The Pretend Couple: A High Stakes Romance

Chapter 4

Alice felt a tightening in her chest whenever she heard the familiar voice. She gave the Finne a quick glance before pausing to jot down the information on the yellow legal pad that was sitting in front of her. This gave her a few extra seconds to try and gather herself together. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm herself down.

And regarded his face directly in the eyes.

Ethan was looking down at her with a warm smile on his face. Alice was aware of what was going through his mind. When it came to keeping track of billable hours, she had always been a bit of a stickler. She did not feel comfortable with rounding up to two-tenths of an hour when a call might be closer to a tenth of an hour. But she was well aware that for the average individual working forty hours or more just to put food on the table, one hour of her billable Finne time may cost as much as their weekly income. This was something she was well aware of. Alice was a creature of habit, and she persisted on being precise despite the fact that none of Oliver and Andrew's customers had a problem with their ability to pay for the services they received.

Ethan, whose family's wealth could be traced back to some of the first immigrants in the area, on the other hand, had no concept of what it was like to live from mouth to mouth. When it came to her vigilance in monitoring where Finne was, he had always had the impression that she was a little bit of a nutjob. Or at least that's what he used to tell her when he leaned in close to give her a passionate kiss and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Alice's already weak heart experienced yet another flutter in response to the memory.

I beg you, put an end to it. Bring it all together.

"Which client are you now representing? Emma?" Ethan inquired while taking a quick glimpse at the documents that were scattered about her desk. She deduced that he had recently received a haircut based on the way his brown hair was styled so that it arched evenly above his ears.

He sat down across from her without waiting for an invitation, crossed his right leg over his left knee, and leaned back in his chair, acting almost as if nothing had ever happened to alter their relationship. So very much like...in the past. The only difference was that he wore a tie with blue and white stripes that Alice had never seen before. He must have just come from a meeting with a customer because he did not take the time to remove his tie and jacket or unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt as he normally would have done before leaving the house.

In her eyes, he was the epitome of perfection. The epitome of self-assurance, elegance, and authority in its purest form. A picture that, in the past, had never failed to get Alice's heart racing. It just hurt right now.

Ethan wrinkled his brows and pressed the palms of his hands together in front of him as he did so. He spoke in a deliberate and measured manner. "From what I understand, Nicole has let the cat out of the bag with regard to our most recent...development."

That is something he could say. She forced herself not to cry by pinching the palm of her hand and holding it there.

Thankfully, it didn't appear as though Ethan noticed how upset she was. "I had every intention of coming to see you in person. Check to see if you are content with everything.

"Me?" She gritted her teeth and forced herself to laugh while giving him a bewildered look. "What gives you the idea that I won't be fine? I am delighted for your success. In all seriousness"

Trish, her assistant, walked through the doorway carrying a notebook in preparation for the meeting they were about to have. When she first spotted Ethan, she went completely still, and a frown formed on her face. She gave Alice a quick, sympathetic look before hustling away from the room.

After being momentarily sidetracked from the discussion, Alice made an effort to recall what it was she had been planning to say, conscious of the eager look that Ethan was giving her. Yes. You got that right. Regarding the fact that I am over the moon pleased for him. "Moreover, you and I have been together for a very long time. It's not like I didn't anticipate that you would have a significant other. After all, we've both gone on with our lives."

He showed me his right eyebrow lifted. "Oh? So, you're going out with someone, right? I wasn't aware of that."

Crap. It seemed to point in that direction. What had caused that to occur? However, there was no way in hell that she was going to take it back and make herself look like a liar, or even worse, like she was still single and longing for him.

Because she wasn't doing it right. Much.

To hide the humiliation that was surely written all over her face in the same fiery red as her hair, she smiled broadly. She might as well play along with it and make it seem as though she is embarrassed when talking about her boyfriend. She was unable to meet his stare and instead looked down at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. She had never been adept at lying to him, and he knew it. "Oh. At least throughout this brief period. Nothing too significant to worry about just yet."

She must have been tormented beyond belief for doing this.

"I applaud your success. "Good for you!" he said to you in an overly enthusiastic manner. "I've been concerned about the impact that this will have on you. Especially considering that we are all employed by the same company. Nicole said that I was acting completely stupid. She stated that all of us are trained experts. It would appear that she was correct.

"Without a doubt. There is no need to worry about anything related to me. I am overjoyed on your behalf, both of you. The phrase "Nicole is so, so..." Is that so? Is that you? She was under the impression that neither of those descriptors was applicable to the situation at hand.

"She is, isn't she?" / "Isn't she?" Ethan responded, and as he did so, a grin pinched at the corner of his mouth. At the same time, his brown eyes temporarily lost focus before he continued. Since the two of you are collaborating on the Owen investigation, I believe it is in everyone's best interest to bring this matter into the open. And with the autumn retreat of the company coming up, as well as Elizabeth's engagement party after that, it was only a matter of time until you would see the two of us together.

Oh, eff. You got that right.

Alice had already accepted the fact that she would run into Ethan during Elizabeth's engagement party. She was aware that Ethan and his family were close friends of the Vaughns, so she was expecting to see Ethan there. However, this did not mean that Alice was prepared for him to move on with her new second chair. Not at Elizabeth's engagement party, and most definitely not for an entire weekend retreat while the entire law company is looking over your shoulder like a fishbowl.

Especially considering the fact that she still did not have a date for herself to bring along.

She could only pray that the sheer terror she was experiencing didn't come across on her face as she smiled so broadly that her cheeks stung.

Ethan stood up, pausing for a little while, before continuing. "Alice, I am overjoyed to hear that everything is going so swimmingly for you. You are deserving of it.

She remembered how, at one point in time, she had believed that the future belonged to them both as she gazed into those recognisable brown eyes. In concert.

"You're welcome, Ethan. You, too," she said while lying.

Alice was able to conceal her shock as she glanced at the bottom number on the bid that the contractor had just given her. piping that was in need of replacement due to corrosion? Rewiring of the electrical system? It simply did not fit in with the data that she had obtained from the home inspection report that had been carried out only two months earlier.