Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires, #3)(35)

I’m aware there are some pitfalls to having Lily play the role of my fake fiancée, but I will fight to always stay one step ahead of her.

Willow asks the same question I’ve had since I left Last Call: “What else could you have that she possibly wants? It’s obviously not money.”

“No. She didn’t even bring it up.”

“Power?”

I laugh at the idea. “She doesn’t care about politics.”

“Revenge? Because you totally deserve it for the Eros app stuff.”

I sigh.

“What if she’s angry enough to tank your entire campaign?” Willow voices my exact concern.

When I spoke to Ana, she did mention loving spy movies and true crime podcasts, but I highly doubt she’s some mastermind doing this all for revenge.

She isn’t like me, which is something I appreciate about her. Lily always sees the good in people, to the point of it being a liability, while I seek every opportunity to assume the worst.

“I don’t know her reason, but I’ll stop at nothing until I find out,” I say.

She nods. “Okay. So now that you’ve completely gone off the rails, what’s the plan?”

I repeat Lily’s idea back to Willow, and she quietly listens, only interrupting me to ask for further clarification on certain parts, like our two-month waiting period before I propose.

“I mean…” She pauses her pacing to look over at me. “I hate to say it, but this could work.”

I exhale. “That’s the only reason I agreed.”

“But…”

I screw my eyes shut. “What?”

“You both have to be strategic about this. You need to be seen everywhere but also not too much because we don’t want people to be suspicious either. We can plan public outings, plus we have the Healing Hearts fundraiser dinner coming up.” Her face lights up. “Oh! And imagine going on double dates with her sister and Julian—”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“There’s no other option but for you to play nice with Julian, so beg for his and everyone else’s forgiveness if you have to.”

My reply is nothing but a blank look.

She continues, “The best part about this plan is Lily’s family, so do whatever it takes to get them on your side. Julian’s endorsement speech will be a perfect full-circle moment for your relationship.”

“If he doesn’t use the opportunity to publicly roast me, that is.”

She shakes her head. “He cares too much about Lily to embarrass her like that.”

“He didn’t seem to have a problem reaming into me last night. He even tried to offer his connections in exchange for me ending my relationship with Lily.”

“Okay, clearly he’s going to be angry, but I’m sure he’ll come around in no time.”

“Lily won’t give him a choice.”

“Exactly. And while we’re on the topic of Lily, I think it’s important to keep her in the loop.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“Let’s invite her over for lunch and get to work.”

Great. More time with Lily. Exactly what the psychiatrist ordered.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Lily


Telling my mom about my secret relationship with Lorenzo first thing the next morning goes worse than I expected. Her simple but significant “I’m disappointed in you” feels like I took a dagger to the heart, so I call Lorenzo in a panic once I’m locked away in my bedroom.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I blurt out as soon as he answers the phone.

“Can’t do what?”

“Lie to my family. My mom is upset, and my sister is pissed.”

The speaker crackles with his loud exhale. “Isn’t that something you should’ve considered last night?”

My chest puffs with my restrained breath. “Of course I did, but it isn’t so easy.”

“And how will telling them about our fake relationship help matters?”

“They won’t have a reason to be angry at me anymore.”

“Are you sure about that? Your mom doesn’t seem too fond of liars, and your sister would probably be upset you turned to me for help instead of her.”

“They’d understand.” I don’t sound confident, and I blame Lorenzo for planting those valid concerns in my head.

“But what if they don’t?” he asks.

“I…” Don’t know.

Lorenzo continues when I go silent. “And if you told Dahlia, would you be okay with asking her to keep it a secret from Julian? Because there is no way in hell I’m trusting him.”

I can’t ask Dahlia to hide the truth from Julian. “If he understood the circumstances—”

Lorenzo doesn’t let me finish the thought. “Am I going to hedge my entire campaign on Julian Lopez—a man who can’t stand me? Because if word gets out, whether it be on purpose or by accident, it could ruin the entire campaign and make both of us look terrible.”

The pit in my stomach grows. “I…I get it.”

He exhales loudly. “You volunteered knowing the stakes. If you want to risk everything because you can’t handle your choice, then so be it, but give me a warning before you destroy everything I’ve worked toward.”