Page 2 of Morally Black Betrothal

At the end of Ivy’s indictment, there they were. Incriminating photographs of the document and the familiar pair of signatures scrawled across the bottom.

Simone Bishop

Brendan Black

If the headlines were cloud, our names were claps of thunder, ominous. Dooming, even.

I couldn’t breathe.

This couldn’t be happening.Howhad those documents gotten out? How were they on this site?

And honestly, didn’t one of the most widely read newspapers in the country have more important things to report on? Was the authenticity of my impending nuptials more notable than the threat of world war, climate change, and/or reproductive rights? Sure, there was a war in Ukraine, another pending in South America, but don’t worry, folks—we’re covering Brendan and Simone’s little ruse.

Another version of my headstone wrote itself:

Simone Bishop

Silly, stupid fool of a girl

What was I thinking, signing that contract? I couldn’t even get away with shoplifting a pack of gum at age ten. Why had Iever thought I could get away with being fake engaged to one of the most notorious men in the world?

Brendan Black.

Oh, God, what would he think?

Like a masochist, I clicked on one of the other articles that appeared in the Alert. One of hundreds, it seemed. The internet was eating us alive.

This one at least seemed to fact-check. After all, I was a bartender, not a waitress.

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker’sSham?

Well, well, well! Who says money can’t buy happiness? We’ve exposed a Black affair, indeed! Looks like the love-at-first-sight story was just another lie to mend the tattered reputation of yet another Black family heir. Did Brendan Black fake an engagement to part-time bartender and amateur baker Simone Bishop all to court votes from the board of directors of his family’s empire? The very same empire to which he was recently appointed the interim CEO?

The soufflé has fallen, and there’s nothing inside. Brendan Black seems to have gotten exactly what he wanted the same way he and his family usually wriggle their way out of tricky situations—with smoke, mirrors, and a whole lot of money.

But this time, that morally Black act includes a pretty smile, angelic blue eyes, and a blond halo. Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

A scandalous contract reveals exorbitant compensation that Bishop received for her “services” (we’re side-eyeingthat one too) until Black is officially confirmed as the permanent CEO of Blackguard. We won’t lie—our eyes popped out when we saw the amount.

We’ve reached out to all involved parties, of course, but you guessed it—no comment. At least not yet. How long can Black and his faux fiancée stay silent? Stay tuned as we dig deeper into this story as the days progress, but feel free to join us as we all speculate in the comments—will the wedding still happen?

A new layer of dread settled in my stomach. I checked my call log to find that yes, therewerea number of missed calls. Many people had been trying to “contact” me.

This couldn’t be happening. I’d be ruined. He’d be ruined.

We’d be ruined.

Something about that idea scared me most of all.

Simone Bishop

Idiot woman who ruined the only love she ever knew

And everything else too

“Good morning, angel.”

There was a kiss on my shoulder, and I turned to find the other resident of my bed rolling over.