Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Daphne’s POV

The afternoon sun was leaning heavy against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the estate, casting long, honey-colored rectangles across the rug.

For the past three days, my life had become a curated gallery of candid’ moments.

If you looked at David’s phone right now, you’d see a digital trail of a romance that looked effortless, private, and entirely devastating.

We’d spent the last several days building this whole story-photos that didn’t scream “posed.”

Me curled on the couch with a book while David read nearby. Us at a quiet café, laughing over coffee like we’d done it a hundred times.

Even a few from our fake dates around the city, walking hand in hand through the park at sunset.

All of it because his family already knew how Aaron and Jessica had started. If his grandmother pushed too hard, she’d sniff out anything that felt rushed.

‘We need a history, Daphne, he’d told me, ‘Nonna needs to believe I was pulling her leg during that phone call, that I already had someone, but I wanted to hear her nag a bit.

The story we ended up cooking up was a blend of truth and tactical fiction.

If anyone asked, I was the girl who had “snuck up” on him late at night as he was leaving the office, desperate to pitch my skills because I’d followed his career in the tech space for years.

We’d included the part about him saving me from Kyle, because the raw, protective energy of those moments were too real to fake. It gave our ‘romance’ the glaze it needed.

We’d practiced the story until it rolled off our tongues easy, natural, like it had really happened that way.

“I need you to look like you actually like him, Miss Moore,” the photographer called out from behind his lens.

“Mr. Tyrone, lean in. Give her a kiss on the cheek. Make it look lingering.”

I felt David shift beside me. His presence was a solid, overwhelming force.

As he leaned in, I instinctively flinched, my shoulders bunching up toward my ears. I couldn’t help it; the proximity was doing things to my pulse that I wasn’t ready to categorize.

David let out a sharp, annoyed hiss near my ear.

“Daphne, stay still. Right now.”

“It’s weird, sir,” I whispered back, my voice tight. “He’s watching.”

“That is the entire point,” he muttered. I was about to be stubborn, about to pull away again, but David didn’t give me the chance

Just before the photographer could catch the hint of our bickering, David’s hand shot out. He grabbed my upper arms and pulled me flush against his chest.

tried to pull back, but his hand stayed firm on my waist, holding me in place like he knew I’d bolt if given half a chance,

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Chapter 198

Before I could even blink, his lips pressed against my cheek.

The photographer’s camera clicked one last time, and I felt my cheeks burn hotter than the studio lights above us.

It wasn’t just a peck. It was soft, warm, and lasted a heartbeat too long.

I felt the prickle of his aftershave and the steady, heavy thud of his heart through his dress shirt.

A flush crept up my neck, a dizzying heat that made my ears ring.

For a second, the fake romance felt dangerously like a real one.

My eyes fluttered shut, and I’m sure I looked exactly like the smitten woman I was supposed to be portraying.

“That’s a wrap, Mr. Tyrone,” the photographer announced, lowering his camera. “Perfect shot.”

David released me instantly. The sudden loss of his warmth made the room feel ten degrees colder.

He stepped back, casually adjusting his silver cufflinks as if he hadn’t just set my entire nervous system on fire.

“Good,” he said, his voice returning to that cool, detached frequency. He turned toward the hallway where Helen was standing.

“Helen, are the bags ready? Is the car waiting?”

Helen nodded, her hands folded neatly in front of her. But as I caught her eye, I saw the corners of her mouth twitching. She was trying-and failing-to contain a massive smile.

Helen had been the primary Cupid of this disaster since the day arrived.

She’d already caught onto my feelings for David, dropping subtle hints and knowing looks that I spent most of my time pretending not to see.

Seeing us like this was probably the highlight of her year. I offered her a weary look, but she only winked before heading off to coordinate with the driver.

David glanced back at me, his expression softening just a fraction. “Ready?”

I managed a nod, my fingers tightening around the strap of my purse.

My cheek still tingled where his lips had been,

a lingering, phantom warmth that I couldn’t shake off.

It was just for the camera, I reminded myself. Fake. All of it.

But my heart was a traitor; it hadn’t gotten the memo and was currently drumming frantically against my ribs.

We stepped out into the thick, golden heat of the afternoon.

The car was already waiting at the curb, its engine humming a quiet, expensive tune.

David held the door for me with a practiced, effortless gallantry before sliding into the leather seat beside me.

The second the door clicked shut and we pulled away, his phone came to life.

He answered it without missing a beat, his voice shifting instant into an authoritative tone.

He launched into a complex discussion about quarterly reports and aggressive timelines, only to hang up and immediately

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Chapter 198

dive into another call about the China expansion.

I tuned out the jargon, the talk of work feeling miles away from the static electricity currently buzzing in the small space

between us.

I reached for the window control, pressing the button until the glass vanished into the door.

The summer breeze rushed in, a sudden, violent swell of air that carried the scent of fresh-cut grass and the ch from exhaust pipes.

I’d intentionally rolled the windows down. I needed the air.

If I had remained sealed in that chilled, silence of the cabin, trapped with nothing but the trace of his scent and the pu his presence, I would have suffocated.

The AC would have exposed everything: the heat in my cheeks, the stupid, involuntary smile I couldn’t quite kill, and the way I was vibrating with nervous energy.

The wind helped me hide.

I rested my elbow on the door, letting the gale whip my hair across my face and cool my skin while my mind retreated into a loop, replaying the sensation of his lips against my skin over and over again.

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