Rachel's POV
I walked into my office, hoping to have a peaceful morning after the chaos of the previous night.
But as soon as I saw Jasmine sitting at her desk, I knew I wasn't going to get out of this that easily.
Her eyes narrowed at me.
I let out a sigh, rolling my eyes.
I barely had enough sleep; my mind kept running wild.
"Hey, girl," Jasmine said, looking up at me with a concerned expression. "What happened last night? Care to explain? Plus, you took off so quickly after the gala."
I sighed, knowing I wasn't getting out of this. "It's a long story," I said, flopping down in my chair.
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Try me," she said.
I took a deep breath knowing I had no choice but to let her on.
Jasmine has always pointed out the tension between me and Andrew… or should I add Darius as well?
"So, you know how Andrew was married, right?"
Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, I remember. He got divorced a month ago. I've never seen or heard news about her. He has her hidden for some reason."
I nodded. "Right. Well, I am his ex-wife. Andrew cheated on me with my best friend Victoria. It was a huge mess."
Jasmine's eyes widened in shock. "No way! You? I had no idea."
I nodded. "Yeah, it was a tough time for me. But anyway, last night at the gala, Victoria was there, and you saw the scene she created back there."
Jasmine made a face. "Ugh, I hate people like that, her specifically."
I nodded. "Yeah, me too. So, anyway, Darius, he lied about us being engaged just to save me from embarrassment."
Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise. "He did what? Oh my god! I was already matchmaking you guys. I always found you two cute together."
I sent her a playful glare, and she mouthed a sorry.
"Seriously though, I mean…" She trails off.
I nodded. "Get those thoughts out of your head. Darius is Andrew's uncle and too old for me, and now his family thinks we're engaged."
Jasmine laughed. "Well, that's a complicated situation, but think about it: you and Darius together, it's going to be the biggest comeback you'll ever give Andrew."
Oh no!
Not Jasmine too, for god's sake.
"What?" She laughs. "I am just saying."
I sent her a glare. "Well, stop saying it, because it's not going to happen, not in a million years. Darius is off limits."
"Who said I was?" Darius's voice dropped, catching me off guard.
My eyes widen as I turn, meeting a smirk playing on his lips.
I turned back to Jasmine and shared a knowing look, but she shrugged and got up from my chair.
"I was leaving anyway," she announced, walking away.
Oh for god's sake!
"What do you want, Darius?" I asked while walking to my chair and keeping the files I had in hand.
He didn't say a word but rather examined my face momentarily before shaking his head disappointingly.
He didn't say a thing but stared even more, making me shiver uncomfortably, hating the way his eyes had so much effect on Metz.
"What do you want?" I asked again, snapping him out of his daze, trying to sound calm.
"About last night," he starts, settling down
I raised an eyebrow. "What about last night?"
I was trying to play dumb because I had already buried what had occurred and didn't want to talk about it even further; it is all in the past now; bygones are bygones.
Darius pulled out a small box from his pocket and opened it, revealing two beautiful diamond rings. "I want you to wear this," he said, his voice firm.
I was taken aback. "What? No!"
Darius's frown deepened. "I'm not asking you, Rachel. I'm telling you. You're going to wear this ring and pretend to be my fiancée for as long as I find a way to get us out of this mess."
I shook my head. "No way. I'm not going to do that. I will not pretend to be your fiancée. You figure out how to go about lying to your family and don't drag me into this." I was taken aback by his audacity.
He can't just come here and order me around; it doesn't work that way.
Darius snaps me back to reality as he reaches out and takes my hand, forcing the ring onto my finger. "You're going to wear this ring, Rachel. And you're going to come with me to my family's gathering tonight and pretend we are the happiest of couples; after all, I did this for you."
I tried to pull my hand away, but Darius held it tight. "No, I'm not going, and I didn't fucking ask you to lie for me!" I roared, trying to keep my voice down.
Darius hissed in frustration. "I'm not asking you, Rachel. I'm telling you. You're going to come with me tonight, and you're going to wear this ring. It's an order. Don't test me; you won't want to face my wrath."
I felt a surge of fear mixed with anger at his tone, but before I could register what was going on, Darius got up and headed for the door.
"Stop!" I blurted, getting up and walking after him.
He stopped.
"Whatever games you are trying to play, mister, count me out of it. I do not want to be involved in—"
And he walked away.
Leaving me angry and frustrated.
The audacity