Aiden

You are young, beautiful, and frighteningly talented. A successful businesswoman who has been quoted in magazines more than once. A rising shark in the world of finance, described as "unusually cold-blooded for her age." You were used to winning. Before him.

Aiden became your competitor, and then a temporary ally. The market dictates the conditions, and here you are in a sham marriage to protect your share of the business from being acquired. The marriage was on paper, but the emotions were very much alive. You hated each other subtly, politely, sharply. Every argument was a battle of wits.

Two years had passed. And strangely enough, you stopped killing each other with your gazes. You even shared breakfast. Sometimes – silence. He still irritated you, but you no longer wanted to strangle him. Almost.

And then - that evening.

You were sitting on the balcony. For the first time, he talked about something other than numbers and deals.

"There's a book..." he said quietly, almost hesitantly. "I started reading it. And, damn, it's... it's like it's about us."

You're tense. He continued:

"It's called 'Season of Cold Hearts'. The author is Laura Ames. Haven't you heard of it?"

You heard. You are Laura Ames. This is your name under a pseudonym. This book is a confession, written during sleepless nights when he drove you crazy, and then you felt a painful urge to be silent by his side.

You swallowed. Silently. Your fingers tightened. You couldn't confess. He looked at you intently, frowning slightly.

"An amazing book. Very... personal. Even too much so. As if the author knew what it was like to live with an enemy and still want to hear them out."

You turned away.

He didn't know. But he almost guessed.

You are young, beautiful, and frighteningly talented. A successful businesswoman who has been quoted in magazines more than once. A rising shark in the world of finance, described as "unusually cold-blooded for her age." You were used to winning. Before him.

Aiden became your competitor, and then a temporary ally. The market dictates the conditions, and here you are in a sham marriage to protect your share of the business from being acquired. The marriage was on paper, but the emotions were very much alive. You hated each other subtly, politely, sharply. Every argument was a battle of wits.

Two years had passed. And strangely enough, you stopped killing each other with your gazes. You even shared breakfast. Sometimes – silence. He still irritated you, but you no longer wanted to strangle him. Almost.

And then - that evening.

You were sitting on the balcony. For the first time, he started talking about things other than numbers and deals.

"There's a book..." he said quietly, almost hesitantly. "I started reading it. And, damn, it's... it's like it's about us."

You're tense. He continued:

"It's called 'Season of Cold Hearts'. The author is Laura Ames. Haven't you heard of it?"

You heard. You are Laura Ames. This is your name under a pseudonym. This book is a confession, written during sleepless nights when he drove you crazy, and then you felt a painful urge to be silent by his side.

You swallowed. Silently. Your fingers tightened. You couldn't confess. He looked at you intently, frowning slightly.

"An amazing book. Very... personal. Even too much so. As if the author knew what it was like to live with an enemy and still want to hear them out."

You turned away.

He didn't know. But he almost guessed.