Sophia’s POV:
I couldn’t wait for this interview to be over. It was taking everything in me to not just get up and leave. But that would become a new topic for the news faster than I could get out of the building.
“When is the grand wedding!” The interviewer, a red haired lady, with big framed glasses asks loudly with fake enthusiasm.
“I-”
Harry places his hands on mine. He gives me a gentle nod signalling me to let him do the talking. I was grateful for that, really.
“We haven’t set a date yet, it’s been few months since we got engaged, we are taking our time to make sure everything is perfect.”
The interviewer’s painted-on smile wavers for just a moment, but she quickly recovers. “Oh, of course! Planning a wedding is not at all a day’s job, it can be such a big task. But I’m sure it will be worth the wait!”
Harry smiled effortlessly, his charm effortlessly concealing any hint of irritation.
We’ve been here for the past half an hour. Sitting and listening to this lady’s annoying voice and questions.
When Harry had picked me up this morning from the office for an interview his team had set up, I wasn’t expecting this and from the way he’s irritated, he didn’t either.
The interviewer was not at all interested in the questions that had been originally set up for her to ask, she kept going off script and it’s not like we could just walk out of here.
We are trying to be on the good side of the media, not its bad side, so I’m choosing to endure this instead, than to create more scandals. But I’m so close to strangling her and I’m not even a violent person.
“Can we move to the next question?” I asked before I could stop myself. ‘Cause fuck her.
She casts a pointed glance at me. “Sure, but I can’t wait to hear all about it once the plans start coming together,” She smiled brightly but it didn’t meet her eyes. “It’s such an exciting time for you, isn’t it Sophia.”
I forced a smile. “Yes, very exciting.”
Move to the next question bitch!
She turned her gaze back to Harry. “There’s been a scandal involving your fiance and Mr. Ivan Kozlov, what do you have to say about that? Are the rumours true,” she asked.
Interesting… she’d rather ask Harry that question but me, like I wasn’t sitting right in front of her, the audacity.
Harry cleared his throat as he adjusted in his seat. “Regardless of what the media says, Sophia and Mr. Ivan are just good friends,” he answered simply .
Her brows furrowed as she frowned. “What about the pictures? How do you feel about them?”
I spoke up this time, cause that was the best thing to do and not strangling her like I really wanted. “We attended that wedding together for business, my heel broke and he offered to carry me,” I gritted out.
She cocked a brow, “Your-”
“That will be all for today, my fiance and I would like to rest now,” Harry said firmly.
“But we aren’t done yet.”
“Yes, we are,” he said. He turned to me and extended a hand. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered.
Relieved, I took his hands and made a quick exit. Once we were outside, I broke the comfortable silence between us. “Well, that was brutal,” I chuckled under my breath.
He squeezed my hand reassuringly. “I’m sorry about that,” he said softly. “I didn’t expect her to behave that way or go off script like that.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “You know how these people are, they are like vultures. They don’t care about you, they just want to find more dirt on you even at your lowest.”
“Still, it kind of feel like it’s my fault, I’d had my assistant arrange the interview in the first place.”
“Yea, but your intentions were good,” I said.
He nods. “Let me drop you off at work, it’s been a long day and we have to be out again tomorrow for a date.”
Right, I’d almost forgotten about that. Our next move was to be seen together by the people, preferably, the paparazzi more often. Hopefully, everything goes as we’ve planned and then we could all move on with our lives.
I flashed him a smile. “Sure.”
He held out the passenger door and I slid in, once he was sure I was sitting comfortably, he closed the door and round led the car to his side behind the wheels.
The ride back to the company was nice and smooth. By the time we arrived, it was past lunch break. I thanked Harry for the ride, we said our goodbyes and I watched him drive away before I got to my office.
“Miss Smith,” Rosie called as I was about to step into my office.
“Yes,” I replied.
“You have a delivery from someone, but I have no idea who it’s from,” she explained.
A delivery?
“Alright, thank you. I’ll check it out,” I answered.
I opened my office door and stepped in, closing it behind me.
I gasped at the sight before me. There on the arm chair sat a human sized, plush pink teddy bear, a very big bouquet of pink roses. On my desk was a bag.
“Harry?” I muttered to myself as I moved toward my desk. I opened the bag, searching its contents and it had all my favorite snacks including chocolates.
The roses were my favorites too, had Harry done this? I checked the flowers for a card.
But he no longer needed to impress me, so why?
Oh, is this part of our charade for the media? Yes, it has to-
My phone chimed with a notification. I pulled it out and glanced at its screen.
Ivan: Do you like them?
Ivan: The gifts I mean.
My brain stuttered as I tried to understand what was going on.
Ivan sent these?
My heart raced with excitement and I tried to calm it down, I had no idea Ivan didn’t have the same feelings as I did.
Why had he sent me these?