Page 1 of Never Fake Date the Financier
1
ADRIAN
“It was love at first sight,”Max tells me.
My jaw ticks as I grab my glass of bourbon and sip. Notes of vanilla and clove linger on my tongue as I eye my brother over the rim. He can’t be serious, can he?
I sigh, setting my glass down. “That doesn’t exist.”
The next thing he’ll tell me is that unicorns are real, and he and his fiancée plan to gallop off into the sunset on a road built from rainbows and children’s dreams after their wedding.
“You haven’t met the right person,” Max says, a ridiculous grin on his face. “Your soulmate.”
I’m struggling not to cringe. Much like love at first sight, there’s no such thing as the right person. There’s no such thing as soulmates. Plenty of people in this world are “right” for each other, but they’ll never meet or their paths will cross at the wrong time.
I take another sip of my drink as I survey Figaro’s sleek, modern interior, and my mind wanders back to work. BlackeThorne Entertainment’s next merger is nearing its final stages, and I have a full slate of meetings for the rest of the day. I’m more uncomfortable being away from my desk than listening to my brother describe how he met, fell in love, and decided to marry my ex-girlfriend. But honestly, I’m more annoyed at him believing in love at first sight and soulmates than him marrying an ex of mine.
Although it’s not exactly pleasant knowing an ex will be in my life forever, I know Max will give Sariah everything I couldn’t. I’ve tried to make relationships work, but I’m married to my work. There’s no room for much else.
I meet Max’s watery blue gaze. He has my mother’s eyes, while I have my father’s—a gray so dark it borders on charcoal. “Sorry, Max but I don’t buy it. I’m happy for you, though. Both of you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.” He sips his drink and then sets it down. “I want to make sure that you’re okay with this. With me. With?—”
I wave him off. “I’m good.We’regood. There’s no need to worry about an outburst from me when the officiant asks for objections.”
I’m not mad at him for falling for her. He never met Sariah when we were together. Hardly knew anything about her apart from her name. For the last two years, Max has been out of the country with Doctors Without Borders, a stint that lasted far longer than my relationship with Sariah. And when they met for the first time at a conference in London, neither of them had a clue. It wasn’t until he brought her to meet our mother that the shoe dropped.
But Max’s insistence is foreshadowing an annoying question that won’t go away: How can you be fine with your brother marrying your ex?
To the outside world, I should be hurt. I should be frothing at the mouth. Six months from meeting to engagement? People will be confused that the only thing I’m wearing on my sleeve is indifference. But the truth is simple: I have no feelings for Sariah. Our relationship peaked in the first few months and never recovered.
If anyone should be angry, it’s Sariah. I wasted her time. She was perfectly pleasant, and that should be explanation enough.
The most annoying part of this situation is the insistence that I should feel differently about it. But if I want to dodge the incessant questioning I have ahead of me, I need a more satisfying answer.
“Although…” I begin, mulling over an idea. It’s not like me, but these aren’t normal circumstances. So… why not? “I’m seeing someone.”
Max gobbles my words greedily. “You should’ve told me earlier. It all makes sense now.” He falls back into his chair and lets out a relieved sigh as he looks back at me.
“It’s new. And I like to keep some cards close to my chest.” Especially when they involve details about a non-existent girlfriend.
“This is great.” Max grins ear to ear. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Me too,” I mutter into my glass as I take another sip of my bourbon to hide the momentary nerves rising.
This is the first time my brother’s shown more than a passing interest in my relationships. Then again, I’ve dated infrequently. Sariah was the first after many years of being single. But it’s a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. People break up all the time. It won’t be odd that I show up alone at the wedding six months from now.
Max reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope. “I held on to this, just in case. I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”
My lips quirk for a moment as I take the wedding invitation from Max.
“You really don’t have to come, by the way.” He sips his gin and tonic, eyes trained on me as I pull out the invitation. “I know it has to be difficult, even if you won’t admit it. I mean, I can’t help but think I’m a huge asshole and Sariah’s been stressing about telling you for months.”
I raise a brow. “A curse from your lips? I thought I’d never see the day.”
Max shrugs, taking another drink.
I take a few moments, adding the date to my calendar. Even though it’s six months out, I’ll need to move a few things around. “I’m not missing out on my baby brother marrying the woman of his dreams.” I glance at Max, a smile forming on my lips. “Even if that woman is my ex.”
