Three years married, yet my husband and I had never once held hands.

With a grudge I'd been quietly nursing, I took a photo of myself in sexy lingerie with my back to the camera and sent it to him from a throwaway account.

I expected it to go nowhere. Two minutes later, my phone buzzed.

[Your family member has purchased a same-day return flight.]

[She's just keeping you around for fun. Don't let me catch you, you horndog.]

"Mr. Reed sure is a busy man. That's his third business trip this month alone."

I selected the photo I had just taken, held my breath, and hit send.

The angle was clever, styled to look like a sneaky shot. The bottom right corner of the frame strategically captured a sliver of a man's pajamas.

The message went through with a chime. I tossed my phone across the room as if it were a live grenade.

"Look at you. You have zero spine, yet you're trying to play these games with Liam," Mia said, her face a portrait of sheer disappointment.

"Anyone would be nervous acting as their fictional lover," I buried my face into a throw pillow and groaned, my anxiety spiking. "Do you think he'll realize I set this whole thing up?"

"Stop stressing. If he figures it out, just call it a prank."

"I don't think he and I are on casual pranking terms." I wanted to cry, instantly regretting my impulsiveness.

"You two have been married for three years. You live together under the same roof, and yet you're still this distant. Honestly, it's a miracle your hormones aren't acting up more."

"After three years with him, my hormones are dead."

Mia patted me in mock admiration, rolled her eyes, and shoved me aside to reach for the phone.

"Do you think he'll even see it?"

Before the words fully left her mouth, the phone buzzed and lit up. It was a message from Liam.

[She's just keeping you around for fun. Don't let me catch you, you horndog.]

Mia and I stared at each other in total silence.

"What's that? Is he insulting me?" This was the first time I had ever seen Liam talk like this. I was a little stunned, but mostly fascinated.

Liam and I had been married for three years, and despite living under the same roof, we barely spoke a word of substance to each other.

On the rare occasion he absolutely had to say something, he wrapped it up in a few brief sentences. This was the first time I had ever seen him actually lose his temper.

"To be exact, he's insulting your fictional side piece," Mia swallowed hard, hesitating.

Before I could process that, the phone buzzed again.

[AeroFly Airways: Your family member has purchased a same-day return flight.]

"And what is this supposed to mean? Is he flying back right now to beat me up?"

Panic officially set in.

"Or he's coming back to take you to court and get a divorce. Either way, I'm getting the hell out of here." Mia turned to bolt, but I lunged forward and locked my arms around her leg.

"Don't leave me here by myself! Are we friends or what?"

The villa's front door slammed shut with a heavy thud. I sank deep into the sofa, my mind racing.

---

After three years of marriage, Liam and I weren't even close enough to qualify as friends. We operated more like a boss and his subordinate.

Three years ago, my dad had grand ambitions and invested heavily in a massive project. He wanted to make a name for himself, but instead, he ended up in financial ruin.

The resulting debt was the kind where selling off every single piece of family assets still wouldn't cover the baseline.

To pay it off, our entire family begged everyone we knew for money. But compared to the massive mountain of debt, whatever we managed to borrow was a drop in the bucket.

Right before we were to be thrown into prison for failing to repay our debts, Liam appeared out of nowhere like an angel.

He told us our family business could still be saved and that he was willing to throw us a lifeline. However, there were three conditions.

First, we had to sign an agreement to pay him back the principal plus interest within five years.

My dad and I nodded our heads like woodpeckers.

Second, if the company actually turned around, he wanted a twenty-five percent stake.

The two of us nodded frantically again.

Third, he wanted me to marry him for a term of three years.

My dad and I froze.

Liam sat up straight in his executive chair, leaning slightly forward. "I'm not taking advantage of your misfortune. For those three years, we will strictly be a married couple on paper. We will sign a contract."

I fiddled with my thumbs and spoke up cautiously. "Then, Mr. Reed, what exactly can I do for you?"

"Be a wife, so I can claim a larger share of my father's estate." Liam leaned back into his executive chair again. "Any other questions?"

"No! No questions at all." Terrified he might change his mind, I hastily slapped a flattering smile on my face and signed the contract.

Forget being his wife, if Liam had demanded I play the part of his adopted son, I still would have agreed.

Once we stepped out of the office building, my dad and I exchanged blank looks.

"Who is his dad anyway?" I asked.

"Wasn't it in the contract?" My dad fired back.

"I didn't read it," I said, throwing my hands up innocently.

It wasn't until we came out of the clerk's office with our marriage certificate that I finally stole a glance at Liam in the car.

"Mr. Reed, I still don't know your father's full name," I asked carefully.

Liam's knuckles were sharply defined against the steering wheel. His strong features cast a sharp shadow over his face, leaving his gaze unreadable.

"You don't know? He held you when you were a baby.

"His name is Harold Reed."

Harold Reed, the biggest real estate developer in the city. No wonder Liam was so incredibly loaded.

But before I could internally celebrate latching onto such a massive golden ticket, reality hit me. Didn't Harold only have one son?

"Um... I remember your father only having a son named Brandon." I swallowed hard. The plot was getting way too messy.

"I forgot to mention. I'm an illegitimate son. Brandon is my older half-brother."

Seeing me frozen in absolute shock, Liam offered a brief note of comfort. "Don't worry. No one is going to say anything."

I was completely stunned. It felt like I was a side character who had suddenly been dragged into a high-society family drama.

Two buzzes from my phone yanked me back to reality. I opened it to find two texts from Liam.

[Are you home? There is a banquet tonight, can you accompany me?]

Pretending like absolutely nothing was wrong, I typed out a reply.

[I'm home. I just noticed you booked an early return flight for today, so should I wait for you to go together?]

[Wrapped things up early so I could get back sooner. I'll be there shortly, wait for me at home and we'll head over together.]

So he was only rushing back for the banquet. The moment I relaxed, a strange, sudden wave of disappointment washed over me.

Last month marked the end of our three year contract.

Liam and I were supposed to dissolve our arrangement then, but a full month had already gone by. He hadn't brought it up, so I just kept playing dumb.

Before I met Liam, I always thought love at first sight was a total lie.

Deep down, I secretly hoped we could keep living like this forever, remaining husband and wife.

Greed is a terrifying emotion. It drives people to make completely unhinged decisions.

After agonizing over it, I had drafted a script for myself where I played the ungrateful, unfaithful wife creeping out of her marriage bed.

Even a bitter fruit is still a fruit, and hate always outlasts love.

Too bad I turned out to be nothing more than a crude, primitive firework, completely incapable of leaving a scratch on his interstellar starship.

Defeated, I called off my skirmish and retreated to the walk-in closet to pick out an evening gown.

The city Liam had been visiting was close by. Barely three hours had passed when the sound of the front door opening could be heard.

His rushed itinerary left him looking a bit tired, but his dark eyes were incredibly bright.

"The housekeeper finished ironing your clothes," I said. "What time are we leaving?"

"No rush, we still have time." Liam didn't head into the bedroom. Instead, he reached up, loosened his tie, and slipped off his suit jacket, draping it casually over his arm. The movement exposed a hint of his wrist bone. A few stray hairs fell across his forehead.

"How is the progress on the company's latest project?"

He really was exceptionally handsome. A lifetime of occupying positions of absolute authority gave his casual, wealthy playboy demeanor an edge of raw, aggressive dominance.

"Smoother than expected," I replied automatically, caught off guard by the sudden question. "Construction wraps up next month, and the returns look a lot more substantial than our initial projections."

"Good." Liam gave a casual nod, seemingly indifferent to the details. Then, his gaze slowly drifted toward the two coffee cups sitting on the coffee table.

"Did a friend come over today?"

"Yeah, Mia stopped by to keep me company for a bit." I stealthily shoved the lingerie I had abandoned on the couch behind a throw pillow. My face felt completely stiff, and my voice was a higher-pitched than usual from the guilt.

"What do you usually do with your time when you're home alone? Do you ever get bored?"

I glanced up at Liam, unable to gauge his line of question.

"Everything at the company is running smoothly right now, so I don't really have much to do at home." After a beat of quick calculation, I figured he probably thought I was just being lazy.

I offered a hesitant, testing probe. "Should I go and find a job?"

"No need to look around," Liam said, his voice dropping into a slow drawl. Just as I let out a sigh of relief, he continued, "Come work for me. I happen to be looking for an executive assistant."

He stood up, his tall, lean frame completely eclipsing me. An empty cup and spoon clinked together on the table, and a split second later, I was entirely surrounded by the subtle scent of his cologne.

Liam tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His fingertips brushed against my skin, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

"Why are you just standing there with your mouth open? Are you unwilling?"

He was too attractive. After a few sentences from Liam, my brain was already turning to absolute mush, leaving me incapable of denying him anything.

"Then I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at eight, and we'll head into the office together."

They say proximity breeds opportunity. The mental imagery of an office romance play had the corners of my mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.

My dear husband was actually a sly fox in disguise!

---

To avoid making my unhinged intentions too obvious, I intentionally put together a highly professional corporate outfit.

Once I fixed my clothes and walked downstairs, Liam was already waiting for me by the entryway.

Partly nervous and partly ecstatic, I found even the passing scenery outside the car window looking exceptionally beautiful.

Liam seemed amused by my sheer excitement. "It's your first day on the job. Feeling a little nervous?"

"A bit. But I'm mostly just really happy," I said, offering the absolute truth. "I used to only work at my dad's company, so it never really felt like a real job."

"Don't be nervous. Just think of it as working from home. The people in the executive assistant office are easy to get along with."

The phrase working from home gave me another quiet wave of satisfaction. That lasted right until a three hundred page document hit my inbox.

I wanted to cry. All around me, my new coworkers were frantically tapping away at their keyboards. My desk was separated from Liam's office by at least five people.

Forget cultivating the sparks of love. There are no sparks to be found.

I gritted my teeth. Time to embrace the grind. I resolutely threw myself into the life of a corporate slave.

By lunch, I was already walking arm in arm to the cafeteria with my new work friends. A gay bestie on my left, a sophisticated corporate sister on my right. The executive assistants had great looks.

Catching Liam's unreadable gaze through the blinds, I excitedly blinked at him to signal I was adapting perfectly to my new environment.

Maybe it was just the glare on the glass, but Liam's expression seemed to darken as the elevator doors slowly slid shut.

---

The cafeteria was packed for lunch. The three of us finally managed to snag a table when a sudden wave of hushed chatter approached the entrance.

"Why is the CEO eating down here?"

Following Jon Davis's gaze, I craned my neck. Liam was smiling and nodding at passing employees, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms to expose a hint of lean muscle.

"It's employee appreciation month, so eating at the cafeteria counts as an employee benefit." Anna Brown dropped a drumstick onto my plate. I buried my head in my food, pretending I didn't know Liam at all.

Our eyes met for a split second, and I looked away immediately.

"Our CEO is seriously handsome. He has that whole bossy vibe down, right?"

Jon leaned in close, whispering and winking at me.

I gasped in shock. "You like that type? But he isn't gay, isn't he?"

"Our boss Liam settled down rather early. He's already been married for three years." Anna was part of the original staff, so she knew practically everything about the company.

I was just about to dive deeper into the gossip when Liam approached our table, holding a food tray.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Standing at the edge of the table under the midday sun, his eyes looked like clear springs.

The three of us scrambled to tell him it was empty, and Liam took a seat right across from me.

The air froze into a suffocating silence. Right before I could die of absolute embarrassment, Liam spoke up to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Are you satisfied with the cafeteria food lately? Is there anything that needs improvement?"

"The food has always been good, and the employee benefits are great." Jon plastered a massive smile across his face. It was so cringe it gave me goosebumps.

"Hello, Mr. Reed! Even though it's only my first day, the company's warmth had me feeling right at home," I chirped.

What a pair of absolute brown-nosers we were.

Liam's expression instantly shifted from sunny to overcast, making me suspect that our flattery had completely backfired.

"Good. Keep up the hard work." The words sounded like they were dragged out from between his teeth. He turned and walked away, leaving the three of us staring at each other in total confusion.

"Isn't he going to eat?"

"Guess he wasn't hungry," I replied.

"Nina, did you know our boss from before?" Facing Anna's worried gaze, I could only manage a stiff laugh to play it off.

"Nope, never. Maybe he's just having a bad day."

---

Anna seemed worried that I was feeling pressured, so she comforted me all the way back to my desk.

What a touching display of corporate camaraderie. It made my conscience twinge with guilt for hiding my relationship with Liam.

Fueled by that remorse, I voluntarily took on all kinds of grunt work. Before I knew it, the work day came to an end. My phone buzzed.

It was a text from Liam.

[Shall we head home together after work?]

I stretched my back, looked at the pile of remaining paperwork, and decided to reject him.

[I am not the kind of boss who exploits an employee on their very first day.]

[Us corporate slaves will find our own grind.]

Liam stopped replying, so I threw myself back into my work.

By the time I finally sorted the last document, I dragged my exhausted body toward the subway entrance.

The moment I stepped out of the front gates, a black Maybach nearby rolled down its window.

Liam walked over to me, took my bag, and opened the passenger door.

"Good job today."

"Have you been waiting for me this whole time?" It had been three hours since the end of the official work hours.

"Yeah. It's your first day on the job, so I wanted to go home together." The car interior was warm and cozy, illuminated by the faint amber glow of the streetlights.

The atmosphere inside the car instantly turned thick with understated tension.

I curled up in the passenger seat. Liam's fingertips brushed against the steering wheel with casual precision.

The scent of his cologne mingled with the warm blast of the AC had the tips of my ears turning red.

"Did you pretend not to know me because you're afraid your coworkers will find out about our relationship?" Liam asked suddenly, his voice as flat as if we were discussing contract clauses.

"Of course!" I gripped my seatbelt, doubling down with righteous conviction. "What kind of nepo baby blows their own cover on day one? It's called workplace survival strategy."

Liam let out a soft chuckle. "Yet you seemed pretty bold when you were bragging to Jon about how handsome I am."

My entire body went rigid.

He had actually overheard our comment from lunch!

The car came to a stop at a red light, and Liam suddenly leaned in close to me.

"So, are you into that type?"

My back pressed hard against the seat, my throat tightening. "What type?"

"The bossy type. Do you like it?" His eyelashes were practically brushing against the tip of my nose. "The photo of the sexy lingerie. That pair of men's pajamas in the corner belonged to me. I left them in the guest room last month."