The CEO's Pretend Lover

Five: "It's an order."

Jéan swore she was going to kill her brother for making that announcement at her workplace and in front of her employees.

And now, Leonardo has heard about it and called her to his private office. She didn't know what he was going to say. Either way, she'd throw the blame at her brother.

"May I come in, Father?" Jéan announced as she knocked on the door and waited for his affirmation before opening the door and closing it behind her. Leonardo was seated, facing his bay windows and enjoying the view of New York with a wonderful sunset.

Leonardo spun in his seat and saw his daughter standing so stiff and let out a chuckle, "Take a seat, Jéan."

The silence sat with them as Jéan kept glancing around the room, taking in the new paintings her father had gotten to hang up in his room. Leonardo adored art and would take her and her brothers to art galleries when they were little.

"A little bird told me that you and your personal assistant are going on dates." Leonardo broke the silence with his gruff voice and Jéan's head turned to look at him.

"It isn't what you think, Father! Jules only did that to annoy me." Jéan quickly threw her brother under the bus.

Leonardo only laughed. "The two of you still act like children but you have to remember that people are watching us since we have a reputation."

"Either way, there's something else you're not telling, because it's no little thing for Jules to pull that kind of joke on you."

Jéan sighed. Her father got her into this in the first place, so she felt she had to give him a report.

"It's the acquisition you told me to handle. Ms.Elizabeth happens to be their daughter and-"

"I know Elizabeth is their child. I got that information when I asked you to handle Miller's Rest."

Jéan couldn't be any more surprised at her father. It was the Leonardo Romano she was facing right now. "According to her, her parents wanted to fix her marriage with an associate just to save Miller's Rest and Elizabeth offered a fake relationship to assist."

Leonardo was in deep thought. Why would Elizabeth suggest something like that to his daughter?

Except-

"That's smart. Make her fall in love with you, Jéan. This way, the acquisition is as good as ours if you play it well." He smiled to himself in pure glee. He wasn't expecting this game, he only thought Elizabeth was going to assist and prove her loyalty to Romano and Romano Corp, but being emotionally faithful would make it stronger.

"Do I have to, Father?"

"Yes, and it's an order. I'll be watching the two of you." Leonardo turned his chair to face the window again. "You may leave."

Jéan bowed and walked out of the room before bumping into her brother, Jacques. They stood staring at each other before he moved to the side and walked past her without a word.

Jéan expected this. Jacques had grown distant ever since she became the CEO of Romano and Romano Corp. Who would have imagined that, once upon a time, they used to be so close, practically joined at the hip.

Shaking her head, she felt her phone buzz and saw that Jules had sent her a text, telling her that he was waiting at their usual place.

Getting into her car, she looked up how normal couples go on a date on Google and bookmarked some search results.

To her, this was still very annoying. Why did she have to go through this when she could just approach the parents of Elizabeth and make an offer?

"I just hope at the end of all this, we can get to Miller's Rest and put all these shenanigans behind us." Jéan spoke to herself as she got to Malcolm's Bar and parked the car.

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Elizabeth was on her bed, going through Google and asking anonymously for the perfect date idea. She knew when she told her boss to leave it to her, she sounded like a total pro.

How could she explain that she had never been on a date or done romantic stuff with someone?

Elena was on the floor, amused by how her best friend was distraught over a simple date idea.

"You know, if you're not going to help me, then you're not meant to be here at all." Elizabeth glared at the laughing female sprawled on the floor.

"Why should I help? You're the one that told Jéan that you could handle it."

"Sure, and let Jéan know that my love life is nonexistent. Like I'm not pathetic enough in front of her."

Elena dried her tears and sat up. "You're over stressing about this thing called 'date'. Just go simple and she'd love it."

"But Jéan has high taste. She'd expect me to blow her mind since I suggested leaving it to me."

"Beth, except you're going to rent a whole restaurant just to please her, which we both know isn't possible, just do something fun." Elena could see she was panicking. "Or do something classy like a restaurant date for lunch or dinner and take a walk."

Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip and grabbed her phone before sending Jéan a text.

"What did you ask her?" Elena tried looking at the phone but Elizabeth turned it upside down.

"I wanted to put her taste and comfort first while planning this, so I asked what she would love." Elizabeth glanced at her phone, waiting for Jéan to hit her back with an answer.

Ding. Elizabeth quickly grabbed her phone and read what Jéan had sent to her.

'I'd prefer a restaurant for lunch. I'd take care of that. You can decide what to do after lunch.'

"See, you shouldn't have put too much thought into this."

"Yeah, but she took the easy part of the plan. What am I to choose as the activity after lunch?" Elizabeth wailed.

"It will come to you eventually, don't stress about it. You still have until tomorrow morning to come up with something before going on your date in the afternoon." Elena stood up and grabbed her jacket and phone. "I have to go babysit this evening. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Greetings to little Evans for me." Elizabeth hugged her best friend. She missed babysitting Evans and promised herself she'd visit with ice cream one day.

"Don't forget! Don't stress too much." And Elena was out the door before Elizabeth could reply to her.

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"If you were playing your role perfectly, Jéan wouldn't be dating that assistant of hers." The man banged on the table with his fists.

"I'm sorry, I didn't act fast. This new development was so sudden. I can assure you I'll look into it." The female rubbed his shoulders to calm him down.

None of them expected the shocking news, they thought their plan was going perfectly well.

"Don't do anything for now. Let's just monitor them so we'll find a way in. Understood?"

"Understood."