Aiden’s POV:
I knew what I had to do.
The dia had been circling like vultures, twisting everything between and Liz into a sordid scandal. My na was dragged through the mud, my marriage turned into a spectacle, and worst of all—Alexia was caught in the crossfire.
I needed to fix this.
So I ca here. To her school. To her.
Just as I stepped into the hallway, the usual chatter dropped into a murmur, a wave of whispers and gasps sweeping through the crowd. I didn’t have to turn around to know that all eyes were now on .
Alexia stood at the center of it all, arms crossed, jaw set—looking every bit like a woman who wanted to murder her husband. Good. That ant she cared.
I barely noticed her friend, Lucy, who was practically vibrating with excitent. My focus was locked on my wife.
The plan was simple: show the world that I loved my wife. Let them see, without a doubt, that the only woman in my life was her. A small, convincing kiss would be enough to get the dia off our backs.
But the mont I stepped in front of her—plans changed.
She refused to look at , her defiance both frustrating and intoxicating. A stubborn fire burned in her eyes, challenging , pushing .
I took her chin between my fingers and tilted it up. And then... I kissed her.
I hadn’t ant to go that far. It was supposed to be quick. Simple. A peck. Just enough to send a ssage.
But the second my lips touched hers, I lost control.
She was soft—warr than I rembered from our wedding. Her lips parted slightly, and I felt her breath hitch, a small, involuntary sound escaping her throat. That single mont undid .
I pulled her closer, my arm sliding around her waist, crushing her against as I deepened the kiss. The world blurred. The whispers, the crowd, the damn dia—none of it mattered.
I just wanted more.
Her fingers clutched my jacket, as if she was fighting the sa war I was. I felt the exact mont when she lted into , her resistance shattering into nothing.
When I finally forced myself to pull away, our lips were still a breath apart.
I let my forehead rest against hers, my own form of restraint—a barrier to stop myself from kissing her again. Because God, I wanted to.
"Still mad, princess?" I murmured low enough for only her to hear.
Her lashes fluttered, her breath uneven. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to be. That knowledge sent a smug thrill through .
Lucy’s excited squeal in the background barely registered. The crowd was still watching, whispering, filming. Good. Let them see.
Alexia finally regained enough of her senses to glare at . And then, in the most infuriatingly sweet voice, she bargained.
"I get the bed if I help clear your na."
I exhaled sharply, pressing my forehead harder against hers, biting back a groan.
She knew exactly what she was doing. Teasing. Testing. And worst of all—winning.
"One week," I shot back.
"Three months," she countered with mock innocence.
I narrowed my eyes. "Three weeks."
She rolled hers. "Two months."
Damn it.
"One month. Final offer," I said, my tone leaving no room for argunt.
Her lips parted, as if to push back—but I never gave her the chance.
I kissed her again.
This ti, it wasn’t just for the dia. It wasn’t just for show.
It was for .
It was gentler—not the wildfire from before, but a slow burn that spread through my veins like a dangerous drug. A promise. A claim.
Her fingers curled tighter into my jacket, her body responding before her mind could stop it.
The mont stretched longer than it should have. When I finally pulled away, her eyes were dazed, her lips slightly swollen from the kiss. I could feel the way her pulse raced beneath my fingertips.
I smirked. "Guess one month it is."
She nodded without thinking.
Perfect.
The second her senses snapped back into place, her expression morphed into outraged realization.
"You tricked !" she gasped, pushing at my chest.
I laughed. The smug bastard she called ? Yeah. That was .
But I wasn’t done yet.
As the crowd continued to whisper, I pulled her aside, into a quieter part of the hallway.
"Where’s your phone?" I asked.
She handed it to without protest, still too flustered from the kiss. I scrolled through the comnts, my jaw tightening at the brutal words.
They called a cheater. A liar. A bastard who didn’t deserve his wife. So even painted Liz as the real love of my life while Alexia was just a background character.
They weren’t wrong perse but that was not for them to know.
Alexia frowned as she read them, her expression shifting—not to anger, but understanding.
Then sothing flickered in her eyes—an idea.
I recognized that look. She was up to sothing.
"If I do this..." she mused, tilting her head, "I get to drink so wine."
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "Fine."
A triumphant smile spread across her lips as she typed out her response.
"Please stop bashing my husband. He just did what I told him to. After Liz fainted, I panicked and told my husband to assist her and that I was going to be alright. So please, he didn’t leave —I told him to go. After all, Liz is my husband’s friend, which makes her mine."
I glanced at the post, my smirk returning. Smart.
"Not bad," I admitted.
Almost imdiately, the comnts started shifting, people backtracking, apologizing, praising Alexia for being so mature, so understanding.
If only they knew the truth.
"Your classes are over in ten minutes," I said, slipping her phone into my pocket. Then, without giving her ti to protest, I took her arm.
"Co with to my office," I said. "Then we’ll go ho and get you that wine."
She blinked up at , confused.
She wasn’t the only one.
Even I didn’t fully understand what was happening to .
This was supposed to be a simple fix. A PR move.
Instead, one kiss had changed everything.
And I had no idea what to do about it.
Taking Alexia back to my office wasn’t part of the plan.
Hell, none of this was part of the plan.
But I needed sothing from there—a file, a docunt—whatever excuse I could co up with to justify why I wasn’t letting her go just yet. I had rushed out of my office earlier, too focused on stopping this scandal before it spiraled out of control. If I had waited any longer, everything could have crumbled.
Not just my reputation.
Not just Alexia’s.
But the real reason I married her in the first place.
And that couldn’t happen.
Still, none of that explained why I kissed her the way I did.
We both knew the truth—this marriage wasn’t built on love. There were no soft, romantic feelings between us. Just necessity. A contract sealed with paperwork and mutual benefit.
And yet, the second my lips t hers, sothing inside had shifted.
For a brief, dangerous mont, I had forgotten who she was.
Who I was.
And now, I couldn’t shake the mory of the way she had lted against , how her breath hitched, how her fingers curled into my jacket like she needed to keep her steady.
What the hell was wrong with ?
The woman I loved had already co back.
Liz.
The one I should have been with. The one I had lost before I even had a chance.
She had returned from God knows where, but she ca too late. By the ti she was back, I was already married. Tied to soone else.
To Alexia.
So why the hell was I drawn to Alexia all of the sudden?
I forced myself to co up with the most logical explanation.
It was just my body reacting. That was all.
It had been too long since I had been with a woman—intimately. The kiss, the way I craved her lips again—it was just starvation.
That had to be it.
Because if it was anything else...
No. I wasn’t even going to entertain that thought. No way was it possible.
I pushed open the door to my office and stepped aside, motioning for Alexia to enter first.
She hesitated for a second, like she was trying to figure out. I could practically feel the confusion radiating off her.
Good. Because I was just as fucking confused.
Her eyes flickered over —searching, questioning—but I didn’t give her anything. Instead, I gestured again, my voice even. Too even.
"After you."
She stepped inside, still looking at like I was so unsolved puzzle.
To be fair, I felt the exact sa way.
And I had a sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.
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