Page 32 of Grumpy Boss in Love

Really, did he have to chortle so loudly? It sounded so out of place in the upscale restaurant. And my predicament wasn’t even that funny.

I glared daggers at him. “I shouldn’t have told you about my meeting with the Wilsons,” I grumbled and dug into my grilled salmon.

His amusement died down to sniggering. “I’m sorry, it’s just...” He chuckled and wiped his wet eyes. “Why would you tell such a massive lie? That’s not like you.”

No, it wasn’t. Underhanded tactics during business endeavors were never my style. I’d let my drive to win overpower my logical side. Or should I say my need to prove to Dad that I could do better than him in the business arena? I wasn’t about to admit that to Ben, though.

“Because I want the property,” I answered.

He rubbed his chin as he gazed at me. “I’m sure you can find somewhere else to build your hotel.”

“No, that estate is ideal. If you saw it, you’d understand. I’m building the first Westwood hotel, Ben. It has to be perfect.”

Ben sighed. “And failure isn’t an option for you, is it?”

“No.”

“Elliot, it’s okay to lose?—”

“Don’t start,” I growled, sending him a withering look.

I’d heard the it’s-okay-to-lose-sometimes speech many times before. The thing is, I wasn’t okay with losing. Not at this. Dad had balked at the idea of me adding property development to the Westwood Empire.

According to him, the status quo was fine. “It worked,” was what he always said. The ass refused to admit that I’d grown the family empire significantly since my reign. He just hated the thought of being wrong… about me.

Ben held up both palms. “Okay. So, what are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “Obviously, I’m going to have to call the Wilsons and tell them I’ve changed my mind about buying. I’ll keep a shred of my dignity intact that way. They’ll never know I lied to them.”

Ben chewed on his steak for a moment then he laughed. “Or you could just get a fiancée by Friday evening.”

I snorted.

“A fake one,” he added. “You’re a Westwood after all. Why not hire a fake bride?” He started laughing again, and I gazed at him with rising interest. He was on to something…

Ben quieted, and his lingering smile slowly melted away. “What?” he asked.

When I didn’t respond but instead rubbed my jaw thoughtfully, his eyes widened.

“Are you seriously considering… Elliot, that was ajoke. Obviously.”

“I’ve got until the weekend. That’s four days…”

“You are not going to find a fake fiancée in four days.” He rolled his eyes. “You shouldn’t even be considering it.”

“People get married for convenience all the time,” I argued. I’d seen plenty of marriages based on everything else but genuine love… which added to my skepticism about true love even existing.

“Doesn’t mean you should do it.” Ben scoffed. “Why is this even a discussion? We’re moving on.”

I gave him a raised eyebrow stare. My mind was already going through my list of female contacts, mostly college acquaintances and women I’d had flings with. Women I knew who were just as low-key as I was. Hell, I was already drafting up a contract with the terms of a business marriageandan NDA.

“Elliot, stop plotting, right now.” Ben pointed at me as an adult would a misbehaving child.

My lips kicked up at the corners. “Thanks for the idea, Ben. I might just get my hands on that property after all.”

“For the love of God,” he groaned and threw his arms up in defeat.

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