THE CEO'S FAKE WIFE

The Kiss

Luke put on his clothes and stood facing the window, looking at the beautiful city of Bruges.

He took a deep breath, maybe it was the right time for her to stop loving Rebecca. People would be surprised to know how much he could accept her even though she had hurt him so many times.

Rebecca Lee was a typical woman who couldn't stand a handsome and sexy man, she could sleep with anyone without love and only rely on her lust. Whenever she was tired of adventures she would come back to him, and if she was bored of being with him, she would go on adventures again, over and over like it had no end.

Luke, whose heart was blinded by love, could always accept her back even though he has to be willing to lose that woman at any time. It might all be over soon, he wasn't sure Rebecca would want to marry him, so he had prepared his heart for the worst.

"I want to go out, I need the access card?"

said Beatrice, who already looked beautiful in her light yellow dress.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

Beatrice snorted,

"It's a secret! Just give me the access card!"

Luke was silent for a moment, before long he stepped into the closet, put on his coat, and tucked his cell phone and wallet into his pocket.

"I'm coming with you,"

he said curtly as he walked towards the door.

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, she wanted to complain but she changed her mind, so she kept quiet and trailed behind him.

In the hotel lobby, suddenly they met Rebecca who was chatting with a handsome man who seemed to be Spanish. They looked very affectionate and intense with each other as if they were a real couple.

Luke clenched his fists, staring intently at Rebecca but she just froze where she stood. She did not know what to do.

Beatrice who couldn't bear to see the scene immediately pulled Luke's hand and brought him out quickly of the hotel, leaving Rebecca who looked at them with an uncertain feeling.

After some distance from the hotel, Beatrice let go of Luke's hand and walked ahead of him without saying anything.

Until suddenly,

"Let's get married!" he shouted in such a serious tone.

Beatrice turned around, shrugging.

"Okay, prepare the most romantic proposal for me!"

she said lightly, she knew that would be a very long and tiring journey...

*****

Belfry of Bruges,

their first destination was a medieval bell tower located in the center of Bruges. This 83-meter high tower is one of the symbols of the city of Bruges which was often visited by tourists. There were 366 steps that will take visitors to the top of the tower.

After buying tickets for 24 Euros for two, they stepped inside the Belfry of Bruges. The first floor of this building seems to be filled with a collection of bells while on the second floor there was a music player that played classical songs every 15 minutes.

After passing 366 steps, they reached the top of the tower.

"Wow! This place is so cool!" said Beatrice, spreading her arms wide.

Luke who had been to Bruges so many times had never even taken the time to climb all the way to the top of the Belfry of Bruges.

His eyes sparkled in awe at the beauty of the view of Bruges City that was clearly visible from the top of the tower.

"I'm not lying right, Bruges is much better than Brussels," he said flatly.

Beatrice, who hadn't heard Luke speaking since they were leaving the hotel, was shocked,

"Look who's talking! Whoa, I thought your vocal cords were damaged!" Beatrice teased, annoying as usual.

Luke just snorted.

The next minutes they spent gazing at the beautiful panorama of Bruges. Medieval classics, horse-drawn carriages, canals, friendly people, delicious waffles, and chocolates, that Bruges tour was almost perfect for her.

After being satisfied touring around the Belfry of Bruges, they stopped at a French restaurant in Markt Square not far from there.

"May I ask you a question?" asked Beatrice, resting her chin on her hand and looking at Luke.

"Why do you always accept her back even though she's hurt you so many times? Not just hurting you, she also likes going on adventures from one man to another, right? I'm just so curious about it," asked her casually, she was always an honest and open person.

Luke didn't feel offended at all,

He took a deep breath, then looked at the people passing by.

"I don't know, maybe because I really love her," he answered flatly.

Beatrice's lips immediately tilted upwards, sneering,

"Was that love or obsession? I just found out that people in love could be so stupid too," she teased.

Luke immediately turned around.

"Have you ever fallen in love?" he asked annoyed.

"Or maybe no one wanted to be in a relationship with someone annoying and weird like you," he said curtly.

Beatrice's face immediately turned pink, she had never really fallen in love with any man. She dated some guy several times just for fun, in fact, she had never made love, well except with Luke and that was because she was drunk.

"I haven't! Do you have a problem with that? It's better to be alone than to be hurt repeatedly, she changes partners like changing clothes, can you really guarantee that she doesn't have sexually transmitted diseases!"

Luke pounded the table,

"Don't talk bad about Rebecca, you don't know anything about her," he snapped, his face very serious. Beatrice was surprised by his reaction, she immediately fell silent and looked away. Luckily a waiter came to deliver their order, so she could immediately turn her attention to the food she ordered.

She ate her meal voraciously, while Luke was still staring at people passing by without any intention of touching his food at all.

After finishing her food and drink, she got up and was ready to continue her journey.

"I want to take a boat around the canal, it's up to you whether you want to go or not," she said curtly and then walked away leaving Luke who soon followed her behind.

They didn't speak at all all the way to the pier where they would take a boat to go around the canal. She was busy with the beautiful scenery that seemed endless, while Luke was busy with his own thoughts.

After circling around for about half an hour, they arrived at a dock with several boats parked neatly. Winter made the atmosphere less crowded, there were only a few tourists who was also want to do a boat trip.

The boat they were going to board was very empty, there were only the two of them on board. They sat far apart, as if they were both allergic to being in close with each other. Each was still equally annoyed with the other.

The boat drove slowly down the canal which presented a soothing sight. Classic buildings that turned into cafes and restaurants, Beatrice felt like she was transported to another dimension.

If she had come there with a man she loved and also loved her that would have been perfect. But instead she was there with a haughty and arbitrary creature named Luke Carter who always made her mood fluctuated ups and down.

After they finished their boat ride, they stopped by the Church of Our Lady Bruges to see Michelangelo's famous Sculpture, Madonna & Child.

"Want to try some local beer?" Luke opened his mouth for the first time since he snapped at Beatrice at the french restaurant.

She glanced at him, still with her stern face,

"Sure," she said nonchalantly.

A few minutes later they had crossed the narrow streets lined with cafes, bars, and restaurants until they finally arrived at 't Brugs Beertje, a small Pub that has always been a destination for domestic and international tourists.

The atmosphere of the pub was quite crowded, Beatrice and Luke chose to sit in front of the bar so they could see the activities of the bartender serving the customer.

"Which one do like?" Luke asked, handing her the menu.

It took her long enough to finally decide,

"Strong Dark Ale," she said enthusiastically.

Luke snorted,

"If you get drunk, I'll leave you here remember that!" he said, Beatrice just snorted in laughter.

Soon a bartender put a glass of Strong Dark Ale beer in front of her, and a glass of wheat beer in front of Luke.

"Wow, this is so good!" chirped Beatrice after she had half her beer down.

Luke turned his head, studying the person who might become his wife.

"What kind of person are you? You look like an innocent and naive person but you can also look very savage sometimes," said Luke completely clueless with her.

She laughed,

"Well! I'm a bit stupid just for the bed's stuff because I want to do it with the right person," she said, she finished her beer and asked for another glass.

"Bea, did you know that the beer that you drink contains 10.5 percent alcohol, just don't drink too much unless you want me to leave you here," Luke reminded her to stop. But she just waved her hand, "Easy Luke, easy!"

Luke lit a cigarette while looking at her who somehow looked very sexy with her slightly messy hair like that.

"Why did you choose to keep your virginity to the end?" he asked with a probing look.

"It seems your question is wrong! I'm no longer a virgin, thanks to you!" she said in an annoying tone. Luke fell silent,

"I know, we discussed this topic already, didn't we? I mean at that night we were both wanted that to happen," Luke suddenly became nervous.

"I know, I'm not blaming you! Take it easy, baby!" said Beatrice touching Luke's cheek gently made Luke frown.

"Are you drunk? Just a glass of beer and you drunk already?!"

Beatrice snorted, "Of course not! It's just a joke! Why? Do you like that? Me, touching your skin..." teased her, winking one of her eyes.

"That's not funny," said Luke, taking his beer and finishing it in a hurry. Just when he was about to ask for the bill, Beatrice raised her hand once again, ordering another glass of strong dark ale that made Luke shake his head in disbelief.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" asked Luke casually, he really wanted to know Beatrice further. A drunken person always said the truth, and he knew he should grab his chances. Beatrice shook, "No, never been! Well except you! You! Just you!" she answered with her sleepy eyes.

"No way, that's impossible! Why you never kissed anyone?" asked him, frowning.

"Because there was no one who makes me want to kiss, that's pathetic, isn't it? Until we met and suddenly everything changed out of the place..."

"Okay that's enough, we should leave," said Luke, the more she talked about those things the more he wanted to kiss her.

"No! I still enjoying my drink!" said her. She took the cigarette from Luke's hand and smoked it deeply.

"What was that? Are you a smoker?" asked him when he saw how good Beatrice was at smoking the cigarette.

"Nope, just an occasional smoker!" she replied lightly.

"Listen carefully, I want you to propose to me properly! There must be a ring and it must be in a romantic place!" chirped Beatrice with drooping eyes.

Luke snorted, hadn't even thought of going that way. Silly wedding! But like it or not, he has to run it, it's much better than being a lackey in his own company.

A few hours later, he had finished his fifth glass and still looked fresh, because the alcohol in the wheat beer wasn't as high as the Dark Ale that Beatrice drunk. Meanwhile, Beatrice was lying face down at the bar after downing her seventh glass, causing Luke to snort in annoyance.

In a huff, he woke her up but she never raises her head.

After paying the bill, Luke couldn't help but carry her on his back, because the taxi didn't pass in front of the narrow 't Brugs Beertje street.

"I told you not to get drunk!" he grumbled to himself.

Luke walked slowly across the small streets carrying Beatrice on his back.

"I don't know she is this heavy!" Luke put her down as they made their way up a path up a few small steps.

He sat her on top of the steps and made her half-awake and leaned against the stone wall. He looked at her closely, he just realized that she was even more beautiful than he thought.

"If you were sweeter and less annoying, you would definitely look more beautiful," said him quietly.

Beatrice suddenly opened her eyes, she stared at Luke faintly, then subconsciously she hugged him tightly as if reluctant to let him go.

Luke tried to free himself from Beatrice and that brought their faces so close, too close, that he could even count the strands of her long eyelashes.

Then it all happened so fast, Luke felt a strong urge to kiss her half-open lips, it was just a brief kiss, because he immediately came to his senses and slapped himself on the cheek.

What am I doing?!

*****