CHAPTER 59: SMILE FOR THE CAMERAS

Alexia’s POV

As Aiden led me down the hallway, I noticed the unmistakable glint of phone screens.

People were taking pictures. Recording videos. Whispering excitedly while pretending not to stare.

Fantastic.

Just what I needed—footage of my fake marriage spreading like wildfire.

I tried to subtly pull my arm away from Aiden’s, but his grip tightened just enough to warn me not to even try it.

You absolute menace.

He was still smiling, playing the role of the perfect doting husband. Meanwhile, I was fighting every urge not to throw myself into the nearest supply closet and lock the door until everyone forgot I existed.

Lucy, who had caught up to us, was barely containing her excitement. She was walking beside me like my own personal paparazzi, whisper-squealing, "They’re taking videos, Alexia! You guys are trending already! Smile! Act natural!"

Smile? Act natural?!

How the hell was I supposed to act natural when I was being paraded around like the goddamn Duchess of Cambridge?!

"Aiden," I whispered through clenched teeth, "let go."

"Why?" he whispered back, his voice dripping with amusement. "We’re married, aren’t we? What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t escort my wife?"

Oh, I don’t know, maybe a sane one?

The cameras were still flashing.

People were still recording.

And Aiden was still gripping my arm like he was personally escorting me down the goddamn red carpet.

With every step we took, the crowd only grew bigger.

Some students were following us. Others had stopped in their tracks to gawk. A group of girls in the corner were whispering furiously, no doubt trying to figure out how someone like me had ended up with someone like him.

"Smile, sweetheart," Aiden murmured under his breath, still keeping that infuriatingly charming expression. "Or people are going to think our marriage is fake."

Oh, screw you.

I forced my lips into a tight, miserable smile.

"You are absolutely enjoying this, aren’t you?" I muttered.

"What gave it away?" he smirked, guiding me toward the campus exit.

I swear, if murder wasn’t illegal—

And then, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse—

Someone yelled, "Kiss her!"

WHAT?!

I froze.

Aiden’s grip on my arm tightened just slightly, and for the first time today, I saw his infamous smile falter.

Kiss her?

These people are insane.

A chorus of excited voices followed.

"Yeah! Kiss her!"

"Come on, Timberlake, don’t be shy!"

"Give us a real-life romance movie moment!"

Romance movie?! This is a freaking horror film!

I turned to Aiden with a desperate look in my eyes, silently begging him to do something—anything—to stop this madness.

Instead, he just smirked, tilting his head slightly, like he was actually considering it.

No. No way. Absolutely not.

I will dropkick this man in broad daylight.

I shot him a warning glare, the kind that said ’I will bite you if you try it.’

His smirk widened.

I swear, he was enjoying this way too much.

The crowd was growing restless.

Some were pulling out their phones again, ready to capture the moment. Others were chanting his name like this was some kind of sports event.

This was bad.

Very bad.

Think, Alexia, think!

I whipped my head around, scanning my surroundings for an escape route. But there was nowhere to run unless I wanted to bulldoze through a group of very enthusiastic fangirls.

Aiden tilted his head lower, his breath teasing against my ear.

"I don’t mind giving them what they want, sweetheart," he murmured. "Do you?"

That’s it. This man has a death wish.

I did the only thing I could think of.

I stomped down hard on his foot.

"Shit—!" Aiden jerked back, his smirk vanishing as he winced in pain.

The crowd gasped.

I seized my opportunity, twisting my arm free from his grip and stepping away, clutching my chest dramatically.

"Oh my God!" I gasped, loud enough for the audience to hear. "Aiden! I told you, no public displays of affection on campus! You promised we’d keep things private!"

Aiden’s head snapped up, his jaw clenching as he realized what I was doing.

The crowd erupted into a mixture of laughter and teasing cheers.

"Ohhh! Someone’s shy!"

"Damn, Aiden’s whipped!"

"Timberlake, you smooth bastard, you almost had her!"

Aiden’s expression was a perfect mix of annoyance and amusement.

He straightened, dusting off his sleeve like I hadn’t just tried to break his foot.

"Fine," he sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "If my wife insists on keeping our love private, then I must respect her wishes."**

The crowd let out a chorus of "Awwws."

I nearly gagged.

Aiden glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his smirk returning in full force.

"But don’t worry," he added, "I’ll make up for it at home."

WHAT?!

I barely resisted the urge to punch him in the arm.

Instead, I smiled sweetly and kicked him in the shin.

His smirk didn’t even waver.

Cockroach.

The crowd laughed again, and thankfully, the attention began to shift as people moved on with their day.

Lucy, who had been silently witnessing everything like she was watching a Netflix drama, clapped me on the back.

"Damn, girl," she whispered. "You and Aiden are so cute. You’re like one of those sassy romance novel heroines. I love it."

I forced a tight-lipped smile.

Right. Romance. Totally.

Lucy then turned to Aiden and wiggled her eyebrows.

"So... when’s the honeymoon?"

Aiden chuckled.

"Oh, we’re saving that for the holidays."

Liar.

Lucy gasped. "Oh my God, can I come?"

I nearly choked. "NO."

Aiden just laughed.

I shot him a glare, but all he did was flash me a knowing smirk.

This man was going to be the death of me.

I stormed ahead, yanking Aiden along with me.

"Are you done publicly humiliating me, or should I schedule a press conference for later?" I hissed under my breath.

Aiden chuckled, completely unfazed. "Relax, sweetheart. I was just keeping up appearances."

Appearances, my ass.

People were still sneaking glances at us, whispering and giggling as we passed. Some even smiled at me like I was some fairy tale princess married to Prince Charming.

If only they knew.

Lucy, practically vibrating with excitement, followed beside me.

"Seriously, Alex, I can’t believe you never told me that being married to Aiden freaking Timberlake was this fun!"

Because I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, genius. And no it wasn’t fun!

I forced a nervous laugh, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. "It’s not that big of a deal."

Lucy gasped so loudly that I swear the entire university turned to look at us again.

"Not that big of a deal?!" she shrieked. "You’re married to a billionaire, Alex! You live in a mansion! You—"

"Okay, okay!" I clamped a hand over her mouth before she announced my entire life story to the world.

Aiden, of course, was highly amused.

"It’s alright, sweetheart," he said in that oh-so-smug voice of his. "You don’t have to hide how much you adore me."

I whipped my head toward him, glaring. "I will bite you."

Lucy snorted. "God, you two are hilarious."

I sighed.

I was never getting rid of her, was I?

The sound of Lucy literally squealing beside me.

I was going to die.

"Can you not?" I seethed under my breath, trying to pull away.

"Not what?" he asked innocently.

"Be so..." I flailed a hand around us, gesturing at the entire circus he was causing.

Aiden only smirked.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t help being this charming."

I am going to strangle this man.

People were still recording.

I could see the title of tomorrow’s news already:

’Aiden Timberlake and His Adorably Shy Wife – Couple Goals?’

I sighed, forcing a tight smile as Aiden gently tugged me toward the exit.

This was my life now, huh?

Fake marriage.

Public scrutiny.

And a husband who enjoyed tormenting me way too much.

Great. Just great.

The moment we got into the car, I whirled toward Aiden and glared daggers at him.

"I thought I told you not to come to campus?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

The arrogant smirk he had been wearing earlier? Gone. The charming, husband-of-the-year act? Completely vanished.

Instead, his expression turned cold, detached—the real Aiden Timberlake.

"And I thought I told you to keep up appearances." His voice was smooth, but there was a sharp edge to it. "You didn’t seem to mind when I was covering for you earlier."

I scoffed. "Covering for me? Oh, you mean that fairytale you spun for the press?" I shook my head. "I preferred them speculating about the marriage, not you giving them a live performance to obsess over."

Aiden’s jaw ticked. "Watch your tone."

Oh, so now I needed to ’watch my tone’?

I leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "You watch your tone."

A tense silence filled the car.

The air between us crackled with frustration—mine was blazing hot, his was icy cold.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then, Aiden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look," he muttered, "I only did what was necessary. The press conference put us under a microscope. If I didn’t show up today, people would start digging deeper. And the last thing we need is for them to find out the truth."

I knew he was right.

I hated that he was right.

I exhaled sharply, turning to look out the window.

"Whatever," I muttered. "Just don’t do it again."

Aiden chuckled. "No promises, sweetheart."

I groaned, slumping back into my seat.

This man was going to be the death of me.