Carnival Play

Calista’s POV

I stood on the balcony of my room, staring out at the sprawling garden below. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, casting a warm golden glow over the perfectly manicured hedges and vibrant flowers. The scene should have been peaceful, serene even, but all I felt was a cold knot of dread twisting in my stomach. Today marked the first date I’d planned with Caius Vale Dominic, my so-called fiancé—a union arranged by our families for business and profit. The weight of it pressed down on me like a heavy shroud, suffocating any trace of excitement.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. “They think they can just throw us together like we’re some kind of bargaining chips. As if we’re prizes to be exchanged.”

The soft sound of footsteps behind me pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to see Lila, my best friend, leaning casually against the doorframe, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

“You could at least try to look less miserable, Cali,” she teased, her voice light as she sauntered closer. “It’s a beautiful day, after all.”

“Less miserable?” I scoffed, my frustration slipping into my tone. “Is that even possible? I’m being forced into a marriage with a man I barely know, all for the sake of some business deal.”

Lila’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she joined me at the balcony. “What, are you hoping that by looking completely miserable, he’ll just back out of the arrangement?”

“If only it were that easy,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’d do anything to make him hate me. My goal is to get him to call off this ridiculous marriage himself.”

Her eyebrows shot up, intrigued. “Hate you? That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? You’re not actually planning to sabotage your dates, are you?”

A wicked grin spread across my face. “Absolutely. I’m going to make sure he realizes I’m the last person he’d ever want to marry.”

Lila chuckled, crossing her arms. “This is going to be entertaining.”

“I need a plan,” I said, pacing the length of the balcony. “I could show up late—nothing says ‘I’m not interested’ like making a grand entrance after everyone’s already waiting.”

Lila burst into laughter. “Or you could wear something outrageous. Maybe show up in a clown costume? That would definitely send a message.”

I smirked at the thought. “Not a bad idea, but I think I’ll keep it subtle… for now. Maybe something that looks like I’m going to a funeral.”

“Cali!” Lila gasped, struggling to contain her giggles. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Watch me,” I replied, my determination solidifying. “By the end of this, he’ll regret ever considering marrying me.”

And with that, I set to work crafting my perfect entrance. If I was going to endure this charade, I was going to do it on my terms. I settled on an outfit that screamed rebellion—a wild clash of bold, obnoxious colors. A shocking combination of magenta, neon green, and electric blue that would make any fashion critic cringe. My hair was tied up in a messy bun, deliberately unkempt, with a few strands falling out of place. I looked like a walking protest, and I couldn’t have been more pleased.

I felt my mother’s disapproving gaze the moment I descended the grand staircase. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowing as she took in my outfit. She was no doubt silently fuming, but I didn’t care. This was my first move in what I saw as a personal battle. I was going to make Caius Vale Dominic regret ever agreeing to this arranged marriage.

The drawing room was unnervingly quiet when I entered, all eyes turning toward me. But I only had eyes for one person—him. Caius stood by the large windows, tall and composed, exuding an air of control that grated on my nerves. His dark hair was perfectly tousled, his tailored suit clinging to his form with casual elegance. He had the kind of sharp, angular jawline that could have been sculpted from marble, and his piercing blue eyes glinted with intelligence. He was undeniably attractive, but I refused to let that sway me. I was here to make him hate me, not swoon over him.

The moment his gaze landed on me, his expression shifted from mild surprise to thinly veiled annoyance. Perfect.

“You seemed normal the last time I saw you,” he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he took in my outfit. “I see you’ve chosen the circus theme for today’s date.”

I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly as I returned his smirk. “I thought the circus theme was fitting, seeing as we’re the main act in this ridiculous show.”

“Cali, this is not the time to be a brat,” my mother hissed under her breath, clearly mortified by my behavior. “What are you even wearing? You can’t go on a date with Cai looking like that!”

“Why not?” I asked innocently, my eyes wide with mock confusion. “What’s wrong with my outfit? I think it perfectly captures the essence of the event—a circus, complete with a clown.”

Caius’s brows furrowed as he stepped closer, his jaw tightening in irritation. “Let me assure you,” he said, his voice calm but laced with frustration, “I have no intention of being your clown.”

“Too bad,” I shot back, a grin tugging at my lips. “You’re already doing a great job.”

His jaw clenched even tighter, a flicker of something—maybe frustration—flashing in his eyes. Good. I was getting under his skin.

“Touché,” he said, raising an eyebrow, his voice now measured but his irritation evident. “But you might want to save the insults for later. We’re supposed to be charming each other, remember?”

“Charming?” I scoffed, crossing my arms. “I think you’re confusing charm with arrogance. I have no interest in pretending to like you, Mr. Caius Vale Dominic.”

“Good,” he replied, his voice steady but his eyes gleaming with challenge. “I’d hate to waste my time on someone pretending to be the ‘obedient fiancée,’ Ms. Calista Soleil Borromeo.”

I rolled my eyes, smirking. “Spoken like a true narcissist.”

He chuckled softly, leaning back against the wall with an infuriating air of arrogance. “I can already tell this is going to be a lot more interesting than I expected.”

“Of course,” I replied, my heart pounding despite myself. “Because I’ve already made some interesting plans for us.”

“Trust me,” he said, his voice low and serious, his gaze never wavering, “so do I.”

*****

Caius’s car purred smoothly as we pulled out of the driveway, the quiet hum of the engine a sharp contrast to the tension crackling between us. I sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, glaring out the window as the city skyline came into view. Despite my best efforts to sabotage the date, here we were—on our way to whatever elaborate activity I had planned. I wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

“So,” Caius began after a long stretch of silence, his voice cool and composed, “what exactly is the plan for this ‘interesting’ date you’ve concocted? Or was the outfit supposed to be the highlight?”

I didn’t bother looking at him, keeping my gaze fixed on the passing buildings. “You’ll see,” I muttered, refusing to let him get the satisfaction of seeing how rattled I felt. I hadn’t fully thought this through—just getting to this point had been exhausting enough.

He glanced over at me, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. “Should I be worried?”

“You should be prepared,” I shot back, my voice harder than I intended. “This isn’t going to be a typical date.”

“Clearly,” he said, raising an eyebrow, his eyes flicking briefly to my outfit again. “But let’s get something straight—I don’t scare easily.”

I finally turned to look at him, my gaze locking with his. “Good,” I said, my voice was low and challenging. “Because I’m not backing down.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the tension thickening between us. His cool demeanor didn’t falter, but there was a flicker of intrigue in his eyes, like he was sizing me up, trying to figure out how far I was willing to go.

“Alright, Calista,” he said, his voice dropping a notch, “let’s see what you’ve got planned.”

We arrived at our destination—a local carnival, of all places. It was a garish display of bright lights, loud music, and the smell of fried food that hung heavy in the air. It was exactly the opposite of what anyone would expect for a date with someone like Caius, whose entire persona screamed wealth and sophistication. But that was the point.

“Seriously?” Caius asked, glancing around the parking lot with raised eyebrows. “A carnival?”

“Yep,” I said, my smirk returning as I hopped out of the car. “This is what I’ve got planned. I figured you could use a little ‘fun’ outside of your high society bubble.”

He slid out of the driver’s seat, smoothing his suit jacket with an exasperated sigh. “This is your idea of fun?”

“It’s an adventure,” I corrected him, linking my arm through his without asking. “Come on, Mr. Billionaire. Let’s see how well you can handle the real world.”

To my surprise, he didn’t resist, but he didn’t look thrilled, either. As we wandered through the carnival, the noise and chaos of the place contrasted starkly with Caius’s sharp, tailored appearance. He stood out like a sore thumb, but I reveled in it. I wanted him to be uncomfortable, to feel out of place.

We passed by the games and rides, the colorful booths drawing my attention. I stopped abruptly in front of one of the ring-toss games, yanking Caius along with me.

“You’re up,” I said, handing him a ring with a grin. “Let’s see if you’ve got the skill to win me a prize.”

He raised an eyebrow, looking from the ring to the rows of cheap stuffed animals. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack,” I replied, leaning against the booth. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Caius eyed the game for a moment, then took the ring and stepped forward, his expression unreadable. Without hesitation, he tossed the ring, watching as it bounced off one bottle before landing perfectly on the next.

“Impressive,” I muttered, though inwardly I was annoyed that he’d managed to win so easily. The game was supposed to be rigged, but somehow, he’d still beaten it. The attendant handed him a stuffed animal, and he turned to me with a triumphant smile.

“For you,” he said, holding out the ridiculous oversized teddy bear.

I snatched it from his hands, scowling. “Lucky shot.”

Caius chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Maybe I’m just good at reading situations.”

We continued through the carnival, riding the Ferris wheel—though I made sure to talk loudly enough about how boring it was, hoping to annoy him—and play more games. No matter what I threw at him, he didn’t crack. Every sarcastic comment I made, every deliberate effort to make the date uncomfortable, he countered with that same calm, unflappable demeanor. It was infuriating.

Finally, after several hours of trying to throw him off, we found ourselves in front of the food stand, surrounded by the smell of hot dogs and funnel cakes. I ordered the greasiest, messiest thing on the menu—a chili dog—and handed one to Caius with a grin.

“You sure you can handle this?” I asked, my eyes narrowing in the challenge.

He looked at the dripping chili dog, his expression carefully neutral. “I think I’ll manage.”

I took a big, sloppy bite of mine, making sure to chew with exaggerated satisfaction. Caius, to his credit, didn’t flinch. He took a bite of his chili dog with as much grace as a man in a tailored suit could muster in such a situation.

“You know,” he said after a few moments of silence, his voice casual but pointed, “for someone who claims to hate this arrangement, you’re putting an awful lot of effort into this date.”

I paused, mid-bite, caught off guard. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked me directly in the eyes. “You could’ve just ignored me, made this as painful for both of us as possible, and sabotaged the whole thing from the start. But instead, you’re doing everything you can to make sure I hate it.”

I swallowed, frowning. “Isn’t that the point?”

Caius shrugged. “Maybe. But you’re still trying. Which makes me wonder…” He leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing. “What are you really afraid of, Calista?”

His words struck a nerve. I opened my mouth to fire back a retort, but nothing came out. For a brief second, I was frozen, caught in his gaze. Then, just as quickly, I shoved the rest of my chili dog into my mouth, masking my uncertainty with defiance.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” I mumbled through a mouthful of food, though even I, didn’t believe it.

Caius didn’t push further, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t convinced. We finished our meal in relative silence, the tension between us shifting, becoming something more complicated than I had anticipated. Despite all my best efforts, he wasn’t playing by my rules.

This game wasn’t going the way I’d planned.

As we walked back to the car, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. There was something about him—something I hadn’t expected. Maybe it was his ability to stay calm under pressure, or the way he never rose to my bait. Whatever it was, I realized with a sinking feeling that this game was far from over.

And Caius Vale Dominic might be a more formidable opponent than I thought.

Later that Evening

I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, the encounter with Caius replaying in my head like a movie on loop. He was infuriating—arrogant, sharp-tongued, and annoyingly composed. Yet… despite everything, he was proving to be a challenge, and for some reason, that intrigued me.

But I couldn’t afford to let him get under my skin. The plan was simple—make him hate me so much that he’d be the one to break off the engagement. The fact that he hadn’t freaked out after seeing my ridiculous outfit was a minor setback, but I had plenty of tricks left up my sleeve. Tomorrow was another day, another chance to push him to his breaking point.

I grabbed my phone and texted Lila.

Mission one: failed. Caius didn’t flinch, didn’t waver, and certainly didn’t seem like he was going to give up anytime soon. But this wasn’t over—not by a long shot.

Within seconds, Lila responded.

LOL. Can’t wait to hear how that goes. What’s part two?

I smirked, already plotting my next move.

Let’s just say I’m going to show him that I’m not the ‘obedient fiancée’ type.

If anything, he only seemed more intrigued, which irritated me to no end. But no matter. I still have four interesting dates planned for him, and I was just getting started.

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