RENT A HEART : The forbidden passion

Eve Mikleson was Ethereal Eve, the country's biggest fashion brand. Gorgeous, strong-willed, and fiercely independent, she projected an image of having it all. But beneath the designer façade, family expectations and a past heartbreak weighed heavily. As the last unmarried Mikleson grandchild, she was a constant target for matchmaking, and with the family's anniversary looming, her mother issued an ultimatum: produce a boyfriend or face an arranged marriage to the insufferable Frederick. For Eve, it was a fight to maintain control over her own life. And she was running out of time. Across town, Christopher, the devilishly handsome heir to the Atlantis Conglomerate, had spent fifteen years escaping his father's suffocating grip, driven by a difficult relationship and the loss of his mother. Now, back in town to oversee a few construction projects, he was determined to keep his distance, especially from his father’s schemes to marry him off to the president’s daughter. He thought he had everything under control, but he hadn't accounted for a chance encounter with Eve, a woman who would propose a daring solution to both their problems: a fake relationship. Stolen glances linger a moment too long, casual touches ignite a spark, and the lines between pretense and genuine connection become increasingly blurred. The convenience of their arrangement transforms into a confusing tangle of burgeoning feelings and undeniable attraction. As their fake relationship deepens, they find themselves grappling with the unexpected consequences of their deception. Secrets from their pasts threaten to surface, and the carefully constructed world they've built together begins to tremble. Can Eve and Christopher navigate the complexities of their fake relationship, or will their hidden desires and unspoken truths shatter the fragile bond they’ve created? Find out with me :) ---------------------- The past week had felt like a lifetime of dodging my own feelings. As I sat at the head of the table, I felt the dam about to break, then the door swung open, and my heart lurched. Chris stood there, a storm cloud personified. His expression was unreadable, but one thing was clear: he wasn't smiling. My staffs exchanged glances, their gazes then focusing on me. "Eve," Chris's voice was low. "We need to talk." The room went silent, thick with nervous energy. The unspoken question hung in the air. "Chris," I said, my voice calm despite my pounding heart, "can this wait? We're in the middle of an important meeting." I wanted him to leave, to deal with this later, on my terms. "No, it can't," he said, stepping into the room. His anger simmered beneath the surface, but there was a visible vulnerability that made my own heart ache. "Please excuse us," I told my staffs, who hurriedly packed and left us alone. "You just left. You left after that night with just empty words on a piece of paper and then went out of the country for a whole week, Eve. A whole week." I was surprised to see him so vulnerable, so angry. It was the first time. It was obvious he was hurt, and I knew I was wrong. He stalked towards me, like a predator, and as he got closer, the anger seemed to flicker, replaced by a different intensity. He stopped in front of me, and then, without warning, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a tight, desperate embrace. My breath hitched. I went stiff for a moment, surprised by the contact. Then, almost instantly, my arms went around him, clinging to his strong frame. A mix of emotions flooded me: surprise, relief, and an overwhelming need to simply hold him. I breathed in his familiar scent, a comforting aroma that had been haunting my senses for the last week. He held me tightly, as if afraid I'd vanish if he let go, and I didn't resist. I had dreamed of this. He pulled back, his hands on my shoulders, his gaze searching mine with an intensity that made my heart flutter. The anger lingered, but it was mixed with something else. Some