Demi lets out a slow, impressed “Oh.”
I groan, dropping my head into my hand. “You guys are unbelievable.”
“Am I wrong?” Jovana asks sweetly. “Because I distinctly remember saying,either she left with him or she got kidnapped.”
Tiana and Eric laugh.
“You were glowing when you reappeared,” Seraya continues.
I lift my head. “I was not!”
Eric points at me. “So Singapore was the beginning.”
I hesitate just long enough for them to notice.
Demi grins. “Oh my God. Itwasn’t?”
I exhale. “Fine. Yes. Something was already happening.”
Tiana studies me, acting clueless. “And now?”
I glance at my phone, still face down on the table. “Now, it’s real.”
Seraya grins. “Is it serious?”
I can’t help it—I smile.
“Very.”
Even though our relationship is fake, I have to sell it. And yet, there is a part of me that is genuinely excited to start this journey. My life has always been carefully planned, every step measured. This is so far outside my comfort zone it almost makes my skin itch. But for once, I’m doing something forme—without overanalyzing the fallout—while still helping someone else in the process.
“How do you think people at your work are going to take it?” Demi asks, resting her chin in her palm.
I grimace, swirling the ice in my glass. “That’s the only part I’m worried about. But Worth says he has it under control.”
“Hell yeah, he does!” Eric beams, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t believe you bagged a fucking billionaire, MJ.” He wiggles his brows. “Does he have any friends? Brothers?”
Eric isalwayshunting for his next hookup.
I laugh and swat his shoulder. “He does, but I’m not opening that door for you. Find your own rich man to shag.”
The table erupts in laughter, and for the first time since this whole thing began, the knot in my chest loosens just a little. Having my friend’s support makes this a tad easier. Though I wish I could tell them the truth.
Seraya reaches across the table first, squeezing my hand. “I’m really happy for you, Mya. You deserve something exciting.”
Tiana nods, her smile soft. “As long as you’re okay with it—and it’s whatyouwant—that’s what matters.”
“I am. I think. I just didn’t expect it to feel… right.”
Eric lifts his glass. “To MJ, patron saint of accidentally landing billionaires.”
I laugh, clinking my glass against my friends’.
The conversation drifts to travel plans, work gossip, and Jovana’s latest dating horror story. Eric disappears to flirt with the bartender and comes back far too pleased with himself. Atsome point, someone orders another round, and the music gets louder.
I catch myself laughing more than usual, leaning into the warmth of the table, the easy comfort of people who really know me.
Tonight, I stay exactly where I am, surrounded by friends, letting the night unfold without worrying about where it’s all going next.