Page 126 of Merry Fake Bride

My eyes snap open. “Kairo, no, it’s not what you think!”

“Then tell me.” His eyes lock onto mine. “Because right now, I’m struggling and fighting not to see this how it feels.”

“How does it feel?” I ask weakly.

“It feels like you pretended to be interested in me to secure the land rights for your bakery and now that’s all in the past, youwant nothing more to do with me and your real husband is back to collect you.”

The pain in Kairo’s voice breaks my heart and I grip his mug so tightly that my fingertips throb.

“I can see why you would think that,” I reply, my voice hoarse. “But it’s really not?—”

“Kairo!”

A sudden screech from the hallway makes everyone jump.

Martin flies forward from the kitchen, but he’s not fast enough to stop the utter whirlwind of Kairo’s mother charging into the lounge and slapping Kairo so hard that his head snaps to the side like the lick of a whip.

A stunned silence falls and I gape at Kairo, frozen.

He briefly closes his eyes and when she raises her hand again, Martin thrusts himself between the two and catches Clarice’s wrist.

“Do that again,” Martin snarls, “and he won’t be able to stop me from having you arrested this time.”

This time?

My attention is torn between all three of them as Clarice roars in anger and throws a paper at Kairo.

“Look!” She yells. “Look at tomorrow’s headline!”

Opening his eyes, Kairo catches the paper before it falls and looks down.

Color drains from his face. “What is this?”

Clarice drags her wrist from Martin’s grip and points at me with one thin finger. “Was this part of your plan, huh? You’ve already got my son to throw away his career and now I suppose you want his money too, you little wretch?”

Tension in my legs forces me to stand and my heart beats faster and faster. “What? What are you talking about?”

Kairo moves between me and his mother, then he turns to face me and hands me the paper.

Displayed on the front page with tomorrow’s date is a picture of Kairo and me at dinner, but the headline makes my stomach churn.

Silver Canopy CEO has Sordid Affair with Married Bakery Owner. Conflict of Interest Between the Sheets?

“Do you have any idea what this means?” Clarice yells, fighting to get past Martin. “You’ve made it look like we secure all of our deals by fucking the clients and that the only reason our biggest deal of the decade fell through is because you fell in love! They know everything, Kairo, and so does the board! How could you keep this from me? How could you introduce me to that bitch while hiding the fact that her bakery is the very reason Bernard’s last deal fell through? Do you ever think with that stupid head of yours? Our entire reputation has gone up in flames because you’re engaged to the owner of a business prospect we were trying tobuy!”

“Wait…” The pieces start to click in my mind. “People can’t think he’s dating me to secure the deal, do they?”

“Of course that’s what they think,” Clarice snarls. “And now they think we sleep with every single prospective purchase to get our way! And if that isn’t bad enough, now the board thinksKairo has sabotaged our most important deal and your father is spinning in his grave, Kairo. How could you do this to me? To the company? To everything your father left behind? Don’t you care about anyone except yourself?”

Kairo is silent.

He doesn’t move.

He doesn’t even seem to blink.

Then he turns to his mother. “Let them think that.”

“What?” She flies at him in a rage, halted only by Martin.