I can see Mateo hanging back in the hallway, taking in our fight with wide eyes, but I don’t begrudge him for eavesdropping on the drama going down.
Luka’s eyes blaze. “WellIcan’t be married to someone who’s fucking other men. It’ll ruin the whole ‘clean image’ goal, so if there’s something going on between you two, it needs to end right now.”
I shoot to my feet. “And I won’t be married to someone who’s fucking around, either! This isn’t just aboutyourimage. It’s about mine, too. I won’t be the laughingstock of the modeling world just because you can’t keep it in your pants.”
I don’t realize that we’ve moved closer to each other until I find him a breath away from me, both of us tense and glaring. He’s either going to kiss me or walk away—I can’t tell
“So, we’re doing this, then?” he asks.
I cross my arms to keep from touching him. “Are you asking me to fake-marry you?”
His face breaks into a smirk. “Yes. Officially.”
“Well then,” I say. “I guess we are.”
Brooklyn
Chapter 10
Ipicked out my dream ring and it’s almost too heavy for my finger, but I don’t care. It’s a four-carat radiant infinity diamond set in a diamond-studded rose gold band and I’m wearing this bitch everywhere. I’ve been dying to show it off on my Insta page, but we haven’t made an official announcement of our engagement yet, so my e-ring hasn’t made its social media debut. It’s been six weeks since we decided to do this thing, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.
Luka’s family seemed pleased that he’d decided to go through with it.
They also seemed neutral that he’d chosen me. I’d gotten a call from Luka’s sister-in-law Tori, who was warm and personable, but she’d explained that she was going into finals week at UChicago and so I wasn’t surprised that we hadn’t spoken again after that. Nobody else had bothered to reach out.
While it wasn’t an outright rejection by any means, it seemed obvious that the rest of Luka’s family weren’t exactly overjoyed about the new addition to the Zoric clan.
Meh, not that it matters. This is a temporary arrangement, and at the end of it, Luka will have his clean reputation, I’ll have my modeling career, and the rest of the Zorics will have their business image healed. Everybody wins.
Luka, his brother Stefan, and their sister Mara—who everyone calls Emzee—are huddled together discussing our engagement photos. We’re inside the grand hall of the Chicago Cultural Center so Emzee can photograph us against the backdrop of the historic building. Stefan thought it would help our image even more to showcase our love along with our love of the city’s history, and to make a large donation to the Center in our name.
The more ostentatious philanthropy, the better. I could honestly get behind more of that.
The room has been reserved for our sole use for the next four hours and Team Zoric has been making a tour of the space, debating the best angles and how Luka and I should be posed. I’d love to tell them that the eastern wall is the best spot to catch the light coming in from the Tiffany-stained-glass dome, but the brothers are arguing now, and I don’t dare interject.
Maybe I could offer my suggestion to Emzee. Luka introduced her as a photographer, so I’m sure she’d be open to discussing the best way to position us, but what I really want is for the pictures to capture the exhilaration of the moment, the brightness of the light hinting at the brightness of our future. I want these photos to have avibe.
I hesitate to approach her, though. For some reason, she’s done nothing this whole time but stare into space with the most impressive resting bitch face I’ve ever seen, and I get the feeling she wouldn’t appreciate my input. She’s stunning and vaguely rock ‘n roll chic with her pale skin, striking black hair, and gray eyes. Stunning, and frankly, a little terrifying.
“Listen up.” Stefan’s stern voice echoes in the large, arched room. I snap to attention, following Luka’s lead. “I want to remind you two why we’re doing this and what’s at stake.”
“We know. We’re saving Danica Rose,” Luka says, sounding impatient. “Our legacy.”
I’m not sure what was said between the brothers to bring this lecture on. Nor do I want to find out.
Stefan nods, but he’s still tense. “We need to repair the Zoric image and turn the public’s opinion back in our favor.” He glances down at my left hand, where the diamond sparkles obscenely in the light, and then gazes at me. “I know it looks like a fairy tale to your social media followers—and to the rest of the world as well, thanks to our PR rep—but at the end of the day it’s a business deal. One that will require your very careful attention to succeed.”
“I understand,” I say seriously.
“And you.” He turns to Luka. “The time for fuckery is over. You need to be committed and responsible.”
“Sure,” Luka says.
“Luka,” Stefan growls, his voice a deadly warning.
“Okay, yes, I get it—committed and responsible. We’ve been over this a million times,” Luka says. “I told you, I’m in.”
Stefan takes a breath, and finally seems to relax. I’ve already signed my modeling contract with Danica Rose, and I’m in this to fulfill my end of the agreement, but I can’t help worrying that Luka may have said or done something to make Stefan think he’s not going to keep up his end of the bargain. I hope I’m wrong.
