Page 21 of Fake for 7 days

After I had already rear-ended Carter earlier, nothing worse could happen, right? I would smile at him, kiss him, and then go on my way. A harmless kiss, where my lips would rest on his for a moment. A promise. Nothing more.

But also nothing less.

The thought of Carter's lips on mine sent another shiver through my body.

"Alright," I said.

In one gulp, I emptied my glass, straightened my shoulders, and took a step towards the table where Carter was talking to the other man.

Just do it, Isabella. Sometimes you have to grab life with both hands to make dreams come true.

Chapter 6 ~ Carter ~

"Carter!"AssoonasI entered the lobby of the Tiffany Hotel, Abigail's father approached me and shook my hand.

"Donovan," I replied, returning the handshake of the man who once thought he would become my father-in-law. Had I ever believed that myself?

No. Never. Not for a single moment. I had only pretended. But I certainly wouldn't tell Donovan Hayden Ellesmere that. At least not today.

"Come, let's find a table." I took charge. We walked slowly through the lobby and entered the hotel bar. With its subtle lighting, low tables, and elegant-looking accents made of fine woods, this was the ideal place to discuss a delicate matter in peace.

It would have been the ideal place if there hadn't been four women at the bar with brightly colored cocktails and equally vibrant dresses, laughing loudly. Abigail's father grimaced.

"The bartender told me earlier that there's a bachelorette party going on here. Apparently, it's back in fashion, and they host at least one such event per week here." Donovan sounded disdainful. He didn't have much use for fun and celebrations.

I didn't care much for bachelorette parties either, but for entirely different reasons than Donovan. Anyone celebrating such a party would soon be getting married, and I really couldn't relate to that at all. Otherwise, I didn't care about the matter. So I just shrugged. "It's a bit loud, but let them have their fun."

Donovan looked at me, irritated, but said nothing further. We took a seat at one of the low tables.

"What can I bring you?" An eager waiter rushed over immediately. The celebrating women might consume a lot, but businessmen were still served with priority. That should satisfy Abigail's father.

"A whiskey. Whatever you have," Donovan ordered.

Whatever you have.How could someone leave the selection of their drinks so much to chance?

"A Macallan." I ordered my preferred whiskey.

The waiter frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, we're out of Macallan."

Now it was my turn to frown. The Tiffany was by no means the best hotel in New York, but it had a good reputation. How could they be out of Macallan?

"What do you have then?" I asked reluctantly, now using almost the same words as Donovan. I grimaced in disgust.

"I could bring you a Yamazaki," the waiter suggested.

I shook my head in refusal. "The Japanese varieties aren't among my preferred whiskies. I prefer to stay in Scotland, the taste is simply fuller and smokier."

"You're absolutely right, sir," the waiter agreed. He probably would have agreed with me even if I had claimed the exact opposite. "Would a Glenfiddich be more to your liking?"

I nodded. By now, I didn't care what I drank. The main thing was that Donovan and I could finally get to the business part of our meeting. I truly had no intention of spending the night in this hotel. The girls at the bar had made me crave other pleasures. We'll see where I'd spend the rest of the evening. But first, business before pleasure.

I leaned across the table and looked into the cold, gray eyes of my counterpart. "Donovan, what's the deal with the order? Why is Cameron equipping the test vehicles? You know very well that our product is technically superior."

Donovan Hayden Ellesmere looked at me appraisingly. "You've developed a new product, Carter. You can never be sure how reliable it is."

"Nonsense," I brushed this objection aside. "We've conducted all necessary long-term tests. The new battery is just as reliable as all others currently used in electric cars. If the tests have shown anything, it's that our product lasts even longer."

"Still, there's been no testing over many years."

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