Chapter V

The couple sat opposite each other-the cozy ambiance in the McCarthy balcony not doing enough to mask the hushed argument they've been having for the past couple of minutes. Ariana thought she had left this relationship behind when she left Dallas. She last thing she expected was to see him at her doorstep.

In all honesty, Ariana didn't want things to end with Liam when she left Dallas but everything in her knew that he wasn't good for her. He never treated her right plus all her friends and her sister hated him for her.

Ariana watched him as he ran his fingers through his wild auburn coloured hair. Another argument was brewing again and really she wasn't interested in fighting with him anymore.

" Why did you leave without even a goodbye? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Liam said. His tone cold and full of anger

An uncomfortable shiver ran down Ariana's spine when he fixed his searing gaze on her again. And just like before, she looked away, hiding behind a curtain of her loosened hair.

"Are you seeing someone else? Were you cheating on me?" He questioned

Ariana turned towards his direction when he threw that accusatory question at her. "What are you insinuating?"

"Don't you dare lie to me woman!"

Ariana saw his curled fists and wondered if the only reason he hadn't taken a swing at the poor vases by he table was because the neighbor's might hear and call the cops.

"I'm not going to ask again..."

Ariana sat upright when he leaned over the table, not giving a damn that his hasty movement almost caused their mugs of coffee to topple over her dress.

Ariana blanched at his words and it took everything in her not to lash out at him. How selfish could he be?

What he did next shocked her out of her thoughts, He smashed the vase that decorated her little coffee table. The warning bells started going off in her head. He smashed a vase. A definite red flag.

The ringing of her phone interrupted them but before she could reach for it, Liam had already taken it.

"You have no right to do that, give it back" She demanded.

Liam laughed sinisterly, his lips stretching into a smile. " So the bastard is named Callum?"

Ariana stiffened as he gave the caller ID. Talk of a worst timing. She groaned inwardly

She tried to reach for her phone but her petite figure did nothing for her chances, he grabbed her and tried to pin her against the wall. The phone continued to ring but this time Liam picked the call and put it on speaker.

"Who the hell are you and why are you calling my girl?"

Callum laughed out loud on the other end of the phone. " Your girl?" He asked sarcastically.

Ariana hit the arm that held her against the wall and that seemed to get to him because he let her go.

Ariana snatched the phone from him swiftly and moved out of his reach.. "Hi Sir"

Callum chuckled. "Sir? is that because your little boyfriend is beside you?"

"I do not have a boyfriend." Ariana replied

"Are you home?"

Ariana blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Yes." She cleared her throat and tried again. This time with a little more confidence. "Yes I'm home"

" I am on my way to you then. I have things to discuss with you and before you throw a tantrum, they are urgent and can't wait"

"Alright then I will be waiting for you."

As soon as the call ended, Liam was back trying to evade her personal space. " I can wait to see your new play thing." He chuckled dryly.

"You're such an ass and you need to get the hell out of my apartment right now before I call the police" Ariana warned. She walked toward her landline to make right with her threat and in her rearview she could see him picking up his coat.

"This certainly isn't the last time you will be seeing me." Liam threatened and left. Banging her front door almost as if to unhinge it from the bolts.

......

Callum was just a few blocks away from where she lived and in no time he arrived at her parking lot. He walked up the stairs to her apartment.

The knock on her door was sharp, impatient.

Ariana blinked at the sound, still wrapped up in all the drama that had occurred that evening. She wasn’t expecting anyone asides him so she knew who was at the door. A flicker of unease passed through her chest as she moved toward the door, fingers brushing against the edge of her sweater. When she opened it, her breath caught.

Callum Guerrero stood in the hallway, dark and furious. His tailored black coat clung to his broad shoulders, soaked slightly from the mist outside. His jaw was clenched, eyes burning with something wild beneath the surface—anger, maybe. Or something far more dangerous.

“Callum?” she whispered, her fingers tightening around the edge of the door.

He didn’t wait for an invitation. He stepped inside.

“What have you been up to Ari?” he asked, voice low, lethal. “Who the hell is he?”

Ariana’s heart pounded. “That was—my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend.”

“Didn’t sound like an ex. What kind of ex has enough access to you that he even has your phone?”

Callum’s gaze scanned the apartment like a threat, eyes lingering on the clutter of takeout containers and the shattered vase by the bin—definitely not her doing. His nostrils flared.

“You’re upset,” she said quietly.

He turned to her, suddenly still. “You work for me. I need you to always remember that. Even though the process hasn't fully been set up, I need you to be mindful of your acts, if not I would have to call this off”

Ariana stepped back, spine stiffening as the warmth of his touch faded. “You don’t get to decide who I’m seen with. We don’t own each other, Callum.”

His eyes narrowed, voice dropping to a dangerous calm. “No, we don’t. But I do own the story we’re selling, Ariana. You knew what this arrangement meant when you signed on.”

She folded her arms. “So now I’m a prop in your little image rehab?”

He moved closer again, crowding her space. “You’re not a prop. You’re the future Mrs. Guerrero — or did you forget?

“That’s not real—”

“It’s real enough that I can’t have you playing house with some loser who answers your phone like he owns you.”

She laughed bitterly. “So what, you get to sleep around and keep secrets, but if I so much as talk to someone—?”

His hand slammed against the doorframe beside her head, not touching her, but close enough to make her breath catch.

“Be careful with your tone, Ariana.” His voice was ice. “I’m being patient with you, but I won’t be made a fool of. You think I won’t call this off?”

Her eyes flared. “Then do it.” For a second, neither of them moved. “I didn’t ask for this,” she said quietly, though her voice cracked. Ariana’s eyes burned, but she didn’t let the tears fall. She stared him down.

“No,” he murmured. “But you’re in it now. So either play the part — or I’ll find someone who can.”