Page 9 of Pretend To Be Mine

“It’s a lot,” I admitted. “The show, the company, living up to Dad’s legacy. And now the PR team has decided we need to change our image before Love Week starts.”

“Change it how?”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “They want me to get engaged.”

Chris nearly choked on his burger. “What? You of all people?”

“Not for real. They want to hire an actress to play my fiancée. Apparently the public thinks my brothers and I are a bunch of shallow playboys who don’t know the first thing about love, which makes putting on an event called Fashion of Love Week somewhat problematic.”

“Huh.” Chris sat back, processing this. “And you’re actually considering it?”

“My brothers convinced me. They think it’ll change the narrative, get people talking about the romance instead of doubting our ability to pull off the event and run the company.” I dragged another fry through ketchup. “It’s manipulative and dishonest, and I hate it. But if it helps the company, if it helps honor what Dad built…”

I trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

Chris was quiet for a moment, chewing his food. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened. “What about Elizabeth?”

I looked up, confused. “What about her?”

“For the fake fiancée thing. What if you asked Elizabeth?”

The suggestion caught me so off guard I actually set down my burger. “Your sister? You want me to ask your sister to be my fake fiancée?”

“Think about it.” Chris was leaning forward now as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You need someone you can trust, right? Someone who won’t leak the story to the press or try to extort you later. Well, Elizabeth is literally the most trustworthy person I know. And she needs a way into the industry. This could be perfect for both of you.”

“Chris, that’s…” I searched for the right word. Crazy? Inappropriate? Actually kind of brilliant? “Wouldn’t that be weird? You’re my friend. She’s your sister.”

“It’s a business arrangement,” he countered. “You’d be helping each other out. And honestly, it would be an incredible opportunity for her. She’d get insider access to Fashion of Love Week, meet all the right people, see how things work at the highest level. That’s worth more than any entry-level position.”

The idea was insane. What if she said no? What if she said yes and it was a disaster?

“She’s pretty, by the way,” Chris added casually. “In case that matters for the optics.”

“It’s not about—” I stopped myself. Of course it was about optics. That was the entire point of this charade. “I don’t even know what she looks like.”

“I can send you a photo if you want.”

“No, that feels wrong.” I rubbed my temples. “Look, even if I was considering this—and I’m not saying I am—there are a million ways this could go wrong.”

He shrugged. “Can’t go any more wrong than hiring some chick you don’t know.”

“I don’t know your sister,” I reminded him.

“At least with Elizabeth, you’d know she’s genuinely invested in making it work. She has just as much to gain as you do.”

I had to admit, he had a point. An actress would do it for the paycheck and move on. But someone who actually wanted a career in fashion? Someone who understood what was at stake? That person would be motivated to make it convincing.

And there was something appealing about the idea of working with someone Chris vouched for. Someone who came recommended by a friend rather than a talent agency. Someone I could theoretically trust not to destroy my life.

“What do you think she’d say?” I asked slowly. “If I asked her?”

Chris grinned. “I think she’d say yes. And I think you two would be great together. Even if it’s just pretend.”

“I’d need to talk to her first,” I said finally. “Meet her, see if we can even stand to be in the same room together. And she’d have to sign an NDA tighter than Fort Knox.”

“Of course.”

“And you’re absolutely sure she’d be okay with this? Because if she’s not comfortable⁠—”