CHAPTER SIX

Liam

 "A toast," Celeste's voice rung out like champagne flutes clinking together, "to the man I love more than my closet full of Louboutins…The absolute love of my life." 

 Applause followed. Polite. Measured. Like everything else in this room.

 I didn't clap. I was too busy thinking of Olivia.

 Specifically where to take her– somewhere cheap enough not to blow my cover, but nice enough to make her smile.

 My issue? Every place I knew screamed wealth and I didn't want Olivia catching on. I just wanted her to see me for who I was.

 Just Liam. The introspective artist. The guy who didn't care for wealth, only for soul and substance. But taking her to a place where caviar was served was not really going to do the job.

 So, you see, my attention was divided. I wasn't fully present at my own birthday party.

 I cringed internally at Celeste's words.

 The absolute love of your life? Please.

 I knew Celeste was in love with me but she knew I didn't love her. The public loved our performance anyway.

 They looked at Celeste and me, and they saw a specimen of what a couple is supposed to be. 

 And, it was my fault, really. I always kept up appearances. The public never knew what was going on in my personal life. Plus, my stoic expression always made that easier to do.

 Celeste Duval was my fiancée. 

 Hold on. I could practically hear your gasps.

 We weren't in love. We were basically betrothed when I was seven–back when I couldn't even keep a plant alive.

 Our relationship was a strategic alliance between the Carringtons and the Duvals. They had been business allies for generations, and our merger was meant to solidify a billion-dollar empire across the global tech industries. 

 So, I couldn't just leave Celeste. It meant risking everything– the company, my legacy, and the future my father worked tirelessly to build. It wouldn't just ruin a wedding– it could burn a billion-dollar bridge my father spent his life building.

 Besides, Celeste wasn't all bad. She was very beautiful in a tall-blonde-goddess kind of way. She was funny. She was ambitious and real determined. 

 Also, I was never the type who looked forward to marrying anybody. So, I just planned that I'll definitely wife Celeste up and eventually grow to love her.

 But then, why couldn't I stand her calling me the love of her life?

 I wanted to hurl up the wine and oysters I'd downed just to get through the night.

 A sharp and heavy jab on my knee brought me back to reality again.

 It was Ethan sitting beside me. He jabbed my knee under the table– subtle, but firm.

 When I turned to look at him, he didn't even have eyes on me. His eyes were focused straight ahead with a huge smile that showed his pearly white teeth, on his face.

 When he felt me crease my brows at him, he still didn't glance at me. He just looked straight ahead and said between his teeth, "Smile, asshole. You're live on the big screen."

 I quickly moved my eyes to where the giant digital screen was, above the stage where Celeste stood. 

 There I was– stone-faced and still on screen. Pretending this world still fit me. In a nanosecond, my face lit up with a smile that looked so genuine that you wouldn't believe I had a straight face a second ago.

 Appearances.

 No one needed to know that I was gloomy about celebrating my birthday without my father around. Or that I was repulsed by Celeste calling me the absolute love of her life. Or that I was anxious as to when I would meet up with Olivia.

 Celeste was giving a toast. A toast that would have been touching– if it weren't all pretend.

 She mentioned something about me being a myth and threw in a joke about how I thought being casual meant a three-piece suit and silence during dinner. She joked that under my cold exterior, I had a heart bigger than any boardroom, not that I'd never admit it. I'm pretty sure she said something about us agreeing to a wedding date, while going ahead to add, "no pressure."

 Sure, Celeste. No pressure indeed.

 I didn't know I kept glancing down at my wristwatch while Celeste was giving her toast until Ethan hit my knee again with his fist and with his same wide smile, but not looking at me, he said, "You keep checking that watch like it will buy you an escape."

 When Celeste ended her toast with a," To Liam–the man who always keeps us guessing," and the room exploded with applause, I knew I had to do something. Not just sit there and smile.

 So, I stood up and walked past tables, amidst even louder claps to the stage where Celeste stood, a wide smile on her face.

 Immediately I got to her on the stage, I wrapped my arm around her waist, which was snatched by the flattering green dress she wore, pulled her close to me, and pressed my lips against hers.

 I wasn't sure how exactly I thought I was going to eventually develop feelings for Celeste because whenever I kissed her like this, it just felt like I was pecking my mom goodbye as I was stepping out. It felt platonic. Hollow. Like kissing the back of my own hand.

 As I did that, the applause even got louder. No doubt, 70% of the crowd wanted me to invest or be a part of whatever business they had going on. So, why won't they clap?

 I wanted to pull away after a second but Celeste wasn't having that. Her kiss lingered and I didn't want to leave her because people would notice. So, I didn't pull away as she deepened the kiss and kissed me passionately for 5 more seconds.

 Damn.

 I felt nothing. Not love. Not lust. Not passion. Not hate.

 Just nothing.

 I was a damn good actor.

 Flashing lights. The clicks of cameras.

 I knew this was it. The picture that was going to be all over social media and on the front pages of magazines. 

 The picture-perfect couple.

 Olivia, wherever you are, please don't see this. Please don't recognize me even if you see me? Or overall, just be disinterested in this.

 As I caught myself making that wish while kissing the stunning heiress of the Duval empire– as she was popularly called– that was when I knew that I was done for. I had Olivia stuck in my head and it was scary because this had never happened to me before.

 Ever.

 And as her name crossed my mind again, my pulse betrayed me.

 Olivia. What the hell are you doing to me?

 I kept glancing at my wristwatch so I won't be late, going through my party bored, but giving a big smile. 

 Cutting the cake, taking pictures– my mind was elsewhere. I had everything I was going to do in order so I won't forget anything when it was time.

 Get to my room, change my clothes to a simple, cheap outfit I had bought earlier, don't forget to take off my multimillion-dollar wrist watch and my priceless ring, take the flowers I had bought earlier, and sneak out.

 Finally, it was 9:30pm. She closed by 10pm but I wanted to be there before 10pm.

 I started to walk away from the room where the party was going on. But then, a grip on my arm stopped me.

 I let out a heavy sigh.

 Only one person had the guts and even authority to grip and hold me like that.

 I turned to look at Ethan with an expressionless look," What?"

 Ethan still had that stupid smile on his face but I could see the concern and curiosity beneath it. He hissed through his teeth, still wearing that fake smile," Where are you heading off to?"

 "Frankly, I don't see how that's your business."

 "Don't think I didn't notice how you kept looking at your wristwatch. Where are you going?" Ethan won't stop prying.

 That was something about Ethan. He was very inquisitive. Usually, I loved that about him. It made him very powerful in the business world. And you would always want Ethan on your side.

 But now? I didn't like this trait about him.

 Mind your business, bro and get out of my hair. I really wanted to keep what I was doing with Olivia a secret and even though Ethan was the only person I trusted, letting him in on it wasn't exactly kerping it a secret.

 I just looked down at his palm that held onto my biceps. I then looked up at him and said simply and calmly, "Your hand, Ethan."

 He knew better than to keep being persuasive. He removed his palm reluctantly and said, "Just be safe, brother."

 "Always." I knew he was worried about my safety, especially as my father was murdered mysteriously a few moths ago.

 With that, I walked away with a smile on my face.

 What the hell did he mean– where was I going?

 You already know where I was going.

 Right?

 Just a regular night, that's all.

 Just a man sneaking out of his own birthday party…to chase a girl who thinks he's no one.