Chapter Eight
As I woke up the next morning, I found Noah beside me and it dawned on me what had happened between us yesterday night.
I thought it's just a contract marriage to make his brother jealous, and probably he would get back his senses.
I slipped out of the bed gently, not wanting to wake Noah. As I was walking out of the room, I heard his voice, as he was stretching up.
"Good Morning Rachel"
I pretended not to hear him.
"I am sorry for what happened yesterday"
"Was it not your intention?".
"I am sorry, I never forced you, it happened out of our will, I am sorry"
"Oh! You want to use me so you can dump me the way your brother did?"
"Rachel. I love you, and last night only made me more certain of that."
I swallowed hard, the words catching in my throat. "Noah, this is all so complicated. We started this as a contract, an arrangement to help both of us. And now... now we're talking about love. What if this changes everything in a way we can't handle?"
"Maybe it will change everything," Noah said, stepping closer.
"But your brother... Noah, I was engaged to him. How can we just forget that?"
Noah's expression darkened slightly. "My brother and I have our own issues, but you were never his to begin with. He didn't appreciate you, Rachel"
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words. "What if we're making a mistake? What if this ruins everything?"
Noah cupped my face in his hands, his touch gentle but firm. "The only mistake would be not giving us a chance. Rachel, I want to be with you, not because of the contract, but because I love you. And I think deep down, you feel the same way."
"I am not feeling any way, just leave me alone" I said leaving his room.
"Can I officially call you my girlfriend?" He teased me.
"No, contracted girlfriend"
I left his room, and I went to my room. I took my phone and I saw different calls and messages from different people, and even unknown numbers.
"I only left my phone for a night, how come I missed 37 calls, this is weird"
I saw that my P. A had called me. But I read her messages before returning the call.
"You need to pick up your call, so we can know the next step to take"
There, I knew something was wrong, I went to one of my social media accounts and I saw the news was all about me, bloggers had been carrying news about me while I was asleep with Noah.
My heart pounded as I scrolled through my social media feed, my fingers trembling. Headlines screamed my name, accompanied by photos of me and Noah. The images weren't explicit, but they were suggestive enough to fuel the gossip mill.
The most caption used by the bloggers are 'Noah, the successful CEO is in a contract marriage with Rachel, the outstanding model'
I already knew this is the work of the secretary of the inner room, she heard everything clearly.
The comment section was awkward, people blaming me for going after Leo's brother when they don't know what exactly happened.
My chest tightened as I continued reading the comments. Some were downright cruel, others were filled with misguided sympathy, but the majority seemed intent on painting me as a villain.
The internet had turned my life into a public spectacle, dissecting me every move, every choice, with the kind of harshness that only anonymity could provide.
"She's just using him for fame. How low can you go, Rachel?" one comment read.
"No wonder Leo left her. She was probably after Noah the whole time!" said another.
I felt her stomach churn as I read on. The world didn't know the truth. They had no idea about the contract, the complicated feelings, the betrayal of my ex-fiancé, my scheming sister and the mother who doesn't care about me.
As I was reading the comment, I got furious. I badge into Noah's room angrily.
"What's going on?" Noah asked.
"Check your phone?"
"What happened?" He said, checking his phone.
"Whoa! How come?" He said after going through the internet to see what's going on.
"This is the work of your secretary of the inner room"
"Stop referring her as secretary of the inner room I don't like it, her name is Karina" He was shocked, and he continued, "How did you know she's the one"
"Is that what you will say at this moment? Is that what you will say when my fans are against me? Are you here to defend her? Let me know"
"Not that, how do you know that she's the one that spread the news, for your fans who are against you, leave that to me, they will beg to support you"
"I saw her behind you at the dining room yesterday night, she was listening to our conversation
Noah's face hardened as I absorbed Rachel's words.
"She was eavesdropping? That's unacceptable."
"Unacceptable? It's catastrophic, Noah! My entire life is being torn apart online, and you're standing here worried about how to refer to Karina?" I trembled in frustration.
Noah touched my arm, but I pulled him away. "Rachel, I'm sorry. I'll handle this, I promise. I'll talk to Karina, and I'll make sure the truth comes out."
I shook my head, feeling the walls closing in around me. "And what good will that do now? The damage is already done. People think I'm some scheming woman who played you and Leo against each other. How do I come back from that?"
He stepped closer, his expression softening. "You don't have to come back from anything alone. We'll face this together. And I'll do whatever it takes to fix this, even if it means firing Karina."