Chapter 4

Nick’s POV

The second Derick walked in, I noticed his whole vibe shift the moment he saw Nara.

His eyes widened. “Nara?” he said, like he just saw a ghost.

I raised a brow. “Wait — you two know each other?”

Derick looked like he wanted to explain, but before he could say a word, Nara cut in, her voice a little shaky.

“Honey, can I talk to you in private?”

Wait… did she just call me honey?

Before Derick could get another word out, Nara was on her feet, avoiding his gaze like her life depended on it. She was visibly upset — her hands were shaking, and her face was tight, like she was holding back tears.

“I’ll be outside waiting,” she said quietly, then hurried toward the exit.

Derick was still frozen in place, so I gave his shoulder a tap. “Might wanna sit down, man. We’ll be back.”

I stepped outside and spotted Nara by the door, quickly wiping her eyes. She tried to be slick about it, but I caught it. Girl was hurting, and now I really wanted to know why.

“It can’t be Derick,” she said, turning to face me.

“Why not?” I shot back. “I trust him to handle messy stuff like this.”

“It’s not happening. I rather call off the marriage myself,” she said sharply.

I scoffed. “You’ll have to give me a damn good reason.”

She hesitated, then muttered, “He’s my ex.”

“Hold up,” I blinked. “Is he the same guy who rejected your proposal yesterday? Are you mad because he turned you down?”

Her face twisted. “I didn’t propose to him yesterday.”

“You sure? ‘Cause you had that ‘I’m about to propose to you’ look.”

She huffed. “Well, I didn’t, okay? I changed my mind. I chose you over him.”

My brows shot up. “You did?”

She nodded, then kept talking about something… I dunno what. Because honestly, I wasn’t listening.

I was too busy checking her out.

And let me just say — damn.

Now that I actually looked at her properly, the girl was hot. Way hotter than I’d noticed when she walked in. Pleasant face, hazel eyes, long wavy brown hair — and those boobs? Award-worthy. Definitely bigger than Jane’s. But hey — Jane’s still my number one. She’s taller too. I like tall.

“Are you even listening to me?” she snapped, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, of course,” I lied smoothly. Not a clue what she’d been saying for the last minute.

“Good,” she said. “Because we need to act like we’re really in love in front of him.”

Wait, what? Hold up.

“Why would I do that?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you said you were listening.”

Honestly… she looked kinda cute when she frowned like that. Not as cute as Jane when she’s mad, but still cute.

“That’s the only way to convince him I don’t want him anymore,” she explained. “You don’t know Derick like I do. He’s a leech.”

“Well, he ain’t leeching onto you anymore. You belong to me now.”

“Excuse me? I belong to nobody. So, are you gonna help me or not?”

I grinned. “Alright, fine. But you owe me.”

She folded her arms. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know yet. But when I figure it out, you better pay up.”

She rolled her eyes. “Deal.”

I clapped my hands together. “Perfect. Let’s go break your ex’s heart.”

We walked back into the restaurant.

Derick was already at the table, sitting there looking miserable, Dude looked confused.

I pulled out a chair next to me and patted it. “Come sit, love,” I told Nara with a grin.

She didn’t hesitate. Sat her fine self down like a good girl. I waited until she got comfy before I flopped into my seat, kicking my legs out like I owned the place. Which, let’s be real, I practically did.

Derick spoke first, his voice light but his eyes darting between us like he was trying to piece together a puzzle with half the pieces missing. “What’s going on?” he asked, his stupid grin stretched thin. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.

Then the idiot turned to Nara like he still had a shot. “Nara, you never told me you knew my Gold,” he added.

Nara didn’t even flinch. Just stared at him like he was something nasty stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Cold.

Now this… this was getting good.

I cleared my throat, sitting up a little. Time to twist the knife. “Look, Derick — hate to break it to you, man, but I won’t be needing your services anymore.” I reached over and grabbed Nara’s hand, lacing my fingers through hers. “My fiancée here isn’t exactly comfortable around you.”

His whole face scrunched up, like he’d just swallowed a lemon. “Fiancée?” he croaked, voice cracking. He turned to Nara, his expression a pathetic mix of confusion and desperation. “What’s going on, sweetheart? Talk to me. I’ve been calling you all day. Why didn’t you answer? Say something!”

Nara finally spoke, her voice cool and razor-sharp. “It’s exactly what you heard. I’m engaged now. And you’ll start addressing me properly — by my name.”

The color drained from his face. Shock hit first. Then anger. Then that brittle, desperate laugh of a man who just realized the game’s over. “Fiancée?” he spat, shaking his head. “This has gotta be a joke.”

“What do you mean?” Nara fired back. Her voice was a little shaky, but the girl held her ground. “Do we look like we’re joking? Nick’s my fiancé. We’re getting married in a few weeks.”

Derick’s face twisted like he bit into something sour. He turned to her with a glare. “So this is who you really are? I can’t believe you’ve been hiding your true colors. How could you do this to me? Mr. Gold — this woman’s my girlfriend. I don’t know what kind of engagement you’re talking about, but it’s a lie. She’s not someone you can marry.”

I blinked, leaning back. “Whoa, wait. Is this true?” I asked, acting all shocked even though inside I was grinning like a fool.

“Yeah, look!” he said, holding out his phone like it was evidence in a crime show. “She called me yesterday! And there are pictures too.“

Nara rolled her eyes. “Stop embarrassing yourself, Derick. It’s obvious I dumped you. Yes — I left you for a real man. Someone with actual substance.”

My chest puffed up. Oh yeah, she was talking about me.

“Someone I don’t have to feed and pay rent for,” she went on. “Someone way more handsome than you.”

I was struggling to hold in my laugh now. Nodding along like, that’s right, baby — tell him.

“Someone who isn’t a poor, ugly loser like you.”

Oof.

Even I winced a little.

Derick looked like he swallowed a fork.

“What?” he gasped.

“You heard me,” Nara said, smirking now. “I never loved you. I’m done playing mommy to some grown baby. You bore me.”

I was watching all this thinking — damn, there’s way more history here than she let on. My money was on him cheating, or something worse. I wasn’t about to ask, though. Not right now.

Derick dropped his head, silent for a second. Then he lifted it, his face dark. “Now I get it.”

“Get what?” Nara asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah, Derick — what is it you ‘get’?” I added, mocking him with a smirk.

He looked at me. “Mr. Gold… you’ve known me for years. I’ve always been loyal to you.”

I shrugged. “Sure. But what’s that gotta do with my woman?”

“She’s a snake,” he snapped. “A gold digger. A social climber. She’s using you for your money.”

I noticed Nara’s whole body tense, her fists clenching under the table. Girl looked like she was about to flip the table over. I slid my hand under and grabbed hers, giving it a little squeeze. Relax, love. I got this.

Derick kept yapping, his mouth moving a mile a minute. I wasn’t even listening anymore — just thinking about how this guy turned out to be a bigger snake than a jungle pit. Years I knew him, and I never saw this side.

“If you know what’s good for you,” he was saying, “you’ll leave her now. Don’t let her stain your name.”

Nara scoffed, rolled her eyes, ready to clap back, but I pressed my hand against hers again. Not now.

I leaned forward. “You done?”

He shut up.

“Good. ‘Cause there’s one thing you missed. See, Nara’s not chasing me. I’m the one chasing her. I’m the idiot in love. I’m the one begging her to marry me. And yeah — maybe it hurts that she picked me over you. I get it. Sucks to be you.”

Derick’s face went red. I could tell he was two seconds from throwing a punch, but I didn’t care.

“You trying to trash her name?” I went on. “That’s low, man. Real low. She’s a hundred times the person you’ll ever be.”

I turned to Nara. She was staring at me like I just confessed to a murder.

“You’re the love of my life,” I told her. “And I’m damn lucky I found you.”

Then, before she could say a word, I grabbed her face and kissed her.

Right there in front of everyone.

Long, slow, deep.

For a second, she froze — lips stiff, body tense, like she wasn’t sure if she should pull away or slap me. I felt the hesitation in the way her hands hovered at her sides, uncertain.

But then, slowly… she kissed me back.

Soft at first. Careful.

And then like she meant it.

Derick was storming off, chair clattering behind him like a bad punchline.

I kept kissing her. Took her a second, but She pushed me off finally, face flushed, eyes wide. Priceless.

I smirked. God, I love messing with her.

“Did you like it?” I teased.

Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade. “What? Why would you—why did you kiss me?!”

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed. Saved by the bell.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” I smirked, answering. “It’s the love of my life.”

She scowled, arms crossed, but those burning cheeks told another story.

“Hey, my sweet honeycomb,” I cooed into the phone. “Miss me? Yeah, babe, I miss you too. I’m at the restaurant with my fake wife-to-be.”

Nara’s jaw practically hit the floor. Cute.

“She’s alright, but you know you’re the only woman I see, honey.” I chuckled. “Wait — you wanna come over? You're close? You sure? I love when you get jealous.”

“Love you, bye.” I hung up with a grin.

I leaned back in my seat, stretching. “So… where were we?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Nara muttered, arms still crossed.

“Oh, right — the kiss.” I waved it off. “Relax, princess. I did it to save your dignity. Plus, I noticed how you were practically trying to eat my face off. Let’s not pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but my phone buzzed again. I checked it. “Oh, look at that — Jane’s here. She’s outside.”

“So?” Nara shot back, rolling her eyes. “What do you want me to do, fry a stone?”

God, she’s spicy. I’m obsessed.

“Geez, calm down. We’re not even married yet and you’re acting jealous.”

“You’ve gotta be out of your mind,” she snapped. “Why would I be jealous of you and your little girlfriend? This marriage is strictly business.”

I grinned. “Good. Keep that attitude. I like the that you know your place.”

I stood, fixing my jacket like I was about to hit a red carpet. “C’mon, Jane can’t wait to meet you.”

She didn’t move.

“What are you doing?” I snapped. “Get up already!”

Seriously — women. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t run a good scam without ‘em.