Chapter 3

▫️Christian’s POV...

I sighed heavily, Ignoring Mary was one thing; my parents, however, were a different matter. Their insistence always came with complications. With hesitation, I finally picked up their call to tell the truth that I lied.

The moment the call connected, my mother’s cheerful voice boomed through the phone.

"See, it wasn’t that difficult to find someone! When are you letting us meet her?"

I ran a hand through my hair, already regretting my choices. "Mom, why did you have to tell Mary about all of this?"

"I didn’t tell her," she said defensively. "Her dad asked, and I simply told him we’ll see after a week."

Then Dad’s voice came through, calm but firm. "I’ve already called Mary’s father and told him no."

I blinked. That was fast. Impressive. So, I just need a living girl's name to get rid of this mess.

"So, who’s the girl?" Dad pressed.

Panic began to bubble inside me. I hadn’t thought yet. this far ahead. Now I had to come up with a name—any name.

I gazed at ava , she is a girl, atleast she can name any girl , any name will do.

Ava tried to name but then suddenly my gaze landed upon her books cover. I found it. Name. Girl's name. Lucky me.

“Stella Anderson,” I blurted out.

There was a pause. Then Dad’s voice came back, curious but satisfied. "Stella Anderson, huh? Well, we’ll meet her this weekend."

"Yeah, sure," I muttered and quickly hung up.

Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Nick, MJ, and Liam stormed into the room, their curiosity evident.

Nick was the first to break the silence, a mischievous grin on his face. "So, who is this Stella?"

I groaned, leaning my head back against the wall. "She’s... no one. Just a name I saw on Ava’s book."

"Wait, you mean she doesn’t even exist in your life?" MJ asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

Ava chimed in, her brow furrowed. "And what’s the plan now? What if she is someone in her 50's. She never shared her picture."

I crossed my arms, feigning confidence. "Then I will run to another country. And if she will be near my age , We’ll pay her. She’ll pretend for once, and this whole thing will blow over."

"But how do you know she’ll agree?" Liam questioned, doubt written all over his face.

"I will make sure she says yes. " I replied nonchalantly, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips.

Ava find her address within an hour and boom she will be here soon.

---

▫️Stella’s POV...

I was in the middle of watching movie in my apartment when there was a knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t expecting anyone. With some hesitation, I opened the door to find a group of strangers—three guys and a girl—standing there.

One of the men, tall with sharp features, stepped forward. His voice was calm but serious. "Stella Anderson?"

"Yes," I replied warily, gripping the door handle tighter. "Who are you?"

The girl, who looked much friendlier than the others, smiled nervously. "Hi, I’m Ava, this is Nick, Liam and MJ. Can we come in?"

Before I could respond, Nick barged in, followed by the others. "Christian Knight wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend," he said bluntly.

My jaw dropped. "What? Who the hell is Christian Knight? And does he seriously have nothing better to do than play these stupid pranks?"

MJ smirked. "Mafia."

My heart raced, but I refused to let my fear show. "Mafia? Seriously? You’re all insane. I’m not interested in being anyone’s girlfriend, least of all some arrogant mafia guy!"

"You don’t really have a choice," liam said gently. "It’s just for a short time. Think of it as a professional arrangement."

"Professional?" I scoffed. "You’re asking me to risk my life over some rich guy’s whims! No, thank you. Now, get out of my apartment."

Liam sighed and pulled out his phone. "You’re making this difficult."

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he spoke into the phone. "Chris, she said no."

A deep voice growled on the other end of the line, loud enough for me to hear. " Are you there to convince her? Just bring her by force or will . I don’t care. Wait , I'm  coming."

Liam raised eyebrows at me.

My eyes widened. "Is this guy mentally unstable? Does he actually want rejection in person?"

Ava winced. "He’s... determined."

"Fine," I snapped. "Let’s get this over with. Bring him here. I want to see this lunatic myself."

---

▫️Christian’s POV...

When I arrived, the tension in the room was palpable. Stella stood in the middle, defiant yet wary. Her sharp gaze met mine, and I could see the fire in her eyes.

"So, you’re the infamous Christian Knight," she said, crossing her arms.

"And you’re the stubborn Stella Anderson," I shot back, stepping closer. "You’ll be my girlfriend. End of story."

She laughed bitterly. "Oh, really? Newsflash, I’m not for sale."

I clenched my jaw, my patience wearing thin. "Do you even know what refusing me means?"

"No" she countered.

My temper snapped. Before I knew it, my hand shot out, gripping her throat. Her defiance turned to shock, and I leaned in, my voice dangerously low.

"You don’t get to say no to me," I hissed.

Her breath hitched, but she still managed to glare at me. "Do whatever you want. I still won’t agree."

I smirked. "Dare to deny me, and you’ll be crying over the graves of your loved ones."

Her eyes filled with tears, and for a moment, I thought she’d break. But then she gritted her teeth. "Fine. I’ll do it. But I want something in return."

"Money?" I said, intrigued by her stubbornness.

"No Mr. Knight.  First, I want this to end as soon as possible. Second, I don’t want to see your face after this. "

"You know how badly this foul mouth of yours need to be mended." I said with irritation.

She glared and said," Thanks for the compliment. "

I said," Stubborn."

I straightened, motioning for my men to take her belongings. "Let’s go."

As we left her apartment, I couldn’t help but admire her spirit. She was going to make this very interesting.