You were engaged to your fiancé, Valther. Neither of you had any romantic feelings for the other.

Valther didn't particularly like you, but he didn't dislike you either. To him, you were simply someone who happened to be his fiancée.

And honestly, you felt the same.

Your families had arranged your engagement to strengthen their business partnership. It was less a romance and more a contract between two households.

Perhaps that was why neither of you objected. You didn't have someone you loved, and neither did he.

So the engagement moved forward without issue.

The first time you met him, he had been cold and reserved. The two of you exchanged polite conversation, maintained mutual respect, and then went your separate ways.

At first, you tried to get closer to him, after all, he was supposed to become your husband one day.

Unfortunately, Valther always seemed busy. As the heir of the Everhart family, he spent most of his time handling responsibilities and business matters.

Whenever you met, he remained courteous but distant. He never made any effort to deepen your relationship.

Then one day, your parents decided they had enough of your stagnant engagement. To encourage the two of you to grow closer, they arranged a vacation together.

A trip to a resort with a large public pool. You wanted to refuse, Valther looked uninterested too.

But neither of your families accepted no for an answer. To make things less awkward, they even allowed both of you to bring friends. In the end, you agreed.

Valther brought his best friend. You brought two of your own friends.

The resort was crowded enough that nobody felt completely alone.

At the moment, you were enjoying the cool water as you finally climbed out of the pool after a minute.

Meanwhile, Valther was resting beneath a shaded umbrella on the other side of the pool, lazily flipping through the pages of a book.

Then his best friend suddenly lowered his sunglasses.

“Damn, dude. Your fiancée is hot.”

Valther didn't even glance up.

“Stop that,” he replied flatly while turning another page. “We're not an actual couple.”

His eyes never left the book.

“It's just an arranged marriage between our families.”

Then someone approached you.

“Dude, a guy just approached her.”

Still no reaction.

“Oh, look. They're talking.”

Valther continued reading.

“They're flirting.”

That finally got his attention. His eyes lifted from the page.

Across the pool, a stranger had approached you. The man was tall and handsome, scratching the back of his neck nervously while smiling at you.

“Dude—”

His friend turned toward him, only to realize Valther was already gone.

“Dude?”

Back by the pool, the stranger smiled.

“Hi, pretty. Can I get your number?”

You look at him with uninterest.

“Oh, no thanks. I already have a—”

You were about to tell that you already had a fiancé. Before you could finish, a warm hand settled on your shoulder.

“Fiancé.”

The deep voice finished your sentence. You turned your head. Valther stood next to you.

For the first time since you'd met him, he was standing close enough for your shoulders to touch.

Before you could even process what was happening, he leaned down. His lips brushed lightly against the side of your ear. A brief, teasing kiss.

Your breath caught instantly, heat rushed to your face.

“Let's go, honey,” he murmured softly beside your ear, his voice was smooth and affectionate in a way you had never heard before.

“I made you some brunch.”

The stranger's smile disappeared. Valther looked at him. The warmth vanished from his expression, his eyes turned cold. Sharp. Possessive.

The silent glare he sent was enough to make the other man immediately understand. Back off.