Lennox's POV
My hands won't stop shaking as I zip up the red dress.
It fits perfectly. Like Caden measured me in my sleep. Like he remembered every curve, every inch, every detail from ten years ago when we were different people in love with impossible dreams.
I stare at myself in the guest room mirror and barely recognize the woman looking back. The dress is gorgeous—deep crimson silk that hugs my body and flows to the floor. Designer. Expensive. The kind of thing I could never afford even when my photography career was at its peak.
The kind of thing Caden bought without asking what I wanted.
Because this isn't about me. This is about making me look good enough to stand next to him. Good enough to make Victoria jealous. Good enough to be his fake girlfriend for six weeks while he plays his revenge games.
I'm a prop. A pretty doll he can dress up and show off.
My phone buzzes on the dresser. Another text from Marcus:
"Red dress, huh? Trying to seduce your way back into his wallet? Smart. But we both know you're just using him like you used me. I'm watching, Lennox. I'm always watching."
My stomach turns. Marcus is here. In Willowbrook. Watching me somehow.
I delete the message with trembling fingers and check the time. Six forty-five. Caden said the car leaves at six fifty. No room for mistakes. No room for weakness.
I take one last look in the mirror, force my face into something that might pass for confidence, and head downstairs.
Caden stands in the foyer, checking his watch. He's wearing a black suit that probably costs more than my car. His hair is perfectly styled. He looks like he stepped out of a magazine—powerful, wealthy, untouchable.
When he hears my heels on the stairs, he looks up.
And freezes.
For three full seconds, Caden Rivers—billionaire CEO, master of control—just stares at me. His golden eyes go wide. His lips part slightly. His hand drops from his watch.
I see it. The recognition. The memory. The boy who used to look at me like I was the most beautiful thing in his world.
Then his mask slams back into place.
"You'll do," he says coldly.
The words are a slap. I stop on the bottom step, my confidence crumbling.
"Shall we?" Caden offers his arm like we're strangers at a business meeting.
I take it because I have no choice. His muscles are tense under my fingers. He's angry. At me. At this situation. At everything.
The car ride to the Willowbrook Country Club is silent. Caden stares out his window. I stare out mine. The driver pretends we don't exist.
"Remember the rules," Caden finally says as we pull up to the club. "Smile. Laugh at my jokes. Act like you're madly in love with me. Can you manage that?"
"Yes," I whisper.
"And Lennox?" He turns to face me, his expression unreadable. "If you embarrass me tonight, the deal is off. Marion's on her own."
Before I can respond, the driver opens the door. Camera flashes explode in my face. Reporters shout questions. The entire town seems to be here, watching, judging, waiting for me to fail.
Caden steps out smoothly and offers his hand.
I take it, and everything changes.
The moment we're in public view, Caden transforms.
His hand slides to my waist, pulling me close. "You look beautiful," he murmurs into my ear, loud enough for people nearby to hear. "I'm the luckiest man here."
It's fake. I know it's fake. But his breath on my neck makes my heart race anyway.
"Smile," he whispers. "They're watching."
I smile. Cameras flash. People whisper. Caden's hand stays on my waist, possessive and warm, as he guides me through the crowd.
Inside the country club, the charity gala is in full swing. Rich people in expensive clothes, drinking expensive wine, pretending to care about whatever cause is trendy this month. I used to hate events like this. Too fake. Too polished.
But Caden moves through it like a king. Everyone wants his attention. Everyone wants a moment with the billionaire who saved their town.
And he keeps me at his side the entire time, introducing me as "my Lennox" like I'm something precious he found and kept.
"Caden! So good to see you!" The mayor rushes over, his wife trailing behind. "And this must be the famous Lennox Gray! We've heard so much about you!"
"All good things, I hope," I say, forcing brightness into my voice.
"Of course!" The mayor's wife eyes my dress with barely hidden envy. "You two make such a beautiful couple. It's like a fairy tale—childhood sweethearts reunited!"
"Something like that," Caden says smoothly, his thumb rubbing circles on my waist. The touch sends shivers up my spine. "Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for."
The lies roll off his tongue so easily. He's better at this than I am.
Across the room, I spot Victoria. She's wearing a white dress—probably trying to look innocent and pure. Her eyes lock on mine, and the hatred there is so strong it makes me step back.
Caden feels me tense. "What's wrong?"
"Victoria," I whisper. "She's staring at us."
"Good." Caden's hand tightens on my waist. "Let her stare. Let her see exactly what she lost."
He leads me to the dance floor as the orchestra starts playing. Other couples join us, but I only see Caden. His hand in mine. His arm around my waist. His body close enough that I can smell his cologne—expensive, unfamiliar, nothing like the boy I knew who smelled like motor oil and Irish Spring soap.
We start to move, and suddenly I'm eighteen again. Dancing with Caden at our high school prom in the gym decorated with cheap streamers. He wore his dad's borrowed suit and promised me forever.
I broke that promise.
"You're good at pretending," I whisper, looking up at him.
Caden's eyes go cold. He pulls me closer—too close for a fake relationship—and leans down until his lips brush my ear. "I learned from the best," he says quietly. "You taught me how to fake feelings ten years ago."
The words cut deeper than any knife.
"Caden—"
"Smile," he interrupts. "Victoria's watching. Make it believable."
I force a smile even though I'm dying inside. Caden spins me, dips me, holds me like I'm the most important thing in his world.
It's all fake.
But God, it feels real.
The song ends. Caden keeps holding me for three seconds longer than necessary. Our eyes meet, and something passes between us—something dangerous and familiar and terrifying.
Then Victoria's voice cuts through the moment like glass.
"How touching." She appears beside us, her smile sharp as a blade. "The prodigal daughter returns and immediately latches onto the richest man in town. How convenient."
"Victoria," Caden says calmly, not letting go of me. "Lovely to see you."
"Is it?" Victoria's champagne glass shakes in her hand. "Because you've been ignoring my calls for two days. Two days, Caden. After everything we had planned—"
"We had nothing planned," Caden interrupts coldly. "Our arrangement was business. It's over."
Victoria's face goes white, then red. "Over? You're throwing away everything for her?" She points at me like I'm trash. "She left you! She abandoned you when you had nothing! And now that you're rich, she comes crawling back—"
"Watch your tone," Caden says, his voice dropping to something dangerous. "You're making a scene."
"I'm making a scene?" Victoria's voice rises. People start staring. "You're parading your ex-girlfriend around like some trophy while your real fiancée stands here humiliated!"
"You were never my real fiancée," Caden says quietly. "And you know it."
Victoria's champagne glass shatters on the floor. The entire ballroom goes silent.
"You'll regret this," she hisses. "Both of you. I promise you that."
She storms away, her white dress trailing behind her like a war flag.
Caden immediately pulls me close and kisses my temple—soft, gentle, completely for show. "Sorry, darling," he says loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Some people can't handle being replaced."
The room erupts in whispers. Cameras flash. Caden's hand stays on my waist, steady and strong, as he leads me away from the dance floor.
"That was—" I start.
"Necessary," he finishes. "Victoria needed to understand it's over."
We escape to the balcony. Cool night air hits my face. The party continues inside, but out here it's quiet. Just me and Caden and the lies between us.
"Thank you," I say quietly. "For defending me in there."
"Don't thank me." Caden leans against the railing, not looking at me. "I wasn't defending you. I was protecting my investment. You're worthless to me if Victoria thinks she can bully you."
The cruelty is back. The coldness. The reminder that this is all fake.
My phone buzzes in my small purse. I pull it out and my blood runs cold.
A photo. Of me and Caden dancing. Taken from across the room.
The text below it reads:
"Beautiful couple. Too bad it's built on lies. I have proof of what really happened in New York, Lennox. Proof that you're not the victim you're pretending to be. Meet me tomorrow at noon, Marion's house, or I send everything to Caden—including the hospital records you've been hiding. —Marcus"
Hospital records?
My hands start shaking so badly I almost drop the phone.
"What's wrong?" Caden asks, his voice sharp.
I look up at him—this man I loved, this man I destroyed, this man who's giving me six weeks of fake love to save my aunt.
And I realize Marcus is right.
I have been lying.
Not just about New York. About everything.
"Lennox?" Caden steps closer, his mask slipping. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I—" My voice cracks. "I need to tell you something. About why I really left New York. About what Marcus—"
"Caden Rivers!"
We both turn. A man in a dark suit stands in the balcony doorway. He's holding a camera and a manila envelope.
"I'm Jackson Price, investigative journalist," he says, walking toward us. "I've been researching your sudden reunion with Miss Gray. And I think the people of Willowbrook deserve to know the truth about your relationship."
He opens the envelope and pulls out papers. Even from here, I can see the heading:
PRIVATE INVESTIGATION REPORT: LENNOX GRAY
My heart stops.
"According to my sources," Jackson continues, "Miss Gray spent three weeks in a psychiatric facility six months ago after a complete mental breakdown. Her ex-fiancé Marcus Chen has provided documentation—medical records, police reports, witness statements—all proving that she's mentally unstable, manipulative, and potentially dangerous."
He looks directly at me, his smile cruel. "So tell me, Miss Gray. Does Caden know he's dating a woman who was literally locked up for being crazy? Or is that another one of your little secrets?"
The world tilts.
Caden stares at me, his face unreadable.
And I realize everything—the contract, the arrangement, the six weeks of fake love—is about to explode.
Because Marcus didn't just follow me to Willowbrook.
He brought weapons designed to destroy