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Virgo shook her hands to placate me. “Sweetie, this isn’t the only deep, dark secret I’ve had to keep for a billionaire. No worries.” She smiled cheerfully. Both Michael and I gave each other looks that said we both didn’t want to know.
“Anyway,” Michael began, “that’s a lot Lyds.”
“I know.” I sighed.
“Which way are you leaning?” He asked.
“I don’t know Michael! This is why I wanted to ask your advice.”
He frowned and took a moment to think. “You’re the one who’s going to have to spend a year pretending to be married. Of course, I’d want two million dollars for Sew Fit, but I’m not the one who’s going to have to spend all my time acting like I’m in love with him. He’s a dick, remember? I know you won’t actually be married but spending any time with him at all could be too much. Do you think you could do it?”
“I always saw myself marrying someone like him,” I admitted. Then I clarified, “Looks wise. He said I was attractive, and I have to admit, he is too.” I thought about his stubble and how it would be to kiss a jaw as sharp as that. I quickly cleared my head of those thoughts, remembering who those lips were attached to. “But his personality is, well, it’s not compatible with mine. I wanted someone more cheerful and soft. He’s too rude and brooding.”
“Can you pretend to be in love with someone so opposite to you?” Virgo asked.
“I could fake it, if I just looked at him and ignored what he said.”
“Wow, that’s maybe the meanest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Michael fake gasped.
“I’ve had a long day.” I defended myself, frowning at him.
“What do you think your aunt Renee will think?”
My mind went to the letter I threw on my bed earlier. “I don’t want to worry about that.” I changed the subject. “What should I do?”
“I don’t think I can answer that for you Lyds.” Michael shook his head. “If you decide to go for it, I will do everything I can to help you. I’d tell everyone about how happy the two of you are. But Virgo and I will break into his fancy mansion and rescueyou if he so much as seems like he’s going to do something bad to you.”
“Thanks.” I mumbled.
“But if you don’t want to do this, I respect that. We made peace with the fact we weren’t getting that money yesterday. Like I said then, there will be more opportunities. Hopefully ones that don’t involve a fake marriage scheme.”
“But if you do get married, Michael and I get to be your co-maids of honor.” Virgo said seriously.
“It’ll be a fake wedding,” I said, smiling a little. I was beginning to find a little humor in the ridiculousness of what we were discussing.
“Still, I want to be there for your big day. I’ll see it as practice for when we are your real co-maids of honor.”
“Why am I a maid too?” Michael spoke up.
“Anyway, sweetie,” Virgo said, cupping one of my cheeks. “Whatever you decide, we’ll be there for you. Sleep on it tonight. You’ll feel better about it tomorrow. I know it.”
Virgo and Michael went back to his room for some alone time, and I went to mine to think. I stepped out onto the fire escape outside my window and listened to the car honks and felt the warm July wind push through my hair. I knew that what Michael and Virgo said was true. They were my best friends in the world, and they wouldn’t be mad if I said no. I pulled out the ring Mr. Hirano gave me and inspected it closely. It was an older ring; some of the shine on the silver band had been worn down and the main pearl was chipped a little. God, was this a family ring? And he just gave it to me? I looked around guiltily, like someone would see and know what I was doing. I slipped the ring onto my left-hand ring finger and admired it in the glow of the city lights as the sun set behind me. I knew Michael and Virgo would understand, but that didn’t stop the sick feeling I had inside. I wanted to do it, to get that money. I wouldn’t evenhave been in this situation if I had been more professional in that first meeting. I owed it to Michael, our company, and to myself to make that mistake right.
“Mrs. Lydia Hirano.” I tested out the sound. Girls in grade school used to write out their names with their crushes’ last names, I felt childish doing it now at twenty-four years old. Even so, “Mrs. Lydia Hirano-Maxwell. Maxwell-Hirano?” That had a ring to it.
Maybe I could see this as a blessing. After all, Mr. Hirano had said he’d take me to socials. What better ways to network than having an into all high society events? That way I could get even more interest in our brand. Mr. Hirano was right. I shouldn’t see it as some dark game, it was all just business. There weren’t going to be any feelings, at most we’d have to kiss a few times in public. In college, I’d kissed strangers at bars for worse reasons.
With my mind made up, I went back inside and firmly shut the window. I was able to fall asleep easily with everything cleared up and my decision made. I didn’t realize until the next morning, when I was getting ready to call Mr. Hirano, that I had left the ring on all night.
Chapter 4
Lydia
My whole life I knew I wanted to go into fashion design. It was what I knew best, it was where I felt my most confident. So that morning I knew I had to dress to kill to have the energy to go through with this crazy plan. Cheetah print was one of the biggest trends that Spring/Summer season. For that reason, I had a long cheetah print sundress that one of my designers made at their last job. They said it “showed off my ass”. I had to agree that it made me feel beautiful and confident. I did my eyeliner with wingtips, retrying it twice to make sure it was perfect. I put his ring safely into my purse but held onto it as I dialed his number.
“Hello?” He answered. Oh right, I didn’t give him my number.
“It’s Lydia. Lydia Maxwell.”
