Page 12 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
Without meeting Luca’s eyes, I shoved my phone in my bag. “I have to go.”
“Where?”
I tried to move past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
“Who’s Ollie?”
My heartbeat ricocheted in my chest, and I prayed he couldn’t hear it.
“He’s…my neighbor’s kid. I promised to pick him up from school today.”
A lie. A stupid, obvious lie. But he didn’t push.
I wriggled out of his grip and walked away, fast.
Because the truth?
Ollie was mine.
Ollie was his.
And he had no idea.
Not yet.
And if I could help it, he never would.
I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.
There was a time when he could see right through me. When oneglance was all it took for Luca to read me like a headline. And if he saw me now, I was afraid he’d see the truth I’d buried for five years.
Before Ollie.
Before the silence.
Before Vaughn Industries and everything that came after.
Chapter Four
Leila’s POV
Five yearsago
I sipped from my champagne glass, scanning the room with calculated interest, pretending to like the taste. In truth, it was glorified fizzy vinegar in an overpriced bottle. But at events like this, optics were everything. So I played the part—poised, polished, palatable—while keeping my eyes on the real prize: Victor Vaughn, the CFO of Vaughn Industries.
Vaughn Enterprises was hiring an interior designer for their next big project, and I was determined to make sure that person was me. I wasn’t going to gamble on my resume magically standing out in a pile of Ivy League credentials and trust-fund portfolios. Truth was, my resume wouldn’t impress anyone. I was up against Harvard and Yale graduates. Manhattan University didn’t exactly scream elite. And I’d only been out of school six months.
They called people like me “raw talent”, which was just a nice way of saying unpolished and unproven. That’s why I had maneuvered my way into this high-profile pack event, one meant for Betas, theirpedigreed sons and daughters, and anyone with a last name that could turn heads. I wore my most expensive dress, smiled like I belonged, and pretended to actually enjoy the whole thing.
Just for a chance to get within arm’s reach of Victor Vaughn and chat to him.
Did I say chat?
I meant pitch.
After what felt like an eternity, he was finally alone. So, I made my move.
“Great event, am I right?”
