WHAT WE NEVER SAID |18+

Boutique

Author's POV

The boutique was buzzing with excitement. Media vans were parked outside, cameras were flashing, and reporters were swarming the entrance. Today was the big day—Zara and Zayden were going shopping for their wedding outfits. The media had been eagerly waiting for this moment, ready to capture the "perfect" couple in action.

But inside their shared penthouse suite, things were far from perfect.

“Why is it always about you, Zayden?!” Zara stormed into the living room, waving her phone in the air. “I just saw your latest interview! You said I was the lucky one in this marriage. Are you kidding me?”

Zayden, lounging casually on the sofa, didn’t even bother looking up from his magazine. “Well, I’m not wrong, am I? Fashion’s finest and Hollywood’s diva—seems like I’m the one upgrading your life, Zara.”

Zara’s jaw dropped. “Upgrading? You’re delusional! If anything, I am doing you a favor by even agreeing to this sham of a marriage. Do you know how many guys would kill to marry me?”

Zayden smirked, finally putting the magazine down. “Oh, I’m sure there are plenty of desperate souls out there. But none of them have the misfortune of being stuck with your unbearable attitude.”

“My unbearable attitude?!” Zara threw a cushion at him. “Look in the mirror, Mr. ‘I Think I’m God’s Gift to Fashion.’ Your ego doesn’t even fit in this apartment!”

Zayden ducked, letting the cushion sail past him, and shot back, “At least I have a personality! You? You just pretend to have one in front of the cameras!”

Zara's eyes narrowed. “Oh really? Coming from the guy who spent an hour fixing his hair for a radio interview?”

Zayden winced slightly but wasn’t ready to back down. “It’s called looking the part, sweetheart. Something you might want to learn if you plan on standing next to me on our wedding day.”

Zara picked up another cushion, launching it at him with renewed fury. “You are impossible!”

He dodged again, but this time his smirk disappeared. “And you’re impossible to please! No wonder you’re still single.”

Zara gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart as if deeply wounded. “Oh, the audacity! Coming from someone who can't even keep a relationship because all of your exes think you’re a control freak!”

“Control freak?!” Zayden shot up from the couch, his eyes blazing. “I’m not a control freak. I’m just good at getting what I want. Something you clearly haven’t mastered.”

“Oh please!” Zara shouted back, crossing her arms. “If you were so good at getting what you want, you wouldn’t need this marriage to save your pathetic reputation!”

There was a tense silence as both of them stood there, breathing heavily, glaring at each other. Then, at the exact same time, they both spoke:

“I don’t need this marriage!” “I don’t need this marriage!”

And that’s when things spiraled out of control.

Zara grabbed the remote from the coffee table and pointed it at him as if it were a weapon. “You know what, Zayden? Go marry yourself! I’m sure your ego would make a perfect partner.”

Zayden, unfazed, raised an eyebrow. “You really think you’re that important? If I wanted to marry myself, I’d at least pick someone with less drama.”

“Oh, and what would that look like? Marrying your reflection? Sounds like the perfect wedding for you.”

“Better than marrying a drama queen!”