stumbled out of bed and into the living room, where Sophie was glued to her laptop like the world was going to end. She spun it around and with my sleepy eyes all I saw was a glaring tabloid

It felt like a dream in my my eyes, I knew accepting this kind of offer from a billionaire like Ethan will come with a whole lot, and will demand sacrifices from me but an and surprise tabloid wasn’t want I expected, Ethan and I barely had only two public appearances.

headline: “Mysterious Fiancée: Who Is Ethan Carter’s New Flame?”

My heartbeat was faster than my shadow and underneath was a candid photo from the gala, Ethan’s hand was calmly resting on my lower back as I smiled nervously at the camera.

The caption read: “Is this a love story or another weird PR stunt?”

“Oh my God,” I screamed and immediately synced onto the couch. “This can’t be happening never .”

“It gets worse,” Sophie said, scrolling down to reveal another article. This one featured Cara’s smug face and a quote: “I just hope Ethan knows what he’s doing. Fame attracts all kinds of people.”

“You must be kidding me?” I angrily groaned, burying my face in my hands in anger.

Before I even made any further moves, my phone startled me with an unexpected buzz Ethan.

“Have you seen what’s trending on social media?” he asked as soon as I picked up.

“Ethan what have you put me into, this is hard to miss,” I replied, pacing the room. “Cara’s practically painting me as a gold-digger.”

“She’s trying too hard to provoke you,” Ethan said. “Don’t take the bait.”

“Easy for you to say,” I snapped. “Your reputation isn’t the one being shredded, it's mine.”

There was a pause, then Ethan’s voice softened. “You’re not alone in this, Emma. We’ll handle it.”

I actually wanted to believe him, but the storm brewing outside felt so overwhelming. Still, I had no choice but to trust Ethan—for now.

Later that day, as I prepared for another public appearance with Ethan, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this arrangement was gradually spiraling out of control.

And when we stepped onto the red carpet that evening, the annoying flashes of cameras and shouted questions only confirmed it.

“Emma! Over here!”

“Are you two really engaged?”

“Are you really after his wealth”

“Emma, how do you respond to the claims that you’re just after Ethan’s money?”

“Speak Emma”

Ethan’s hand found mine, his grip firm as he leaned down to whisper, “Ignore them. Just force a cute smile.”

Even after this dramatic Marcus scenario I was so pissed off though I plastered on a grin, but my heart was pounding. As we posed for photos, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

“Ethan!”

We turned to see Marcus Delaney, The last person I ever wanted to see, his smirk even more insufferable than usual. “Lovely to see you again—and your gorgeous fiancée.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched, but before he could respond, Marcus stepped closer to me, his green eyes gleaming. I felt like the devil approached me. “Tell me, Emma, how does it feel to go from struggling photographer to the arm of a billionaire?”

“What an illusion”.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Marcus held up a hand. “Wait—don’t answer. Let me guess. It’s just a fairy tale, right?”

Ethan gently stepped between us, his voice cold as ice. “That’s enough, Marcus.”

Marcus laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Ethan. I’m just making friendly conversation.”

As he walked away, I felt Ethan’s hand tighten on mine. His blue eyes burned with a mix of anger and something else, something I couldn’t quite place.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and so romantic.

I nodded, even though my chest felt tight. “I’m fine.”

Like two loves birds we strolled into the event, but I couldn’t shake the worrisome feeling that Marcus already knew more than what we wanted him to know—and that our well drafted facade was about to come crashing down.

But I wasn’t fine. Not even close.

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During the party night, I slipped stylishly sneaked away from the party, needing a moment to breathe.

The hallway was so dim and extremely quiet, the muffled sounds of laughter and music fading as I put more distance between myself and the event.

My expensive heels gently clicked against the marble floors, each step gently echoing in the silence.

I found a very soft spot to rethink about my contract with Ethan, ‘’Was this really a good choice’’ I retorted.

While rethinking I cut sight of the least thing I expected There, in the shadows, stood Ethan and Cara. Their voices were low, heated, and urgent.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Ethan,” Cara hissed, her arms crossed. “Does she even know the truth?”

My heart stopped.

Ethan’s voice was tight. “Stay out of it, Cara. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me?” Cara let out a cold, humorless laugh. “You think she’ll just accept it when she finds out? You’re underestimating her.”

I stepped back, my mind racing. What truth? What was Ethan hiding from me?

At this moment I didn’t have time to process it before Cara’s head immediately snapped toward me, her sharp eyes locking onto mine.

“Well,” she said, her lips curving into a wicked smile. “Looks like your little fiancée just overheard everything.” At this moment I was furious. Ethan is hiding something from me. I ran without looking back but before I realized…………

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To be continued…