Page 1 of Faking It with the Ice Queen

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Mornings have always been Elara Silver’s favorite time of day. She cherished those few moments before the chaos of the city and the stresses of work drowned out her peace. Softly padding across the room, Elara pulled open the blackout curtains, leaving the sheer white curtains closed. The early morning sun filtered through the sheer panels, casting a soft light across Elara’s pristine bedroom. Everything in her world was orderly: crisp white linens, dark polished floors, and minimalist decor. The quiet hum of the city outside was barely audible through the double-paned windows, exactly how she liked it. Controlled. Predictable.

Near the closet, a soft dove-gray suit hung on a display rack with matching heels carefully placed below. Elara never left anything for the last minute, including picking out what to wear. It was one of her favorite nighttime routines to carefully choose the perfect attire for the next day’s events and weather. Each of her suits was finely tailored, the fabric hugging her long, athletic frame. Every detail exuded confidence and power.

She stood in front of the mirror, carefully styling her hair to perfection, not a strand out of place. Her sharply angled bob wassleek, highlighting her sharp features and even sharper gaze. At forty-five, her once raven-black hair now had silver streaks throughout. Her mother constantly pressured her to have it dyed professionally, but Elara always refused. If men could be respected and powerful with salt-and-pepper hair, then so could she. Running her hands through her hair one last time, Elara stared at her reflection, her icy-blue eyes piercing back at her, cool and composed.

On the nightstand, her phone buzzed, disrupting the calm. Walking over, Elara sawFatherflash across the screen. With a resigned sigh, she pressed the speaker button and continued to get dressed for the day.

“Elara.” Her father’s voice boomed, but somehow still dripped with expectation. “We need to talk about this weekend.”

“Everything is set, Father. The driver will pick you up from the airport,” she replied smoothly. Adjusting her collar meticulously, she continued, “I’ve arranged for everyone else’s transportation as well.”

Sighing with exasperation, her father cut her off. “That is not what I called about, and you know it. This family has a reputation to uphold. As the heir to the Silver family fortune, you are expected to continue my legacy. You should be married by now with kids. Like your sister, Catherine. She is ten years younger than you, and yet she has two sons already. I know you don’t date men, but there are ways. Why haven’t you brought someone home yet? You know your brother and sister will both have their spouses at the resort this week. It would be nice if you?—”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elara interrupted, “I’ll be bringing someone.”

Her voice was steady, but her jaw was clenched tight in the silence. The pause on the other end of the line seemed to stretch to infinity..

“Really? You never mentioned?—”

“It was meant to be a surprise, Father.” The lie rolled off her tongue without hesitation.

“Well, who is she? What does she do?”

“Father, you will have plenty of time this week to learn all about her. I have to go. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late,” she said quickly, cutting off his questions before he could dive too deep. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Elara—”

Before he could continue, she quickly hung up. She stared at the phone for a moment, a sinking feeling twisting in her gut. She wasn’t ready for the family’s scrutiny, and she certainly wasn’t ready for their opinion on her love life—or lack thereof.

Slipping on her designer heels, she snatched her phone as she power walked to her Mercedes-Benz. Her neighbor casually waved from across the street as he unlocked his Audi. Elara plastered on a smile, waving back. Living in the fabulous forties involved being surrounded by Sacramento’s elite, which suited Elara just fine. Her cool exterior never felt out of place amongst the upper echelon.

Backing out of her long driveway, guilt began to settle in. It’s not like she lied. Shewasbringing someone; it just wasn’t a girlfriend. They didn’t have to know that the woman she was bringing was a high-end escort paid to be there.

After quickly navigating downtown traffic, Elara made her way past the skyscrapers lining the Capitol Mall area and pulled into her reserved parking spot in the private lot attached to her building. Glancing at her phone, she could see her mother had already texted, asking about who she was bringing. Feeling her insides twist into a knot, Elara’s fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before tapping out a message.

Can you still make it tonight? Make sure you look the part.

She hit send and tucked the phone into her blazer pocket, taking one last glance at her reflection. The outside world would never know just how perfectly put-together her façade was.

Stepping out the elevator, Elara surveyed the Silver Resorts and Spas corporate office with an eye out for any late employees. If there was one thing Elara could not stand, it was her employees wasting time. The glass walls for each office ensured that no one could claim they were in their office without actually being present. Plus, Elara loved the way the floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light throughout the space. While she preferred a more modern and minimalist style, Elara also hated to feel closed in. The sunlight and glass walls made the space feel open and bright.

Silver Resorts and Spas was the founding company that started her father’s empire, and had since diversified into real estate and international resorts, forming the Silver International Group. As the eldest child, Elara was entrusted with the foundation company: the American branch of Silver Resorts and Spas. Determined to earn the legacy being handed to her, Elara spent all of her time ensuring they broke profit records each quarter. Every choice she made, every day of her life had been dedicated to proving she could handle becoming CEO of Silver International Group when her father stepped down.

Elara made her way to her corner office, but that tiny bit of pride disappeared when she looked with disdain at her secretary, Grace. The woman stood out like a sore thumb in the refined space Elara had created. Today, Grace was wearing electric-blue high-waisted pants cut off just above her ankles, giving plenty of room to see her bright-pink ballet flats. Tucked into her pants, Grace’s blouse had a dark floral pattern with flowers in fuchsia, purple, and pink. She had highlighted her hazel eyes with blue graphic liner. In Elara’s world of silvers and muted nudes, Grace was a neon sign declaring just how muchshe did not fit in. Elara did her best to swallow her distaste as Grace smiled brightly at her.

Grace tucked her messy light brown hair behind her ear. “Good morning, Ms. Silver!”

Looking down, Elara nodded.“Grace.” Elara glanced over to the empty boardroom across her office.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elara turned back to Grace. “Has my nine o’clock shown up yet?”

Grace’s enormous round eyes widened as she nervously looked down at the calendar on her desk.

“Umm…” Grace paused, looking sheepishly up at Elara. She visibly gulped before she gained the confidence to reply. “What nine o’clock?”

Groaning, Elara closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she lost her composure.

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