Page 7 of Arranged with Twins
Under current circumstances, they’re potentially problematic.
A wife who questions everything, who refuses to simply accept the role she’s been assigned, and might dig too deeply intobusiness affairs that are better left unexamined isn’t the partnership I envisioned when I agreed to this arrangement.
Yet something about her refusal to be intimidated tonight impressed me. Most people, when faced with the reality of what my world means, either cower or try to ingratiate themselves.
Sienna did neither. She met my authority with her own quiet defiance, made it clear she wasn’t grateful for the arrangement, and still managed to play her part when the cameras were rolling.
That suggests strength I hadn’t expected to find in Vincent’s daughter. Of course, my expectations were based on the clearly false narratives Katherine fed me, along with my vague memories of the shy, observant girl she used to be.
Some things never change.
Other change so drastically you’d never recognize them.
My penthouse occupies the entire top floor of the building, with windows that offer commanding views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline beyond. I pour myself a glass of whiskey to drink and settle into the leather chair behind my desk, spinning idly.
I value this peace. Maybe it will stay for a while this time instead of vanishing like dust in the wind.
The engagement ring I selected for Sienna still sits in its velvet box on the desk’s surface. It’s a champagne diamond in a vintage setting that seemed to match her traditional elegance. Tomorrow, I’ll need to present it properly, probably with photographers present to capture the moment for the society pages.
“Will you marry me?” I mumble as I touch the diamond. The words are so fake that I don’t dare say them any louder.
But playing the role of devoted fiancé shouldn’t be that difficult. I’ve been managing public perceptions my entire adult life, crafting an image of legitimate success that masks the darker realities of how the Denisov fortune was built and maintained.
What concerns me is whether Sienna will be equally committed to maintaining the façade. Tonight suggested she has little patience for performance, despite her parents’ obvious expertise in media management.
But people can be convinced, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that might soon have her begging to obey me.
I open my laptop and scan the early online coverage of the engagement announcement. The photographs are flattering, the headlines appropriately breathless, and the initial social media response seems positive. Katherine clearly knows how to orchestrate this kind of publicity campaign.
One article catches my attention from a gossip blog that specializes in Manhattan society news. The writer speculates about the speed of the engagement, noting Leo Denisov and Sienna Cooper haven’t been seen together publicly before tonight. She wonders whether this might be a strategic alliance rather than a romantic relationship.
I roll my eyes and take a big swig of whiskey.
The blogger is more perceptive than most, or at least more open to admitting her theories, but her speculation is buried beneath speculation about wedding dates and venue choices. Still, it’s a reminder that some people will be watching this relationship more carefully than others.
Power attracts enemies more than it does allies. It’s dangerous, but to me it’s worth the risk.
I close the laptop and finish my whiskey, thinking about tomorrow. The engagement needs to look genuine, which means spending time with Sienna in public and learning to play the role of the devoted groom. Given her obvious reluctance and my own complicated feelings about the arrangement, that performance will require more skill than I initially anticipated.
One thing that won’t require any pretense is pretending to be attracted to her. I’ll have no trouble with casual touches, handholding, and stolen kisses. Just thinking about that gives me a semi erection that I ignore until it goes away, far too disciplined to masturbate to thoughts of my soon-to-be wife.
She thinks I’m a gentleman. Perhaps we should keep it that way until the wedding.
3
Sienna
The espresso machine hisses and gurgles in my penthouse kitchen while I stare at the newspaper spread across the marble counter. The engagement announcement takes up half the society page, complete with three different photographs of Leo and me looking like the perfect Manhattan power couple.
I barely recognize myself in the images. The woman in those pictures looks happy. She certainly doesn’t look like someone who spent most of the evening plotting escape routes and wondering how much trouble she’d get in for pushing her fiancé off the balcony.
The largest photo shows us during the formal announcement, with Leo’s hand at the small of my back while I smile brilliantly at the camera. The second captures us on the terrace, his jacket draped over my shoulders in what appears to be a tender moment. The third is from earlier in the evening, with our hands clasped while we speak privately near the bar. To anyone readingthis story, we’re clearly a couple deeply in love and finally ready to take the next step together.
Gross. Everything is so fucking fake.
The headline reads “Cooper Heiress Announces Engagement to Business Mogul Leonid Denisov” in elegant script above a breathless account of our whirlwind romance. According to the article, we’ve been quietly dating for months, keeping our relationship private until we were certain of our feelings. The writer gushes about Leo’s philanthropic work and my educational achievements, painting us as Manhattan’s newest power couple with bright futures ahead.
Every word is carefully crafted fiction, but I have to admit Mother and her publicity team did their job well. If I didn’t know better, I might actually believe this fairy tale myself.
