Page 42 of King Of Order

‘I’ll hire you on one condition.’

‘Let’s hear it out,’ came the graveled, hoarse rasp.

I lifted my eyes to lock with his, my turn to smirk. ‘You have to become my fiancé.’

Chapter 10

VALERIO

When Chiara dropped her freakin’ bomb, I almost choked on my coffee.

I brought my hand to my bottom lip and squeezed, brow arched, thoughts racing.

I’d dealt with many strange requests in my time, but this—was a whole new level.

‘The fuck?’

In a rumble through gritted teeth, I growled, rejecting her proposal’s ridiculousness.

Her eyes were steady, unwavering. ‘I need you to be my fiancé. It’s the only way my brothers won’t suspect a thing. You’ll also need to move in.’

I sat back, staring at her, mind still circling on her first dropped bomb. ‘A fiancé?Fotto!’

My mind was spinning. I’d been prepared for virtually any negotiation or challenge, but this?

No. Marriage was sacred, an institution I placed on a pedestal, thanks to my parents.

As I remembered, their love was rare—deep, unshakable, incandescent, and lasting a lifetime.

They’d also lost it in a senseless tragedy.

If I ever got married, it would be for the most sacrosanct of devotions, an eternal joining of souls, and nothing less.

I bristled at Chiara’s suggestion, which was stated with the same casualness as ordering a takeaway.

‘Matrimony isn’t a game to me,’ I rasped, my utterance tight. ‘I don’t just play fiancé for anyone.’

Chiara sighed, sensing my reticence.

She shook her mane back, its sublime waves cascading down her back.

Exhaling again, she leaned forward, elbows on the table, her expression softening even though there was still a trace of steel in her voice. ‘Rio, I’m not asking for the real deal. It’s a cover. My brothers—they’d never let me hire a bodyguard. They’re too paranoid, too controlling. If you come in as security, they’ll see right through it. They’ll also question why, and given their threats, they’ll think I’m plotting against them with protection by my side. But if you’re my fiancé, it gives you an excuse to be near.’

I folded my arms over my chest, trying to get a grip on the situation.

She wasn’t wrong, and that was the worst part.

The woman was sharp— enough to know how to push me into a corner.

A fake relationship was the perfect cover, the only way to get close to her family.

And the closer I got to them, the easier it would be to take them down. That had been the plan all along.

But still, this was a pre-marriage arrangement we were contemplating—even if it was simulated. Regardless, I found it uncomfortable to consider.

‘You’re OK with this? Pretending to be engaged?’ I raised an eyebrow, testing her resolve.

She gave me a small, humorless smile. ‘It’s not like I’m asking you to move in and pick out curtains. It’s a temporary deal—nothing more. Besides,’ she added, her eyes flickering with emotion indecipherable, ‘I doubt you’re the type to fall in love and ride off into the sunset, anyway.’

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