A Dance with Danger

Chapter Thirty-Three

**Estelle POV**

I could feel the anger building inside me as I stormed down the long hallway toward Tiberius’s office. It had been a week since our “honeymoon,” and despite my hopes for some quality time together, nothing had changed. Tiberius was still buried in his work, consumed by the endless demands of his empire. 

I had convinced myself this arrangement was temporary. That the fake marriage was just a means to an end—an agreement to keep up appearances and protect our families. But now, as I marched towards the cold, impersonal office, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had made a grave mistake. I had agreed to this charade, telling myself it would be fine, that we could figure it out. But the truth was, I was no longer sure I could keep lying to myself. 

I have Tiberius a few days to himself. But this is getting out of hand,even though we both know this is a false marriage. And it feels so real.

I threw open the door without knocking, cutting into his phone conversation. The sharp click of the door against the frame echoed in the large, minimalist room. Tiberius didn’t even look up from his desk as I entered. His deep voice continued, smooth and composed, as he spoke to someone on the other end of the line. 

"Hold on, let me finish this call," he said, his tone dismissive, though he hadn’t even glanced in my direction. 

I could feel my blood begin to boil. My chest tightened with the frustration I’d been holding back for days, weeks even. It wasn’t just that he was always working—it was that'.

The marriage was supposed to be a partnership, a chance to build something together. But instead, I had become a side note, an accessory to his power, someone to show off when it suited him, then left to occupy my time on my own when it didn’t. 

“Really?” I asked, my voice tight with anger, but attempting to remain calm. “You’re going to keep working while I’m standing here? Like I’m nothing more than a convenience for your little empire?” 

Tiberius didn’t flinch. Instead, he finished whatever business was on the phone, his voice so polished it sounded rehearsed. When the call ended, he finally looked up at me, his dark eyes unreadable. 

“What’s this about, Estelle?” 

“What’s this about?” I repeated, walking toward the desk. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides. “It’s about you treating me like I don’t matter. Like this whole marriage is just some little contract you’re too busy to even acknowledge. I’m your 'wife',Tiberius. You know, the person who’s supposed to be your partner in this charade.” 

But enough was enough. 

“I agree to fake marry you for the public's eyes,but that still doesn't give you the right to completely ignore me.So I could be left alone in a Villa while you play CEO.” My voice rose, no longer hiding the bitterness I felt. “I’m your wife, Tiberius. That means something, doesn’t it? Or is it just another part of your empire-building strategy?” 

Tiberius’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything right away. The silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. It felt like we were both trying to navigate a battlefield, with no clear rules or boundaries. 

Finally, he spoke, his voice lower than before, but still tinged with that detached calm I had come to associate with him. “You knew what this was when we agreed to the marriage, Estelle.” 

I felt my throat constrict. “I should have think this through more,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. I knew where this was going to lead. “Do you even *care*?” 

His eyes flickered, something unreadable passing through them. It was like he was assessing me, weighing the truth in my words. 

“I care about you,” he said quietly, but there was a hint of something beneath his words that I couldn’t quite place. “You just don’t understand everything I’m doing. The empire, the power—it’s all part of keeping us safe, keeping 'you' safe.” 

“Safe?” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. “Safe from what? I've stayed with for a few months now and nothing happen. You’re so caught up in your world, Tiberius, that you don’t even see the person standing right in front of you. I'm starting to regret agreeing to this marriage every single day and it's only be three days .” 

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and for a moment, I regretted it. But then the anger surged again, stronger than before. I had kept my thoughts to myself for too long, and now they were spilling out in a rush. 

“Maybe I should’ve just gone along with the rumors. At least they would’ve been honest about the fact that we’re just 'pretending' to be married.” 

Tiberius stood, his chair scraping against the floor. For the first time, I saw a flash of something real in his eyes—something close to frustration, maybe even regret. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by that cold mask of indifference he wore so well. 

“I didn’t 'ask' you to pretend, Estelle,” he said, his voice low. “You’re in this because *I* wanted it to be real. Don’t forget that.” 

“Real?” I repeated, incredulous. “You can’t be serious. If this is what 'real' looks like, I want no part of it.” 

The room seemed to shrink around us as the tension thickened, and I could feel the walls closing in. I wasn’t sure what I was angrier about—his arrogance, his indifference, or my own foolishness for ever agreeing to this in the first place. 

“I thought I could handle it,” I said, my voice suddenly small. “I thought we could make it work, that maybe we could find something real in all this.” 

Tiberius didn’t respond. Instead, he just watched me, silent as ever. The weight of his gaze felt suffocating, like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking, what I was feeling. But I wasn’t about to let him keep me here for another second. 

Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the office, my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear his voice calling after me, but I ignored him, the sound growing fainter as I walked down the hall, my steps quick and decisive. 

I didn’t even care that I was leaving him behind in his cold, indifferent office. I was done. 

The door slammed behind me with a force that echoed through the hall, and I didn’t stop until I reached the solitude of my room. 

Once inside, I sank down onto the bed, my hands trembling. I had never felt so alone in my life, not even in this massive, luxurious house that Tiberius had built for himself.

I had wanted to be part of something with him, wanted to make it work. But I couldn’t force him to care. 

With a heavy sigh, I ran my hands through my hair and tried to calm my racing thoughts. But as the silence of the room settled around me, I realized that the only thing I regretted more than agreeing to this marriage was the fact that I had let myself