Chapter One

“Where the hell could she be?” Gabriel asked furiously, directing the question to his personal assistant, Camila, who was standing right beside him.

Camila surveyed the whole party hall through the thick lens embedded in the bridge of her nose.

“Stay calm, Gabriel. I'll take the right corner to look for her, and you can take the left. I'm sure she's here somewhere,” she responded, not liking the uneasy look on her boss's face.

Gabriel looked from her face to his phone screen. He studied the picture one more time: a lean figure, gorgeous shades of auburn hair cascading down her back, long, slender legs, pouty lips, and green, alluring eyes. These were beautiful features that belonged to a lady called Tania—his fake girlfriend.

He had hired her to play a charade. She was meant to pretend to be his girlfriend for tonight to ward off the uprising rumors about his sexuality and the functionality of his manhood. Ever since Gabriel became so successful and stepped into the limelight, the media hasn't stopped being on his trail. They invaded his private life, published false news about him, and monitored who he met with, even down to what he ate.

Now, they were doing the same thing all over again, just because Gabriel had never been seen with any woman.

He had not once introduced any woman to the public eye, and as a result, they found another interesting topic to gossip about. And this time, there were two things going around, and one of them was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever heard. The first being that he was gay, which he would have overlooked if the article that claimed to have seen him visiting a doctor and speculation that he had erectile dysfunction didn't pop out of nowhere.

But Gabriel wasn't any of the above. He wasn't gay, and he perfectly functioned as a man. He just didn't deal with women at all because most of the women around him were models, actresses, reporters, and basically women in the entertainment industry. He despised the idea of being with any of them because he knew they were only interested in him because of who he was.

Very soon, the paparazzi would be on his trail, bombarding him with various questions as to where the mysterious lady he claimed to be his girlfriend was. Gabriel could not afford the embarrassing situation of not keeping his word.

He knew he had to find Tania soon before he became the topic of the day. Not that he wasn't already the topic of every day, but this time, it would be far worse. And the rumors surrounding him would only get worse, which would put his reputation and his business in a bind.

As a businessman, he knew he ought to keep a clear image. One without tainted stories that could destroy his business career or create any sort of dent.

“Sorry,” he said briefly to the person he bumped into without sparing her a glance.

Provided she wasn't Tania, he had no business with her. Camila and Gabriel met in the middle of the large party hall once more.

“Gabriel...” Camila trailed off.

The loud classical music booming through the halls made it hard for them to hear each other.

He leaned toward her right ear and yelled. “Did you find her?”

To his disappointment, Camila shook her head in response. “No, Boss. I have searched every corner of this party room, but there is no one with Tania's description,” Camila completed as she wiped the sweat that beaded her brows.

A wave of frustration swept through his guts. He knew damn well what would happen if he didn't present Tania to the paparazzi. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyelids vigorously, then he said into Camila's right ear again. “We have to search again. You take that way and keep calling her until she picks,” he gestured at the back entrance to the party hall.

Without further ado, Camila responded with a curt nod, then she darted off to carry out his order. If not for the fact that Gabriel paid her simply to do her job, perhaps she would have quit working for him, she thought to herself, but then she again remembered that aside from being his assistant, she was also his best friend. Babysitting him was her full-time job.

Gabriel clenched his fists and bit down on his lower lip. He swallowed hard, thinking of what he would do to Tania if she didn't show up for the party.

He had paid her a whopping sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars just to attend and play a charade, and then he would complete the payment for her service with another two hundred thousand dollars the moment she had exquisitely carried out her job.

Had she scammed him? Then he shook his head and continued his frantic search. Tania dared not scam him. She wouldn't be that bold.

***

Meanwhile, Antonia stared at her wardrobe and let out a loud groan. These past few days had been so hectic for her. Right from childhood, she had always wanted to be a model.

But after she worked so hard to achieve her dream, she discovered her dream job wasn't always full of roses; it had thorns too. Being a model could be hard for a twenty-eight-year-old lady who was considered old in the industry.

She already knew she didn't look like what other models around her looked like since her hips and butt were wider than the standard, so for this reason, she had to watch what she consumed, exercise more than usual, and not eat past a certain time, no matter how hungry she was.

All of these and many more were part of her daily routine because she had to keep her slim figure, which was her selling point.

She sighed for the umpteenth time as she rummaged through her closet. Today was a bad day for her. She lost a once-in-a-lifetime contract to a new hotshot in her agency. She was scolded by the photographer for being absent-minded during her photoshoot early in the morning, and as if that wasn't already terrible, the dress she wore on the runway about an hour ago tore while she was making her entry.

What else could be more embarrassing?

So, yes, today was not her day. All she wanted was to get home, take a quick shower, eat salad, and binge-watch any series she could find so she'd quickly fall asleep.

But as soon as she got home, her cell phone beeped. When she checked the message, she realized she had been invited to a party by a big shot that sponsored her modeling agency. And she dared not decline the offer because it could warrant plenty of nasty reactions, and she would become the topic of the agency again. Some people already felt she was too proud, and she didn't want to give them even more reason to believe that.

After ten minutes of frantic searching, Antonia finally settled on a pretty and simple blue dress that would accentuate her curves.

Reluctantly, Antonia trudged into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Within minutes, she was done, and she was quick to start getting dressed.

After several moments of making sure she looked at the part, she took a quick survey in the mirror. A small smile curled her lips as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. No doubt, she was a gorgeous lady who made heads snap in her direction anytime she walked into a room.

She picked up her car key and her cell phone, then she sauntered out of her house like the beauty queen she was. Antonia slipped into her blue convertible and ignited the engine. Soon, the car skidded off the driveway and into the busy highway.

After rounding up several corners, she finally got to the destination sent to her phone. She picked up her phone and her small bag, then she alighted the car and locked it.

By the time she walked into the building, heads snapped in her direction, and she managed a small smile. Rule one of being a model: always make sure to wear a smile. Even when she didn't have any reason to smile, she knew she had to fake it.

After walking in, she settled in front of a table, staring at the people as they walked into the building.

'You should have just come naked' she thought as she stared at the woman who wore a high-slit dress that showed her underwear with every little movement she made. As if that wasn't enough, the dress was strapless, so her breasts pumped at the bodice as though they were waiting for someone to grab and suckle them.

'Are you going to a funeral?' She stifled a laugh as she stared at the next lady who walked in, dressed in all black.

Antonia made sure to keep herself busy, watching and making fun of every little thing, just to ward off the sad gut feeling that plagued her mind throughout the day.

Just then, a waiter walked past her, and she ordered a drink. He dropped a glass filled with ice, sliced lime, and a clear liquid. She carefully picked up the tall glass and gulped down the whole contents at once.

“Aah!” she expelled a sharp air.

The drink seemed to have been helpful, and Antonia felt somewhat refreshed. The waiter picked up the empty glass and cast her a cursory glance before walking away.

Antonia stood there quietly, filling her head with thoughts of her schedule for tomorrow. Several people walked up to her to have a conversation, and she made sure to keep it brief, just so they wouldn't notice how uninterested she was at the moment.

“I have been looking for you everywhere. Tonia!”

Antonia's head snapped in the direction of the voice, only to find her assistant, Kyle, standing a few feet away from her.

Gabriel's head snapped in her direction. Did someone just address this lady as Tonia?

Oh, freaking finally! He thought to himself, not even caring to confirm if he had heard right.

The excitement that overwhelmed him, knowing he found her and seeing how she fit the description completely—red hair, tall, and slim—made him walk over to her without thinking, and the first thing he did was claim her lips as soon as his eyes met her beautiful face.

Antonia froze.

For a split second, she closed her eyes, hoping she was dreaming. But it wasn't a dream; a fucking stranger just kissed her on the lips like they had known each other for a long time or, perhaps, were even in a relationship, and she had no clue what was happening.

What the actual fuck?

To make matters worse, people were starting to take pictures of her and the unknown man. Almost at once, she broke out of the kiss, only to realize the person who kissed her was none other than Gabriel Wilson, the one and only Gabriel Wilson.

He was known as one of the most handsome and eligible bachelors, adding to the fact that he was wealthy—heavy on the word 'wealthy'. Antonia saw him as nothing but a boorish bloke who looked like he believed he had the world at his feet, and his audacity to kiss her made her outraged.

She was about to slap him across his perfectly chiseled face for messing around with her when she noticed someone familiar staring at the both of them amid the gathered crowd in the hall.

It was her ex-boyfriend, Ryan. Instantly, a desperate and terrible idea crept to the forefront of her brain, and before she could give it a second thought, her hand slipped around the back of Gabriel's neck, pulling him close, and she crashed her lips on his, immediately sealing her fate as the woman in Gabriel Wilson's life.