How to Fake a Love Story

4:Of Fated Encounters

Ryan sighed dreamily as he stared at the huge glass building that would surely be featured in his dreams tonight. It was the headquarters of the Pioneer Group and the place where his target was working. Ryan spared a lazy glance to the entrance where everyone who entered the building was required to show their work pass to enter.

There was no way he could meet his target here.

Although he had jumped on a plane and come here on a whim to seduce a gay guy out of millions, he had no idea just how he was supposed to get a chance to meet him. For that matter, Ryan completely forgot how the guy looked. All he remembered was that he was rich and had green eyes.

Cierra had changed the channel after calling him an i***t before he could commit the kid's face to memory.

He will have to do more research on the internet about his future target if he wanted even a small chance to be successful. Though it seemed impossible as the moments passed by.

Ryan sighed and turned to return back to the house when a warm body collided against his. He felt hot coffee staining his shirt and grimaced as the shirt immediately stuck to his chest. It wasn't like he had a lot of muscles to show off anyways; his pretty face was the thing that attracted the ladies. Keeping the scowl on his face, he pinched the coffee stained shirt between his fingers and pulled him away from his chest.

"Oh my God! I am really so, so sorry." A panicked voice gushed. Ryan's head snapped up and his gaze rested on a brown haired, frantic looking girl. She was wearing a yellow sundress that clashed horribly with her bright red purse. But Ryan's attention was on the sparkling diamond earrings that she wore.

She may be worth something.

A coffee at the very least.

He was in this place for his soulmate after all.

He couldn't cheat.

He made sure to look mildly irritated. "It's fine."

Her brown eyes were shining with distress as her hands hovered over his shirt like she wasn't sure what to do with them. "Let me make it up to you somehow please."

He nearly smiled. She was making it too easy for him.

"Well, actually...."

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in a nearby coffee shop; the same one from where she had bought the coffee which was dropped on him. His shirt still felt sticky though he had managed to wash off a bit of the coffee. It was still wet unfortunately but he wouldn't let that dampen his efforts.

"Your eyes remind me of the fresh wood of the trees near my home. It's refreshing." He smiled at her.

The girl fidgeted, blushing. She was a very easy target and Ryan woed the fact that he already had someone fixed in his mind.

"Tha-thank you." She shot a glance at his ruined shirt. "About your shirt-I am really sorry!"

He smiled softly at her. "It's fine."

She looked worried. "It was not expensive, was it?"

He laughed. "Not really. It was just a gift from a very important person."

Her hand covered her mouth. "Girlfriend?"

He shook his head. "My mother gave this shirt to me few years ago, on my 18th birthday just before she was assassinated. She was a politician."

Her eyes widened even more. "Oh my God-I am so sorry."

A thought struck him. Why not just ask? This was Jared's hometown and the headquarters were here. It would be crazy for someone to not know.

"Say, Samantha, I don't suppose you know anything about-" Ryan fished around in his memory for the name of the company "-er-the Pioneer group here, do you?"

Samantha blinked. "I know enough. My father works directly with the CEO in the headquarters here."

Luck like this could only happen in made up stories. Ryan thanked his lucky stars.

He made sure to keep his tone light to avoid arousing suspicion. "Oh really? That must be interesting."

She didn't seem to find anything amiss. "Yeah. He's always home late from work. Why?"

Ryan shrugged, eyeing the exit of the restaurant. "No reason. Say, you wouldn't mind showing me around town would you? I'm actually pretty new here. Just moved from Britain."

Her face brightened and then fell. "I would love to but I have a cocktail party my father wants me to go to. It's a business mixer of sorts. A lot of company executives go there and make business deals with each other."

This got him interested. "Business mixture?"

"At the company he works in." She clarified.

Ryan made sure to make the disappointment clear on his face. "That's too bad... I would love to spend more time with you but I guess that your meeting must be important-"His tone clearly showcased his sadness as he averted his eyes from hers.

"Why don't you come with me?" His head whipped towards her and she herself looked surprised at the question that had tumbled from her mouth.

"Are you sure?" He asked hopefully. This could be his entry into Jared's life if he played his cards right.

She hesitated but after his hopeful question, she smiled slightly and nodded. "Of course. I am sure that it won't be any problem."

With those words, he grinned brightly as they exchanged phones numbers and promised to meet at the coffee shop. Before leaving, he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheeks. She blushed and spluttered as he waved and made his way back to the house.

This was going to be fun.

____________________________________

He came home to find Cierra standing in the living room with her hands folded across her chest, looking every bit like an angry mother whose child had been sneaking out behind her back.

"Where were you?" She squinted at him. "And why is there a coffee stain on your shirt?"

He grinned. "I ran into a girl."

A moment of silence. "Riiight. That explains quite a lot." Let it be declared that Cierra was a master in sarcasm.

His eyes fell on the grocery bags littering the table and he grimaced. He didn't need to look closer to know that it was filled with all kinds of junk food that would give normal people heart attack within a week. But this was Cierra.

He decided to make use of her. "Glad to see you have already started to fit in. What wisdom do you have for me?"

She rolled her eyes but answered his question. "Your potential boyfriend is attending a cocktail party tonight." There were very few things you would not overhear in a grocery store. Especially news about the latest celebrity gossip.

"I know. I already have my ticket to get in."

She blinked as her hands fell to her sides. "What the-? How did you manage that?" It was a bit insulting, the incredulous tone she had used.

"I ran into a girl." He repeated.

She sighed. "Right, of course."

"Whatever works."

"What are you planning to do then?" She asked.

"Make him fall in love with me." The confidence in his tone was in no way faked.

She snorted. "You make it sound so easy."

"It is easy." He insisted. At her blank look, he elaborated. "I will use my looks to seduce him."

She raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And?" Ryan repeated.

"This is going to be more difficult than any of your previous cons. It may take months or even years for you to get into even one of his bank accounts. Not to mention he has the power to hunt you down if you leave him hanging after stealing his money." She pointed out, hoping against hope-or his stubbornness-that he would drop the idea.

"That is something to worry about later." He waved his hand.

She sighed again and resisted the urge to rub her forehead. It looked like there would be no changing his mind. Being the planner, she would be the one to deal with the fallout.

She tried one last ditch effort. "I doubt he will open up to anyone who comes his way so quickly."

"Pffbt." Ryan folded his arms, looking away from her. "Love will find me a way to make it happen sooner. This is in the bag, Cierra. You worry too much. All I need is love."

"This time, I don't think love will be enough." She muttered as he walked away to find a suit to wear for the party.