Page 87 of The Fake Dating Plan

“Jason is behind the account, but I don’t think that’s the whole story.” I pressed a button on the telephone and Kira came in.”

“When’s the KMVH meeting,” I asked her.

“At twelve. Mr. Scott’s assistant said it will be a lunch meeting at Barn restaurant.”

“Thanks. That’ll be all.” At least the meeting will be with Caiden and not with Ax.

“You’re meeting with Caiden Scott?”

“The fund meeting.”

He nodded in recognition. Steel Cute had reached a precipice. With all the expansions, the business had grown exponentially. That was before the bad press started. Sales had somewhat stalled locally, but the international market was still hungry. All of which meant we were making money and losing money. Ergo, we needed more. Dylan, Laura, and I’d spent all of last week preparing for a presentation I was going to pitch to Caiden Scott.

“Do you need me to come with you? I could if you want to.”

“I can handle it. Plus, I get the feeling the meeting is supposed to be casual. If I come with a whole unit, we might scare him off and undercut ourselves.”

“Right on.”

“At least we know who’s behind all the bad press. That’s something at least.”

He pressed both of his hands on his chest and extended them to me. “Giving you all the good lucks in the world.”

“Thanks.” I’m going to need it.

That luck I needed never came. And if it did, it was the bad kind. Not only did the person I was supposed to meet not arrive, someone else came in his place. I was early to the meeting and had prepared myself for what I was going to say to Caiden. I spent all of last night studying him so I would know the best way to convince him. He was a no-bullshit person who appreciates straight talkers, which was good for me because that’s exactly how I planned to be.

I had prepared for every obstacle, except for the variable that was Axel Reid. He came in a bit later than I and I saw him walk in, but even those extra few minutes weren’t enough to get over the shock. His well-tailored suit and confident swagger did little to assuage my warring emotions. No one had the right to look that good, least of all him. Maybe he wasn’t here to see me. Maybe he came to meet someone else and seeing him was a coincidence. But my hopes were dashed when he was shown to my table and plopped himself in the only other chair at the table.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“The meeting. What else do you think this is?”

“What about Caiden, I thought…”

He seemed hurried as if he didn’t want to be here. “He’s tied up with something else. I came instead.”

“Right. Okay.” I could work with him if I had to. Nothing else changed as far as I was concerned. I adjusted my water glass and my tablet. I opened the pitch deck. Our sales projections, expansion plans, and PR strategy. If convincing Caiden to add more funding was difficult, convincing Ax would be harder, but it could be done. Life was not fair. Instead of him begging for my forgiveness, it was the other way around. There was a cruel joke in there.

“How are you?” Might as well start the conversation on a civil note. I still couldn’t get it out of my head that this was the first time seeing each other after that fateful meeting. It’s funny how even though I still felt the same anger as I did then, there was an uncontrollable yearning inside me that wanted to show itself fully. I tightened the lid on that feeling. The server came with two menus and he waved him away. I was not expecting that.

“The meeting’s going to be quick, so I’ll say what I have to say and go.” I was not expecting that. I immediately knew what it meant. Like seeing a boulder coming at you in slow motion, I could predict what was about to happen. I would not let it. I won’t let him.

“I’m going to be brief,” he said.

“Before you do, I have something to show you.”

“I don’t think—”

“Please.”

He folded his arms and leaned back. He looked me over, measuring my audacity, maybe and probably wondering if I will go along with it. At last, he nodded.

“I was thinking…” I launched into my pitch. My sink or swim pitch. I had practiced it in the mirror and I knew what to say and when. I showed all the figures and strategies we had planned. The longer I spoke, the less confident I became. It was as if I was presenting to a wall. He never moved, never asked a question, never even blinked. It made the pitch shorter than usual and when I was done, he simply stared at me with the same blank look.

“KMVH has decided to cut all ties with Steel Cute.”

“No, you can’t do that!” I said it a little too loudly. I attracted the attention of the tables next to us. “The pressure we’re currently under is not our fault. It’s a hiccup.”

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