ENTANGLED: Hired as a Billionaire Girlfriend

CHAPTER 2

TORONTO, CANADA.

Daniel Croft was lost in thought as he stared back at his phone screen. The message from his PA rubbing salt to an already open wound

Why is all this happening to me?

He thought to himself as he whisked his drink down his throat.

He thought a drink would clear his head, make him feel alright and forget about last night's incident but he was wrong. The sounds still lingered, the images kept replaying in his mind.

He thought to himself. He tossed back the rest of his drink, the rum doing nothing to burn away the memory. He’d hoped the alcohol would help him forget, but it only made the images and sounds sharper. Clearer.

"Enjoy your night." His own voice echoed in his memory, that cold, steady tone he always possessed. He had turned and walked away without even looking back again.

He shut his eyes tight. There it was again. The sound. Her soft moans of pleasure. The sight of his hands gripping her bare skin. A fresh wave of disgust rolled through him.

His employee. His girlfriend of two years. Both of them sweat-slicked and moved together, so consumed they didn’t even hear him enter the luxury hotel room.

The way Anita had scrambled away from Marcus when she finally saw him, the shock on her face mirrored by the stomach-turning smirk that had spread across Marcus’s.

“...Anita… Marcus…” He’d gasped the names, the betrayal a physical blow. The man he’d trusted to assist him on this Canadian deal. And Anita Baker. His very own girlfriend.

He watched as Anita tried to apologize but Marcus stopped her, pressing his finger on her lips before proceeding to kiss her again in a way that deliberately felt provocative.

He’d watched as Anita tried to apologize, only for Marcus to stop her by pressing a finger to her lips before proceeding to kiss her again, a deliberate, provocative act meant for him.

Daniel was snapped back from the memory by the beep of his phone. Another message. Richard was here. Finally, after a long wait.

He swore under his breath, dropping the phone onto the table as he raked his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing in distressed waves.

The door to the restaurant slid open. Richard walked in, his easy confidence cutting through the room’s tension. He was all relaxed charm compared to Daniel’s coiled intensity, a man who traded boardrooms for beach parties and made it look effortless.

“Hey, man.” Richard slid into the chair opposite him, his smile genuine. “I came as soon as I got your message. Seriously, I’m sorry.”

“You always said dating an actress would end in drama,” Daniel said, his voice flat.

“I didn’t say ‘I told you so’.”

“I guess you're right though.”

Richard signaled a waiter. “Scotch, neat. And whatever my friend here is drowning in.” His warm Canadian accent was a stark contrast to Daniel’s clipped American tone. He turned back, his smirk softening. “So, talk to me. How bad is it?”

“I’m fed up,” Daniel said, emptying his fresh glass in one go.

“Yeah, that’s how a heartbreak feels. It’s only been a few hours. You gotta chill.”

“It’s not just that.” Daniel’s jaw tightened. “I got a call from home yesterday.”

Richard’s playful demeanor shifted. “A call from home is never good when it puts that look on your face. Should I be worried?”

“They’re at it again.”

“They didn’t… they already got you a new one?” Richard sat up so fast he almost knocked over his glass.

“Not exactly. I never told them about the breakup. My mother was so proud of matching me with Anita.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Now they want me to bring my girlfriend to my cousin’s wedding. The whole family expects to meet her. I was going to tell Anita about it this morning, but then…”

“You have the worst luck in the history of luck,” Richard said, a hint of a laugh in his voice.

“This isn’t funny, Rich! What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm sure she just wants to show off her famous future daughter-in-law to the whole family.

A brief silence fell between them. Daniel watched his friend’s face, his mind obviously calculating. Then a slow familiar smile spread across Richard’s face. He had an idea.

“Easy fix. Get a new girl. Tell them Anita cheated. With your money and face, that should take, what, an hour?”

Daniel just stared, waiting for the joke to land. It never did. “You’re not serious.”

“Look, you’re a mess. I’ve never seen you like this. I wouldn’t think you of all people would get into…”

“I’m not messing around,” Daniel interrupted, the raw plea in his voice cutting his friend off. “I need a real solution. Now.”

“Okay, okay. This might sound crazy…” Richard held up his hands in surrender. He pulled out his phone, his thumbs flying over the screen for some seconds before he looked up, a well calculated excitement in his eyes. “But hear me out. It might just work.”

“If you've got a way that's gonna work then I'll listen.”

There's this scenario I read in a book recently about hiring a girlfriend. We could give it a try," Richard said, a sly grin spreading across his face despite the seriousness of the situation. "We can ignore the plot twists. Doubt they'd happen to you anyway.”

Daniel remained silent, his expression skeptical.

"You need a new girlfriend. A fake one,” Richard stated, the words hanging in the air between them.

“There's no way this is going to work,” Daniel scoffed and added. “This is your plan?”

“Laugh all you want but there's no better way than this.”

“Even if it'll work, where am I going to see a girl desperate enough to be my fake girlfriend, how am I supposed to convince her?”

“You're a goddamn billionaire, you'll buy your way through” Richard flicked his phone on the table, a sinister smile playing on his lips. “As for your candidate, I've got the perfect match.”

Richard downed the lady glass of wine in style

before dropping it on the table. “We're gonna have a long trip to my hometown tomorrow.”