Beauty and the Grinch

First date

Cleo's mind was racing as she tried to process the sudden turn of events. Kai's announcement to the press had thrown her entire world into chaos. And to make matters worse, the Christmas ball was just a week away, and they still had so much to do to get ready.

But Kai was determined to make the most of the situation. He convinced Cleo that they needed to show the world that she and Rowan were happily "dating", and he set up a fake date for them at a trendy new restaurant in town.

Cleo was hesitant at first, but Kai assured her that it would be a great opportunity for them to practice their "couple" skills and get comfortable with each other. Little did Cleo know, Kai's intentions were far from innocent. From the moment she walked in to the meeting, he had always hoped that Cleo and Rowan would hit it off, and he saw this fake date as the perfect opportunity to spark some real romance between them.

As Cleo got ready for the date, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.It was her first date ever. She had never been on a date with anyone before, and she wasn't sure what to expect. She put on her best dress, Sophie did her hair and makeup, trying to look as confident and poised as possible.

When Rowan arrived at her doorstep, Cleo's heart skipped a beat, she was so nervous. He looked handsome and charming, and for a moment, Cleo forgot that this was all just a ruse.

"Hey," Rowan said.

Cleo blushed. "Hey," she said.

As they headed out to the restaurant, Cleo couldn't help but feel a little excited. Maybe this fake date wouldn't be so bad after all.

As they sat down at their table and the conversation started to feel forced and weird. Cleo tried to break the ice. "So, Rowan, I've never really talked to you before. What do you like to do for fun?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Fun? You think I have time for fun?"

Cleo laughed nervously. "Well, everyone needs a little time for fun, right?"

Rowan shrugged. "I guess. But I'm pretty busy with the business and other stuff."

Rowan sighed. "Look, Cleo, can we just skip the small talk? We're only doing this because Kai wants us to, right?"

Cleo felt a little taken aback by Rowan's bluntness, but she tried to keep the conversation going. "Well, yeah, Kai did set us up, but I thought it would be nice to get to know each other a little better."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You want to get to know me? Why?"

Cleo felt a little frustrated by Rowan's attitude, but she tried to stay patient. "Because, Rowan, we're supposed to be pretending to be a couple. And if we're going to do that convincingly, we need to at least know a little bit about each other."

Rowan snorted. "Convincingly? You think anyone actually believes we're a couple?"

Cleo felt a little stung by Rowan's words, but she tried to keep her cool. "Well, maybe not yet, but with a little practice, I'm sure we can make it look more realistic."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You're really committed to this fake relationship thing, aren't you?"

Cleo nodded. "Yeah, I am. And I think we could actually have some fun with it if we just relaxed a little bit."

Rowan snorted again. "I doubt it."

Cleo tried to keep the conversation going, despite Rowan's rudeness. "So, what do you like to do in your free time?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful.

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Free time? You think I have free time? I'm too busy."

Cleo felt a little stung by Rowan's tone, but she tried to keep going. "Well, I'm sure you can't be that busy. At least you have a family that cares about you, your uncle must help you out with the workload."

Rowan's expression turned ugly. "Oh, yeah.. he does.I don't expect you to know what that's like seeing you're an orphan."

Cleo felt like she had been punched in the gut. She couldn't believe that Rowan would bring up her past like that. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she stood up from the table.

"I need to get out of here," she said, her voice shaking.

Rowan looked up at her, a mixture of surprise and annoyance on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, but Cleo was already gone, rushing out of the restaurant as fast as she could.

As she emerged onto the sidewalk, she saw Kai waiting for them, a big smile on his face. But as he saw the tears streaming down Cleo's face, his expression changed to one of concern.

"Cleo, what's wrong?" he asked, rushing over to her.

Cleo shook her head, trying to compose herself. "I just need to get out of here," she said, turning and walking away as fast as she could.

Kai watched her go, a look of worry on his face. He turned to Rowan, who was emerging from the restaurant, a scowl on his face.

"What happened?" Kai asked, his voice low and even.

Rowan shrugged. "I don't know. She just freaked out and ran out of there."

Kai's expression turned stern. "You did something, didn't you?" he asked, his voice accusing.

Rowan looked away, a guilty expression on his face. "I might have said something I shouldn't have," he admitted.

Kai's face darkened. "What did you say?!" he demanded.

But Rowan just shook his head and turned away, leaving Kai to wonder what had happened.

Cleo walked into her living room and saw Sophie waiting for her on the couch, a big smile on her face. But as soon as she saw Cleo's tears-stained face, her expression changed to one of concern.

"Cleo, what happened?" Sophie asked, jumping up from the couch and rushing over to her friend.

Cleo collapsed onto the couch, feeling exhausted and emotional. She explained everything to Sophie, from the awkward conversation to Rowan's hurtful comment about her being an orphan.

Sophie listened, her face growing more and more angry by the minute. When Cleo finished talking, Sophie let out a loud sigh.

"That's it, I've had enough of him," Sophie said, her voice firm. "I'm going to go talk to him and give him a piece of my mind."

Cleo tried to protest, but Sophie was determined. The next day, Sophie marched over to Rowan's house, her heart pounding with anger.

When Rowan answered the door, Sophie didn't waste any time. "What is wrong with you, Rowan?" she shouted. "Cleo has been nothing but nice to you all this time, even though you've been treating her like dirt. And then you have the nerve to make a comment about her being an orphan? That's just cruel."

Rowan looked taken aback by Sophie's outburst, but he didn't apologize. Instead, he just shrugged and said, "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

Sophie's anger boiled over. "You didn't mean to hurt her feelings? Are you kidding me? What did you think was going to happen? You're just a selfish, arrogant jerk who only cares about himself. how would you feel if I made a comment about your parents death?."

Rowan's face turned red with anger, but Sophie didn't back down. She stood her ground, her eyes blazing with fury.

Finally, Rowan slammed the door shut, leaving Sophie standing on the porch, still fuming with anger.