Chapter 3: Fake Lovers
Reese's POV
3 days later
Tonight was supposed to be Yasha and Yuan's family dinner—keyword: family. So tell me why Yuan decided to bring his band of hooligans with him?
Specifically Raiden.
I sighed, smoothing down the fabric of my wine-colored dress as I walked down the stairs. It was form-fitting, elegant, and absolutely not meant for running around after annoying boys.
I reached the last step—only for my heel to betray me. My foot slipped, balance tipped—
Strong arms caught me before I could faceplant in front of the floral arrangement.
"Careful, princess," Raiden said, steadying me effortlessly. His voice was low and maddeningly amused. "Wouldn't want to make a dramatic entrance with a broken ankle."
I scowled, pushing at his chest once I regained balance. "Let go of me."
"You're welcome," he said with a lazy smile, still holding me a beat too long. "Although, falling for me this quickly? Didn't think you had it in you."
"You wish." I finally shoved free, brushing off my dress like he had contaminated it. "Just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"No such thing as coincidence," he replied smugly, following me as I walked toward the living room. "You falling into my arms? Clearly fate's way of saying you should stop resisting me."
I stopped walking and turned to face him with a glare. "Fate needs to get better taste."
"Ouch." He clutched his heart mockingly. "That hurt, Laurier. I thought we had something."
"We don't. What we have is an unfortunate proximity caused by your inability to say no to other people's invitations."
"Your sister's boyfriend invited me. I was just being polite."
"You? Polite? That'll be the day."
He smirked, hands tucked in his pockets. "Then what do you call catching you just now? Gentlemanly? Heroic? Knight in shining armor?"
I scoffed. "More like a cockroach that always shows up where it's not wanted."
"And yet, here I am. Still under your skin."
"Ugh, you're exhausting."
"You're obsessed."
"In your dreams, Whitlock."
A small laugh escaped him. "Every night, Laurier."
We were standing far too close. I didn't know when the space disappeared, but I could feel his breath now, that smug energy radiating off him in waves. We were locked in our usual verbal warfare, completely absorbed in our world—
"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted us. I blinked, stepping back. The maid stood politely near the hallway. "Dinner is ready. You may head to the dining table now."
Raiden and I both straightened at once.
"Perfect," I said, walking off quickly with heat prickling my cheeks.
"See you at the table, kitten," he called after me, his tone playful.
I didn't need to look at him—to know that he knew he was already winning this round.
"But, I'll get my revenge in this dinner table"
Raiden's POV
As I stepped into the Laurier household, the first thing that hit me was the overwhelming sense of opulence. It wasn't just some grand house—it was the kind of place that screamed wealth, with every detail meticulously crafted to impress.
But as soon as I spotted Reese, standing at the top of the staircase, my attention was completely diverted. She was dressed in a stunning, elegant dress, and for a moment, I couldn't help but admire how she looked. There was something about the way she moved, with that sharp edge to her, the kind of sharpness you couldn't miss even if you tried.
But I quickly pushed those thoughts aside. There was no time to get distracted. This whole dinner arrangement was already turning into more of a spectacle than I wanted. I knew what Reese was up to—her little game with me wasn't over just yet.
We all settled at the table. Conversation flowed easily enough—until I found myself chatting with Reese's mother. She had a way of laughing at my jokes that made me think for a split second, that laugh sounds like Reese's.
The thought was sudden and fleeting, but it made me pause. Why was I even comparing them in the first place? It wasn't like me to get caught up in those kinds of things. I pushed the thought away, refocusing on the dinner.
Just as I thought things were going smoothly, I noticed Reese sitting in her chair, her expression unreadable. She cleared her throat, which immediately made everyone fall silent.
"I was not about to say it today since it's Yasha and Yuan's dinner date," she started slowly, drawing everyone's attention to her. I felt a tightness in my chest. What was she about to say? "But seeing that you are getting along just fine... Mom, Dad, and Sisters, I wanted you to know about something."
The room grew quiet, and everyone turned to face her, including me. My gut twisted, but I couldn't look away. Whatever she was about to announce, it was going to throw everything off.
Then, like a bomb dropped in the middle of the room, Reese said, "Actually, me and the second son of the Whitlock family are dating."
I swear, I could feel my jaw almost hit the table. What? I blinked, unsure if I had heard her right. There was a stunned silence as everyone processed what she just said.
Reese looked directly at me, and I could see that mischievous little smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. It was like she was enjoying this too much.
I wasn't sure how to respond. I didn't even know what to think. Did she really just say that? This wasn't part of our little arrangement. And from the looks on the others' faces—Yasha, Yuan, her parents, everyone—they were just as shocked as I was. It was too perfect. This was her payback.
Flashback
I was walking out of the cafeteria when I saw Reese, her sharp gaze already on me. Before I knew it, I had her pinned against the locker, my hands on her wrists. There was no real warning—just a kiss, and I could feel her stiffen in surprise. Her eyes widened, and I could tell she wasn't expecting it. But she didn't pull away, not at first. Instead, I felt her hesitate before the three girls came rushing over, pulling me away from Reese.
One of them shouted, "What are you doing? He's mine!" She was practically sobbing as she tugged at my arm.
I couldn't help but snort at that. You're not mine, and you never were.
Reese rolled her eyes, looking away, and I knew she was about to deny everything. But to my surprise, she didn't. She taunted the girl right back, causing the girl to storm off, sniffling in defeat.
When Reese turned back to me, her face flushed with anger, she pushed me away. "What the hell, Raiden?" she snapped.
I laughed. "Good job, kitten. Didn't know you had it in you."
She glared at me, crossing her arms. "Who is she?" she demanded.
"Just Kaiden's setup date," I replied, nonchalantly. "That girl's a stalker. Had to do something."
Reese rolled her eyes again, and I teased her, "You just like rolling your eyes at me, huh? Good thing you got a taste of these lips again."
She pushed past me, clearly irritated, but I could see that look in her eyes. She was already plotting something.
Later, she caught up to me...
"How about we pretend we're dating?" she asked, her smile a little too innocent.
I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at her. "What did you say?"
She stood there, hands behind her back, her smile unreadable. "Since that girl knows we're dating, why not just keep it up? It could be... beneficial to both of us."
I raised an eyebrow. I didn't fully trust her intentions, but the idea of fake dating did have its perks. "Fine," I agreed after a long pause. "But don't think I'm doing this for free."
Reese's eyes brightened. "Great."
And just like that, the 'arrangement' was made.
Back to Present
I stood up, glancing at Reese, who was still smirking at the chaos she'd just caused. Her family was clearly shocked, but I wasn't about to back down.
"Mr. and Mrs. Laurier," I said, turning my attention to them. "I wanted to say that me and Reese are going out. Not exactly dating yet," I added, glancing at Reese for a reaction. "But I wanted your blessings before anything goes further."
Her mother gasped, her smile widening. "Well, I didn't expect this," she said, clearly delighted.
Reese looked equally shocked, but her expression shifted quickly to cover it up. She wiped away the surprise and smiled. "Good thing you asked for our blessing first, son," she said, voice steady but betraying a hint of tension.
Mr. Laurier looked contemplative for a moment before speaking. "As long as Reese loves him, it's no problem at all. And it's a good thing he asked for our blessings first before dating our daughter."
Reese froze. "What?" she asked, her voice barely audible as she looked at her father in disbelief. "I never thought you'd agree to this, Father. He's a Whitlock, you know—our rival."
Her panic was clear, but I couldn't hold back my grin. I was winning this round.
Yasha raised an eyebrow. "Why are you trying to change Father's mind?" she asked, clearly enjoying the situation.
Reese's face turned red as she scrambled to cover up her tracks. "What? No... I... I wasn't trying to change Father's mind, silly. I just wanted clarification that he's alright with me dating a Whitlock."
I couldn't hold back any longer. "Now, now, babycakes," I said with a smile, leaning closer to her. "I've got your mother and father's blessings."
Reese shot me a glare, but I couldn't resist teasing her. "Didn't go as planned, did it?" I whispered in her ear, my smirk wide.
She turned even redder, matching her hair. The tension in the air was thick, but I couldn't help but feel a little victorious.
Her mother, of course, was loving every second of it, and I had a feeling Reese wasn't going to live this down anytime soon.
Reese's POV
The night was supposed to be about Yasha and Yuan, but as usual, Mom found another way to make everything about me. I hadn't even finished digesting Raiden's unexpected declaration about us being 'kind of dating,' when the barrage of pestering started.
"Reese, are you sure you're okay with this?" Mom asked for the hundredth time, clearly fishing for a reaction. She was still trying to process that I wasn't the one pulling the strings in this situation. "What are you two planning to do next?"
I let out a deep sigh, rubbing my temples. "Mom, it's just a small thing. You don't have to worry so much," I muttered, trying my best not to snap.
But of course, my mother wasn't done. "You know, I just think you're so stubborn sometimes. Maybe you should—"
"Mom, where's Paicey?" Ophira asked innocently, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her words did the trick, halting Mom's barrage of questions. I couldn't even express how relieved I felt in that moment.
Mom looked around, finally realizing that Paicey wasn't sitting with us. "Oh, I didn't even notice my baby girl was gone," she sighed dramatically, clearly unfazed by her lapse in attention.
"I'll go look for her," Ophira volunteered, standing up and walking out of the room.
Finally, some peace. But it was fleeting.
The moment Ophira was out of earshot, my mom turned back to me, still pestering me about everything under the sun. My nerves were frayed, my patience wearing thin. I had to keep it together, though—this was supposed to be a nice dinner.
Then, suddenly, the shrill sound of an alarm cut through the tension.
I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, a distraction.
I tried to sound casual as I stood, glancing at Raiden. "It's time," I said with a laugh, my tone almost too carefree. "Charity event. You know, the one for the kids with no books to read?"
Raiden didn't look convinced, though, narrowing his eyes at me. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Yeah," I said, a playful grin spreading across my face, even though I knew it wasn't fooling anyone. "We're kind of busy. You know, saving the world and all."
Gaia quickly joined in to back me up. "Yeah, it's all about making sure these kids don't miss out on something so simple. So, we're all doing our part." She threw me a wink, knowing the true nature of the 'charity' alarm.
But then, just as I was about to make my escape, Ozaire's voice stopped me. "Oh, maybe we can help you?" he suggested, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. The rest of the boys quickly agreed.
I cursed silently under my breath, panicking. Yasha and I exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. But before we could decide, Mom came to the rescue, sauntering into the room, dragging Percy with her.
"Oh no no no, boys," she said, pouting as she grabbed Percy's hand. "We were already setting up the cinema room. You promised to watch the movie with us, remember?"
The boys looked at each other and hesitated, clearly caught off guard.
"Say goodbye to your baby girls and come up here, the cinema room is right down the hall," she added sweetly, leading Percy away.
With a sigh of relief, I slumped back into my chair. At least for the moment, my 'plan' was working.
Raiden, being the idiot he was, came over and kissed my forehead before muttering a quiet goodbye. I couldn't hide my irritation fast enough. The fake smile that I quickly plastered on my face was too obvious, but I didn't care.
"See you later, babycakes," he whispered in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "Don't go planning something that can backfire on you, alright"
I flushed bright red, and for a moment, I seriously wanted to slap him. He was so damn smug. "Shut up, Raiden," I muttered under my breath, shooting him a glare that I hoped looked threatening enough.
But of course, he just laughed and left, his usual cocky smile still plastered across his face.
I sighed, massaging my temples again. So much for a quiet evening.