"Strip! Strip! Strip!"

The group of frivolous women proceeded to chant the indecorous word at the male dancers as they resembled libidinous teenagers that couldn't get their fill no matter how hard they tried.

Looking like a wilting rose beneath the multi-coloured flashing lights as she displayed an excessive amount of deference, Emily Pinault sat there in the VIP lounge and sipped on a margarita with a bored expression on her face.

Her sister collapsed beside after her third round spent gyrating against the half-naked pole dancers that were hired to "entertain" them for the night.

"God, I'm exhausted!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Do you think I can take that one home with me tonight?" She pointed at a particular stripper that was role-playing as a police officer.

His gaze met hers right on time and sent a delicious wink her way.

Chelsea squealed like a teenage girl that got noticed by her crush. "Did you see that? He totally wants some of this!" She proclaimed whilst nudging her sister in the side.

Emily forced a smile at her.

"Good for you."

"Hey," Chelsea said as she took both of Emily's cheeks in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at her silently saying something along the lines of "bullshit".

Her piercing golden brown eyes finally had Emily caving in.

"I'm just exhausted 'tis all."

"But it's your bachelorette party!" Chelsea hopped on the couch they were sitting on, struggling to find her equilibrium in high heels and gestured to the spacious club. "We booked this place out just for you!"

Emily's eyes scanned the large area of the famous club in the upper East side of Manhattan. It was just as classy as people said it was. She had gotten many invites before, even from its owner upon it's grand opening, but she never had the time to attend. Her schedule barely allowed for her to have the leisures of nightclubs.

Okay, that was a lie.

Compared to how her schedule was two years ago versus now, she had all the time in the world.

It was a matter of preferences really.

Crowded places with sweaty bodies and irresponsible intake of alcohol wasn't really her taste when it came to picking hobbies.

Plus she preferred not to worry her fiancee, Jake.

She had noticed how he reacted negatively every time she wasn't within his field of vision for too long. To imagine spending an entire night out was simply nothing short of a disaster in her mind.

Though she had to admit that cold reaction he usually had whenever she ventured outside hadn't been the case recently...

Still she had to take the necessary precautions to not start a fight with him. God only knew how long it took for them to make up after they started shooting bullets at each other. She'd always have to be the one to apologise first. It was out of consideration for the shy person Jake was.

Despite him being the co-owner of Starz Entertainment he was a bit of an introvert.

Most times, it was an endearing trait of his.

Emily was broken out of her reverie when her sister took her by the shoulders and shook her -- hard.

"Loosen up, will you?! A night like this is once in a lifetime. Well, unless you get a divorce and decide to re-marry in the future..."

Emily's chocolate brown eyes were as wide as saucers at that last remark.

"What did you just say?"

"Calm down, Little Miss Muffet. I'm not trying to curse you or anything. It's not like something that happens in less than," The semi-copper haired woman checked the watch on her wrist. "Eleven hours can make you change your mind from walking down the aisle. For Jake maybe, but you, nah..."

The glare her sister sent her way had her backpedalling," Kidding! Gosh, Ems, can't you take a joke?"

The elder sister drew for a drink from the table before them and forced it in the hands of the bride-to-be.

Emily blanched at the nasty colour of the liquid

Chelsea poured in her glass.

"Drink up!"

"Uh..."

Rolling her eyes, Chelsea took the glass from Emily and forced it in her mouth.

She had no choice but to swallow its foul contents.

"Ugh." She gagged a few times. A shiver went up her spine at how nasty it tasted. "I'll just stick with the one I was having earlier."

Her sister tried to argue but she held up her hands.

"No buts."

Chelsea knew that once her baby sister had set her mind on something there was nothing that anyone could do to stop her.

So with one last encouraging smile on her face, she let Emily be and tried to get that hottie from earlier phone number.

The night grew darker and Emily watched from the secluded position as her friends and sister had the time of their lives.

Taking a sip of her drink, she glanced at the time on her phone screen. She wondered what Jake was up to.

A smile bloomed on her face at the way he pouted earlier on at the sight of her all dressed up.

His hands had encircled her waist and he pulled her to him possessively.

"Damn, Emily. I don't think I've ever seen you wear something this sexy. Are you trying to drive me insane?"

Emily had blushed a deep red. Her face grew even hotter at his hand that crept up the skin of her leg.

Batting his hand away, she ignored his groan.

"Come on, babe. Just a little touch. I promise I'll make you feel good."

Emily bit the inside of her cheeks in contemplation.

Oh, how it hurt to keep herself from him like this but she wanted to save herself until her wedding night.

She was a firm believer that a husband should be the one to deflower his wife.

Though, she did not judge those who engaged in sexual activities before marriage.

It was their choice, just like this was hers.

There was no doubt that wait would be worth it then.

Stepping on her tippy toes, Emily granted him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

Jake let his head fall on her shoulder. She laughed as he stomped his feet like a petulant child. "But I wanna do it now.." He whined unashamedly.

Caressing the side of his handsome face, she gave him a look that she hoped showed him all the love she had for him.

"Soon."

The switch to an EDM song jerked Emily back to the present. She let out a sigh at the growing cognizance that Jake hadn't even checked up on her.

Maybe he was afraid he'd come off as too territorial.

Yeah, that must have been it.

With that assumption in mind, Emily began to type a text to Jake's phone inquiring what he was up to.

He had already had his bachelor party yesterday which left him all alone in his house.

Emily began to frown at the idea of him up working on projects again.

To: Jake O

Today, 10:18 p.m.

Hi babe.

10:21 p.m.

What are you up to?

10:25 p.m.

Please tell me you're not up late working again.

10:32 p.m.

The light from your laptop can damage your eyes if you stare at it for too long..

Anyway, I miss you.

Twenty minutes later after ceaselessly checking her phone, there still was no reply from him.

Emily figured the best way to get this night over with was to be in a state where time held no meaning.

In layman's term, she was about to get wasted.

You see, she was a lightweight and got drunk easily.

An even greater factor of her alcohol intolerance was that it was to the point where she would even pass out.

After drinking a little too much at her bachelorette party, Emily's fiancee finally arrived after calling and hearing how wasted she was.

The slurring and non-stop hiccuping were all verbal signs.

He brought her home to her apartment.

Albeit, it was a heavy task as she was completely wiped out.

An auspicious text lit up his phone.

He looked at Emily warily from the driver's seat before he called the girl.

"No, don't come over. I'm staying at her place today.

Don't start this- hello?"

Jake heaved a sigh at the temper of the girl on the other side of the line.

If she kept this up they were gonna get caught.

Although he entertained the idea for a minute, wondering what Emily's reaction would be like.

She'd probably cry, like she always does when things don't go her way. Such a fucking baby.

Jake had successfully carried Emily up to her apartment after unlocking the door with the password he knew.

He threw her down on the bed as he placed his hands on his knees and panted.

Was she gaining weight? He thought in disgust.

If her sister hadn't phoned him after he finished talking to the incoherent mess she was earlier, he wouldn't have picked her up at all.

The things he had to put up with in order to maintain his image of the perfect boyfriend

Just as Jake was about to start taking off his shoes to call it a night, the door to the apartment clicked open.

His eyebrows flew up in surprise. Who could it be at this hour...

He looked down at Emily so fast he almost had a whiplash. Is this bitch cheating on me?

Jake shook his head. No, she didn't have the guts to do that. She loved me so much she would sell her whole family if I asked her to, he boasted proudly to himself.

Oh, how she was so innocent in every aspect. To the degree that it was almost pitiful.

Then who could it be-

His feet were on fire as he raced to the front door.

Jake prayed that his presumption had been wrong but there Stella Peterson stood in all her glory.

"Are you fucking insane? I told you not to use her passcode unless I'm inviting you over and you need to prepare in advance." He attempted to shove the tall woman out the door.

"That's what I should be asking you!" She screamed at his question only.

Her nails dug into the palm of her hand at the thought of him spending the night with that stuck up brat Emily.

It was the weekend!

Jake was supposed to be with her.

How could Emily be so selfish and plotting as to keep him all to herself?

Enraged she stormed to Emily's bedroom where she found her passed out in the queen sized bed like she figured she'd be.

"Dumb bitch!" Stella swore at the sleeping form of Emily making her stir at the loud noise.

Jake panicked and covered her mouth.

Both of them stood still as they watched Emily roll onto her side and face them.

However, at the realization that her eyes were still closed, Jake blew out a breath of relief.

Stella just huffed.

"Come on, babe. Let's get out of here before you do something you'll regret."

Emily, somewhere between being awake and asleep, heard the endearment spoken by Jake's voice.

She smiled against the pillow a little because of it.

"Whatever," Stella flashed his hands off her but allowed him to bring her to the living room and away from Emily.

However, her next words had the woman more cognizant of her surroundings.

"Just so you know, if this happens again, I won't be held accountable for what I do. You're mine, Jake Mallion. And I don't like sharing what's mine." At the end of her speech Stella slammed her lips against Jake's.

Finally coming to her senses, Emily forced open her eyes, holding back an excruciating headache.

Her vision cleared to a dark room.

However, the woman was sure she had heard Jake's voice so she went in search of him.

Her feet halted at the end of the hallway when she could make out the figures of a man and a woman kissing passionately in her living room.

What the-

Numb to the core, Emily looked at the two of them in shock as she realized it wasn't just any man but her man.

The anger inside her began to boil.

It heightened upon noticing that the woman was someone she knew too.

Stella freaking Peterson.

Her certified understudy in the acting industry.

It wasn't until recently she had made a name for herself and look at what she was doing with that newfound reputation.

Dragging it through the mud.

A part of her considered confronting them.

To storm over there and slap Stella across the face and deliver a double dosage to Jake as well.

However, she never operated like that.

She was the type of woman that was rarely impulsive.

Even in heart-wrenching scenarios like this.

It took a lot for her to lose her composure and she realized that because of what Jake had done, he didn't deserve to get satisfaction from witnessing that side of her.

"Stella, stop fucking with me." The man warned through clenched teeth after pulling her away from sucking his face off.

"What? Are you scared we'll wake your little ice princess?" Stella teased with a sense of aggravation,

"You're gonna sign your marriage license tomorrow anyway so why don't you give yourself to me tonight, hmm?"

"Babe, you're gonna be the death of me. I swear to God."

Stella batted her eyelashes at him.

"Okay then, but let's go to your place." He easily surrendered.

Emily could hear the smile in his tone and it made her heart ache even more.

"Fine..." She agreed unwillingly. "But you have to go down on me first." The dark haired vixen nudged the man's chest towards the door of Emily's apartment.

As soon as the man turned to leave, Stella was coy enough and screamed, "Go ahead and sign those papers tomorrow, you brat! But just know Jake's mine. Always has been and always will be. Oh, and did you know? I'm currently bearing his child. I'm pregnant!"

Emily felt her heart stop.

"Stella, are you insane?" She heard Jake hiss before grabbing the girl and pulling her towards the door.

"What if she hears you?”

It wasn't until Emily heard the front door slam shut that she felt her world come crumbling down.

How. how could he do this to me? She thought feeling as if she was suffocating.

Two years ago, Emily was once America's youngest top actress. But, because of this man, she gave up everything, handing over her hard-earned position to Stella.

Emily shook her head in disbelief as she started pacing the length of her living room.

The vicious giggles of Stella still echoed inside her head.

This was, without a doubt, the second most devastating thing that has happened in her entire life.

The next day, as planned, Emily drove to the marriage license bureau with a dark cloud hanging over her head.

She sat in her Mercedes Maybach with her head against the steering wheel.

Taking a deep sigh, she decided to give Jake a call.

His female assistant answered. "Mr. Mallion just escorted Ms. Peterson to the hospital due to her complaints about not feeling well. He said to tell you if you called that he has to, um, cancel the plans you had together."

That's it, Emily thought absolutely livid.

She had called the bastard to have him confess and beg for forgiveness. To ask if this was what it had really come to.

Everything couldn't have been more clear in her eyes.

"Would you like to leave a message-"

"No, thank you." Emily hung up the phone abruptly.

In a moment of seeing nothing but sheer anger, she threw the phone on the pavement out the car window, watching it smash into a million pieces.

A passerby hopped away terrified at the indirect assault.

"Ahh!"

Emily covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"

The woman gripped her purse against her in fear, her eyes wavering and began to powerwalk away with a look of judgement.

"Crazy rich people." She mumbled not so softly.

Emily sighed as she stared at the broken IPhone.

It pinged with a message and a sardonic smile came on her face.

Emily sighed as she stared at the broken IPhone.

It pinged with a message and a sardonic smile came on her face.

What a surprise.

It wasn't dead.

She stepped out of her car and slipped on her sunglasses. They were to conceal her eyes that were awfully swollen after the sleepless night she had.

Emily bent down to retrieve the damaged phone but at that moment, her eyes were drawn to a lean figure approaching.

He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. She guessed he must be used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way followed by an overcompensation with a nonchalant gaze and a dismissive smile.

Her eyes sparkled at how the grey suit enhanced his fit body. It was brought off by a pair of freshly polished black leather shoes which looked brand new.

As his face came more into view, she noticed his bone structure was perfectly symmetrical.

It was manly.

His well defined features inclusive of sexy lips were enough to bring any woman to her feet.

Emily recognized this man, he was the CEO of Royal Entertainment-Nicholas King.

When she was out and about in the social events, they had crossed paths once. They hadn't shared a word between one another. They just stood in the same room for a few hours.

Is he also registering his marriage today?

A part of her was curious to see who the woman was to have tied down a powerful man like him.

"Mr. King, Miss Hamilton has not arrived as yet. It's been half an hour. Sir, I think she has schemes with her family to try and sabotage you." The gentleman that looked like his assistant reported behind him.

"Call her family and tell them this marriage is no longer in the works. If their daughter can't even be on time for the registration of it then what's the point?"

"Yes, sir." The assistant complied.

Then he gave him a rather grave look.

"Unfortunately, the chairman of this company keeps pushing to work with a family man. I'm afraid of the heights he will go to convince the board of your illegitimacy again because you're unmarried, despite all that you have achieved."

"You're telling me," Nicholas chuckled coldly.

He released a sigh as David's expression became more defeated.

"I'm sure there's a woman from a socialite family out there who's willing to marry me. Find

anyone...anyone but her will do." He spoke plainly as if he was talking about ordering clothes online.

Though there was no chance in hell that suit of his wasn't tailor-made.

Isn't he- isn't he being a bit impulsive? Emily asked herself with her mouth wide open.

Of course, he was aware of his social standing.

Nicholas King was a man of great reputation.

He could get any woman he wanted without much effort. After all, he was one of the most sought after bachelors in New York, not to mention the whole country.

Was he under so much pressure that love wasn't even going to be considered when dealing with marriage?

Her guess was right based on the unbothered expression on Nicholas' face as his assistant scanned through his phone.

He looked like he just wanted to get this over with.

Suddenly, a horrible idea came to Emily's mind.

It was driven by the bloodthirsty need for revenge and before she knew it, Emily was stopping Nicolas King as she seized his hand.

The man looked down at the small lady before him, wondering who could be disrespectful and clueless enough to block his path.

His eyes widened slightly at her beauty and grace when Emily took off her sunglasses. Her hair flowed behind her with a light caress of the wind and she looked up at him with daring eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

The assistant on his phone that had overheard this couldn't help but choke.

He scrambled clumsily for a hold of the device that almost fell from him due to shock.

Emily stood strong with confidence oozing from her figure.

She was not going to falter.

It had taken all her courage as well as pride to do this.

Nicholas who had been sporting a pair of raybands removed them, revealing a pair of dark almond shaped eyes; the colour of coffee as he looked at the little lady before him. After a short moment, he turned to his assistant asking, "What is the meaning of this?"

The fellow, scared for both him and the lady, scurried over after quickly finishing up the conversation with the Hamiltons.

"Miss, I would advise you to step aside-wait. Aren't you Emily Pinault?"

An odd sensation filled Emily's chest.

Something she only felt years ago when she had been in the spotlight with a reputation that made her feel self-important.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

The assistant startled Emily when his stern guise transformed to that of an excited fanboy.

"Oh my god! Can I get your autograph? I've been a fan of you since you debuted in Monster in Me. I cried for an hour straight after you had died in that car accident. It felt positively unfair that you had to undergo so much and end up-"

"David."

The strict voice of his superior had the rambling man coming to an halt.

The assistant cleared his throat with a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Um, I apologize for my sudden...burst of excitement.

I'm just a huge fan you see."

Emily laughed softly.

"It's alright. I've had worse experiences."

The man rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But Miss Pinault, why haven't I seen any current works from you? I heard rumors that you're retiring. Is that true?"

Emily swallowed harshly at the personal question.

"Uh..."

"David," Nicholas had interrupted with a deep voice.

"Prior to your little chit-chat, I had asked you what the meaning of this was. Are you well acquainted with this young lady?"

David took a step back.

"Well, not necessarily, sir. This is Emily Pinault."

"Who?"

Emily felt a punch delivered to her ego.

After all the joy she had experienced a moment ago from David, it didn't take long for Nicholas to hammer her down to size with one single word.

David stared at his boss in disbelief.

"Only the best movie star to walk the planet!"

The heat from before reached Emily's cheeks.

"If that's the case how come I've never heard of her?"

Her lips pursed at the arrogance in his manner of speech.

It had a way to break a girl's spirit.

"I've retreated from the industry for a while. Only focusing on a few modeling jobs here and there." Hearing the woman speak up for herself pulled Nicholas' attention onto her.

He gave her an obvious scan from head to toe. "And why are you suggesting that I take your hand in marriage?"

"Because I heard you're in need of a wife."

His eyes darkened. "Who sent you here?"

Emily held up her hands in mock surrender.

"I simply overheard you."

"So you were eavesdropping?"

"No! I was simply-" Emily sighed. "Okay, maybe I was eavesdropping but does that matter? I need a husband as much as you need a wife at the moment."

His dark eyebrows sloped downwards in a serious expression.

His sarcastic smile had drawn into a hard line across his face. "And who told you that you were a suitable candidate for that position, little girl?"

Emily's nostrils flared.

"First of all, I am not a little girl. I am a twenty-five year old woman, thank you very much. And secondly, you didn't seem to be picky about your bride a minute ago. A socialite? I'm right here. My family background might be satisfactory as well." She didn't mean to brag but the degrading treatment of this man was getting on her nerves. She was starting to second guess her impulsive actions. Just as she was about to tell him forget it, he spoke up.

"Run a background check on her. I want to know every single detail in the next twenty minutes before we do this," he ordered roughly to David who nodded in compliance.

"Any objections?" His intense eyes locked Emily in.

She faltered for a moment before a smile blossomed on her face.

"Right now, no. As for the future, I make no promises."

Nicholas licked his lips, trying to quell the interest that sparked inside of him at that.

"You're going to be a hard case, aren't you?"

She shrugged.

He ran a hand through his hair before looking up to the sky. "What the hell did I get myself into?"

Emily had done it.

She had performed the most unthinkable of actions.

The woman was married!

Married to a man that she barely even knew at that!

It appeared she had seriously lost it after finding out about Jake's infidelity.

Maybe the woman needed to schedule an appointment with her old therapist because she really was going off the rails, no. She was travelling on a first class flight to Looneyville. Scratch that - she had Lindsay Lohan the heck out of this situation!

Right at the moment, she was sweating bullets as the marriage certificate in her hands seemed to burn her skin while she dragged her feet behind the broad back of the man before her.

From now on, he was going to be her husband.

Un-be-liev-able.

"We need to go over the details of this marriage because I'm honestly starting to get cold feet."

"Isn't that something you get before getting married?"

"Apparently, I have a knack for not doing things in the right order."

She nodded at his sarcasm. "Okay, let's do so. Where do you wanna talk?"

"There's a café nearby. We can go there."

She was hesitant.

Noticing her not following him, the man spared a glance behind him. "Is there a problem? Why aren't you coming?"

Emily wondered if bringing up the fact that she was scared to get recognized would make her sound big-headed.

Luckily, David came to the rescue. "I think it would be better for Miss Pinault to not be seen in public with you as yet."

It was only then Nicholas caught on.

"Okay then. Let's do it in the car."

The man headed straight for his white Cadillac Escalade. Emily looked at him as they sat face to face with each other. Her gaze told him all he needed to know of her eagerness for him to spill whatever he wanted to say.

In fact, she looked like she was late for some kind of appointment and couldn't wait to get this over with.

It actually got on his nerves to think of himself as a nuisance to someone else.

It made matters even worse when she beat him to it.

"I want to say thank you for marrying me. I don't know exactly how you'll benefit from this entire ordeal. I just overheard a few business concepts. But because of your sacrifice if you need anything, please let me know."

"You're telling me to ask you for favors?"

She nodded

His hands folded themselves, taken by what was going down between them.

"Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

Emily looked at him intently. "Why should it?"

Neither of them moved after that, watching the other's reaction like a hawk.

Nicholas broke the tension with a light chuckle.

"You're an interesting one." He said.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not."

"Let's say it's somewhere in the middle."

His eyes twinkled as he fixed the shiny watch on his wrist. "Also, you don't have to worry about me asking for favors, no matter what form they may be."

She didn't know if she should have been offended or not because his voice gave nothing away.

"I actually think I'm the one who should be more concerned about who gets what out of this marriage."

Emily let out a scoff at that.

"What exactly are you implying?"

"Your goal." His eyes narrowed.

She swallowed at his sudden harshness.

"What is it?"

"I don't have any," she said.

He rolled his eyes.

It was so distasteful it made her jaw tighten.

"At least not the one you're thinking of."

"So you do have one? You just said you didn't."

"Did you bring me in your car to interrogate me, Mr.

King?"

He shook his head, amusement lingering in his eyes.

"Of course not, Miss Pinault. You can't blame me for being this way after marry ga complete stranger."

"The last time I recalled I never dragged you by your legs, kicking and screaming to do this with me."

"You're right," he acknowledged.

His eyes settled onto her own, a sedation coming from her reminder.

"So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop looking at me with a hint of suspicion."

"Am I?"

"You are."

He let out a deep breath. "I didn't mean to. I apologize."

"It's alright," she brushed it off quickly, thanks to him owning up to his mistake.

"You said you don't want any favors from me but I actually have one to ask of you."

"Say it." Nicholas urged before he tugged at the neck of his suit.

I knew I shouldn't have taken her word for it, he doubted her again.

"I don't want you to interfere in my personal matters."

"You're telling me to mind my own business?" His lips twitched with the realization.

Is that what she called a favor?

Emily opened her mouth to defend herself but when she thought it over, that's exactly what she was saying.

"If you want to take it that way, fine."

He almost laughed because of how bold this woman was.

"Do you have any more requests, Your Majesty?"

She ignored his sarcasm.

"I expect a level of respect where exclusivity is involved. Not to the whole world but between us.

We're married so I won't get involved with someone else during this time. I also expect you to do the same." Her eyes were earnest as she spoke very clearly.

Her short yet impactful requests had Nicholas flashing an unnerving smirk her way.

"Okay, I promise you those two things. Is that all?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure? I thought you'd ask for something else."

"What? Like your Cadillac?"

The woman looked at him piercingly.

Usually, she wasn't this type of person but he really was riling her up.

What else could he possibly be expecting her to ask for?

Her heart got lunged in her throat when he skillfully slid over to her, the addictive scent of his cologne filling her nostrils.

"No need to have an attitude. I was just asking."

"I would have told you if there was something else."

"Are you sure there's nothing?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Why are you-"

"Nothing with regards to...kinship?" He trailed a lengthy finger against her creamy skin, causing goosebumps to raise on the surface.

"U-uh.." Emily swallowed feeling as if her throat was suddenly sandpaper.

Regardless of how little she knew about Nicholas King, apart from him currently reigning over the kingdom of the entertainment industry, Emily had no intentions of entertaining him with the idea of bedding her as his "wife".

This was all fake so she didn't think it would reach that point anyway.

Plus, the woman didn't think she was close to accepting the possibility of that.

It made tears well at the corners of her eyes thinking that Jake wouldn't be the one to share that pleasure with her after all like she had always dreamt of.

Nicholas' keen eyes noticed the moisture that gathered at his bold words, and he leant back against the leather seats, thinking maybe he had been too forward in his approach.

He cleared his throat loudly.

"I will give you some time to take care of the current issues that you are facing, especially with your hopefully soon-to-be past relationship with your fiance. However, after four months, I have to publicly announce our marriage. It is not within my plans to give you more time than that. After all, that's the reason I got married in the first place."

"Thank you." Emily nodded enthusiastically.

Her smile faded afterwards when she realized just how much her excitement was weird.

Reckon the lady was out of her mind, but a man strategically marrying you isn't something that calls for a celebratory dance.

"Also...I think it would serve us more benefits to live together. It will be much more convenient during this period. You can have all your belongings be moved to my place. My assistant will be in touch with you whenever you indicate to me that you're ready. He will also assist with the entire move to where your new home will be."

Emily thought this was kind of ridiculous.

Why did she have to move in with him if all of this was supposed to be fake?

However, she remembered that immersing yourself into a role only allowed you to play it better.

So she obediently nodded her head while replying,

"Okay, I'll let you know."

It wasn't like she had any personal liabilities of hers holding her back anyway.

Speaking of which, even though Jake didn't know it as yet, he had been officially cancelled from her life.

As a fiancee and also a person.

Speaking of which, even though Jake didn't know it as yet, he had been officially cancelled from her life.

As a fiancee and also a person.

She wanted nothing to do with him unless it was entirely business, or not at all.

But before that, she had some things to sort out.

Emily needed to be rest assured that Jake will face regret for his actions against her.

"Good."

After that, Emily left Nicholas and his assistant's company.

David went in the driver's seat and looked through the rearview mirror while starting up the engine,

"Sir, where are we headed to now?"

"Do you trust her?"

His assistant blinked rapidly.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Because I don't." Nicholas said, answering his own question.

David felt very concerned about all of this.

"If I were to offer my two cents, I think it would be appropriate to clear any worries that you have by keeping track of her."

"You mean stalking her?"

The man's eyes widened. "That's not what I meant-"

"I think that's a good idea. Let's follow her to see exactly where she's headed now." Nicholas demanded as his eyes followed Emily reversing her car.

Suddenly asking him to marry her right then and there, how convenient of her! There must be a catch somewhere in this on her part.

Those with an innocent looking face like hers were always the most deceitful.

As the CEO of an international entertainment agency, of course, he had heard of Emily Pinault before.

Once a famous actress in the industry, two years ago she suddenly went into hiding after winning her first Golden Globe Award. She made the mistake of offending the director of the top entertainment agency, FG, resulting in her being blacklisted. All of these incidents were following her announcement that she would be signing with her second agency, Starz Entertainment, and became a hot topic after her relationship became public with the boss, Jake Mallion.

Meanwhile, Emily was driving on the surprisingly not as busy street and trying to come to the terms of how things were goine to on mom now on.

She felt like her entire life would be under renovations from this point onwards.

The image of Nicholas King flitted across her mind and she sat there stunned.

He was a gorgeous man indeed.

With a face like an angel, a very distinctive part of him screamed devil.

His reputation very much so preceded him based on his cold attitude when dealing with her.

Emily made a mental note not to do anything that could possibly offend him.

He was still kind enough to marry her without knowing what her true intentions were.

Truthfully, Emily herself had no clue of what they were.

Her cracked phone lit up with the monotonous ringtone. The impulse to stiffen at the name of that traitor, Jake, couldn't be helped.

She took a deep breath trying to compose herself before she answered.

"Hey."

Paying no attention to Emily's one-worded greeting that was so unlike her, he asked impatiently, "Where are you right now?"

"Leaving the Civil Affairs office."

"Good."

Good? She thought.

"I need you to attend a very important fashion showcase for Stella today. She's not feeling well. I'll have the makeup team prepare a costume for you so that no one will know."

He was shameless.

No "I'm sorry" after calling off their marriage registration nor even the presence of an apologetic tone in which he spoke. Demanding and insensitive, he was just spewing out orders as if she had to do whatever he told her to.

Emily's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"I don't want to." The baffled woman spoke up.

She couldn't believe him!

Jake froze at what she just said.

He quickly shushed Stella that was wrapping her warm hands around his waist in bed. She pouted and hopped out of the bed and went to the bathroom.

He signed when she was out of sight as he focused on Emily.

Had his ears been deceiving him? Did Emily just deny his request?

"You what?" He blinked, astonished.

"I don't want to," Emily said, her voice wavering a bit,

"I already told you that the last time would be the last time I go out in public pretending to be Stella. I have my pride too, you know, Jake."

"This isn't about pride, Emily," he sneered at her,

"You're just being selfish. Stella needs this right now.

She has been hospitalized and all you're thinking about is your stupid pride? I am so disappointed in you."

Usually hearing such harsh words from Jake would have made her on the verge of crying. Maybe she would have even broken down.

But now they brought nothing more than fury to her bones.

"Jake..." She drawled calmly, holding onto her last piece of sanity.

"Listen, Emily. You don't have a choice in this anymore. You're gonna go as Stella tonight and that's final. Make sure to put in highlights, Stella has a few blonde strands in."

Then the line went dead in Emily's ears.

The traumatic sound rang in her ears.

Consequently, she had almost missed the light turning from red to green.

The cars behind her honked loudly as their drivers spat words of derision at her.

Still pretty much in a daze, Emily drove past the light but pulled over to the curb. She sat there for a moment as the words Jake said floated across her mind, before the girl flung open the car door and then the contents of her meagre breakfast was coming up on the pavement.

Nicholas watched closely from his car, partially sympathetic, as she spilled her guts on the street.

David's face was washed with concern as he asked,

"Sir, don't you think we should go and help-"

"Shhh."

Nicholas' dark eyes zoomed in on Emily's puffy face.

Her mascara runned down her face in a messy trail as she hiccuped. It took her a while to calm down and stop crying, all throughout Nicholas bared as a witness, feeling his heart unknowingly ache for the woman.

He couldn't understand why he had such a strong reaction though.

Before today, he never gave her a second glance much less went as far as tying himself to her for life.

He couldn't comprehend what she was doing and feared what she will do to him in the future with those glossy bambi-looking eyes of hers that reflected her pure heart.

Frustrated by this emotion unbeknownst to him, Nicholas told David to head back to the office and stop trailing Emily for the day.

He had seen enough.

...

Emily's manager, Talia Shaw, was fuming at the calm and collected appearance of her boss as she had the finishing touches of her makeup applied.

"Does Mr. Mallion really want you to do this scheme for Stella again? Why does he always jeopardize you to save face for her? Did he forget that without your mentoring she wouldn't even survive in this industry?"

"Stop it, Talia." Emily replied, almost discouraging her impactful words.

That only riled the woman up more.

The manager ran a hand through her short, afro hair and started to pace the length of the room.

If her skin tone had been a little lighter than the chocolate complexion she had inherited as an African-American, the anger in her face would have made her resemble a damn tomato.

"Are you taking his side?" She reiterated with a face of disgust.

Her manager was about to blow the roof off this place.

Emily and Stella were both actresses signed under Starz Entertainment, but because of Emily's decision to retreat at the peak of her career, her manager had become a laughing stock and ridiculed alongside her.

During it all though, Talia stayed by Emily's side - which she was eternally grateful for. With reference to her manager's sacrifice and rebuke because of her mistakes, Emily had to pay the woman back for all these years she spent investing in her.

Emily knew Talia would have been vocal about her injustice in role-playing as Stella, again, in public.

Reassuringly she responded, "I'm not taking his side, Talia. I'm not stupid."

Her manager's interest peaked at that, "So what exactly are you doing? Because it sounds like that to me."

"You off all people should know I'm not the impulsive type."

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to have to take our time when dealing with this issue. I'm gonna make sure Jake never has the guts to ask me to do something like this again. better yet, that he doesn't have the liberty to."

Now she was talking.

"Tell me how I can help." Talia implored.

She was willing to do anything for her.

After all, they shared the same goal; to make that imbecile Jake pay for continuously using her.

"It didn't take me long to realize how much is at stake for Stella this evening. Why would she be so desperate to convince the media that she's attending this show despite the news of her illness?"

Talia kept silent as the question hung in the air.

"It's because she doesn't want it to impact her eligibility for the upcoming Best Actors & Actresses of the Year Awards."

"Are you serious?"

Emily nodded then asked the favor she was waiting to, "Visit Stella tomorrow for me. Jake claims she was admitted into the hospital. I will send you the details about which one it is."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She gave a humble smile.

Talia's eyes widened.

"You want me to get evidence that she was still at the hospital during the show and reveal it to the public!" The manager guessed excitedly.

However, the actress surprised her by shaking her head.

"No, I found out something even better. Stella's pregnant...and the child is... Jake's. Hold onto that piece of information for later. As of right now, I need you to prepare a statement that says Jake has used me multiple times to substitute Stella during her public appearances. You're still friends with Reporter Smith, right? Ask him to do you a little favour with this."

The manager was completely dumbfounded.

That piece of shit Jake had cheated on her boss?

How dare he!

Talia wanted to recite to Emily how she had told her many times before that she was way out of his league, but she didn't want to be that friend that said "I told you so!".

That would only make Emily feel worse than she already was.

Now Talia understood the sudden change in Emily's attitude, especially with the way she called Jake's name laced with so much hatred.

Such a shameless cheating couple!

Not to mention they also had the balls to take advantage of Emily, on numerous occasions at that.

Imagine how stupid they must have thought she was.

Poor Emily.

All she did was love with all her heart and now this was what she received in return.

Life sure was unfair.

"Don't worry Emily. You know that I've got your back. I'll make sure they regret the day they ever hurt you."

All Emily did was nod in gratitude.

There was no way these two were gonna play her like this and come out unscathed!

Hell would have to freeze over before that happened.

The venue for the show was crowded as Emily got there, completely disguised in an oversized hoodie and a baseball cap.

She met up with the makeup artist arranged by Jake.

This woman was also Stella's personal assistant and her trained dog.

Louise was a sly character and liked to trick people with her fake smile and baked goodies.

Of course, Emily never called her out on it with her thoughtful personality and the fact that Louise was reasonably polite to her. Even though she was no longer famous, the Pinault family was still not one to be looked down upon.

"Was there a lot of traffic? You took a while to arrive," she greeted amicably, "Let's hurry and get your makeup done. The show's about to start and we're already behind time."

"Is the showcase today important?" Emily asked in a casual tone as she was ushered down the hallway.

"It's not that big of a deal. Just do what you always do." The assistant replied dismissively.

Yeah, right, Emily thought.

In fact, it was actually a jewellery show for the famous French brand, Janel.

Stella was set to sign on as Janel's newest ambassador. She would have ruined her chance of doing so due to a failure to appear tonight because of her supposed illness, but Jake had his brilliant idea of letting Emily play dress up one more time.

Emily had already been given a rundown of today's show and how it was one of the biggest events to bring a closing to the year.

Stella's assistant, Louise, had deliberately lied to her.

"Jake has already arranged your makeup. Your act is wearing this piece of jewellery at the grand finale. It is the main item you'll be highlighting today. You don't have to do anything. Please, don't do anything.

Just stand on that stage and look pretty while showing it off." The assistant explained as she pointed to the jewellery on the stage.

She then ordered the makeup artist to start getting Emily's disguise done.

The victim at hand was bitter in her thoughts.

Did Jake really think that by covering her up people wouldn't be able to recognize her?

He had a next guess coming.

After getting her makeup done, Emily sat there as Stella's assistant stared at her, utterly gobsmacked by the outcome.

She was a sight to behold.

Wearing a black long dress that accentuated her curves, Emily made her completely speechless. Her face was adorned by a beautiful silver mask, giving off a mysterious aura. Her brown hair, that had highlights per Jake's request, was tied back away from her face in a smooth ponytail.

Louise couldn't take her envious eyes off her.

This woman was absolutely stunning.

No wonder Stella felt constantly threatened by her.

Emily didn't have to do anything, just by looking like this with the jewellery placed around her neck she'd bag that contract!

Her eyes settled on the necklace that sat daintily around Emily's neck. The item of the night was something of its own kind. It was coiled in the shape of a snake and was encrusted with diamonds and colored stones. It shone against her flawless, tanned skin and gave a tease as it rested on the top of her plump breasts.

As much as Louise hated to admit it, Emily Pinault was in a class of her own.

Washed out actress or not, her beauty surpassed the most popular celebrities to date.

Too bad it was going to be hidden by the mask.

Emily stood up on her feet.

Although what she had in mind was quite extreme, she was going to give the cheating couple a surprise of a lifetime.

"I'm ready." She announced.

Louise nodded.

The assistant found a staff member to direct them in the direction they were assigned to, and Emily followed behind Louise to under the stage where she would be elevated into the center. She took a seat in the silver chair with the necklace attached to her and struck a sophisticated pose.

"That's great, Stella! Keep it just like that!" The director said as he showed up out of nowhere.

They prepared to lift Emily, no, Stella upwards.

The show was in full run and the models already had their time.

There were loud cheers from the crowd as the announcer brought up Stella's name.

Emily chanted at herself to keep her composure.

Getting angry at the moment would do her no good.

Getting angry at the moment would do her no good.

Only after she got this done then she'd revel in her anger all she wanted.

"I'll leave it to you, Stella." Louise said, staring straight in Emily's hazel eyes warningly.

The girl hidden behind the mask was compliant.

The assistant left quickly at her acquiescence which she took for a silent affirmation, all the while missing the evil glint in Emily's eyes.

The most awaited act of the night smiled sneakily to herself.

Let the show begin.

***

This story is not mine……….. read the discription for more information.

The crowd sat in silent anticipation as the item of the night was announced to be presented by none other than Stella Peterson.

She was one of Hollywood's most promising up-and-coming actresses and her slim physique was one that was raved about for quite a long time upon her debut.

Emily gave a nod of approval before they lifted her up on stage in the fancily decorated chair. With the mask on, if one was to point out one distinguishing feature between her and Stella, other than that of their varying height which her lack of was compensated for with high heels, it would have to be Emily's neck. Besides that, no one could tell the difference.

It didn't matter though.

She has something better up her sleeves.

The show had already reached its climax when Emily, disguised as Stella, ascended gracefully to the stage on the chair.

All the spotlights immediately focused on her.

Emily held the necklace as if it was the most precious thing in the world, as it ought to be treated and she secured it around her neck. Her fingers brushed against the surface of the gemstones, and all the attention diverted onto her perfect neck. The smooth flawless skin she had made them all fall into a trance, completely spellbound, the item of the night completely abandoned in thought as they paid attention to the supposed Stella.

Her neck stretched amazingly as she arched herself to sit in model-like positions to be selling the brand.

Just like during a photoshoot.

And slowly, the cameras were raised.

The flashes from them were insistently bright but desperate to capture the essence of her.

Emily continued to work it, however, deep down she was preparing for the surprise attack.

Just by the way the necklace looked so elegant on her had many women set on purchasing the item already.

Her influence was ludicrous.

As the audience rose to give her a round of applause upon her marvellous ease in presenting the beautiful object, the lights went out.

The crowd was shocked to see such a technical issue

occur.

Mr. Hall was upset and embarrassed.

He was yelling in the dark for them to get things running again.

Emily took the chance to try and escape as planned.

Key word: try.

As the lights turned back on, they were given the shock of their lives, seeing a face who was not Stella's having been revealed.

They all gasped.

The actress pretended to be just as petrified about being caught and frantically put back on the mask.

She couldn't see in it to flee properly after all.

The fake Stella stood on stage like the perfect mannequin.

The fully greyed man, from the crown of his head all the way to his white beard, looked at Stella in horror as he tugged at his already rumbled up designer suit.

He had initially been blown away by her performance tonight but after seeing this he knew what the favour Starz Entertainment's co-owner had asked of him; not to allow anyone to speak to Stella meant. Jake hadn't told him the reason why that ought to be a part of their deal, but her silence had been a necessity for a sly reason unbeknownst to him.

"Emily Pinault? What are you doing here?"

Everyone was confused as to how another actress magically took Stella's place...

And was wearing her dress.

Mr. Hall's face darkened as he pointed at the woman in front of him. "What is the meaning of this? I personally hired Stella Peterson for the night as a representative of Janel. Where did she go? And why are you wearing her dress?!"

"I knew that wasn't Stella!" Somebody yelled from the crowd.

"I've been a fan of her for years, even saw her recently up close and she doesn't have such a long neck! And she sure as hell does not look like that!"

Thank God for dedicated fans.

All eyes zoomed onto Emily and the truth couldn't be denied.

Slowly but surely, all mouths began to drop to the floor in astonishment as they realized Stella's fanboy was right.

This was not Stella.

It hadn't been her all along.

Emily Pinault?

The washed up actress? What was she doing here pretending to be Stella?

Lights went off in a frenzy as the reporters all tried to get a snap at her.

"Miss Pinault! Miss Pinault! What exactly is going on? From what we all know, Stella Peterson was the one who was to attend today's show, so why are you here instead?"

"Emily, you were blacklisted two years ago by FG.

The public hasn't heard from you apart from a few modeling gigs here and there. Since they're no longer the top entertainment company in the business, are you trying to take this opportunity to announce your return to the big screen?"

"As a dried up actress, are you trying to take Stella's gigs? Are you that desperate that you had to try and steal her chance of becoming a brand name's ambassador? Are you knowingly trying to create a buzz over this? Emily- did you plan this?!"

By this time, Talia had enough of this ridiculous situation and went on stage to escort her off.

However, she wasn't enough of a force for the rowdy reporters.

She looked around in panic.

Just as she was about to start throwing things in order for them to see she was dead serious, two men came over to help Emily off the stage.

The woman shrunk back at the sight of their muscular build thinking they were going to attack her but they assured her differently by saying, "Mr. King sent us."

Emily's eyes quickly surveyed the area in shock at the new piece of information, but she saw no sign of the man mentioned.

She allowed the bodyguards to escort her down the stage anyway and away from the bombarding reporters.

"I'll see you in court, Emily Pinault! I won't let you nor your company get away with embarrassing me like this!" She heard Mr. Hall yell in outrage.

She didn't feel the least bit threatened nor remorseful about what happened.

It was what she had been hoping for after all.

Backstage in a secluded area where the big men who had escorted her down took guard, Emily saw the man that she was looking for.

He was dressed in a Gucci suit that made him look incredibly edible admist all this chaos. She could jump his bones right then and there, not caring about the consequences. These inappropriate thoughts that floated in her mind had Emily blushing a deep red though.

Too bad Nicholas thought the new colour on her face was from the embarrassing moment on stage.

"Are you a complete imbecile?" The roughness of his question startled Emily.

His voice was stern and unapologetic.

"The moment they saw you when the lights came on you should have ran off the stage, not stand there like an idiot trying to put the mask back on!"

Emily's heartbeat stopped for a moment.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Oh, really? It didn't look like that two minutes ago."

He cocked his head at her in ridicule.

Nicholas didn't know why he was so riled up.

Seeing Emily vulnerable on stage with all the cameras shoved in her face and insults being hurled at her made his blood pressure rise.

He wanted to make each and every person that had something vile to say to her pay.

He was set to attend this event but had initially turned it down. After David got a hold of the little secret about his new wife's humiliating act of standing in for another actress, he reconsidered it.

You see, Nicholas King was a man that had eyes and ears everywhere.

Emily's lips made a thin line at his rude attitude.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my business," she reminded him tersely. "Mr. King, I never took you for not being a man of your words."

Nicholas stood there, a wound crafted by the emotionless jab at him by the woman he had been pitying a moment ago.

Was she that empty-headed that she would allow her company to walk over her like this?

By the cool and collected expression on her face, Nicholas guessed she was.

He was thoroughly embarrassed that he had married a pushover.

Oh, how humiliating.

What had he been thinking?

"Fine," he spat angrily, "Do as you please. Even though your decisions are entirely moronic. The next time this happens, because it is bound to, I will not so much as bat an eyelash at you when you're stuck in a bind."

"Thank you." Emily nodded politely at him.

Nicholas felt his fists ball up at her dismissal.

"Good night, Miss Pinault." He said in a clipped tone.

With that, Nicholas King walked away feeling more deflated than he ever had in his life.

If she had asked, he would have ended those stupid fuckers who were behind this! Emily knew he could do that much yet she was so unwilling to run the idea by him.

It was clear to Nicholas that she was going to deal with the abuse by herself.

And with the generous, Mother Teresa-like standing she was living by, he knew that meant she was going to do nothing about it.

That made him even more infuriated.

How could she be this stupid?

While Emily understood where Nicholas was coming from with his judgement on her actions, she didn't want him involved in this.

This was her fight.

Plus, she didn't know him that well and was scared of what his reaction would be if she told him about her personal issues after being so keen about not wanting to share them. Emily didn't want to get comfortable too quickly because that meant becoming shameless enough to ask him for help.

Nicholas was the king of the entertainment industry.

With one statement release, he could have Jake eating out of her palm if she wanted him to.

But she didn't want to use him more than she already was in this fake marriage of theirs.

It would be completely selfish of her to do that. To take such an advantage of him with thoughts of having a divorce still running through her mind. At least it would be a quiet one without any drama since nobody knew about them. But she was the one that asked him. Why should she be so thoughtless of his situation and bring forth such a proposition?

In addition to that, Nicholas King was infamous for dealing with the people who had tried to take advantage of him in the past. Nasty revenges with public humiliation were always involved, and the offenders were dragged down to the dirt and completely ruined.

Wife or not, Emily did not want to be the next victim on his list.