Chapter 2

Richard’s POV;

Vivian walked into the room and slammed the door behind her, irritation etched on her features. The air immediately filled with the flowery and woody scent of her perfume.

“What is going on here, Richard?” She asked, tilting her extensive beach hat to the side. Why she was wearing a beach hat and sunglasses indoors, I couldn’t understand. It was a very sad attempt at looking exotic.

“Oh, Vi, when did you get here?” I tried to divert her question. Vivian was the last person I wanted to ever find out that my engagement to Stacey Smith was fake.

Her father was Mr. Donovan, who I wanted to sign a multi-million dollar deal with. She wouldn’t let it slide if she found out I got engaged to Stacey on a whim, just to avoid her father’s proposal of us getting into a relationship.

“Richard, don’t try to avoid the question. I asked what was going on?” she queried, sounding smarter than she usually was. It was obvious I couldn’t avoid the question and had to provide a believable answer. A believable lie.

“Vi meet Stacey, my fiancée. Stacey, meet Vivian, an acquaintance of mine.” I could see Stacey flinch as I introduced her as my fiancée. I silently prayed that she played along. “Umm...it’s nice to meet you,” Stacey extended her hand nervously for a handshake.

“Eww,” Vivian retorted as she moved back like Stacey was some plague she was trying to avoid. “You can’t be serious, Richard.” She eyed Stacey from head to toe. “This…thing is your fiancée?” 

“Never disrespect my fiancée like that again.” My stance was defensive and my voice, firmer than I intended it to be. Stacey looked at me with a hint of surprise etched on her face. A disrespect to my fiancée was a disrespect to me, fake or not. 

“I’m sure you can see that engagement ring we’re wearing.” I raised both mine and Stacey’s hand up to her face. 

Vi looked stunned. “Okay, so why haven’t you ever mentioned this girl before? How funny is it that it’s the day my father suggested we get into a relationship, you announced you had a fiancée?” She wasn’t backing down. I knew she was the one who asked her father to add that to the business proposal. 

You f*ck a girl twice and suddenly she won’t give you a breathing space.

“Vi, I don’t have to tell you everything that goes on in my personal life, do I?” I was starting to get very irritated. “Now if you’d excuse us, I have something very important to discuss with my fiancée.” I pointed towards the door.

Vi saw the irritation on my face and knew not to ask any more questions. She walked out murmuring some words I couldn’t really care to hear. She slammed the door shut.

I slumped down on the chair closest to me and I heard Stacey let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, I was relieved too because that could have easily gone a whole lot worse. Vivian wasn’t the type to give up easily. I knew she’d be back with more questions.

“What do we do now? This lie just seems to be spreading more and more.” Stacey panicked. “I think we should just come clean now before it gets any further.” I had to calm her down; I couldn’t allow her to ruin things.

“Listen, we can’t back out now. That would only make things worse,” I said convincingly, “all we have to do is act like we’re engaged until Mr. Donovan signs the deal.” I held up the Golden card Mr. Donovan had given me.

“This party is our solution.” I smiled. “We go in there, act like the most in-love, engaged people this world has ever seen. Mr. Donovan is convinced; he signs the deal, and two weeks later we announce we broke up because of one thing or another that you did. Simple.”

“Something I did?” Stacy scoffed. 

“Well, you don’t expect anyone to believe I was the reason we broke up, right?” I asked her, amused by her question. 

“You’re so fu…” She cut herself off. “You know what? That isn’t even the issue. The issue is that no one is ever going to believe we even like each other, much less believe that we are engaged.”

“Hmm…you’re right. I’m much too above your league.” I thought aloud and could see Stacey piercing daggers through me with her eyes. “Even if people did go on a frenzy for a rich-pauper love story, this one might be too unbelievable.”

“Plus we have to actually act like we’re in love. I don’t think that would be possible”, Stacey chipped in.

“True, that would be very hard for me.” I said, tapping my hand on the glass table. “Likewise,” Stacey replied sharply.

Why was she acting like this whole thing was a dream for her? A lowly secretary engaged to her rich, handsome boss was a big flex.

“Oh please! There isn’t a single girl out there who wouldn’t fall for this 6-feet man with blue eyes.” I pointed at myself with a smug smirk on my face and Stacey rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Mr. Richard Desmond,” she called, now sounding very serious. “I’ve been working at your company for a year now. My dream is to become a movie director and one day direct my own movie. My focus is on working my way up and building my portfolio. I’m not interested in any dramas or fake engagements or whatever, so if you’d excuse me, sir.”

She picked up the tray from the table and turned to leave. 

If she leaves, so does the deal with Mr. Donovan. I just couldn’t let her leave like this.

“Wait,” I stood up from the chair, desperation lacing my every word, “I will pay you.” She stopped and turned to me.

“I will pay you very, very well. Just see it as another part of the job, okay? This won’t go on for long, just until Mr. Donovan signs the deal, which I’m sure he will when he sees us together at the party.” I could see her deliberating, and I silently prayed I was convincing enough.

I knew it was kinda crazy and out of nowhere but we were in this situation now and this was the best way out.

Stacey stood quietly for a while, before she spoke, “Even if we were to do this, how do we convince everyone we’re in love? It would be very obvious to everyone that we don’t like each other.” 

She was right; this was going to be hard to pull off, but I had a plan.

“I know what we’d do,” I moved closer to her. “We write up a contract with rules and obligations we both must follow. In this contract, things like going out together once every two days so paparazzis can take pictures of us, the agreed amount I’d be paying you for the duration of this contract, and all other things to help us make this engagement look as real as possible would be stipulated.” The genius idea rolled off my tongue with ease.

“Hmm,” her voice was heavy with doubt. “Would that really work though?” She tucked her wavy brown hair behind her ear, revealing a part of her neck. Something about it made me want to kiss it. I shook my head, as if knocking sense back into my it.

“I would write up a con…” My phone rang, cutting me short. I brought it out; it was my father calling. “I have to take this.” I told her leaving the room.

~~~~~~

When I came back into the room, Stacey was no longer inside. I scanned the area but she was nowhere to be found. 

Where had she gone? Was she really so appalled by the contract idea?

“Miss Stacey, is it true you’re engaged to Richard Desmond?” I could hear the camera's shutter. 

“Miss Stacey over here.” One person yelled from downstairs. “Miss Stacey, some say you’re only after Richard Desmond for his money, being that you’re from a poor background. What do you have to say to this?”

“Miss Stacey, would you say you’re a gold digger?” Another added, his voice raising above the loud clamour.

What the hell was going on?