Chapter 53
Yuna
“It Looked Like A Fairytale”
The white veil over my face softened the world into shadows, and it was white but darker than my usual ones, but I could still feel the weight of the moment pressing down on my shoulders.
Ares stood beside me proudly.
Black suit.
Diamond chain peeking beneath the collar.
Confidence rolling off him like heat.
People respected him.
Feared him.
And tonight, they were all here to watch him choose a wife.
Someone tapped a glass.
The room quieted.
Ares stepped forward, slightly, before scanning the room. He turned to face me.
For a second, everything felt still.
Ares reached into his jacket.
And dropped to one knee.
Gasps rippled softly through the ballroom.
Cameras flashed like lightning.
Even behind the veil, I could feel every eye locked on me the most.
Ares looked up at me with that calm intensity he carried everywhere.
“I didn’t grow up believing in fairy tales,” he said, his voice carrying across the room. “Where I come from, love is something people fight for. Protect. Sometimes even bleed for.”
The room stayed quiet.
“But the first time I looked at you,” he continued, “I knew you weren’t someone the world could break.”
His eyes stayed on mine.
“You’re strong in ways people don’t understand yet.”
A small murmur moved through the crowd.
“But together,” he said, opening the ring box, “we might just be unstoppable.”
The diamond caught the chandelier light like it was on fire.
“Yuna Wells,” he said softly, “be my wife.”
For a moment, I just looked at him, wondering was anything he said in his proposal true, or just a show. He made me feel safe, but undecided at the same time.
“Yes,” I said softly.
The room erupted.
Ares slid the ring onto my finger and stood, pulling me into a kiss while the crowd celebrated around us.
From the outside, it probably looked perfect.
Like a fairytale.
But as people rushed forward to congratulate us, a cold voice brushed my ear.
My mother…
“You look beautiful tonight,” she whispered. “Don’t get attached. Men like him don’t stay put. Remember, this is business.”
A chill slid down my spine.
When I turned, she was already smiling politely for the cameras like she hadn’t said anything at all.
My mother was the reason I was cold to men in the first place. To her, all men were a business deal… including my father. That was what she always tried to instill in me. And in some ways, it worked…
$$$$$
Later that night, Ares’ Calabasas penthouse felt quiet compared to the chaos of the event.
I slipped off my heels and walked toward the kitchen while Ares poured himself a drink at the bar.
I filled a glass with cold water and leaned against the counter.
He drank whiskey like the night wasn’t over yet.
“You sure you need that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s been a long day.”
“You say that every time you drink.”
He smirked slightly. “Don’t start acting like my doctor.”
I studied him for a moment.
“I invited your exes tonight,” I said, casually.
That got his attention.
He turned slowly.
“What?”
“I figured if any of them were still around, they might want to see the show.”
He took another sip of whiskey. “Bold move, and you wonder why I drink.”
“I saw you look at Naomi. She was the only one who showed up,” I added.
His expression barely changed, but I noticed the pause.
“She disappeared pretty quickly.”
I leaned against the counter, arms folded.
“I’m not like them, you know.”
His eyebrow lifted. “Like who?”
“Your little ex-girlfriends.”
Ares chuckled quietly. “You not built like them.”
The words hit me wrong.
My posture stiffened immediately.
“Excuse me?”
He noticed it too. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Sounded like it.”
He set the glass down and stepped closer. “What I meant,” he said calmly, “is I wouldn’t put you in the position they were in.”
My irritation didn’t disappear.
“They were just entertainment.”
“And I’m what? Your arranged project or your real fiancée?”
His gaze softened slightly. “My real fiancée.”
He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “I don’t want another girl like them.”
Something in my soul shook hearing that. But the edge in my mood hadn’t completely faded.
Ares seemed to notice.
He stepped closer, his voice lowering.
“You still mad?”
“Maybe.”
He smiled faintly.
“I’ll fix that.”
He pulled me toward him, kissing me slowly while the ocean crashed behind us.
The tension between us shifted.
Less anger.
More heat.
The night pulled us together again as he lay me on the couch and ate my pussy until I was weak.
But even as I held onto him, even as I rode him like nothing was on my mind…
A small thought stayed tucked quietly in the back of my mind. Maybe this nigga was serious about me.