Page 73 of Mind Maze

Caius is a dirty, sexier version of Ken.

And this isn’t happening to my doll. It’s happening to me.

It’s an act, Romy.

Don’t get caught up in the lie.

I’m a good pretender, though.

“Romy Langston, love, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Caius’s smile is tender and it seems so real. Like he genuinely wants me as his. We’re having fun bedroom times and finding common ground, but he doesn’t truly want to marry me.

I’m only eighteen.

A college kid.

And he’s rich, older, sophisticated.

My captor.

All the thoughts racing through my head don’t make any sense. They certainly don’t help make any decisions.

The decision is already made.

For fake or for real.

The answer is…

“Yes,” I say with real tears in my eyes. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Caius Crowne.”

He slides an exquisite, sparkly engagement ring on my left ring finger. While I was trying on shoes earlier today, he must’ve dropped into a jewelry store to buy it.

“Thank God,” Caius growls as he stands back up. “Kiss me, love.”

His hands slide into my hair and I press my newly bedazzled hand upon his chest to feel his heart thundering in his chest. Our kiss is one for the storybooks.

The kiss is real.

We’re real.

Caius

Good girl.

She’s quite the actress.

My gut tightens. We both know she’s not acting. Romy is falling far too quickly, which is only going to further complicate things. Right now, though, it doesn’t matter. I need her and everyone around us to believe this extraordinary proposal between two elite families.

It’s the perfect distraction.

People start chattering excitedly around us. I’ve made enough of a commotion that the spell is breaking. When I lock eyes with Theo, I’m grateful to see he’s alert. There’s a flash of worry in his eyes.

We’ve been duped.

We’re bombarded by people congratulating us left and right. Her brother isn’t one of them. He watches us with an expression of pure disgust. Fuck him.

Romy graciously thanks people and gushes about how excited she is to be my wife. I won’t lie and say that doesn’t make my chest fill with pride. She’s not the only one getting caught up in this ruse of ours.

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