Pretending To Be His

Five : Not Interested

Aria barely had time to collect herself before the knock on her office door came. Her heart leapt into her throat as the it swung open and there stood Grayson Stone—tall, imposing and with an unreadable expression etched on his face.

Beside him was a man she didn’t recognize, someone who looked equally polished in a tailored suit and thick glasses, though Grayson made no effort to introduce him and he remained silent, standing just inside the door like a shadow. Without waiting for an invitation, Grayson took a seat in her office as if he owned the place, his presence filling the small space and making it feel even more cramped. He was sat opposite her desk, dark eyes locked on hers and Aria swallowed hard, her pulse quickening as she moved to sit, attempting to even the playing field.

This was her domain, after all.

“I’m sure you’ve seen the photo.” He began, eyes narrowing as he watched her closely. “The one that’s gone viral.”

There was no pleasantry, no preamble. Grayson went straight to the point, his voice low and commanding and Aria blinked, momentarily stunned by the bluntness of his words. She had expected anger, accusations—but this calm, cold confrontation was somehow worse. Her throat felt dry as she struggled to find her voice.

“Yes, I’ve seen it.” She confessed, trying to keep her tone steady. “But I didn’t have anything to do with it. I didn’t leak the photo and I certainly didn’t—”

Grayson raised a hand, cutting her off in a way that made her want to throttle him. "I’m not here to argue about how it happened. I don’t care whose fault it is. What matters is that this rumour is out there and we need to deal with it.”

She stared at him. Deal with it? She had no idea what that meant but her eyes drifted to the mystery man still stood by the door. The confusion must have shown on her face because Grayson’s eyes flickered with something that almost resembled amusement.

“I have a solution. Instead of fighting this, we play along and pretend the rumours are true.”

Her eyes snapped back to him and for a moment, her brain couldn’t process the words. “Wait... What?”

“The media’s already run with this story and it’s gaining traction. Fighting it will only make things worse but if we lean into it, control the narrative... It could benefit both of us. The response is already surprisingly very good.”

“You want me to pretend we’re dating?” Her voice came out a little higher than she intended and she couldn’t help but glance at the silent man standing by the door again, who still hadn’t spoken or been acknowledged.

“I’m suggesting you pretend to be my girlfriend. It’ll be temporary, of course. Just until the media moves on or until we’ve used the situation to our advantage.”

Aria stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Surely, he wasn’t serious? Her eyes searched his face, trying to find any hint that this might be some huge, elaborate joke—But as usual, nothing in Grayson’s expression gave away his true thoughts. His face was a perfect mask of calm, composed indifference, as if proposing something so outrageous was just another day at the office for him. She swallowed hard, her mind racing to catch up with the situation. Pretend to date Grayson Stone? The idea was absurd. She didn’t even like him. In fact, she’d spent most of their encounters barely holding back her frustration with his arrogance.

And now he wanted to turn a viral rumour into some kind of professional strategy?

“I’m not interested.” She said flatly, crossing her arms as she stared him down.

Grayson raised an eyebrow, the first crack in his otherwise perfect composure. “Excuse me?”

Aria could feel her pulse quicken, but this time, it wasn’t out of nerves. It was out of sheer disbelief at his audacity. She leaned forward slightly, her voice growing firmer, her words pointed.

“Like I said, I’m not interested. Maybe you should brush up on your skills before pitching to someone of my calibre.”

She watched the moment the words hit him, his gaze narrowing ever so slightly. It was satisfying—too satisfying—to throw his own cold words back at him, the very same ones he had used to belittle her work during their first meeting. For a brief moment, his expression flickered almost imperceptibly, before returning to its usual stony calm. He leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes still fixed on her but now sharper, more calculating.

“So this is about that meeting.” He said slowly.

“Oh you remember it now? How convenient.”

His jaw tightened, barely noticeable, but she saw it. She had gotten under his skin if only for a second and it was beyond thrilling, a rush she was sure she’d never be able to feel again. The power dynamic had shifted and Aria relished in it. She wasn’t the wide-eyed woman pitching her designs anymore, fumbling to gain his approval. Here, in this office under this circumstance, she was the one in control and it was about time he realised that. Grayson’s expression remained calm, but she could sense the tension brewing beneath the surface.

“This isn’t personal, Ms Hart. It’s business, an opportunity that benefits us both.”

“That’s funny, because it feels pretty personal to me.”

Grayson tilted his head slightly, studying her with that same detached intensity. “It’s only personal if you make it that way.”

“You’re asking me to pretend to be your girlfriend, it really doesn’t get more personal than that.” She folding her arms. “What I want to know is how could this possibly benefit you?”

Grayson’s expression remained cool and composed. “Let’s just say under pressure from certain parties to settle down and project stability in my personal life. This rumour, as inconvenient as it may be, provides an opportunity to keep those people off my back, considering how excited the public seems to be by it. Now, for you, I imagine this would bring a certain level of visibility. Perhaps even opportunities.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with possibility. Her head spun at the sheer absurdity of it all but the way Grayson spoke, calm and confident, made it sound so… Reasonable. The rational part of her knew her career was at a standstill and the kind of attention this could bring her could be a game-changer. Could she endure another team meeting with everyone mocking her for not securing another client? Being Grayson Stone’s girlfriend, even a fake one, would certainly turn heads in more ways than one. Pretending to date him was madness… But…

She was beginning to consider it.

The man standing silently by the door finally stepped forward, breaking her thoughts. “If we’re going to proceed with this, I suggest we formalise the arrangement.” He pulled out a tablet, tapping it lightly before looking directly at Aria. “I’m William Hargrove, Mr. Stone’s lawyer. I’ll draft up the contract.”

Aria stared at him as if he’d suddenly started speaking another language. “A contract?” She echoed, her voice laced with disbelief. “Why do we need a contract? I haven’t even agreed to anything yet!”

Grayson waved a hand dismissively. “Let’s drop the pretences, Ms. Hart. We both know you’re going to agree.”

Did he really just…? Her mouth opened to argue, but he cut her off smoothly.

“The contract is to protect both our interests.” Grayson said, fully bypassing her earlier refusal as though she hadn’t said it at all. “I don’t want any misunderstandings and I’m sure you don’t, either. We’ll outline what’s expected from both of us—the events, the public appearances, everything. You’ll be compensated for your time and inconvenience, of course.”

“You think money is what I’m worried about?” She finally asked, voice sharp.

“The money is to cover any losses, since you’ll be expected to attend certain events and fulfil specific obligations as part of this arrangement. You’ll need to buy a new wardrobe, since you can’t be pictured in torn dresses if you’re by my side.”

Aria felt her cheeks flush with mortification as his words sank in, bringing back the memory of the torn lace on her dress at the gala and his cruel remark about her pantsuit in their first meeting. Before she could tell him where to stick his opinion on her wardrobe, William Hargrove spoke up again.

“In addition to the financial compensation, we can ensure that certain professional opportunities come your way Ms Hart, should you wish. Mr. Stone is willing to open doors for you in your career.”

Her mouth snapped shut, stunned into silence. The prospect of being paid to play along with this ridiculous scheme was unsettling enough, but the mention of “opening doors” struck a nerve. Yet, even as anger simmered beneath the surface an idea began to take shape. She wasn’t interested in being dressed up and paraded around, but if there was a way to turn this to her advantage—a real advantage—then maybe, just maybe, she could use him the same way he intended to use her. Her stomach still twisted at the thought, but the seed of opportunity had been planted.

If Grayson Stone wanted a deal, she was going to make sure it worked in her favour, too.

“I don’t need doors opened for me.” She said, her voice steady. “What I want is for you to reconsider my proposal.”

Grayson’s expression didn’t shift, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—curiosity, maybe. He didn’t speak right away, so Aria pressed on.

“You said it yourself, this arrangement could be beneficial for both of us.” She continued, confidence building. “You get to control the narrative and keep people off your back, but I want you to take another look at my designs—the ones you rejected. Consider them seriously and if they meet your standards, we can move forward with them. That’s my condition.”

He regarded her for a long moment as if he were trying to read more from her than just the words she’d spoken. The air between them thickened with a tension that was almost palpable, charged with something neither of them would acknowledge. Aria could feel the heat of his eyes on her and despite her best efforts to remain calm, composed—indifferent—her body betrayed her. A flicker of awareness sparked at the back of her mind and trailed down to her lower stomach, a small, unwelcome voice reminding her of how intensely attractive Grayson Stone was.

No, she told herself firmly, crossing her legs stubbornly. She wasn’t going to let his ridiculous good looks throw her off. Not now. Not ever. She wasn’t some schoolgirl with a crush, she was a professional and this was a business arrangement, plain and simple. Yet, her heart raced just a little faster every time Grayson’s intense gaze lingered on her, as though he could see the crack in her armour, the tiny fracture she was trying desperately to hide. The way he looked at her—sharp, focused, like he was dissecting every thought in her mind—was unnerving. His presence filled the room in a way that left her unsettled and no matter how much she tried to ignore it, there was no denying that he affected her.

It gnawed at her that on some purely base, physical level, her body was reacting to his proximity in a way her mind rejected.

Finally, Grayson spoke. "You’re asking me to reconsider your little proposal in exchange for a business arrangement. Are you sure that’s a line you want to blur, Ms. Hart?”

“You’re the one blurring lines, Mr. Stone. We both know your rejection that day wasn’t because my work wasn’t up to par but because you didn’t like me. If you’re asking me to play pretend for your benefit, then you can at least reconsider my work without bias.”

“…Interesting.” He murmured.

Another pulse of awareness made her stomach clench at the way his voice pitched deeper and she clenched her jaw, hands balled beneath the desk. Get it together, Aria! She wasn’t here to fall under the spell of some arrogant millionaire, no matter how annoyingly attractive he was. She was here to secure her career, to ensure her hard work wasn’t undone by one bad pitch. And now, with this strange, outlandish proposal of his, she was on the verge of making that happen.

William cleared his throat. “We can adjust the contract to reflect both parties’ needs. If Mr. Stone agrees to reconsider the proposal, we can add that as part of the terms.”

Grayson’s eyes never left hers and after what felt like an eternity, he gave a slight nod. “Fine. I’ll take another look at your designs. If they meet my standards, we’ll move forward with them.”

“Then we have a deal.”

She had gotten what she wanted, but why did it feel like she was losing control of something else entirely?