RENT A HEART

EVE's POV

Ever since we left the cemetery, Chris had been acting strangely distant. He'd been lost in thought, tuning me out mid-sentence, and constantly checking his phone as if expecting a crucial call.

I wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided to wait until after dinner.

Walking into The Establishment was its usual circus. Everyone stopped to stare; staff, guests, the whole lot. Ladies were giggling and batting their eyelashes, some even snapping pics. Just another Tuesday, really.

The elevator whisked us to the top floor. But when we reached the restaurant, it was deserted and cloaked in darkness. There wasn't a single waiter in sight. I wondered if there was a power outage.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" I asked Chris, who simply nodded, adding to my unease.

"Maybe the lights are out," I suggested. He just shrugged. Thankfully, moments later, the chandeliers blazed to life, bathing the room in sparkling light.

"Let's go have a seat," he suggested. I agreed, turning toward a nearby table. That's when I saw it. A large banner hung before me, emblazoned with the words: "Will you marry me, Eve?" It took a moment for the message to register. I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. I turned to Chris, only to find him kneeling, a ring box held in his outstretched hand.

The light from the chandelier danced on the diamond ring, making it sparkle. It was real.

He seemed to struggle for words, but honestly, I would have said yes even if he'd just stood there. But I let him find his words.

"To be honest, I spent all morning practicing what I wanted to say, and now I've completely blanked," he said, a nervous laugh escaping him.

"Eve, I love you. I've loved you since that fateful day we met, and I will love you forever, and a day more. I can't imagine my life without you. Please, love... will you marry me?" he asked softly.

I didn't even realize I was crying until my cheeks were soaked. I couldn't speak, but I could nod.

I nodded so hard my head almost fell off. He jumped up, scooped me into his arms, and spun me around until I was dizzy with happiness.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Chris said, laughing joyfully as he set me down and kissed me, stealing every breath from my lungs.

Then came the pop of confetti, followed by applause and cheers. I turned to see Stephanie, of course, why was I even surprised she was in on this? Then Franklin, my brother Cole, and the twins. Seeing them all was a wonderful surprise.

"Congratulations, honey! I'm so happy for you," Stephanie beamed as she hugged me, followed by Franklin.

"Congratulations, pumpkin," Cole said, handing me a wrapped gift. "An early wedding present, I suppose?" I asked as he engulfed me in a bear hug.

"Can't breathe, Cole," I managed to say before he finally let go, grinning.

"So, you two were in on this?" I asked the twins as they approached with a bouquet of roses.

"We wouldn't miss seeing our sister bawling her eyes out over a proposal," Romeo, the older twin, said, hugging me tight.

"If you need the footage and, like, a million pictures, I totally captured everything," Mason, the other twin, said.

"Seriously? Send it to me then, and thank you guys, really," I said, hugging him back.

As if on cue, waiters started wheeling in carts laden with all sorts of delicious dishes.

It finally dawned on me that Chris had booked the whole restaurant for the entire day. The thought made my heart swell.

"Thank God, I'm starving," Mason declared as we all settled around a large, round table for the feast.

"Where'd you guys run off to, anyway? We waited forever," Romeo asked, already digging into the food.

"We went to see my mum," Chris said simply.

"Oh, crap, man. I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Never mind what I said earlier, we were more than happy to wait," Mason rambled, earning him laughter from everyone.

We ate until we were stuffed, laughing and joking. I may have taken a few (okay, a lot) of pictures of my left hand to show off the gorgeous ring, and we talked about the upcoming wedding and all the planning. Around eleven, everyone headed home.

I ended up sleeping over at Chris's penthouse since it was closer to the restaurant, and, well, he was my fiancé now.

"I love the ring. It's beautiful, and thank you, baby," I told Chris before drifting off to sleep in his arms. It had been a long, wonderful, exhausting day.

"I love you more," I heard him whisper, but it was faint. Then, I felt his lips brush my hair in a soft kiss, causing me to smile even in my sleep.

--------

"What did you do?" Stephanie exclaimed, bursting into my office with a grin plastered across her face and her phone held high.

"Good morning to you too," I deadpanned, returning to the stack of documents demanding my signature.

"Have you seen the news?" she asked, snatching the pen right out of my hand.

"What news?" I sighed, leaning back in my chair. Maybe if I gave her the attention she clearly wanted, she'd finally let me get some work done.

"Well..." she drawled, grabbing the remote and flicking on the TV in my office. I reluctantly glanced at the screen. Bold letters screamed: "BREAKING NEWS: Skyline's Fashion Icon Eve Mikleson Set to Wed Atlantis Group CEO Christopher Luther!"

"This news was confirmed via a social media post just before midnight, from the official account of Eve Mikleson herself. The post featured a picture of her hand, showcasing an expensive diamond-encrusted engagement ring with the caption 'Forever with you'," the news reporter announced.

"Oh my God," was all I could manage before grabbing my phone. I frantically opened the app, and sure enough, the post was still there.

"But...it's gone!" I said, confused.

"That's because your social media manager took it down this morning. But you know social media – tons of people already screenshotted it before it disappeared," Stephanie said, collapsing onto the nearby sofa.

"So, what should we do?" I asked, straightening up in my chair.

"Nothing. This is actually good news. The company's stock is up by 30%, and it's been climbing all morning," she said, her smile widening.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. She came around and showed me the company's stock performance on the market. This time, it was up 32%.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a client to charm," she said, giggling, and finally left me to my work.

I scrolled through my social media feed, and it was nothing but pictures of Chris and me, wearing different outfits and in various locations. I saved a few, some of them were genuinely cute.

My name, Chris, "Chrive" (seriously?), "Congratulations Eve," and even "Ethereal-Eve" were all trending simultaneously. I clicked on my name out of curiosity and was blown away by the sheer number of people who had tagged me, sending their well wishes.

A blush crept onto my face, and a smile tugged at my lips. I felt ridiculously happy.

Just as I was happily liking comments and basking in the glow of it all, I heard my door open. I looked up to see my mum, followed by another woman, Angela, the celebrity event planner I'd hired before for an event.

"Mum," I said, setting my phone aside and getting up to greet them. "Hi, Angela, what brings you here?" I asked as we hugged. I considered Angela more of an acquaintance, but I respected her professionalism and work ethic.

"Well, first of all, congratulations, Eve!" Angela said. "I'm here for your wedding – your mum hired me," she explained, gesturing to my mum.

"Mum, really? Without even letting me know? No offense, Angela," I said. "I know what you're thinking, Mum, but my answer is no. I do not want a big wedding," I stated firmly.

"Well, you shouldn't have made that post yesterday! Now you're breaking news – not that it's anything new for you, anyway. More importantly, no child of mine will have a modest wedding, especially not my only daughter. Besides, we are the Miklesons. I expect the president to be in attendance, as well as my important friends from other countries, so suck it up, young lady," my mum scolded.

I sighed inwardly. Sometimes, I really regretted being a Mikleson. I'm twenty-five, and I can't even plan my own wedding the way I want.

"Whatever you say, Mum," I resigned. And just like that, the wedding preparations began.