Chapter 4 - Chapter Four: First betrayal

The morning after the kiss seemed more weighty than it should have. Sitting in Andrew's penthouse's shining kitchen, cradling a cup of coffee that had long gone cold, Victoria felt the weight of their responsibilities pressing down on her. Still running the kiss in her thoughts, she recalled the taste of his lips and the tension between them. But it was not genuine. It was impossible. Andrew's footsteps resonated behind her, making her tense up and refuse to look back. Thicker than the quiet that spanned between them, the tension in the air was oppressive. For a minute he was silent; she sensed his icy, pointed stare on her. She could nearly see the tempest developing behind his calm. "I don't need this," Andrew's voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it had a sharpness that made her stomach tighten. You don't get to muddy the borders between our agreement and reality. Victoria's heart sank. At last, she turned to confront him and saw his frigid gaze. His eyes were sharp, his jaw tight, as if he were attempting to shove something down. Could it be rage? Letdown? "I never meant for this to be, " She began, but he interrupted, moving closer and his presence overpowering. He retorted, "Your apologies are unnecessary." Victoria, you kissed me. You went too far. You wanted to make this real, but I'm not here to be your hero in shining armour. The severity in his voice made Victoria's heart race. He wasn't gazing at her the same way any more. His chill had come back, closing her out and causing her to feel like just a piece in his game. She was about to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She had no idea how to remedy this. How could she when everything between them was founded on lies? His voice was low and conclusive when he said, "I didn't sign up for this." You are here to play a part, nothing more. Remember that. Without saying anything more, he turned and walked away, leaving her to struggle with the knot in her chest. A haze of media interest and awkward silences marked the next several days. Every second spent with Andrew seemed like a show, something she wasn't certain she could sustain. He was now colder, more aloof, and every contact made her feel more like a stranger than his fiêncée. But it wasn't all bothering her. Victoria had spent the last few nights probing into Andrew's past, his family, the controversy with his brother Langston. The more disturbing the reality grew the deeper she went. And now, something much darker was coming to light. It began with a phone call. Her inside friend whispered frantically, "Victoria, you have to see this." Details regarding your relationship have been seeping from someone. Someone near Andrew. Victoria's stomach sank as she looked at her phone, the screen's words searing into her head. The media had learnt of their arrangement; more than that, they were aware of the contract. The truth was eluding them, coming from someone who ought to have been faithful. Scrolling through the texts, each one more incriminating than the last, she clinched her teeth and her fingers shook. She had to inform Andrew. But since she didn't know who to trust, how could she? A fresh message appeared just as she was going to pick up the phone to call him. Reading it out loud made her breath catch. The truth will emerge; you will regret toying with fire. Victoria's heart raced in her chest. Who was menacing her? More significantly, who had let them down? When Andrew came later that night, Victoria was no longer alone with her ideas. She required solutions as the ambiguity was too much to bear alone. Andrew entered the apartment, his typical confidence hidden under the same frigid attitude he had been carrying for days. Though he didn't talk or look at her, the room's tension was obvious. Victoria responded, her voice strong but tinged with annoyance, "You have to let me know what's happening." Someone is sharing details. Someone near you. At the charge, Andrew tensed his back. His voice was strained as he said, "What are you talking about?" even if he wasn't his normal cool. Frustration growing, she walked towards him. Andrew, this is not only about me! You, you have a betrayal on your hands. Someone you trust; someone with access to all we have laboured for. Her gaze pierced his. "Who?" Andrew's eyes grew darker, and for a brief time she noticed the glimmer of something more profound in his stare, fear? Deception? "I didn't think you'd go this far," he continued, his voice colder than she had ever heard it. You are probing into areas you lack knowledge. Victoria said, "I have to know, Andrew." Who is carrying this out? His expression stiffening, he moved closer to her. Knowing everything would require you to be prepared to hear things altering your perspective on me for all time. His words stung her and she recoiled backward. What does that imply? Andrew's jaw clenched as he looked at her for a long time. It suggests that when the truth emerges, you might not like it. You may not want to know what I had to do to arrive here. Victoria confronted the guy who had turned both her saviour and her jailer, and her breath became shallow as her heart raced. He wasn't the guy she imagined. He wasn't the guy she had been falling for. The truth, it appeared, was as hazardous as the falsehoods. Andrew and Victoria's silence was thick and suffocating, extending out. Victoria's mind raced as she reflected on the meaning of his comments from the prior night. The kiss had left everything raw and exposed, closing the fragile distance between them. But Andrew's penthouse living room today made her unable to ignore that something was clearly wrong beneath the surface. Andrew was walking quickly over the polished marble floors, fists at his sides clenching and unclenching. He had been distant all day; his coolness was unavoidably impossible to miss. She could not anymore endure it. "Tell me, Andrew," she said, her voice steady but insistent. Tell me about what happened with Langston. What was his action? Andrew stopped with his back to her, catching his breath for just a minute. Turning gradually, he faced her gaze with a fervour that caused her stomach to twist. You think you understand the reality? he said, snarling and softly. Langston's betrayal pales in comparison to what I have had to forfeit. Victoria's heart pounded inside her ribcage. She had expected anger. She had expected resistance. But the suffering in his voice was something she had not expected. You have no idea what it's like to be born into this family, he murmured, his voice now quieter and full of genuine vulnerability. Every choice I've had to live with, every decision I've taken has a price you don't know. She went in his way; he lifted a hand to halt her. "Don't," he murmured, his voice quivering with emotion. You don't get to know that side of myself. Not at this time. Victoria's mind raced, but she could not deny the truth of his remarks. She had not seen the cost of the empire he had built. She had not felt the weight of the secrets buried deep within his family. She was out of her depth; the more she knew, the more she felt drawn to him and the more perilous it seemed. Victoria's head was a jumbled wreck as she wandered the penthouse that night. She had spent hours trying to grasp Andrew's comments; yet the more she thought about it, the more complicated everything seemed. The magnetic tension building since their faux engagement started made her unable to resist the pull she felt for him. She did not mean it. She had not asked for it. But his attitude towards her and the way he looked at her were starting to feel strange. She was starting to feel something real. She stood by the window looking out over the city. Below her, the lights twinkled far from the chaos of feelings churning within her. A loud sound broke her daydream and she turned to find Andrew a few feet away, his piercing stare examining her as if she were something he couldn't quite grasp. Victoria, he said her name like a warning. You are not supposed to be engaged in this. It's just company. His comments were now familiar; he had previously used them. But this time, something in his eyes made her heart race. "I know what this is," she continued, her voice wavering yet determined. But for me, Andrew, you are not just a business transaction. He moved on and the surroundings grew thick. For a little moment, all the noise of the world appeared to disappear. Their eyes met and the barrier between them seemed to vanish. Before she understood what was happening, Andrew's hand reached out and surprisingly softly seized her wrist. The room appeared too small and too hot all of a sudden. Gasping, she pulled her closer, almost brushing his body to hers. Victoria's heart raced in her chest; his lips were only a breath apart. Andrew's lips abruptly crashed over hers. Unlike anything she had ever known, the kiss was frenzied, primitive, and urgent. It was not just for the media. It was not just a charade; it was also... This was more, something really distinct. Victoria's hands immediately went to his chest; before she could deepen the kiss, he jerked away violently, leaving her breathless and her pulse racing. His voice was soft, almost severe; he gazed at her with a cryptic glance. Is this still a charade? Her voice almost a whisper, she said, confused and more. Though just for a moment, Andrew's gaze softened; he looked aside, jaw clenched. He grumbled under his breath, "You are not ready to hear the truth." Victoria, on the other hand, could sense the truth pulsing in the space between them. Her efforts to deny it only confirmed their phoney involvement was rapidly evolving into something neither of them could control.