Chapter 8: Chapter VIII

The pilot announced the landing call and shortly after, the jet landed and came to a halt. They unbuckled their seatbelts and prepared to disembark as the steward arrived to offload their suitcases.

Callum ushered her out. She looked up at him and back to the hand that was pressed against her lower back.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her brows furrowed him

"We're on family property so please just act along" He whispered back to her.

"Nice to have you back Mr. Guerrero" Their chauffer said as he took Callum's hand in a strong handshake.

"Nice to see you to, David." Callum looked at Ariana when he said "This is Ariana, my fiancee"

"Wow! Fiancee?" The older man asked in disbelief and what sounded like relief at the same time. Ariana quickly fixed her suprised look with a smile when Callum smiled at her and drew her closer to his side.

"Nice to meet you my dear girl. You're certainly very beautiful" David said with the most welcoming smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you too Sir" Ariana said returning a smile.

"Finally!" He patted Callum on tht shoulder. He turned to Ariana and took her hand in his. "It is a pleasure to meet the conqueror who's been able to tame this young man."

"The pleasure is all mine Sir" Ariana responded with a gentle smile.

"Please call me David. I'm not that old" David said with a hearty laugh and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Shall we leave now?" Callum tugged Ariana back to his side as if he was jealous that the older man would make a pass at his fiancee. David chuckled. Obviously Callum's possessive side wasn't suprising to him.

He led them towards the parked Escalade and in the front seat, Ariana noticed a man in a navy blue well tailored suit looking at them as they walked towards the car.

"That's Julian, my lawyer." Callum pointed out as if reading her thoughts.

The lawyer came down from the car as they got closer and gave a little wave, mouthing a hi. Ariana returned the gesture.

"It's good to have you back in the city Cal, we have alot to get to" Julian said whilst taking Callum into a big brotherly hug. "I see you have your Mrs on your arm too" Julian said with a smirk. "It's lovely to finally meet you Ariana, I'm Julian. Callum's best friend and lawyer, even though he would never admit it."

"It is nice to meet you too, Julian" Ariana replied politely.

Callum helped her into the car and they left the tarmac. Engulfed with tiredness, Ariana dozed off resting her head on Callum's shoulder. He couldn't help himself from staring a her. She slept so peacefully. His life was never that peaceful.

He looked up at the side mirror in time to see Julian watching him with a smirk on his face. Callum mouthed a fuck you and the latter gave him a thumb down sign.

After what seemed like a while, they arrived at Callum's penthouse suite.

"Hey, we're here." Callum tapped her so lightly and her eyes fluttered open immediately.

"We're here?" She asked, a little dazed.

"Yes." Callum confirmed.

Ariana thanked the chauffer when he pulled her door and lent her a hand down. Callum stepped in as soon as she was out and offered her his arm.

"Where's Julian?" Ariana asked.

"We dropped him off so he could settle some things before the meeting." Callum guided her up the grand stairs and toward the elevator.

The elevator opened directly into Callum’s penthouse, and Ariana stepped out like she was walking into another world. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed, gold accents and beautiful scenery. The entire skyview could be seen from the windows. The space was masculine but elegant — marble floors, tan colored lighting, rich wood and clean lines. The air smelled like cedar and something warmer… maybe him.

“Wow,” she whispered, sliding out of her shoes.      .

Callum tossed his keycard on a marble table and stepped behind her, his voice low near her ear. “You like it?”

She nodded, unable to pretend she wasn’t impressed. “The décor of this apartment is so exquisite.”

He smirked. “Thank you. It was designed by the best- Me”

She turned to him, eyebrows raised. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m always serious.” Callum reached into the inner pocket of his tailored jacket and pulled out a small black velvet box.

Ariana blinked. “What’s that?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, opened the box, and revealed a stunning diamond ring in a platinum setting — simple, elegant and absolutely breathtaking. It sparkled like it had been waiting for this exact lighting, this exact moment.

“You said you wanted the story to feel real,” Callum said quietly. “So here’s our engagement ring.”

Her throat dried. “That’s… a real diamond.”

“It is.” He looked at her carefully. “And we don’t have to pretend every second we’re alone, but the moment we step outside — events, press, dinners — this goes on your finger.”

She hesitated, staring at it. “You could’ve gotten a regular ring you know. You got something so beautiful for something that’s not real so I can imagine what you would get for your real fiancée.”

For some reason her words hurt but he quickly did he best to ensure that his expression was unreadable.

“I could’ve,” he said. “But I don’t do half-measures.”

Ariana took the ring with steady fingers, the weight of it suddenly grounding. It wasn’t just an accessory. It was a symbol. Of the risk. Of the lie .

“I won’t to lose it,” she said.

“You won’t,” Callum replied, his tone unreadable. “Because I’ll be with you.”

He turned away then, leading her deeper into the penthouse. “There are two bedrooms. Yours is to the right — it has a view of the ocean. Mine’s left.”

Ariana glanced sideways. “Separate rooms, huh?”

“Unless you’re feeling bold,” he teased, but his gaze held more heat than humor.

She smiled faintly and turned right. “I’ll take the ocean view.”

He watched her disappear into the room, then exhaled slowly.

Inside her suite, Ariana set the ring on the dresser and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her heart was still hammering, the cool air doing nothing to calm her flushed skin.

A diamond ring. A penthouse. A man who took her breath away. Some part of her really wished this was her real life but she had to remind herself that it was a game.

But it was starting to feel dangerously real.