A Proposal

The first thing Dani noticed was the silence. Not the peaceful kind. The uncomfortable kind.

The kind that settled between two people after one of them had spent five minutes clearly trying to say something and failing.

Dani sat across from Zaf at a small café near the charity headquarters, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.

They were both sitting down inside a small cafe in front of each other. Dana was stirring her coffee while her mind was elsewhere.

Outside, children chased one another through the nearby park.

They were playing together happily.

Inside, Zaf looked unusually nervous. And that alone was strange. It's very strange.

This was a man who spoke confidently in front of thousands of donors, negotiated with wealthy investors, and somehow remained calm while handling emergencies at his charity.

Yet now, sitting across from her, he looked like a teenager preparing to confess a crush.

Dani raised an eyebrow.

"You are acting weird."

Why are you acting weird

Zaf blinked.

"Am not."

"You absolutely are."

"No."

"Zaf."

He sighed.

"Fine. Maybe a little."

Dani leaned back.

"What is going on?"

A faint smile crossed his face.

"I need a favour."

I need a favour from you. Immediately, Dani narrowed her eyes.

"No."

He laughed.

"You don't even know what it is."

"I know you. If you are nervous, it's dangerous."

"Fair point."

For the first time that morning, he relaxed But only slightly. Then his expression became serious again.

Very serious.

And suddenly Dani knew whatever he was about to say wasn't a joke. Not even close.

"Did you remember the fundraising gala next month?" he asked.

Did you remember?

She nodded.

"The one you have been stressing over for weeks?"

"Exactly."

"What about it?"

Zaf took a deep breath.

"The charity donations have increased since the rescue."

Dani smiled.

"That is good."

"It is."

"But?"

"There aren't enough."

The smile faded. Dani knew the charity was struggling.

Even with recent attention, helping thousands of children required enormous resources.

Every meal. Every school supply. Every medical treatment. It all cost money. It cost a lot of money.

And Zaf carried that burden every day.

"What do you need?" she asked softly.

For a moment, he simply stared at his coffee Then he looked up.

"I need people to keep paying attention."

I want people to keep paying attention.

Dani frowned.

"Okay?"

His jaw tightened.

"And I think I know how."

Something about the way he said it made her stomach drop.

"What are you planning?"

A long pause.

Then

"I want us to fake date."

A fake relationship.

The world seemed to stop.

Dani blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"What?"

Zaf rubbed the back of his neck.

"I knew you would react like that."

"Like what?!"

"Exactly like that."

She nearly choked on her coffee.

"Fake date?"

Fake relationship

"Yes."

"No."

"Dani"

"Absolutely not."

A few customers glanced over. They were staring at both of them where they are sitting.

Dani lowered her voice.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Did you know what you doing?

"Probably."

"Definitely."

Despite herself, she laughed. But the laughter disappeared quickly. Because he wasn't joking Not at all.

"Oh my God."

"Dani, hear me out."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Just five minutes."

She folded her arms.

She folded her hands together.

"Three."

"Four."

"Three and a half."

"Deal."

He smiled And Dani immediately regretted agreeing.

Over the next few minutes, Zaf explained everything.

He explained everything to her. The rescue video.

The public fascination.The endless media attention.

The rumors already circulating online. Apparently thousands of people were convinced they were secretly together.

They all thought they were dating secretly. Dani had seen some of the comments. She had seen some of the headline.

Most were ridiculous. Very ridiculous.

Some were surprisingly accurate.And a few were terrifying.

"What does that have to do with the charity?" she asked.

Zaf leaned forward.He move forward.

"Every article mentioning us brings traffic to the charity website."

They draw people attention to the charity.

Dani hesitated.

"What?"

"Donations increase every time people talk about us."

Her eyes widened, He pulled out his phone. He removed his phone from is pocket.

The numbers were impossible to ignore. Website visits.

Volunteer applications.Donations.

Everything had jumped dramatically. Because of public interest. Because of the rescue.Because of them. Dani stared.

"Wow."

"Exactly."

For a moment, neither spoke Then Zaf quietly said:

"If people are paying attention anyway maybe we can use it for something good."

The sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten. Her chest hurts Because this wasn't about fame.

It wasn't about publicity. It wasn't even about him. It was about the children. Always the children.

Dani knew that And somehow that made saying no much harder.

Later that afternoon, Zaf took her to the charity center.

He took her to the charity center. Children immediately swarmed them.

"Dani!"

"Miss Dani!"

"You came back!"

How are you doing. We are happy to see you. Laughter filled the building.Tiny hands grabbed hers.

Several children hugged her legs.One little girl named Maya smiled brightly.

"Are you staying today?"

Are you staying with us today

"Of course."

Maya looked between Dani and Zaf Then grinned.

"Good."

Dani laughed.

"Why?"

"Because Uncle Zaf smiles more when you are here."

He looks more happy whenever you are here. The room erupted with giggles.

Zaf groaned.

"Maya."

"It's true."

The children nodded enthusiastically.

"It's true!"

"He smiles!"

"A lot!"

Dani covered her mouth to hide her laughter. She cover her mouth with her hands to hide her laughter.

Zaf looked horrified. The children looked delighted And for the first time all day, everything felt normal. Warm.

Comfortable. Real.

Until she noticed Zaf watching the children. His expression softened. His eyes filled with quiet determination.

And suddenly she understood. This wasn't just a job to him.These children were his family.

They have become part of his family. He would do anything for them.Anything.

Even embarrass himself by asking her to fake date him Just because of them

As evening approached, they sat alone in the playground. They both sat down together inside the playground.

The children had gone home. The sunset painted the sky gold and orange For several minutes, neither spoke Then Dani broke the silence.

"How long?"

"What?"

"The fake relationship."

How long is the fake relationship, Zaf looked surprised.

"You haven't said yes."

"You haven't answered."

A small smile appeared.

"A few months."

Dani groaned.

"A few months?"

"Until the gala."

She stared at the fading sunlight, Trying to think logically. Trying not to think about how close he was sitting.

Trying not to think about how safe she always felt around him.Trying not to think about the way her heart suddenly speed up.

This was fake. Completely fake. Nothing more.

So why did it feel dangerous?

“Very dangerous.”

"People will talk."

"They already do."

People will always talk.

"They will take pictures."

"They already are."

She sighed.

"You are impossible."

"I have been told."

A laugh escaped her Then another Eventually, she shook her head.

"Fine."

Zaf froze.

"Fine?"

"Fine."

His eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

"For the charity."

"Of course."

"And only for the charity."

"Absolutely."

"And if you become annoying"

"I already am."

"I quit."

He grinned.

"Deal."

Dani rolled her eyes But she couldn't stop smiling Neither could he And neither of them noticed how long they sat there watching the sunset together.

That night, Dani lay awake staring at her ceiling, She couldn't sleep, She was staring at the ceiling.

Her phone vibrated.

It was a message notification.

A message from Zaf.

Zaf: Thanks for agreeing today.

A second message appeared.

Zaf: The kids are excited.

The were so excited.

She smiled.

Then typed back.

Dani: Tell them not to get used to it.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Zaf: Too late.

Dani laughed Then another notification appeared.

Not from Zaf From a news app.

The message was from a news app curious, she opened it.

Her blood ran cold. Her heart beat very fast.

A brand new article had just been published.

And there, on the front page, was a photograph taken earlier that afternoon.

A photograph of her and Zaf sitting together in the playground. Smiling. Looking far more intimate than they had realized. The headline made her heart stop.

"Sources Claim Billionaire Philanthropist Zaf Rahman Is Secretly Engaged."

Dani sat upright.

"What?!"

Her phone immediately began ringing. Her phone start ringing out very loud. Unknown number.Then another.

And another.

Meanwhile, across the city, Zaf stared at the same article in complete shock. He was very shock. Completely shock.

Because beneath the headline was a sentence neither of them had expected. A sentence that changed everything.

"Insiders suggest a major announcement will be made within days."

And neither Dani nor Zaf had any idea who had started the rumor.

Someone had just turned their harmless fake dating plan into a full blown engagement scandal and the entire world was about to demand answers.