She's My Girlfriend

As the questions continued to pour in, Helena glanced at Arthur, who stood tall and composed, his eyes fixed on her with unwavering admiration. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant scent of roses, and faced the relentless press. It was time to confront her past, embrace her present, and let the world know that the man who had captured her heart – and inspired her bestselling novel – was indeed billionaire Arthur Hendricks.

"Arthur, what is your relationship with Helena?" a reporter asked, her voice piercing through the crowd's noise.

Arthur didn't hesitate for a moment. He looked into Helena's eyes and proudly declared, "She's my girlfriend."

The room erupted in gasps and excited whispers, but all Helena could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. She stared at Arthur, her wide eyes brimming with shock and joy. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, her cheeks burning as she felt the weight of everyone's gaze upon them.

"Really?" she thought to herself. "Did he just say that... about me?" It still feels surreal, even though she knew Arthur is hers. Acknowledging their relationship in public, especially in press is a big deal for her.

"Helena, how do you feel about Arthur's statement?" a journalist called out, snapping her back to reality.

"Um, I'm... surprised, but also happy," she stammered, a shaky smile forming. "I never expected him to say something like that publicly."

"Go on then, give her a kiss!" someone shouted, causing the rest of the room to join in with cheers and applause.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" they chanted, growing louder and more insistent.

Arthur's eyes sparkled with mischief as he glanced at Helena, who bit her lip nervously. She couldn't deny the desire that surged within her, nor the anticipation that made her heart race even faster.

"Only if Helena is okay with it," Arthur said, his voice soft yet firm, showing his respect for her boundaries.

"Please?" another fan begged, their excitement palpable.

Helena hesitated for a moment, her thoughts racing. She knew agreeing to this kiss would cement their relationship in the public eye – there would be no going back. But when she looked at Arthur, his eyes filled with love and adoration, she realized there was nothing else she wanted more.

"Alright," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the crowd's clamor.

The anticipation in the room was electric as Arthur stepped closer to Helena, gently cupping her face in his hands. He leaned down, and their lips met in a tender, lingering kiss that seemed to last an eternity but ended too soon. The audience erupted into cheers and applause, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.

As they pulled apart, Helena couldn't help but smile, feeling like she was floating on a cloud of pure bliss. Arthur's thumb brushed away a stray tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye, his eyes shining with happiness.

"I love you, baby," he murmured, his voice full of emotion.

"I love you too, Arthur. Thank you for coming," Helena said, her heart swelling with love for the man who had just claimed her as his girlfriend.

From this moment on, their lives would never be the same. They knew there would be challenges ahead – the pressures of fame, the scrutiny of the media, and the expectations of their fans – but together, they were ready to face it all, hand in hand, hearts entwined.

As the press conference concluded, Helena couldn't help but feel a sense of vulnerability. She had revealed more than she'd intended, but the experience left her feeling unexpectedly free. As readers eagerly awaited their chance to delve into the world of "Behind the Mask" and speculate on the identity of the enigmatic Arthur, Helena knew that her truth - both the joy and the pain - was captured within the pages of her novel.

Helena chose not to share what happened between her and Pamela. She was overwhelmed with so much happiness and doesn't want to dampen the air of celebration.

"Nathan and Nathalie, Ashton, and Gabby are waiting for us. I've prepared dinner at my place. Baby, come with me to celebrate the success of your book launch," Arthur said with enthusiasm.

Three black and tinted Cadillac Escalades came to pick them up. Helena gasped at the realization that Arthur needed 3 cars in every move.

"Arthur, do you always travel with 3 cars?" Helena asked in confusion.

"No. When I visited you I was alone, right? I got these 3 cars recently because you'll be here with me." He did secure Helena's seatbelt before his.

Her eyebrows narrowed. "Baby, isn't this too much? And who are those people?" Helena asked, referring to tall, masculine men getting in the second and third car wearing black suits.

"They are our bodyguards," Arthur said. "Enough with all these questions. Let's talk about your book." He tried to divert the topic, giving less attention to the bodyguards he hired to protect them. As he spoke they were heading to his penthouse.

"Oh, Arthur, I'm so happy because you're with me. I was supposed to surprise you," she said hesitantly.

"Surprise me?" Arthur cocked his head in curiosity.

"Since you told me on the phone last night that you're not coming for the book launch. I thought of visiting your office after the event to surprise you."

"You'd do that?" Arthur grinned, happiness was evident on his face.

"Of course, I will. It's been quite a while since you visited San Antonio. I miss you. Don't you miss me?" She asked, pouting.

"Oh, I miss you too, baby." Arthur gives her little kisses on the forehead. "I'm sorry I didn't come back to San Antonio in the past month. All I could do was call you on the phone."

"I understand. What's important is you're here now," she reached Arthur's hand and entwined it to hers. "I miss holding your hands. They felt strong, and they could protect me."

"I am always here to protect you, my love," he smiled, gently squeezing her hand. Helena smiled back at him.

It wasn't a long trip to Arthur's penthouse and they arrived there. Nathalie squealed in excitement seeing Helena enter the penthouse. "Is that you, Helena?" She came rushing to Helena and hugged her.

In the past month, Helena, Nathalie, and Nathan have talked on the phone, so they slightly know each other, especially Nathalie who stated Helena is her favorite among the girlfriends Arthur had. They hugged each other tightly and took a little while to let go.

"I'm so happy to finally see you. You're so beautiful, Nathalie," Helena complimented.

"Don't compliment her too much, Helena. It will get in her head," Nathan said. Nathalie just rolled her eyes. "Nice to finally meet you, Helena," Nathan kissed her on the cheek. "No wonder my brother was smitten. You're so beautiful."

"Thank you, Nathan. You are so handsome too. There's no doubt, you and Arthur are brothers," she said, looking at Nathan and Arthur back and forth.

"Who is more handsome, me or Nathan?" Arthur asked, wrapping his arm around my waist. Nathan just laughed at his silly brother.

"Arthur, don't be competitive," Helena said, shaking her head. She looked at Arthur, he was a sight to behold, handsome as always.

"Hi, Helena, it's nice to meet you. Gabby said so much about you," Ashton outreach a hand.

"Finally, I met you." Helena shook Ashton's hand. Gabby and Ashton are so crazy for each other like they are a match made in heaven, as they say. "You guys are so cute together."

Gabby kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, Ellen. Congratulations. I'm so happy for your book launch success."

"Thank you, Gabby. I'm happy for you too."

Everyone said their congratulatory message to Helena. She was beaming with Happiness surrounded by people dear to her on one of the most special days of her life.

"My best friend Daniel and his fiancee Chelsea couldn't make it because they are preparing for the wedding," Arthur said as they were at the table for dinner. "But you have to come with me to their wedding next week. Okay?"

"Me?" Helena asked, pointing to herself to confirm. "What am I supposed to wear?"

"Don't worry about it. I got it covered."

"Ellen, you should be there. We're all going to the wedding," Gabby chimed in. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Of course, I'm going with Arthur. I was just analyzing things, everything happened so fast. This would be the first time I'm coming out with Arthur for a big event. I'm wondering what the press would say."

"Oh, baby, don't worry about that. We've already made a headline earlier," Arthur winked.

"What do you mean, Arthur?" Nathalie asked curiously. "Helena, what does Arthur mean?" She turned to Helena, eager to get an answer immediately.

Helena blushed at the thought of Arthur kissing her at her book launch. "We kissed at the book launch earlier," she said shyly.

Both Nathalie and Gabby squealed, the men covered their ears, avoiding the noise. "Gosh, I can't wait for the headline tomorrow," Nathalie said.

"Saying, the bachelor billionaire Arthur Hendricks is again having a rendezvous with another woman, but this time, he claimed her to be his girlfriend," Gabby added.

"Yes, that would be perfect," Nathalie said in agreement.

The dinner was full of laughter from the newly acquainted friends, which felt like a family gathered in the same room. Ashton was no different to Aurthur's siblings as they saw Ashton often the first time he worked with Arthur. Since he is with Gabby, Helena's best friend, Arthur treated him even better.