by Parker, Ali
“My name is Grayson Bancroft and you can send all your questions about the company my way. Hannah will be staying on as the CEO and handle daily operations. I’ll be dealing with the financial side of things. Any questions,” he said, not even bothering to take a seat.
I had to bite back a grin at the looks of shock on the investors’ faces. They’d bullied me earlier and now they knew what it felt like to be belittled.
“Why don’t we have a seat,” I suggested.
Grayson looked at me, one brow raised before shrugging a shoulder. “Sure.”
He took the seat at the head of the table. It stung a little, but I understood it was his right in these types of meetings. Each of the investors introduced themselves while I sat back and listened.
Grayson took over the meeting, as I expected him to do. “As I said, Hannah will be the CEO, however, there will be some serious changes made,” he announced, giving me a stern look.
Ouch!
The sting was magnified by the praise from all the investors at the table. I wanted to protest and defend myself, but I held back. It didn’t matter. The damage had been done and all I could do is sit back and keep my mouth shut.
“Hannah’s vision hasn’t changed. I’m here to provide a little guidance,” he was saying.
“Financial, not makeup,” I reminded him.
He chuckled. “And this is why we’re getting married soon. She is my opposite, the woman who balances me and I balance the budget,” he said with a wink, earning him a glare.
“Married!” There was a collective gasp from around the table.
Grayson nodded. “Consider yourselves lucky. The people in this room are the first to know,” he said proudly.
I wanted to strangle him. “We wanted to keep it to ourselves,” I hissed.
He was grinning like a fool. “They are bound to find out. Wouldn’t you rather be the one controlling the story than some hungry reporter looking to capitalize on your happiness?” he teased.
He was purposely goading me, knowing I could do nothing to refute what he was saying without breaking our deal. I smiled at him, although my teeth were clamped together behind the smile.
I took a deep breath, looking at the room full of shocked faces, some were suspicious. “We’ve been dating for a while,” I explained, not wanting it to look like I was marrying him to keep my job, which was exactly how it looked.
“Is that why you bought the company?” one man asked.
Grayson shook his head. “Not at all. I saw an excellent business opportunity and took it. Not to mention, this makes me her boss, at least outside of the home,” he teased.
I did my best to appear entertained while I contemplated the many ways I was going to make him suffer for his choice of words. Everyone laughed at his joke. Everyone except me. I felt like I was being belittled.
“I wanted to keep this quiet for as long as possible. The media can get a little difficult to deal with and they are the last thing I want to handle. I don’t want the focus to be on me and the upcoming wedding when I make promotional appearances.” I explained.
Grayson nodded in agreement with me. “We’d prefer to keep this as quiet as possible.”
“Are you sure this isn’t going to cause problems? How can we be sure you are going to make decisions based on the needs of the company and not what keeps your wife happy? If she puts up a fuss about the changes you know need to be made, can you handle her?”
I glared at the man sitting across from me. How dare he question my ability or Grayson’s ability to be reasonable. No one handled me. I’d never heard anything so chauvinistic in my life. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him exactly what I thought about his questions and assumptions.
Grayson reached out and put one of his big hands over mine, which was gripping the edge of the table. “I think my business sense speaks for myself. I don’t make decisions about business based on my personal opinions. I won’t explain my decisions. My fiancée will be treated with the utmost respect. Trust me, I can handle my homelife, no matter what happens at the office,” he said firmly.
I felt like I was in the seventeenth century, where my status as a woman was just above that of a sheep. It was making my blood boil. I wanted to kick him in the shins something fierce.
“What will the media say about you buying the company? Won’t it look odd that a woman’s company is struggling, on the verge of bankruptcy, and her future husband swoops in to save the day?”
Grayson shrugged. “The media doesn’t need to know about the financial difficulties. It is truly none of their business, and the company’s financials were not made public. Few people even knew it was facing any kind of trouble at all. I think it would be wise to keep that information to ourselves, don’t you all?”
The way he worded the question made it more of a demand than an actual request. I wanted to laugh. The investors weren’t quite so demanding with Grayson at the helm.
“You don’t think the media will figure it out? It’s public knowledge,” one of them pointed out.
Grayson nodded. “Does it really matter? It’s not like it was a multimillion-dollar company. It’s not on anyone’s radar. This will stay quiet unless someone makes it a big deal. Does anyone here plan to do that?”
“No, but if it gets out, how will you handle the media?”
Grayson laughed. “The same way I always do. I tell them no comment and to speak with my lawyers or public relations department.”
“I won’t be saying anything,” I chimed in, making it clear no one else had better either.
“Hannah will still be the face of the company. Nothing in the stores will change, except for pricing,” he said in a tight voice.
I glared at him. “We’ll discuss that later.”
“I think I speak for the group as a whole, but if there is any bad press or you two get yourselves into some scandal when you split up, we will be forced to pull our financing. We’ve already told Hannah we’re ready to pull out. I think we need to make sure you understand that as well. This has been a bumpy road with no return. I know I’m cautiously optimistic,” the man across from me spoke again.
I raised my eyebrows. “When we break up? Isn’t it customary to offer well wishes?” I snapped.
He shrugged a shoulder in response. “This is business, Hannah. I think most of us here have been married and divorced at least once, some of us several times over.”
“Own your failures and don’t put those on me,” I retorted.
Grayson chuckled. “I think what my fiancée is trying to say is we don’t plan on divorcing or being part of a scandal in general. I happen to be a private person and I know Hannah is as well. If things don’t work out, that will be our problem. We’ll handle it in the media if it gets to that point. With that said, my life is my life, my business is mine alone. I will not tolerate anyone meddling. If you are so worried about the potential fallout or drama, we’ll talk after the meeting. I assure you, I can buy anyone out.”
The faces of the investors were pulled tight. I wanted to slap my hand on the table and laugh. They had been trying to bully me for too long.
“I think we’ll all stick around and see what you can do for the company.”
I smiled. Of course, they would. Grayson was a leader. He didn’t become a billionaire because he didn’t know what he was doing. I wished like hell Grayson would buy them out. It wasn’t like he needed their investment capital anymore. His company could more than provide the money needed to operate.
“If there’s nothing else, I have a meeting I need to get to,” Grayson said.
“Will we be able to talk to you about concerns we have?”
I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t get the chance.
“You’re free to leave a message for me, but I’d prefer everything be run through Hannah first. As I said, she’ll be retaining the majority of the control. I’m only the guy signing the checks,” he said with a wink.
I felt like I was losing all c
ontrol. I was nothing more than a figurehead. It was my face the customers knew. He kept me in place because it was good for the company and ultimately his bottom line. I felt like a puppet. I had no real control over anything. Grayson and the board had stripped me of all my power.
I took a deep breath as they all said their goodbyes and kissed up to Grayson a little more. In that moment, I realized I may have made a huge mistake by agreeing to be his fiancée. I wasn’t so sure I was any better off. I could have started over, started a new company once I picked myself up and brushed off the dust. That wasn’t going to be possible if I went through with the whole fake engagement. Then, there was that whole baby thing.
Grayson stood to leave. I didn’t move. He reached down and grabbed my hand. “Walk me out?”
I snapped myself out of my own misgivings and looked up at him. “What?”
“Walk me out,” he said again, his eyes going to the rest of the people in the room.
“Oh, sure, of course. I guess I got caught up in my daydream,” I said with a smile, playing up the silly girl performance.
I walked down the hallway with him, not touching him as we moved. I was angry and hurt and wasn’t sure I could actually go through with the whole arrangement. I wasn’t sure the company was worth my self-respect.
Chapter 15
Grayson
I woke up this morning and felt determined to make this thing with Hannah happen. I wanted to see her and had thought of the best excuse. I knew she was not pleased with the way things had happened yesterday. I hadn’t set out to make her mad, but things needed to be said. The investors needed to be satisfied and I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was the man in charge. I would be making final decisions. Of course, that would piss her off and I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have to be anything but the boss, but this was a mess of her doing.
After the meeting, she’d avoided saying more than a few words to me and the words were stilted that did come out of her mouth. I had a feeling she was going to back out of our arrangement. She got a good dose of what the future would be like in the company and didn’t like it. I had seen it in her eyes. The idea of holding onto her position was not nearly as enticing as it had been. I could see her second-guessing her decision. I needed to do what I could to seal the deal as quickly as possible before she could back out.
I reached for my phone and pushed her contact button.
“Hannah,” I said in my most cheerful voice when she answered the phone.
“What?” she grumbled.
“Meet me at Harry Winston’s,” I told her.
She groaned. “Why?”
“You know why.”
“It isn’t necessary. I’m not sure this is going to work,” she said, confirming what I had suspected.
“Yes, it is. You signed a contract,” I reminded her firmly.
She sighed. “I’ve changed my mind—I think.”
I closed my eyes, asking the universe for patience. “Hannah, it doesn’t work like that. You can’t just change your mind. You signed a contract.”
“I know, but after yesterday, I’m not so sure I can do this.”
“You can.”
“I don’t know if I want to,” she stressed.
“I don’t care. You already agreed to the terms,” I said, biting back my anger.
She was silent for way too long.
“Hannah?”
She growled. “Fine. When am I supposed to meet you?”
“Thirty minutes?” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
She heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
I smiled as I ended the call. I loved that she was still defiant. I quickly changed into slacks and a loose polo shirt and headed out. My car and driver were waiting when I exited the building. It was a fairly quick drive and I knew I was early when I arrived. She still managed to beat me, which pleased me. She was prompt. When I got out of the car, I saw her standing outside the store, pacing and looking mad as a hornet. I wanted to kiss the frown off her face.
She was wearing a pretty blue sweater with jeans and heels, her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail. She looked perfectly casual and gorgeous without even trying. I had to remind myself it was a fake engagement.
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” I told her, walking toward her and giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek. She stiffened under my touch.
“I didn’t think I had much choice,” she replied in a haughty tone.
I shrugged. “I think it’ll be easier if you pick out your own engagement ring. I’m not really sure what your style is. This way, we know it’ll be sized correctly and to your liking.”
“I don’t need a ring. Why would I need a ring?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you do need a ring. If this is going to work, I need everyone to believe you are my fiancée. No one will believe it if you are not wearing my ring. It’s not a big deal.”
“You’re not the one wearing the ring. You’re not the one who’s going to be asked about the stupid thing a million times,” she growled.
I chuckled. “I thought that was what women liked? Someone notices your ring, you hold out your hand and show it off.”
“Not this woman and it isn’t like I have a romantic story to go along with the ring. I can’t exactly tell anyone about you or us. I’m a shitty liar,” she mumbled.
“We could come up with a story,” I offered.
“There is no story anyone I know is going to believe. I’d really prefer we kept this quiet,” she said again.
I shrugged my shoulder. “I’ll keep it as quiet as I can, but I do have to let it get out there somewhat in order for me to get what I want.”
“And it’s all about what you want,” she snapped.
“You were given something in return. Let’s not pretend you’re not benefiting from this little arrangement.”
She rolled her eyes, clearly not pleased to have me remind her of our arrangement. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
I couldn’t help but laugh by her very unenthusiastic approach to getting a diamond ring. Wasn’t it what every woman wanted? She was acting like I was dragging her in front of the firing squad. I had never met a woman so reluctant to have expensive jewelry bestowed upon her. She was definitely an odd duck.
She put on a smile and pretended to actually like me as we walked into the store. We were immediately greeted by several associates eager to sell us something expensive to fatten their own pockets with a healthy commission.
“We’d like some time to browse,” I said, slowing their attack.
“Of course,” the lead saleswoman said, holding out an arm and stopping the other two.
“Go ahead,” I told Hannah.
“What? You seriously want me to pick a ring?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
I shrugged. “I guess I could.”
She waved her hand and made her way to the case farthest away from the head of the store where the most expensive jewelry was stored. She was looking at the cheap stuff.
“Hannah, what are you doing?” I said in a low voice, walking to where she was peering inside the cases.
“I’m looking at rings. I don’t know what to pick. That one will do,” she said pointing to a ring with a diamond that would require a magnifying glass to see.
I cleared my throat. “Money is not an issue. Please, don’t hold back. Why don’t we look at the ones over here,” I suggested, steering her toward the more expensive rings.
“I don’t need anything like that,” she whispered.
I leaned my head down close to her ear. “My fiancée would be expected to have something befitting my wealth. Please, don’t hold back. Choose something that you like.”
She looked up at me, glaring. “Fine.”
I could see how uncomfortable she was and was a little surprised. She was a wealthy woman, I knew that, but she was acting like she’d never spent a lot of money on anything.
“How about that one?” I sugg
ested, pointing to a rather large, sparkling diamond.
She looked at me, her face twisted. “No! That’s too big.”
“Hannah, you’re my fiancée. I want only the best for you,” I insisted.
She sighed. “I can’t wear something like that. Maybe something a little more subdued.”
I watched as she scanned the cases before finally settling on a pretty ring with a pear-cut diamond. It was elegant and understated. It was perfect for her.
I paid for the ring, which just happened to be a size six and fit her perfectly, meaning we wouldn’t have to wait for it to be sized. The sooner she was wearing the ring, the better for my plan. We walked out of the store together, my hand resting on the small of her back.
We paused outside, standing out of the way of the busy pedestrian traffic. “Hannah, why was it so difficult for you to pick a ring?”
She shrugged. “I’m not comfortable accepting gifts, especially expensive gifts, from people.”
I looked at her, studying her expression. “People, or men?”
“Men,” she admitted.
I nodded, a little surprised a beautiful woman like her wasn’t used to receiving gifts from men. I could feel the tension rolling off her.
“Hannah, you’re my fiancée, I will be giving you gifts. I hope you will get comfortable with it.”
She cringed. “I don’t need gifts.”
I was amazed at how uncomfortable and almost vulnerable she appeared in that moment. The woman was ruthless in the boardroom. She had built her company from nothing. It gave me a glimpse into the woman behind the business persona. This was the woman behind the severe business suits.
“You’re my fiancée and I’m going to be giving you things. It’s just the way it is,” I told her.
“We’re engaged on paper only. This isn’t real. I don’t expect gifts or any of that. You don’t need to spend any money on me. You already got me where you wanted me. I agreed to pretend to be your fiancée. That’s it.”