Chapter 42: Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 42: Smoke and Mirrors

Ariana paced the hotel room like a tiger trapped in a gilded cage, her fingers clenching and unclenching the hem of her silk blouse. Her heart was a tangled mess of anger, confusion, and a growing dread that wouldn't go away no matter how many deep breaths she took.

The video had gone viral. Her marriage certificate, the one she had secretly leaked to Rachel in a desperate bid to stir chaos and possibly untangle herself from Jesse had backfired in ways she hadn't expected.

Now the whole internet was buzzing, and while her scandalous marriage had made headlines for an hour, it had been swallowed up almost instantly by something much juicier, a leaked video of Rachel and Anthony in a compromising situation.

She hadn't leaked that.

And now Jesse wanted to talk. Of course he did.

She heard the knock before she saw him. One solid, deliberate sound.

Ariana swallowed hard. She smoothed her hair, threw on a neutral expression, and opened the door.

Jesse Ren stood in the hallway like he owned it calm, perfectly put together in a charcoal gray suit, and with eyes that seemed to know far more than they should.

"We need to talk," he said without preamble.

She stepped aside silently. No greeting. No pleasantries.

The door clicked shut behind him. For a moment, silence hung in the air like smoke.

He turned toward her. "You saw the news?"

"Of course I did," she replied, folding her arms. "It's everywhere."

"Then you know this is getting out of hand."

Ariana raised her chin, doing her best to meet his gaze without flinching. But it wasn't easy. Jesse Ren radiated quiet power, the kind that didn't have to yell to be heard. The kind that made her chest tighten.

"I know what I did," she said softly. "I leaked the marriage certificate."

He blinked once. No surprise. No anger.

Just that unreadable calm. "Why?"

She hesitated. The truth felt dangerous, but the lie tasted worse.

"Because I wanted out. I thought maybe... if Rachel knew, she would tell Anthony, and he'd create a scandal big enough to break the arrangement. I never expected it would be buried by something worse."

"Rachel is more careful than that. You underestimated her," Jesse said smoothly, then added, "and Anthony."

She let out a dry laugh. "Apparently."

He walked to the window and stared out at the city for a moment, then turned back to her.

"That scandal —the one that buried our marriage news— you didn't leak it. Did you?"

Her brows knitted. "No. Why would I? I didn't even know they had anything like that."

"They didn't. Until recently." Jesse's voice was still flat, but there was something underneath it. Amusement? Calculation?

She studied him warily. "Then who did it?"

"Lincoln," he said.

Ariana's mouth parted slightly. "Your secretary?"

"Technically, yes. But it wasn't an official move. He just happened to have something in his files, and he thought it might be... useful."

Useful.

The word sent a chill through her.

So Jesse had known about the affair. And he had chosen to unleash it now, when it could shift attention away from their marriage.

Two scandals. One distracting the other.

It was brilliant. Cold. Manipulative.

She took a step back.

"You planned this."

"No," he said calmly. "I responded. There's a difference."

She didn't reply.

Instead, she turned away, arms hugging herself tightly. Her skin crawled with the awareness of how easily Jesse navigated chaos — not with brute force, but with precision. Quiet, surgical precision.

Ariana didn't like how small she felt in comparison.

She didn't like how part of her admired it either.

"This isn't real for you, is it?" she asked, her voice a whisper. "This marriage."

Jesse was quiet for a beat. Then, "It wasn't supposed to be."

The words hit harder than they should have. Even if she already knew.

"So we're both trapped, then," she said bitterly.

He didn't deny it.

But he walked over to her, slowly, and when he stopped, they were a breath apart. She refused to look up. But she could feel the intensity of his gaze on her.

"We can still control the how the world will think," he said quietly. "If we keep this story buried under the Anthony Rachel scandal, we gain time."

She finally looked at him. "And then what? Pretend like this marriage doesn't exist?"

He shrugged lightly. "We don't have to pretend anything. We just... play along. At least until this dies down."

Play along.

Like they were actors in someone else's twisted script.

Ariana swallowed hard. The room felt too tight.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Then tell me what you want."

The way he said it — low, almost gentle — made her chest ache.

"I want my life back," she whispered. "I want to feel like I'm not being controlled by people with more money and power than I'll ever have."

He didn't flinch.

Instead, Jesse nodded once. "Then let's make a deal. You play the part. In return, I'll protect you. From Rachel. From Anthony. From anyone who tries to use you again."

She stared at him.

And for the first time, she saw something more than cold calculation in his eyes.

She saw resolve.

Maybe even... the faintest spark of sincerity.

But Ariana wasn't ready to trust that.

She wasn't ready to trust him.

Still, she held out her hand. "Fine. For now."

He took it.

And the touch sent a strange, electric jolt up her spine.

Temporary. Strategic. Necessary.

But something had changed in the air between them. Something quiet and dangerous.

Whatever this was — this game, this alliance — it was no longer just about saving face.

It was about survival.

And Ariana wasn't sure who she was more afraid of: Rachel and Anthony... or Jesse Ren.