FAKE ENGAGEMENT

Amelia's Point of View

I frowned as the minutes ticked by and my boss still hadn't returned to his office.

I'd only stepped away for a moment to refill my coffee, and when I came back, he was gone. Worse, he was still absent when he had a video conference with a European distributor scheduled to begin in just a few minutes.

Being late wasn't like him.

Albert Torrens was focused, disciplined, and meticulous about his work. So what could have pulled him away from his office, especially right before such an important meeting?

Andi, the assistant to Torrens Incorporated's matriarch and CEO, Margaret Torrens, stepped into my workspace.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We have an important call in a few minutes, and my boss is nowhere to be found. He needs to close this deal today," I said, checking my files for what felt like the hundredth time. I wanted everything ready for the moment he arrived. "Have you seen him?"

"Margaret called a last-minute meeting, so he's in the conference room with his brothers. Well, the brothers who actually work."

She rolled her eyes, and I knew she was thinking about Mose, the one brother who seemed completely uninterested in the family business.

"She's getting ready to retire and wanted to tell them about her plans and expectations."

"Will Albert be the CEO?"

As far as I was concerned, he was the obvious choice. Perseo and Carter were valuable assets, but Albert had the unique ability to see the bigger picture while commanding respect both inside and outside the company.

"Chief Operating Officer. She doesn't want a CEO. They're all supposed to run it together as equals."

The brothers seemed to get along, but it still felt like someone should be in charge.

"Oh, and by the way," Andi added, leaning her hip against the corner of my desk, "I told them she's retiring to spend more time with her surfer boyfriend."

I laughed.

"There's no way they believed that."

She shrugged.

"They didn't completely rule it out."

At that moment, Albert hurried toward his office.

As he passed my desk, he motioned with his head toward his office.

"I think you're being summoned," Andi said.

I gathered my files.

"It's an important call."

"Do you think he ever relaxes? I have a theory that he desperately needs to get laid."

Andi stepped aside to let me pass.

"You think everyone needs to get laid," I replied, grabbing my pen.

"That's true. But Albert especially. He's handsome. Rich. Smart. He should have women lining up for him, yet all he does is work. When do you think was the last time he had sex?"

"I have no idea. And don't put thoughts like that in my head. I don't need to walk in there imagining my boss in bed."

She grinned.

"I don't know. It could be a pleasant image."

I rounded my desk and headed toward Albert's office.

"See you later."

"Yep."

Andi disappeared toward her own office.

I entered Albert's office and walked directly to his desk. His notes and files were already arranged in neat stacks.

I placed my documents beside his, ready to assist with any information he might need during the call.

"Are we ready?" he asked while glancing through the files I'd prepared.

"Yes, sir."

I checked my watch.

"He should be calling in about two minutes."

"Do we have market-share data for every EU country?"

"Yes, sir. Right here. I've organized it alphabetically by country and also ranked by sales potential."

I handed him the documents, and he scanned them quickly.

"I've also included information about our competitors, and I had Perseo prepare a list of advantages our products have over theirs."

I passed over another file.

"If he knows Torrens is coming to Europe regardless and plans to dominate the market, it might influence his decision. FOMO and all that."

Albert looked up.

"FOMO?"

"Fear of missing out."

I shrugged.

"The idea is to make him want the deal before someone else gets the opportunity."

For a moment, those deep blue eyes studied me.

Andi was right.

Albert was incredibly handsome.

He looked exactly like the billionaire playboy type.

The problem was, he wasn't one.

He was far too devoted to the company.

"You're exceptionally good at your job, Ms. Nichols."

The compliment warmed me more than it should have.

"Thank you, Mr. Torrens."

"I need to close this deal today. I'll do almost anything to make it happen. The opportunity window is closing if we want distribution ready by fall."

As his assistant, I felt the pressure almost as strongly as he did.

I knew today was make-or-break for this agreement.

"I'll do everything I can to help."

His computer chimed.

"Showtime," he said, clicking to answer the video call.

Mr. Amer Len appeared on the screen.

He wasn't much older than Albert and, like him, had inherited the family business after his father retired.

Unlike Albert, however, he looked like a man who actually enjoyed life.

Maybe that was simply the European effect.

While Albert's tie was perfectly straight, Mr. Amer Len wasn't wearing one at all. His shirt was casually unbuttoned at the collar.

His dark hair was swept back, yet somehow still looked windblown, as though he'd just stepped out of a convertible after driving along the French Riviera.

"Mr. Torrens, how are you?" Amer Len's French accent flowed smoothly through the speakers.

"Please, call me Albert. I'm doing well. And you?"

"Very well. Very well indeed. I'm looking forward to celebrating our deal tonight with some wine and perhaps a little romance with my wife."

Albert's cheeks turned slightly pink.

That seemed to be another French trait—or perhaps simply an Amer Len trait. He was remarkably open about life's pleasures, including sex.

I wondered if he'd ever asked Albert whether he had any.

"Well then, let's get down to business," Albert said. "I believe my assistant sent you all the details from our last meeting. Have you had a chance to review them?"

"Yes, yes. Everything looks quite favorable."

"Then are you ready to sign?"

Albert extended his hand, and I passed him the contract we'd prepared.

Both men had copies.

"I must be honest, Mr. Torrens... or rather, Albert. My concerns are not about the terms of the agreement."

"Is there something that concerns you?"

Albert's face remained neutral, but I could see tension building in his broad shoulders.

"Not the agreement itself. Torrens Incorporated."

Albert's jaw tightened.

"I see. The company's profits have increased by eight percent this year."

He immediately launched into a discussion of the company's financial strength.

As he spoke, I noticed Amer Len's eyes beginning to glaze over.

Having researched him thoroughly, I suspected his concern wasn't really about financial stability.

Amer Len had inherited the company from his father, who inherited it from his father before him, and so on for nearly one hundred and fifty years.

Family legacy mattered to him.

I had also learned that he preferred doing business with other family-owned companies that had strong traditions.

Deciding to help Albert, I spoke up.

"Don't forget that Torrens Incorporated was founded fifty years ago by Margaret Torrens, Mr. Torrens's grandmother. Even as she prepares for retirement, all four of her grandsons are deeply involved in the company and committed to carrying on her legacy."

Albert didn't look at me.

For a moment, I worried I had overstepped.

Amer Len smiled.

"I'm aware of your company's history. It's one of the reasons I'm negotiating with you. You should know that we prefer working with family-owned businesses. They offer stability and a legacy that each generation is determined to protect."

He paused.

"However, none of Mrs. Torrens's grandsons are married or engaged. They have no children to continue that legacy."

"They're still young," I said.

After all, Albert was only twenty-eight, and he was the oldest.

"I've been focused on my family's business," Albert added.

"Yes, of course. But when your grandmother retires, what will prevent the four brothers from dissolving the company or selling it? They could all go their separate ways, leaving us with a partnership we don't want."

Personally, I thought they could do that whether they were married or not.

Still, I assumed he believed wives and children would give the Torrens brothers a stronger sense of responsibility to pass the company on to the next generation.

Albert sat straighter in his chair.

Standing beside him, I wondered what was going through his mind.

As far as I knew, neither he nor his brothers had marriage prospects.

Their father was a widower and had been absent from the company for years—long before I started working there.

"You don't have to worry about family ownership ending with my generation. I fully intend for my children to be involved in the company."

Amer Len smiled.

"Yes, but you don't have children. Unless there are some I don't know about."

"Not yet," Albert admitted.

"Nor do you have a wife. In fact, my research suggests you don't date much."

Researching potential business partners was normal, but I imagined it was still unsettling for Albert to know someone had been digging into his personal life.

His jaw tightened again.

"I work. I'm married to my company. That should count for something."

Amer Len's expression suggested he wasn't convinced.

Albert glanced at me.

I smiled, hoping to encourage him.

Then he turned back to the screen.

"The truth is, I've actually been seeing someone and... well... we've recently become engaged. We've simply kept it private."

A strange knot of jealousy twisted inside me.

How did I know everything about this man and not know he was seeing someone?

Or that he was engaged?

Why would he hide something like that from his brothers and grandmother?

"Oh? Tell me more," Amer Len said.

"I know it's a little cliché," Albert began. "I suppose it was all those long hours we spent working together."

I frowned, trying to figure out who he'd been spending long hours with besides me.

Amer Len's gaze shifted toward me before returning to Albert.

"Are you telling me you're engaged to your assistant?"

What?

Albert's hand settled over mine on the desk.

"Yes," he said smoothly. "I'm engaged to Ms. Nichols. Amelia and I are planning to get married very soon."