A sudden car accident, and my fierce rival shows up just to gloat. Before she can say a word, I decide to play dumb. On a wild whim, I look up at her and rasp, “Baby, what took you so long?” Watching her beautiful face freeze is the most satisfying thing I’ve ever seen. “Well, I did keep you waiting,” she replies, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss against my cheek. As her lips touch my skin, my entire world implodes. 01 The damp warmth on my cheek felt like a lightning bolt striking my brain. Me, Ken Carlisle, twenty-eight, CEO of Nova Tech, and widely considered the most eligible bachelor in the business world, was lying in a hospital bed, watching my entire reality collapse and rebuild itself. Five minutes ago, I was still congratulating myself on my own cleverness. When I first woke up from the crash, my arch-rival, Candice Lockhart, was standing by my bed. That gorgeous, usually mocking face of hers actually carried a rare look of genuine worry. Caught up in a sudden wave of mischief, I beat her to the punch: “Baby, what took you so long?” Heaven knows why I used such a cheesy, intimate term. Maybe it was the lingering fog of the anesthesia, or maybe I just wanted the sheer satisfaction of seeing her smug expression crack. But I never, in my wildest dreams, expected Candice to react the way she did. “Well, I did keep you waiting,” she murmured, leaning down to press that soft, apologetic kiss to my cheek. In that instant, I nearly bolted straight out of bed. Candice Lockhart, heiress of Lockhart Industries, the woman who had spent the last five years trying to destroy me in the boardroom, had just kissed me. It wasn’t an illusion. The soft touch of her lips and the faint scent of her jasmine perfume were terrifyingly real. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?” Candice tilted her head, her eyes wide with what looked like genuine concern. She wasn’t wearing her usual sharp, aggressive makeup today. Without it, she looked surprisingly soft, almost innocent. My throat went dry, my mind racing at a million miles an hour. If I confessed right now that I was faking, I’d be digging my own grave. Knowing Candice, once she realized I had played her, she would make sure I suffered a slow, painful social death. “My head… hurts a bit,” I muttered, choosing to commit to the bit. I let my voice sound as weak as possible. Candice immediately pressed the call button, her movements incredibly swift. “The doctor said you might have a mild concussion,” she said softly. “It’s normal for your memory to be a little scrambled.” She brushed a stray lock of hair away from my forehead, her fingertips cool against my skin, yet leaving a trail of heat like a branding iron. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” I went completely stiff. Was this act getting a little too real? I forced my facial muscles to relax, trying to look confused and entirely dependent on her. “Baby… have I been asleep for long?” Candice’s eyelashes fluttered. She reached down and took my hand. My immediate instinct was to yank it back, but I held my ground. “Three days,” she said, her voice dropping to a tender murmur. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Her palm was warm and dry, her fingers slightly calloused from years of holding pens and signing contracts. It was a strange realization. Who knew my sworn enemy’s hand could feel so comforting? The nurse pushed the door open, breaking the bizarre, charged silence in the room. Candice let go of my hand naturally, stepping back to give the nurse space, but her gaze never left my face. “Mr. Carlisle, how are you feeling?” the nurse asked, checking my IV drip. “Better, but…” I glanced at Candice, deliberately sounding hesitant, “some things are a bit fuzzy.” The nurse nodded understandingly. “Common symptoms after a concussion. Your girlfriend here has been worried sick. Having a loved one around will help you recover faster.” I nearly choked on my own spit. Before I could say anything, Candice smiled warmly. “I’ll make sure he gets all the care he needs.” Once the nurse left, leaving us alone again, the air in the room grew thick and heavy. “Thirsty?” Candice picked up a glass of water from the nightstand, her movements so practiced and familiar it was as if she had done this a thousand times. I nodded slowly. She carefully supported the back of my neck, bringing the rim of the glass to my lips. The posture was so intimate it felt like an embrace, the scent of jasmine enveloping me once more. The cool water slid down my throat, but it only made me feel thirstier. “How long… have we been together?” I decided to take the initiative, testing her limits. Candice set the glass down, her eyes suddenly softening into something beautiful and tinged with sadness. “Three years and four months.” She paused, looking down. “Since that charity gala, when you drank on my behalf to save me from those aggressive investors.” My chest tightened. That gala was a real event, but I had only intervened because I didn’t want her stealing my prospective clients. After that night, we had fought tooth and nail over that contract. Where on earth did she get a romance out of that? “I remember you wore a deep navy suit,” Candice continued, her voice soft and full of details. “And the tie you wore was the one I gave you for your birthday.” A cold sweat broke out across my back. Either she was playing a highly sophisticated game, or… she actually believed we were dating. 02 Before I could wrap my head around it, the hospital room door burst open. My assistant, Liam, rushed in carrying a thick stack of folders. “Mr. Carlisle! Thank god you’re awake! These need your urgent sign…” His voice died in his throat. His eyes went wide as saucers as he stared at Candice holding my hand. Candice calmly took the folders from his grasp. “The doctor says he needs absolute rest. Work can wait.” Liam’s jaw practically hit the floor. “M-Ms. Lockhart? What are you doing here?” “I’m his girlfriend,” Candice said, her face perfectly blank as she tossed the folders onto a nearby table. “Is there a problem?” I saw the sheer, apocalyptic terror flash in Liam’s eyes. It was entirely justified. Just last month, I had spent a solid thirty minutes shouting in the boardroom about how Lockhart Industries had stolen our bid. “N-No problem at all!” Liam stammered, retreating toward the door. Before he fled, he shot me a look that clearly asked: Have you been brainwashed? Watching him run, my mind was a chaotic mess. Great. Now the entire company was going to think I’d lost my mind. “Baby, you terrified my assistant,” I said, leaning into the sweet, needy tone just to see how she’d handle it. Candice raised an eyebrow. She stepped closer, her fingers suddenly cupping my chin. “Ken, do you know what I like most about you?” Her grip was firm, forcing me to look directly into her fierce, feline eyes. My pulse spiked, though I couldn’t tell if it was from panic or something else entirely. “What?” I managed to get out. “This right here,” she whispered, leaning in so close her warm breath tickled my ear. “The way you want to fight back, but you’re forced to play along with my little show.” I went stiff. She knew. She knew the entire time! Candice pulled back, a victorious smile playing on her lips. “The doctor said your memory might be stuck three years ago, right when we started dating.” She blinked innocently. “Do you need me to help you remember, darling?” My throat felt tight. This woman was playing with fire. “Sure,” I countered, reaching out to wrap my hand around her wrist. “Why don’t we start with our very first kiss?” Candice clearly hadn’t expected me to push back. I felt her wrist tremble slightly in my grip. But a second later, she leaned down, coming so close I could see my own reflection in her dark pupils. “It was in your office,” she murmured, her voice a low, seductive thread. “I brought over a contract, and you pinned me against the door…” My brain short-circuited. We actually had a confrontation like that, except we had nearly torn each other’s throats out, not kissed. “And then?” I asked, my voice raspy, entirely unsure of what answer I wanted to hear. Candice’s lips were practically brushing mine. “And then, you…” 03 Candice’s words were cut off as the door flew open with a bang. “Ken! Oh, my sweet boy, I was worried sick!” My mother’s voice stopped mid-shriek. My father, trailing right behind her, stood frozen in his tracks. Both of them stared in absolute shock at the two of us, practically pressed together on the bed. (They had been vacationing in Tuscany and had flown back overnight the second they heard about the accident). The air in the room turned to ice. I instinctively tried to pull away from Candice, but she locked her fingers through mine, holding me fast. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle,” Candice said smoothly, straightening up with a flawless, polite smile. “I’m Ken’s girlfriend, Candice Lockhart.” “G-Girlfriend?!” My mother’s voice went up an octave, her designer handbag slipping from her fingers and hitting the floor with a dull thud. My father looked like he was witnessing an alien invasion. “Lockhart… as in Lockhart Industries?” My temples throbbed. This had gone completely off the rails. “Yes,” Candice replied, adjusting my blanket with practiced tenderness. “We’ve been together for over three years now. We just hadn’t found the right moment to tell you.” My mother took a step forward, her eyes darting between us. “But the news last month said you two were practically at war over that bidding contract…” “Just business,” Candice interrupted with a light laugh. “In private, our relationship is incredibly strong.” She reached over and playfully ruffled my hair. I felt a surge of sheer frustration, but I couldn’t do a thing. For some reason, my mother’s eyes began to well with tears. “Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried Ken would grow old and die alone with his spreadsheets!” My father walked over, giving me a deeply suspicious look. “You kept this well hidden, son.” I opened my mouth, but no words came out. How could I explain this? If I admitted I was faking, how would I explain why Candice was kissing me? But if I kept playing along, my parents would gladly hand me over to this beautiful demon on a silver platter. “He just woke up, and his memory is still a little scrambled,” Candice lied smoothly, her acting skills worthy of an Oscar. “The doctor said it’s best not to stress him.” My mother immediately took my hand, her eyes full of pity. “My poor boy… Well, Candice, I’m so glad you’re here. We’ll have to rely on you to take care of him.” “Of course,” Candice said, beaming. “I am his girlfriend, after all.” I watched in horror as my mother reached into her purse and pulled out a stunning, vintage emerald bracelet, our family heirloom reserved for her future daughter-in-law, and slid it directly onto Candice’s wrist. “Mrs. Carlisle, this is far too valuable…” Candice protested, though she didn’t put up much of a fight. “Nonsense! Take it! It’s going to be yours eventually anyway,” my mother gushed, smiling from ear to ear. I closed my eyes in utter despair. What was happening to my life? My father patted my shoulder, his voice heavy with approval. “Good taste, son. She’s a hundred times better than those socialites your mother tried to set you up with.” I felt like I had just taken a physical blow to the chest. Once the nurse finally coaxed my parents out to the doctor’s office to discuss my recovery, I grabbed Candice’s wrist. “Are you insane?” Candice tilted her head, the emerald bracelet catching the light. “What’s the matter, boyfriend?” “Who’s your boyfriend?” I hissed. “The game is over!” “Is it?” She leaned down, her long hair brushing against my chest. “Do you want to go tell your parents that you faked amnesia to play a prank, and that I caught you red-handed?” I opened and closed my mouth, completely speechless. She gave me a victorious wink. “Just play along. Once your ‘memory returns,’ we can have a nice, amicable breakup.” “Why should I play by your rules?” I growled. Candice’s hand gently cupped my cheek, her thumb lightly tracing my lower lip. “Because…” Her voice suddenly softened, losing all its sharp edges. “When you had that accident, I was truly terrified.” I froze. Candice’s eyes held a vulnerability I had never seen before: raw, real, and entirely devoid of malice. “So,” she said, her usual playful smirk returning in a flash, “just play along with me, okay?” My heart skipped a beat. Before I could think, I nodded. She laughed and started to pull away, but I grabbed her hand. “Wait,” I muttered, frowning. “If we’re doing this, I need to know the script. How exactly did we get together?” Candice’s eyes sparkled. “You drank for me at that charity gala, and then you spent three months desperately pursuing me…” “Bull!” the word slipped out before I could stop it. “You were the one who…” I cut myself off, but it was too late. Candice’s grin turned incredibly smug. “Well, look at that. Someone’s memory is returning rather quickly.” I let go of her hand, thoroughly annoyed with myself. She leaned down one last time, whispering in my ear, “Don’t worry. I’ll be the perfect girlfriend.” I couldn’t tell if it was a promise or a threat.
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