The words landed like a thunderclap.

For one suspended second, the entire office seemed to freeze, the temperature plummeting in an instant. Silence swept through the space so completely that I could hear the soft hum of the air-conditioning overhead and the faint tapping of someone’s pen hitting the floor.

Then came a sharp intake of breath from somewhere among the crowd, the unmistakable sound of someone choking on their coffee as whispers rose. And then the murmurs began, low and disbelieving, spreading through the office like a wildfire that no one could tame.

"What?"

"No way..."

"Did he just say—"

"I can’t believe he actually admitted it..."

I kept my expression carefully composed, though my pulse was pounding wildly beneath my skin. I couldn’t say the same for Rhys, though. Beside me, he remained infuriatingly calm, there wasn’t even the slightest crack in his composure. If anything, he looked completely at ease, like this was all unfolding exactly as he had planned.

His fingers were still laced with mine as if he had not just dropped a bombshell on the entire company with just a few words.

My gaze shifted toward the two men standing directly across from us. The same two men whom I first met in Rhys’ office.

The blond man, Thomas, his usually stern face now frozen in visible shock. His blond brows had drawn together so tightly that a deep crease had formed between them. Meanwhile, the other man, whose name I was still unaware of, had gone pale.

For several long seconds, neither of them spoke. But Thomas recovered first.

His sharp eyes darted between our joined hands before narrowing suspiciously. He lifted his gaze to meet Rhys. "Rhys," he said slowly, his tone carefully measured, though I could hear the strain beneath it. "You ignored our concerns and walked out on us earlier without so much as an explanation."

His jaw tightened as he continued. "And now you’re standing here, in front of the entire office, telling us that you and your assistant are in a relationship?" He paused, as if giving Rhys one final chance to laugh and admit this was some sort of elaborate joke, but Rhys didn’t rush to fill the silence. "This is hardly the time for jokes."

Rhys’ expression didn’t change, and I could feel his fingers slightly tighten around mine. "Good thing I’m not joking then."

The finality in his voice sent another wave of whispers through the room. "That’s enough," Thomas’ voice boomed, silencing everyone else as his mouth tightened. "You expect us to believe this?" He asked, his tone jumping an octave as he gestured wildly between the two of us.

Rhys arched a dark brow, his gaze fixed on the two men standing before him. "What’s there not to believe?"

"Exactly," I chimed in smoothly in support of my fake boyfriend this time. The word left my lips before I had fully thought it through, and before fear could talk me out of it, I acted.

Rising onto my tiptoes, I turned my head and pressed a quick kiss against Rhys’s cheek without a second thought. The moment my lips made contact with his skin, every coherent thought in my brain ceased to function.

My entire body froze. Beside me, Rhys went rigid too, his body stiffened.

Oh my God. What had I just done?

Did I seriously just kiss my boss—my fake boyfriend and also my ex—in front of everyone?

Heat flooded my face instantly, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. Regret slammed into me so hard I nearly physically recoiled. I mentally face-palmed myself, wishing for nothing more than to dig a hole and bury myself in it.

But much to my surprise, Rhys reacted naturally, his hand slid around my waist, pulling me even closer to him as his lips curled upwards into a wider smile. Not his usual cold, calculating smirk. This one was softer. Warmer. And dangerously convincing. It almost had me fooled too.

I instinctively leaned into him, my fingers tightening around his hand as though this performance was second nature.

Thomas let out a sharp, humourless laugh.

But this time, it was the other man who spoke up.

"This is absurd. Isn’t it kind of convenient that once the scandal broke out, you suddenly claimed that you were a couple?" He questioned, his eyes shining with doubt, and the words that left his lips were dripping with accusation. "It seems more like damage control than the truth, don’t you think so, Mr Carson? It seemed to me like you are protecting her for whatever reason."

Rhys stepped towards the man, forcing him to take a step back.

"Do you have a problem with that, Benjamin?" The sharp edge in Rhys’ voice made him flinch.

Benjamin swallowed hard. "No, but—"

"Good." Rhys cut him off cleanly. When the man remained silent, Rhys broke into a satisfied grin. "Then I trust there won’t be any objections when I formally introduce Evelyn as my partner at Friday’s gala."

"You cannot possibly be serious," Thomas muttered.

"Oh, but I am."

"Rhys, think about this. Your image, the company’s reputation—"

"What about it?"

"The CEO of TechHub publicly dating his assistant?" Thomas snapped. "Do you have any idea what the press will say?" A loud sigh rushed out between his parted lips, his features twisted in frustration. "This is a PR nightmare."

Rhys’s lips curved into a slow smile.

"It can hardly be called a scandal if it’s true."

Then his arm tightened around my waist, and the next words out of his mouth made my breath catch.

"Besides, what’s so wrong about wanting to work beside the woman I love?"

Love? My heart skipped a beat as the word replayed in my head over and over again like a broken record player.

I knew this was part of the act. I knew he was saying what needed to be said to make our lie believable. So why did my stupid heart react like it wanted to believe him? Why did that single word send warmth rushing through my chest?

Silence hung in the air between everyone present, dragging on for what seemed like an eternity. But before anyone could say anything else, a voice rang out from the back of the crowd.

"Evelyn Hart! Get out here right now!" The familiar voice demanded, and it cracked through the room like a whip, making everyone’s heads turn. "Evelyn!" The same voice boomed again.

The crowd parted, and when my eyes landed on the familiar pair of eyes, my stomach dropped.

"Father?"