Page 1 of The Enemy of My Enemy Is… My Fake Boyfriend?

One

Aria

Hand in hand, we walked up the grand staircase, the steady click of cameras our soundtrack. I wondered how thelight blue color of my gown would look in photos splashed all over the internet tomorrow.

Trying my best for a serene smile while concentrating on not falling, I clutched Chase's hand tighter, praying I'd make it the last few steps. And thankfully, I did.Wedid.

Once at the top, Chase pulled me into his side, and I glanced over to bask in that adoring, sweet, and sexy grin of his that I loved so much.

Sickening sweet. That was what my sisters always said about us.Charia, they mocked, the city's it couple.

I wasn't so sure about that, but it did seem that everybody wanted a piece of us, even more so since we'd become engaged and started planning our wedding. Some dubbed it the biggest event of the year.

Sailing past security, Chase and I entered the ballroom, stunning with twinkling lights and floor-to-ceiling purplehydrangeas lining one entire wall. Every table was adorned with them too, along with flickering lavender candles and mirrors reflecting all that purple-ness and magnifying it times a million.

"All this fucking purple," Chase grumbled beside me. "I don't know how I'm going to survive this night."

"Oh, you poor baby," I teased, loving every minute of this, especially since it was my favorite color.

"You're in heaven, though." He gave me a light peck on the cheek, careful of my makeup. "So it'll be worth it."

Cameras caught our kiss, and I wondered if they'd caught the conversation too, if there were lip readers among us. That thought was quickly forgotten as we were soon surrounded by a gaggle of people, wait staff with fizzy, bubbly champagne, Chase's colleagues, friends, and even some not-so-subtle frenemies in the mix with hidden agendas.

Since Chase's company had taken off so spectacularly lately, he'd also become a target, envious people always wanting to tear everyone else down to their level. He handled it like a champ, however, the pride in my chest blossoming as I watched him begin to work the room.

Charming Chase... that's what I'd called him from day one when we'd first met at my mom's biggest charity gala that she'd thrown every year since I could remember. It'd been love at first sight—yeah, that was a real-life thing, not just something in the movies—especially when Chase had laid on the charm, telling me I was the most amazing and beautiful woman he'd ever met.

Sipping my champagne, I let my eyes roam around the room, hoping to find a friend to chat with, spotting the usual suspects that I somewhat liked while also loathing them. I knew they felt the same about me, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

For the umpteenth time, I wished my sisters would come to events like these. But after growing up in this same gilded world, they both refused to participate and play along anymore... for very different reasons.

And my mother, a fixture on the scene, wasn't here either, forced to stay at home at the last minute by a stomach bug.

Listening to Chase schmooze, I kept a smile on my face as I also examined the beautiful ballroom, taking in small details like the candle brand and the fabric of the tablecloths, storing them all in my head like a squirrel did nuts, saving the ideas for a day I might need them.

And that's when I spotted him... Ethan Locke, standing at the edge of the room, alone as usual, because who could stand him? He leaned against a wall, drink in one hand, the other shoved in a pocket, looking out of place here despite his suit that fit him like a glove.

Where Chase was a golden god, Ethan was his complete opposite—dark-haired, uber tall, and somehow sinful-looking. And it wasn't just their looks that were polar opposites, but also their entire personas. While Chase was outgoing and full of charm, Mysterious Ethan, my sisters' nickname for him, was a lone wolf, his perpetual scowl matching the snarl of his voice whenever he deigned to speak to me.

Clearly, we were all below him, so I wasn't sure why he showed up to these events in the first place.

And the absolute worst thing of all, he'd been awful to Chase for years, ever since they'd gone to boarding school together, continuing today, Ethan skirting the edges of the law and saying a big eff you to ethical business practices.

God, I despised him.

Right as I made a mental note to let Chase know he was here, our eyes met from across the room. His brows lowered ever so slightly and then he saluted me, like actually saluted me. What a prick. Shaking my head, I tore my gaze away, instead turning to focus all of my energy on this perfect man beside me.

"...and that's the exact moment the waiter stepped in," Chase said, a twinkle in his eye.

Everyone around us exploded in laughter. I'd obviously missed the whole story, but it didn't matter. I laughed anyway,full of pride for this man. Looking around at the admiring faces, all trained on him adoringly, the love I had for him practically exploded in my heart.

Maybe my sisters were right about the sickening sweet thing after all.

Sensing a presence behind me, I turned to find Chase's assistant, Hannah, rocking a ruby red dress. I touched her forearm. "Wow, you look beautiful."

She smiled at me, her eyes darting back and forth between me and Chase who was still busy talking to the group. "Thank you," she said softly.

Something about Hannah's shy demeanor always made me want to just tuck her under my arm and take care of her. She'd moved here from Minnesota last year and told me the city overwhelmed her at times. But she was slowly getting used to everything, and watching her gradual transformation made my heart happy.

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