Mister Fake Fiance

Yuna follows his movement with cold disdain, then faces David again. “Anyway, thank you for your time.” She starts to turn to leave.

> No! David and his team worked too hard on the presentation to let it end like this.

“Wait!” I say, raising my hand. I can’t let her leave like this. I run toward her, but her men block me. “I have something to say.”

She stops, then frowns at me. “This isn’t school. You don’t have to raise your hand before you speak.” She waves at her men, who move away, then glances at her slim, expensive-looking watch. “You have one minute.”

My face hot, I clear my throat. Despite her mild rebuke, I have to get this out before I burst with the outrage over the injustice swelling in my chest. “I know what Gerry did is terrible, but please don’t think we’re all like him. We are not. Sweet Darlings, Inc. deserves a chance to make its case to you and your foundation.”

She’s studying me so closely and silently that I wonder if I have chocolate smeared on my lips. Which I might. I scarfed that Snickers down fast.

My stomach roiling, I forge on. “We have great people here, Ms. Hae. I mean great. David, for one, is an amazing VP and a fount of creative ideas. He also cares deeply about his team and integrity. What Gerry did at the bar wasn’t something David or the company could’ve controlled. But since you brought it up, it’ll be promptly investigated and handled.” Even if it isn’t in the HR manual, it’ll be done, especially based on David’s reaction to Yuna’s accusation. God, I wish I had something more to say, but my mind is empty and my mouth is dry. I long to reach over, grab one of glasses of iced water on the table and gulp it all down, but I dare not move. She hasn’t said she changed her mind, and I can’t let her leave. Not like this.

She continues to stare at me, then finally leans back. “You’re David Darling’s fiancée, aren’t you?”

Huh? She wants to talk about that now? “Yes.”

“Thought so. You seemed really familiar. No wonder. I saw the video of you and David. Anyway, don’t you think you’re a tad biased?” she asks.

Okay, she has a point, but it isn’t even that valid, since David and I are fake engaged. Not that I can say that. “No. I wouldn’t have accepted his proposal if I didn’t think he was a great guy.” And I hope she understands that I’m not just saying it for the business. I mean every syllable.

She glances down. “He has nice taste in jewelry, too.”

I raise my hand, extending the fingers so she can see the ring better. “Yes. Very.”

Yuna sighs, her eyebrows pulled tight. After a moment of consideration, she turns to David. “Fine. I’ll listen to the presentation as a courtesy to your fiancée’s impassioned speech. But you people had better be Mozart amazing.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

David

“Mozart amazing? I’ll give you Stravinsky stupendous,” I say with a smile, trying to hide my relief. My background research revealed that Yuna likes Russian composers. Apparently she’s an exceptional pianist who studied at the Curtis Institute of Music.

The heiress finally cracks a smile. “Fine.”

Good. She’s no longer pissed off. When I’m done here, I’m going to roast Gerry. Then fire his ass. Or maybe I’ll toss him out the window first, and fire his ass on his way down.

I start the presentation. Yuna listens, while the two women she brought along take notes. Erin does the same.

When I’m near the end, Erin tucks a stray strand behind her ear and puts the end of her pen in her mouth. She looks adorable and so incredibly young like that. I’m still surprised and touched that she spoke up. I know she was nervous. I saw her hands shaking, and she had that lip between her teeth almost the whole time.

“Do you have any questions?” I say, turning on the lights as I hit the button to show the final slide that reads: Q & A.

Yuna looks at her people. They shake their heads.

“I don’t believe so,” she says coolly, her expression utterly composed. She’s probably a hell of a poker player. “You laid your case out very well.” She stands. “You’ll hear from us in two weeks with our decision.”

I’m mildly disappointed. I didn’t expect her to make a decision here on the spot, but I thought we’d end on a friendlier note. On the other hand, it’s a miracle she stayed at all.

Fucking Gerry.

Hiding my emotions, I give her my most amicable smile. “Excellent. I’ll look forward to it.”

Yuna and her entourage leave. I return to my office, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension that’s built up. Erin walks with me, holding her laptop in front of her.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah. I’m fine. It didn’t exactly go the way I wanted, but at least we got to give our pitch.” I stop and face her. I want her to know how much I appreciate it, and how much it meant to me that she said what she said. Her high opinion of me matters so much more than ultimately winning over Yuna Hae. There will be other opportunities. But Erin is…well, one of a kind. “Thank you, Erin. Really. It couldn’t have been easy to speak up like that.” Actually, I can’t remember a time when she jumped in to say something. Maybe her being a bit aloof was just nerves about the meeting, especially since I told her how Alexandra was monitoring this one.