Rent-a-date, got a billionaire

I paced back and forth in the midst of The Emerald Crest, one of the city's most luxurious venues, my heart pounding so hard it felt impossible to think straight Was I really doing this? Hiring a novio to pretend to be my fiancé? God, forgive me, but I had run out of options. My stomach churned as the reality of my decision sank in. My instinct told me this was a terrible idea, something wrong was going to happen. Yet no matter how hard I searched for another solution, I came up empty. This was all I had left. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady the trembling that had settled deep in my chest. What if he didn't show up? What if he did and everything fell apart anyway? Just then my phone buzzed, and I quickly unlocked it and read the messages: "I’m running late, but I’m on my way.” I rolled my eyes. For what I had paid, he really shouldn’t have been making rookie mistakes like this. "Selene? Aren't you coming in?" Casey, one of my ex-college friends, scanned me from head to toe, like she was expecting my fiancé to appear out of thin air any second magically. "My fiancé's on his way. I'll see you inside." Crap, where was he? Before I could send another message, my phone died. I’d been working all day and didn’t have time to charge it before coming here. “Oh, great. Now if something goes wrong, I’m completely screwed.” Minutes later, he arrived. And… oh. my. God. The man was sin walking on two legs. He was tall, easily 6'3". His body was sculpted to perfection, wrapped in a perfectly tailored dark brown suit that screamed power. His presence was so intense it felt like the air around him trembled. His black curly hair was slightly tousled, that intentional kind of mess only insanely attractive men could pull off without looking sloppy. His beard was neatly trimmed, his features sharp and commanding, and his piercing light -blue eyes froze me in place for a few seconds. And just like that, I knew my life was about to get a lot more interesting and complicated at the same time. I'd only seen full-body photos when I picked him. And if those were good, his face was even better. My mind went blank, and before I could think better of it, my feet started moving. I grabbed his arm tight and pulled him closer. “You’re late!” I snapped. He frowned, confused but still didn’t pull away. “Excuse me?” "No time!" I pressed on, ignoring the doubt in his tone. "Quick recap: my name is Selena Gomez, I'm twenty-four, and my ex -fiancé is getting married today. And not to just anyone... He's getting married to my ex-best friend. Yeah, I got double-betrayal in some "buy one, get one free" package deal I didn't even know I'd signed up for. I was starting to think bad choices were my hidden talent. Ignore the wedding? That was what I wanted. But Brianna had personally invited me, and I refused to give anyone the satisfaction of thinking I hadn't moved on. So, I swallowed my pride and said yes. Unfortunately, I didn't stop there. In a moment of sheer stupidity, I told her I'd be arriving with my insanely hot, super-rich fiancé. "Rich?" She laughed, like she didn't believe me. "Heir to one of the biggest companies in the country. I lied. "I can't wait to meet him," Brian said letting out a soft chuckle The news spread by the following day. Not even up to twenty-four hours since the invitation arrived, and somehow all our mutual friends already knew I was going. And worse: that I'd be bringing my billionaire fiancé. Now it wasn’t just about showing up they were all expecting me to arrive with my fiancé. Now the chances of backing out had vanished the moment I agreed. He smiled and let out a soft, amused laugh. And I need an absurdly hot man who can pretend to be an insanely rich heir by my side so I don't look like a total failure." The man blinked, as if processing each word slowly. He was clearly trying not to laugh. "Right... and this hot, rich man would be...?" "You, obviously." I made a face. "That's what I'm paying you for. And paying you well, by the way." He tilted his head, now looking more amused than confused. "So... I'm getting paid?" I hissed. “Never mind. I don’t need you to be smart. I just need you to be a hot guy, smile as you mean it, and pretend to be in love with me for one night.” I lowered my voice, glancing around quickly. “A few kisses, maybe some light touching… nothing over the top. Just enough to make it believable.” His mouth curved into a wicked grin, and he said. "Yes, I can do that ." My heart skipped a beat. Why was he looking at me like that? "Perfect." I pretended not to be flustered and held his hand as we headed toward the ballroom. "Come on, we're late already!" As we walked down the hallway, something suddenly came to mind. "By the way, we need to settle on your name." He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Settle on my name?" "Of course! You need an heir-worthy name..." I pulled out a little list Glenda had made for me with the most important surnames in Valencia. He let out a deep- laugh, rich and dangerously attractive. "Go on then, pick one," I said. He paused for a moment and playfully smiled "Alejandro Velasco ." Before I could reply, the doors swung open-and there was Brian. She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale. What was I even thinking, it was her wedding day. Her eyes widened slightly as she gasped... "Alejandro... from “Alejandro, CEO of Velasco Real Estate Group, ? Where did she even get that from?” I whispered under my breath.