Page 66 of Never Fake Date the Financier
“Oh, I think I have something you need.”
She pulls a folded piece of paper from her purse, her smile thin and vicious, the first time her mask has fallen in front of me. She slides the paper toward me, and I read the headline:BlackeThorne Entertainment Entertains Scandal.
Beneath it is a candid photo of Ella and me on the street the night of the rehearsal dinner, my hand on the small of her back as we share a bite of gelato. I skim the article:
Sources close to BlackThorne Entertainment confirm that the mysterious woman was interviewing for an entry-level position just days before appearing on the CFO’s arm. Former executive Eugene Verner states, “This kind of behavior is why I left the company. The CFO is out of control. He’s using his employees as his personal dating pool. A new woman every week. It’s sickening, if you ask me. All that power…”
“Care to explain?” Lillian asks, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Or should I show this to everyone else? I’m sure they’d be fascinated to learn that your relationship is nothing but a sham. A… A…Charade!”
Charade? Who says that? I’d laugh if I wasn’t so pissed off. It’s taking everything in my power not to lose it as I grip the edge of the wooden table. Give me a little more time, and it will be splintering.
I stand up, my chair screeching against the floor. “That’s enough.”
“I’m just getting started,” she hisses. “Did you think no one would find out? That you could parade your little actress around and everyone would believe?—”
“Is everything okay over here?” My mom’s voice makes us turn. She’s approaching our table with Max and Sariah in tow, concern etched on her face.
“Perfect timing,” Lillian says, triumphant. “I was just sharing some interesting reading material. And we were about to delve into?—”
“Actually, I have something to say.” I’m done with this, Lillian, specifically. She thinks she has leverage here? What outcome could she possibly think would come from this? I’d somehow come around to seeing her as some wonderful human being?
I look at Ella, trying my best to ease her tension, but it doesn’t seem to work. She won’t even lift her eyes to meet mine. “Ella, I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted to do this.”
I’d planned on telling my family alone, but Lillian forced my hand. Maybe it’s for the best—two birds, one stone. Lillian’s been revealed as a horrific person, and Ella, therealElla, makes her debut.
Win fucking win.
“Ella and I haven’t been dating as long as you think. We only had our first real date the other night.”
Lillian’s absolutely thrilled with herself as my mother gapes, Sariah’s eyes widen, and Max looks utterly confused but also happy to be here.
“I hired her to pretend to be my girlfriend for the wedding.” Yep, feels about as embarrassing as I imagined, but I don’t care. Ella looks up at me, a hint of a smile on her lips. She’s coming to the same realization. All of this is coming to an end, so we can start our journey together. “I didn’t want to spend the wedding entertaining awkward conversations about Max marrying Sariah. Having other people tell me how I should feel about it all.”
Lillian snorts, arms folded across her chest.
“I thought it would be easy. Hire someone to play the role and then break up. But it wasn’t. Everything has been complicated from the moment you crashed into my life. Literally. My ribs still hurt from that elbow.”
I rub my side, smiling as Ella laughs, remembering that moment. The first time I touched her. The first time I smelled her sweet scent. The first time I knew she’d be mine.
“I’ve spent my entire life focusing on the wrong things. Work. Success. Building an empire. I thought that was all that mattered. But you’ve flipped it. Crushed it. You’re the only thing that matters.”
My mother clears her throat.
“My lovely family, too,” I add before turning back to a chuckling Ella, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Don’t cry, sweet girl…
“You’ve made me laugh more than I have in years. You’ve challenged me. Surprised me. Made me see the world differently. From the moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. Something I couldn’t ignore. And every moment I’ve spent with you has proved that. There’s no question in my mind that I’ve fallen hard for you. I love you, Ella Bridges.”
I turn my attention back to Lillian, and immediately, I feel heat flare across my face and neck.
“So yes, our relationship started as a… charade?” Ella snorts as I throw Lillian’s favorite word back at her. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I move toward Ella, kneel, and collect her hands in mine as I kiss away her tears, salt on my tongue.
“Well,” my mother says, clearing her throat. “That was certainly unexpected, but not entirely surprising. You’ve never been a good liar,” she adds, winking. “And after hearing mixed information about your girlfriend, I had my suspicions.”
“I’m so sorry, Trudy,” Ella blurts. “It was eating me up lying to you all. You’ve all been so nice to me.”
