Chapter 8 - The beginning of a lie.

"This isn't over." Daniel's words followed Ethan...

Neither Bianca nor Ethan spoke until the restaurant disappeared behind them.

Ethan unlocked his car and opened the passenger door.

Bianca stopped beside it. "We don't have to arrive together," she said quietly.

"We should."

She looked at him.

"It'll make the story believable." He added. 

She gave a small nod and got in. The drive was silent, the only sound came from the tires rolling over the road and the soft hum of the air conditioner.

A few minutes later, Ethan glanced at her. "Are you okay?"

Bianca kept her eyes on the window. "I don't even know. Well, I guess I'm find."

Silence settled between them again. After another minute, Ethan cleared his throat.

"I meant what I said yesterday."

She turned toward him. "Which part?"

"I won't make these eight months harder than they already are."

Bianca studied him for a second before looking away again.

"I hope so!"

❦ ━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━ ❦

Ellington Group's annual executive luncheon filled the hotel's grand ballroom.

Senior executives moved from table to table, investors chatted in small groups and Employees hurried between guests carrying trays of drinks.

Charles Ellington, Bianca's father stood near the entrance with his wife, Elena, greeting business partners.

Across the room, Richard Anderson, Ethan's father was speaking with several board members while Victoria, Ethan's mother and Sophie, his sister stood beside him.

Sophie checked the entrance again. "He's late."

Victoria smiled.

"Your brother has never been good at arriving early."

"Yesss, he's always trying to steal the show!" Sophie giggled. 

Before Victoria could answer, murmurs spread through the ballroom, heads turned toward the entrance, and Charles looked up.

Richard stopped talking in the middle of a sentence.

Bianca and Ethan had arrived together. They walked side by side.

Richard's eyes lingered too long on them. Charles stepped forward with a warm smile. "Bianca." He kissed his daughter's forehead before turning to Ethan, "I'm glad you came."

"Thank you, sir." Ethan responded politely. 

Richard joined them a moment later, his expression remained unreadable. "I wasn't expecting this."

Ethan met his father's gaze. "We need to talk."

Charles looked between the two young people. "Should we find somewhere private?"

Bianca shook her head. "No." She glanced around the room, "Everyone important is already here."

Richard folded his arms. "Okay! Go on."

Bianca drew a slow breath, she had rehearsed the words with Ethan twice during the drive.

Now they suddenly felt heavier. She looked at Ethan once and he gave her a slight nod.

She faced their families again. "After thinking about everything..." She paused, "...we've decided not to rush into any decisions."

Charles frowned slightly, Richard remained silent but Bianca continued.

"We're going to spend time getting to know each other properly."

"If, after that, we both feel the same..." She looked at Ethan. "...then we'll decide what comes next."

The room fell quiet.

Victoria blinked. "Are you saying..."

Ethan answered before she could finish. " Yes! We're giving this a chance."

Richard searched his son's face. "This is your decision?"

"Yes."

Charles let out a slow breath, a smile spread across his face. "I was hoping you'd both reach that conclusion." He turned to Ethan. "I'm not asking you to fall in love with my daughter overnight."

His voice became firmer. "But if you're asking for another chance..." He held Ethan's gaze. "...earn her trust."

"I will." He responded confidently. 

Victoria walked over and hugged Ethan without warning. "I'm proud of you."

Ethan stiffened for a split second before returning the hug. "Thanks, Mom."

She stepped back and smiled at Bianca. "Thank you for giving him another chance."

Bianca forced a small smile. "We'll see where it goes."

Sophie watched the exchange quietly, her brother smiled and Bianca did too.

Yet something felt...Off.

Richard slipped away without saying another word.

A few minutes later, Ethan's phone vibrated inside his pocket. He glanced at the screen.

Access Restored.

His shoulders relaxed. Bianca noticed. "It worked?"

He nodded once. "My accounts are back and I can now pay for Daisy's surgery." 

For the first time since she'd met him, Ethan looked like he could finally breathe.

He turned toward her. "Thank you."

She looked down at the glass in her hand. "Don't thank me yet." 

"We've only just started the fake relationship." 

Neither of them noticed Sophie standing several feet away.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Lunch ended almost an hour later, guests slowly began leaving the ballroom.

Charles and Richard were surrounded by directors discussing business.

Victoria stopped to speak with Elena, Bianca's mother. 

Bianca excused herself to greet a few department managers and Ethan stepped into the hallway to answer a call from the hospital.

"Yes." The coordinator's cheerful voice came through the speaker. "Mr. Anderson, we've received confirmation of payment authorization."

He closed his eyes briefly. "Thank you."

"We'll contact Miss Daisy to finalize her surgery date." The person added. 

"I appreciate that." Ethan replied calmly with satisfaction in his eyes. 

The call ended and he slipped the phone into his pocket.

"You sound relieved."

Ethan turned. Sophie stood a few steps behind him.

Her arms were folded and a teasing smile rested on her lips.

"When did you get here?" Ethan asked.

"A while ago." She walked closer.

"You know..." She tilted her head. "I'm your sister and i've watched you my whole life."

"And?"

"I know when you're lying."

Ethan laughed softly. "I'm not lying."

She looked toward the ballroom where Bianca was speaking with Charles. "You've spent the last hour pretending to be interested in Bianca."

She narrowed her eyes. "But every single smile looked practiced."

Ethan's expression remained calm. "You're imagining things."

"Maybe." She stepped closer until only a few feet separated them

The silence answered her better than words ever could.

She smiled sadly. Then, almost in a whisper, she said, "You're hiding something."

Ethan's fingers tightened around his phone...