The Charade: A Billionaire/Fake Relationship Romance (Eden Falls Academy)
The Charade: Chapter 39

WHEN I FINISHED my dance with Mack, I decided it was time to take a break for a few minutes. I’d been standing in my heels for the better part of an hour and my feet were killing me.

When Carter had said that I’d have guys lining up to dance with me tonight, I’d decided to make his words true. And so, after flirting with several of the cutest and buffest guys at the party during dinner, I made sure to smile and wave flirtatiously at one of them each time the live string quartet started playing a slow song. Sure enough, one of them would eventually leave the huddle of guys standing around the outer edge of the Hastings’s ballroom and come and ask me to dance.

Was I interested in dating any of these guys after tonight? Not really. But it was all about quantity and not quality at this point.

But even though I had more chemistry with a stick of gum than I did with any of the guys I’d danced with—aside from Mack since he’d at least made me laugh—the soirée hadn’t been the total bomb I’d feared it might be. Sure, it wasn’t the romantic evening I’d planned on having when I’d originally thought Carter and I would be attending as a couple, but the ambiance was magical—Cambrielle, her mom, and the event planner had really outdone themselves with the decor and food.

And even though most of the evening was spent with Carter glaring at me from across the room, I did manage to have an okay time hanging out with my friends in our fancy dresses and looking amazing—thanks to the professional hair and makeup team that had pampered us before the party started.

I looked up at the high ceiling above me as I drank my water. The event planners had hung black strips with dangling silver stars across the ceiling. String lights were strung in-between the rows of stars to mimic a beautiful starlit sky glittering above the chandeliers. The edges of the room had silver and white trees with lanterns and strings of white blossoms hanging from the branches, making it feel like I’d been transported to a fairytale castle where I would wait to find my own happily-ever-after with a prince.

It was breathtaking.

Just like a scene from a movie.

Only in this movie, when the princess was in the middle of falling in love with the prince, she failed to realize that she’d also made the tragic mistake of falling for her brother.

What kind of writer would be deranged enough to write a story like that?

I sighed as I glanced around, looking for a place to sit among the fairytale trees so I could kick off my heels and rest my feet for a few minutes. I found Elyse sitting next to Nash who wore the old-fashioned suit and cravat he’d talked about wearing tonight. I was just about to head in their direction when Carter suddenly appeared at my side and tapped on my shoulder, saying, ‘My dad just went into his office with your mom and Dr. Aarden.’

‘My mom’s here?’ My hand went to my throat, and I felt the blood draining out of my face. ‘With your dad?’

Carter nodded, his gaze looking out the big windows that showed the main part of the house. ‘They just went into his office.’

Oh no.

I let out a low breath. ‘You think this is it?’ I asked.

Carter’s jaw was clenched, and I couldn’t help but think he looked as anxious as I felt. ‘I think we’ll find out what’s been going on very soon.’

The last thing I wanted to do was face the music and find out the truth, but I said, ‘I’ll tell Elyse.’

Carter nodded. ‘That’s probably a good idea.’

I took two steps toward my sister and Nash before Carter’s hand gripped my arm, stopping me.

I turned to face him, wondering what he’d have to say after speaking so little to me and glaring at me all night.

‘What?’ I asked, my heart in my throat.

He looked at his hand on my arm briefly before stepping closer, close enough that his chest brushed against my shoulder. He said, ‘I’m probably not going to be able to say this after tonight, but…’ His words trailed off and he searched my face for a few heart-pounding seconds before swallowing and saying, ‘But you look really beautiful tonight. And…’ He sighed and looked at the trees behind me before meeting my gaze again. ‘And I wish it could have been me with you on the dance floor.’

When I searched his eyes, the sincerity in them completely melted the ice that had frozen around my heart during the past two hours.

I pressed my lips together, trying to figure out how I should respond to his admission. And before I could think better of it, I found myself saying, ‘I wish I could have danced with you, too.’

At least once.

Just one last memory like that would have been nice to have before the whole world found out that I’d fallen in love with the one guy at school I could never have.

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