Chapter 20

Today was the day that Kelsey dreaded the most. Ella was at the penthouse once again with a rack of gowns delivered. She was preparing Kelsey for the night and helping her out with the guest lists again.

"Okay, who is this?" Ella asked showing a picture of a woman with fiercer look. She had a brunette hair, golden brown eyes, and pouty lips. She looked like she was in her mid-thirties.

"Um..." Kelsey started as she tried to recall all the people in the binder. "That's..." Then it clicked to her. "That's Marcella Polter. She's the wife of Paul Polter who owns the Hamistfield. They are very important people because they have been business partners with King Corporation for almost a decade now. They also started many branches across the globe, increasing the rate of the company." She answered.

Ella smiled at her and nodded her head. "That's right! Great job!" She said placing the photo down on the centre table.

They were currently in the living room and were studying the contents of the binder. Mason left for work early in the morning that Kelsey didn't even see him before he went. Georgia, however, was there early to cooked breakfast for Mason and to clean around the place.

Ella sat beside Kelsey on the couch and let out a sigh. "I think that's enough for now. We went through most of the significant people you'll most likely bump into at the party."

"Thanks for your help, Ella. I really don't know any of these." Kelsey sincerely thanked her as she spread her arms to point at the gowns, make-up, and the binder.

"No, you shouldn't thank me, Kelsey. In fact, I should thank you." She said facing her soon-to-be sister-in-law. "If you didn't agree to this messed up plan of Mason, I wouldn't be doing what I do now."

"What do you mean?" Kelsey curiously asked.

Ella sighed before speaking and sat up from her slouch position. "Mason was being his fool self and my grandmother caught him bringing a girl from a club home. She got furious and made a deal with Mason. He has to get married within the next three months. If he doesn't, my grandma will pull the company out of Mason's hands and instead give it to me. Mason worked so hard starting when dad assigned him as the new CEO and co-owner of the company. And I love my job. I love being a fashion designer and I would really love to have my own shop one day.

"Trust me, when I heard this plan, I called Mason insane. I mean, who in their right mind would hire a bride and go through a pretend marriage. But you came along and you gave me a sense of hope. Because I know my grandma and when she says she'll do it, she certainly will do it. Just promise me one thing, Kelsey?"

"What is it?"

"Promise me that you will not catch feelings for my brother. Promise me that you will always remember that this is just temporary. You're a very nice woman, Kelsey, and I don't want you to get hurt at the end." She warned her.

Kelsey felt a pain surged through her chest. She knew she had already caught some feelings for Mason. She felt stupid knowing that everything was just temporary and a big act. She suddenly felt an ache in her chest as if someone was continuously stabbing her heart with a needle.

Ella noticed the sudden change of mood of Kelsey. She looked into her eyes and she soon realized that it was too late to warn her. She saw Kelsey reached for her chest and massaged it as if soothing the pain near her heart. "No?..." Ella quietly uttered in astonishment. "You didn't catch feelings for my brother, did you?"

"No!" Kelsey hurriedly denied. "I mean, of course not. Everything is just an act." She said more to herself rather than informing Ella. Ella, however, could see through her lies. She was totally denying her feelings for Mason. Ella knew that it wasn't hard to fall for her brother. He had that charm that good girls like Kelsey could never resist.

"Keep telling yourself that." Ella told Kelsey, patting her on the shoulder as she stood up from the couch and placed her make-up kit on the table. "Let's start doing your make-up." She announced leaving Kelsey with restless thoughts.

~ * ~ * ~

"Just grab me the copy of the proposal and I'll look through it again." Mason ordered and dismissed his secretary.

"Yes, sir." Nina obliged and was about to grab the doorknob when it flew open surprising her. She gasped and held a hand on her chest in astonishment.

"Sorry." The husky yet gentle voice sent a shiver down Nina's back. The handsome man staring right back at her was clearly affecting her in ways that she never felt before and she never wanted to ever feel again. She knew she had a very tiny chance to actually go out with him. Having feelings for him was completely out of the question. "Did I scare you?" Ricky asked with a smug look on his face.

"Just a little." She responded letting out a little giggle. She quickly stopped realizing that she sounded flirtatious with the way she giggle. She wished Ricky didn't notice the small action, but based on the smirk of contentment on his lips, she knew the action didn't pass him. "Excuse me." She shuffled out of the room as Ricky stared at the closed door with a genuine smile on his face.

"You have got to stop flirting in my office." Mason commanded without sparing him a glance. "Actually, just don't do it in my presence at all." He said as continued typing on his desktop. Ricky chuckled and sat on his favorite reclining chair, placing his hands behind his head.

"C'mon, I'm just having a little fun with your hot secretary. You know, I'm surprise you haven't banged her yet." Ricky joked around finally catching Mason's attention.

Mason was stopped midway with his typing and glared at Ricky. "You're an idiot." He muttered as he went back to typing. Ricky sat up and squinted his eyes at him.

"What does that mean?" He asked knowing that there was more to the topic.

Mason sighed and glanced at him again. "The girl clearly likes you. Are you blind or just totally insensitive?" He questioned raising an eyebrow. Ricky's smirk was completely wiped out of his lips once he heard his friend tell him that the woman he found hot, sexy and intelligent was into him.

"No?..." He denied trying to shake the thought out of his mind. "That can't be. I think you're being delusional." He firmly told him. "All this engagement-marriage talk for the past few days has got you thinking so weirdly."

Mason started laughing and stared at his friend who was clearly in denial. Ricky glared at him and asked, "What?"

"Why are you trying to push the idea so much? Now, you're just being in denial, man." He announced causing Ricky to scoffed and stood up to sit on one of the chairs closed to Mason's desk.

"I am not being in denial." He said in disgust. "You're just not making any sense. Don't just go around and tell me that the girl who I mess around with suddenly likes me."

Mason noticed that something was bothering his friend and he wanted to know what it was. "Look, what's the big deal? You said it yourself, she's just a girl who you mess around with. Why are you being so affected about this? So what, she likes you? Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Mason questioned in curiosity.

Ricky straightened his back and looked away from his friend. He realized that he was, in fact, overreacting and was trying to push the idea away. Mason smirked at Ricky's sudden quietness. He knew he hit a nerve and was successful to make him realize why it was strange of him to overreact.

"If it'll make you feel better, I can ask Nina to stay out of distance whenever you're around if you find this whole situation weird. I'm sorry, bro, I just had to tell you what I see." Mason honestly said as he went back to doing his work.

"No, that's not necessary." Ricky stated and there was a tone in his voice that declared that the conversation for the topic was over. "Anyway, I came here to ask if you need any help for tonight. I mean, it's the big day. You and Kelsey are going public for the first time as fiances. Are you ready?" He asked switching subjects.

"No, I don't need any more help for tonight. Everything is under control. I just need you to get there earlier to make sure everything is perfect."