Chapter 6 – The Aftermath of a Kiss
The kiss had changed everything.
By the next morning, Ava's face was everywhere — news headlines, blogs, social feeds, gossip channels. The photo of Damian Frost kissing his wife beneath the glittering lights of the gala had gone viral.
Some called it romantic. Others called it staged.
But for Ava, it had felt far too real to be either.
She stood by the window of the Frost penthouse, the city sprawled beneath her like a field of shattered glass. Her phone buzzed nonstop with messages she refused to read. The whispers online had shifted overnight — from fake wife to unexpected love story.
A cruel twist of irony, she thought. The world believed in their love now… just when she'd begun to doubt her own defenses.
---
When Damian finally emerged from his study, he looked as composed as ever — immaculate suit, unreadable eyes, and that same calm that made everyone else uneasy.
"You haven't eaten," he said, glancing at the untouched breakfast tray.
"I wasn't hungry."
"You'll need your strength. We have a board meeting in an hour."
Ava turned to face him. "And what exactly do you plan to tell them? That our marriage is now trending number one worldwide?"
"Only that our partnership has strengthened the company's image," he replied evenly. "They don't need the rest."
"The rest?" she repeated, a faint laugh escaping her. "You mean the truth?"
He looked at her, silent for a beat. "Do you even know what that is anymore, Ava?"
The question hung between them like smoke. Then he turned away, voice cool again. "Get ready. We leave in twenty minutes."
---
The boardroom was colder than usual.
Twelve executives sat around the glass table, screens glowing with the same viral photo plastered across every news site. Catherine Linford sat at the end — elegant, smug, dangerous.
"Quite a show you two put on last night," she said with a small smile. "The internet can't stop talking."
Damian didn't flinch. "Public interest isn't a liability when it benefits the company."
"Oh, I agree," she said sweetly. "Especially when it distracts from the leaked documents."
Her gaze slid to Ava. "Though I must say, Mrs. Frost, you've handled your newfound fame beautifully. It must be exhausting pretending to be in love."
Ava straightened. "Not as exhausting as pretending to be relevant."
A few board members coughed, hiding their amusement. Catherine's smile faltered.
Damian's lips twitched — almost a smirk. "If that's all, Catherine, I believe we have real business to discuss."
She met his gaze, eyes sharp. "Oh, we're not finished, Damian. You should be more careful who you let into your life. Some contracts… expire faster than you think."
Her words were laced with venom. But Ava didn't look away.
For once, she wasn't the girl standing behind the CEO. She was his equal — at least in the room's eyes.
---
After the meeting, Damian closed the door to his office and exhaled. "That was reckless," he said.
"What, defending myself?"
"You're not ready to play her games."
"Maybe I'm tired of being her pawn," Ava shot back. "You act like this is just business, but she's attacking me."
"She's attacking us," he corrected. "There's a difference."
She folded her arms. "Then maybe you should start acting like it."
Something flickered in his eyes — a flash of something raw, quickly buried beneath the cold façade. "You think that kiss fixed everything? It just made us targets."
Her heart clenched. "Then why did you do it?"
"Because," he said, stepping closer, "for one second, I needed them to believe. And maybe…" His voice lowered. "…I needed to believe it too."
Ava froze.
He was close — too close. The tension between them was a fragile thread ready to snap. His breath brushed her skin, warm and unsteady. For once, Damian Frost didn't look untouchable. He looked human.
"Damian—"
The knock on the door shattered the moment.
Elena entered, holding a tablet. "Sir, you should see this."
He took it, frowning. A new headline blinked across the screen:
«'Frost Empire Insider: The Contract Marriage Might Be Real After All — But Not for the Right Reasons.'»
Damian's expression hardened. "She's leaking again."
Ava looked at him, her stomach sinking. "Catherine?"
He nodded. "And this time, she's not after publicity. She's after revenge."
---
That night, Ava lay awake in the darkened penthouse, staring at the ceiling. Her pulse refused to slow.
The kiss. The boardroom. Catherine's words.
Everything was spiraling.
Then she heard the faint creak of a door. Footsteps. She turned to see Damian standing at her doorway, tie loosened, exhaustion etched into his face.
"You can't sleep either?" she whispered.
He shook his head. "No."
For a long moment, silence filled the room — heavy but not uncomfortable.
"Damian," she said finally, her voice barely audible, "what happens when the contract ends?"
He hesitated at the threshold. "Ask me when I'm ready to let it."
And before she could say another word, he was gone — leaving her alone with a heart that no longer obeyed the rules she'd agreed to.