CHAPTER 35: THE UNEXPECTED SHOW

Alexia POV:

Who would have thought that I, Alexia, would be out shopping for shoes without once checking the price tag? Just picking what I liked felt like something straight out of a dream. While Aiden was glued to his phone, I spotted the cutest pair of wedges I’d ever seen. They were perfect—simple yet elegant with a pop of color that screamed fun but classy.

The attendant caught me eyeing them and asked if I wanted to try them on. I nodded eagerly. The moment I slipped them on, I was sold. They were as comfortable as they were stylish, and I couldn’t help but gush.

"I’m in love," I murmured dreamily.

That was when Aiden walked in. He must have caught the tail end of my sentence because his cold, sharp voice cut through the air.

"With who? You know you can’t—"

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing we weren’t alone. The two attendants standing nearby were laughing softly at his reaction to the shoes.

"With the shoes, silly," I snapped, shooting him a glare. "I’m in love with the shoes."

For a second, he looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck as his ears turned faintly red. But then, just as I thought he might actually apologize for jumping to conclusions, his signature wicked smirk appeared.

Before I could even brace myself, his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against him. My heart leaped to my throat as my eyes went wide.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed under my breath, already readying a shove.

He leaned in, his lips dangerously close to my ear, and whispered, "Play along. The paparazzi are here."

Paparazzi? What? I didn’t even have time to process his words before his voice turned louder, smoother, and dripping with charm.

"You know," he said loudly enough for the whole store to hear, "you’re not allowed to fall in love with anyone—or anything—except me."

The attendants practically melted on the spot, swooning over his smooth delivery. Meanwhile, my face went beet red, a mix of anger and embarrassment flooding me.

This man. This jerk.

He pulled back slightly, still smirking, but his arm didn’t move from my waist.

"You’re going to regret that," I whispered between gritted teeth, trying to muster all the venom I could.

He chuckled, low and confident. "Oh, I’m counting on it, sweetheart."

Great. Just great. What did I sign up for?

Taking full advantage of the moment—and his irritating smirk—I reached up and pinched his cheeks in what could almost look like an affectionate gesture.

But I made sure to pinch hard. Really hard.

"You silly goose," I cooed through gritted teeth, plastering on the sweetest smile I could muster. "No shoes could ever surpass you."

The attendants giggled, completely oblivious to the tension radiating between us. Meanwhile, Aiden’s smirk faltered as his jaw tightened. His hands flexed slightly on my waist, probably to stop himself from prying my fingers off his face.

"Damn it, Alexia," he hissed under his breath, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

I gave his cheeks one last hard squeeze before letting go, stepping back with a wicked grin. "You’re welcome, darling," I chirped sweetly, then turned back to the attendant.

"I’ll take these shoes," I said brightly, slipping them off and handing them over for checkout.

Behind me, Aiden rubbed at his face, glaring daggers my way. Oh, that felt so good. For once, I had the upper hand.

I flashed him another grin before sauntering off to the register, leaving him to stew in his bruised ego. And maybe his cheeks too.

After a while, Aiden came to the register just as the cashier was putting the shoes into a bag. He waved them off.

"She’ll be wearing these," he said curtly before turning to the cashier. "Send every design in her size to this address." He handed over his home address and added, "Charge it to this account."

Before I could process what was happening, he grabbed my arm and started leading me out of the store.

"Let go! I can walk just fine," I hissed, trying to pull away.

"Not now, not here," he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening slightly.

When we reached his car, he finally stopped and turned to look at me, his expression hard and angry.

"Don’t you dare do that again," he said sharply, his jaw clenched.

I folded my arms and stared him down. "Yeah? Or what?" I challenged, defiance burning in my voice.

He cursed under his breath, a frustrated "fuck" escaping his lips, before pulling me toward him suddenly. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. My breath caught as he stopped inches from my face, his dark eyes boring into mine. His hand slid around my waist, drawing me closer.

"What are you—"

"Say cheese," he interrupted, a smirk playing on his lips.

Before I could react, a flash went off, blinding me momentarily. It took a second to realize what had just happened. From this angle, anyone looking at the photo would think we were kissing.

"What the hell?" I said, shoving him back as my face flushed crimson.

He stepped away with a satisfied smirk, opening the car door casually.

"Get in," he ordered, his tone making it clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Furious and flustered, I climbed into the car, slamming the door behind me. I glared at him as he walked around to the driver’s side, my heart pounding wildly.

He should’ve warned me before pulling a stunt like that! For a second, I actually thought he was going to kiss me—and the thought sent my heart into overdrive. Stupid jerk. Now I was left sitting here, trying to calm the rollercoaster of emotions raging inside me.

As I sat fuming in his stupid fancy car, I couldn’t stop glaring at the window, trying to cool the fire in my chest. First, he dragged me out of the store like I was some helpless damsel, and now he had the audacity to pull that stunt in the parking lot?

I sat in the car, my face was burning hotter than the midday sun. Stupid Aiden. Stupid smirk. Stupid almost-kiss.

I crossed my arms and glared out the window, trying to will my heartbeat back to normal. It was just a trick. Just another one of his manipulative stunts. But damn it, why did it feel like I was the one losing?

He slid into the driver’s seat, looking completely unbothered, as if he hadn’t just yanked me into some fake-romance photo op without my consent.

"Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath, clenching my fists.

"What’s that?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with amusement.

"Nothing," I snapped, refusing to look at him.

He let out a low chuckle, and I could feel his smugness radiating off him like a damn heatwave.

"Relax, Alexia. It’s just one picture. The tabloids will eat it up, and my father will lose his mind thinking I found someone and we’re head over heels for each other. Win-win," he said nonchalantly, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel.

"Win-win? Are you kidding me?" I finally turned to him, unable to hold back. "I thought you were going to kiss me!"

He smirked, and I hated how good it looked on him. "Did you want me to?"

"Excuse me?" My voice came out louder than I intended, and my cheeks burned.

"You heard me," he said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "You looked pretty disappointed when I stopped."

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. How dare he twist this around on me? I wasn’t disappointed—I was mad! Right?

"Don’t flatter yourself," I finally managed, crossing my arms. "I was just caught off guard by your...your..."

"Charm?" he offered, smirking wider.

"Delusion," I shot back.

He laughed, a deep, infuriating sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Alexia.

"You really should watch that temper of yours," he said smoothly, starting the car.

I whipped my head toward him, ready to fire back, but the words died in my throat when I saw the way his lips twitched—like he was trying not to laugh.

"You’re impossible," I muttered, slouching in my seat.

"And you’re predictable," he shot back, his tone infuriatingly smug. "I told you, Alexia. Play along. You’re the one who decided to pinch my face in public. Now everyone thinks we’re madly in love."

"Madly in love with pinching your stupid face," I retorted, feeling a spark of satisfaction when his grin faltered for a split second.

The car sped down the road, the tension thick in the air. I was determined not to look at him, not to give him any satisfaction. But my brain wouldn’t stop replaying those few torturous seconds when I thought he was actually going to kiss me.

"By the way," he said after a long silence, his voice disturbingly calm. "That wasn’t even a kiss."

I turned my head to glare at him. "No kidding."

He glanced at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Just thought you should know. When I do kiss you..." He paused, smirking at the road ahead. "You’ll feel it in every nerve of your body, Alexia."

My jaw dropped, and I stared at him, speechless. Did he just—?

I turned back to the window, my fists clenched in my lap. He was messing with me. He had to be.

The rest of the ride was a blur of anger and confusion. My heart hadn’t stopped pounding since that near-kiss moment. I hated how he got under my skin so easily.

But one thing was certain—I wasn’t about to let him have the last word. If he thought he could keep messing with me, he had another thing coming.

Game on, Aiden. Game on.