THE RELUCTANT FIANCEE HOAX

d never walked away

oment she'd said, I can't, something inside him had cracked. He had left The Grand Oak without another word, ig

sing a headache in his office, star

tate, but he barely noticed. His mind was still stuck on last night-on the rejection, on the

she he

en considered a

ady decided long ago tha

s office door cut t

d his best friend and business partner, Liam Pie

and let out a low whistle.

ir and pinched the bridge of

e chair across from his desk. "S

N

It's all o

w tightene

it across the desk. "Someone at The

ry video was playing-him kneeling in front of Olivia, her expressi

twisted. "Un

jected in Public Proposal.'" Liam leaned back, arms crossed. "I mean

"Glad my humiliatio

aying, if you wanna spin this into

face. He wasn't in the mood for redemption. H

verse wasn't done kicki

he number, but someth

mery," he sai

the line. "Mr. Montgomery, this is Ch

n the phon

were the ones backing his company's latest luxury development project-a project

p event," Christine continued. "Mr. Donovan

stomac

learly hearing enough to

o invest in businesses that project stability. Your propo

My personal life has nothi

e the face of this project. The image of a man who just got re

slam his fist on the desk

red him. "Yet. But Mr. Donovan needs reassur

"What kind of

e wants to see that you're in a committed rel

n st

's annual gala is in two weeks. It woul

hone tightened. "

plet

nt me to parade around a woman j

t image matters. If you were to, say... reconcile with

onc

ompletely shut the do

d his jaw. "I

ed. "For what it's worth, I'm r

ne wen

his phone down,

tion, leaned forward. "So let me get this straight. Dono

ing lik

w chuckle. "Well,

ready working through the impossible s

ded a

one person who co

night, after the way she had looked at him with regret and hes

is company's biggest

hand throug

out of

na convince the woman who just turned you do

sharply. "I

s about t

er Olivia lik

eede

to make a deal sh