His Father Bought Me-Chapter 27: I’ve Got You

It’s just for the act, and it’s perfect. Estelle’s fingers rose slowly, brushing over the necklace as she looked at herself in the mirror. The stones of the necklace shimmered against her skin, catching the light just right.

Satisfied, she lifted her gaze and then turned her head slightly to look at him. Her eyes traced him now, just as his had done earlier. The tux fit him perfectly, sharp lines, clean edges, every detail intentional. It’s just the outfit, she told herself, almost stubbornly. That’s all.

"How do I look?" she asked, her voice steady, though something softer lingered beneath it.

Roman didn’t answer immediately. His gaze moved over her slowly, taking his time this time, like he wasn’t even trying to hide it, and then a faint smile touched his lips. "Like a Whitehall," he said at last. The words landed, quiet but heavy.

Estelle’s lips curved, a small, satisfied smile forming. "Then I’m perfect." There was a flicker of something in her eyes as she held his gaze. "Shall we proceed?"

"Not so fast." Roman’s tone shifted slightly, lighter now. "You haven’t told me if I look good," he added, one brow lifting just a fraction. "Or at least, if I look the part." There was the faintest challenge in his voice.

Estelle resisted the urge to smile, but it didn’t quite work because the corner of her lips lifted anyway, subtle but there. "You look the part," she said, her tone composed as she turned her chair smoothly. "And I think that’s what matters."

Roman let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh, shaking his head as he followed her. The faint scent of her lingered in the air as he passed. It was soft but unmistakable, catching his attention for half a second longer than it should have.

They moved toward the corner she had set up, the ring light glowing steadily, the camera already positioned. Everything was in place, and there was no room left for hesitation.

Roman took his seat beside her, adjusting his cuff out of habit, but his focus shifted almost immediately to her. Estelle turned at the same time and found him already watching.

For a moment, neither of them looked away. Her breath slipped out slowly through her nose, but her heart picked up, beating harder, faster, like it was trying to keep pace with something neither of them had said out loud.

"Are you ready?" Roman asked, his voice low, meant only for her, and the softness of it settled between them.

Estelle held his gaze for a second longer, then let it fall, her fingers brushing lightly over the fabric gathered in her lap, smoothing it without really thinking. "That depends," she said, her tone even, though there was a quiet edge beneath it. "Are you ready to go all the way with me?"

Roman’s lips curved slightly, but his eyes stayed steady, focused, intentional. "You already know the answer to that."

She did. And it made a faint smile touch her lips again, shorter this time.

Suddenly, across the room, a phone buzzed sharply against the table. The sound cut through the quiet like a warning. Neither of them moved, but both of them heard it, and both of them understood what it was.

The world was already watching.

Estelle leaned forward, reaching for her phone. The screen lit up the second her fingers touched it, notifications stacking over each other, messages, alerts, headlines forming faster than she could read. Speculations, curiosity, pressure, and it was perfect for the moment.

She angled the phone slightly, not live yet, just enough to catch his reflection behind her, his figure framed over her shoulder, close enough to feel, not quite touching.

"Once we start this," she said quietly, her eyes lifting to meet his through the screen and then directly, "there’s no backing out."

Roman stepped closer. He didn’t touch her, but the space between them narrowed as his presence settled in, warm, steady, undeniable. She could feel it at her back, in the air, in the way her breath shifted.

"Then what are you waiting for?" he murmured.

The words brushed against her ear, low and close. Estelle’s grip tightened slightly around the phone before she steadied it. Her thumb hovered over the screen for one second, then two. Her pulse thudded in her throat. Then her lips curved, slow, deliberate, a spark of something bold lighting her eyes.

"I guess it’s time to give them something worth watching."

And then she hit go live.

The moment her thumb pressed down, the screen shifted, and their faces filled it, side by side, framed in the soft glow of the ring light. And then everything went crazy.

The reactions came first, hearts, comments, notifications, rising so fast they blurred together, flooding the screen in a rush neither of them could keep up with. Then the questions followed, piling in, urgent, relentless.

It was louder than silence should be.

For a second, everything they had rehearsed, every line, every calculated move, vanished. Just like that, and they both stayed there, frozen. No words, no movement, just the glow of the screen reflecting in their eyes as they stared at it, caught in the sheer weight of it all.

The world wasn’t waiting, it was already demanding answers.

The room suddenly felt so suffocating that Estelle could almost not breathe. Her grip tightened slightly around the phone, and her pulse slammed against her ribs, fast and unforgiving, rising into her throat.

"We’re not ready for this..." she whispered, the words barely steady as they slipped out. Her chest rose sharply, then fell, but it didn’t help. "We need to call this off. Now." Her voice wavered, just a fraction. "We should never have done this." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Beside her, Roman swallowed. His gaze stayed fixed on the screen, but his focus had shifted, away from the chaos, toward her.

Estelle’s fingers trembled as she reached for the screen, her thumb hovering over the button to end the live, even as the comments kept climbing, blurring together, pressing in. But before she could touch it, Roman’s hand closed gently around hers. Not forceful, just firm enough to stop her, and it did.

She turned to him, her eyes wide, breath unsteady, her chest rising and falling too fast as it struggled to keep up with her racing heart.

Roman smiled. "Breathe, I’ve got you," he said, and then he turned to the camera, already opening his mouth.