The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée (A Small Town Billionaire Brothers Book 4)

by Lauren Wood

  Greg’s face wrinkled up before he turned to me in shock. “Is this true?”

  I hung my head, nodding slowly. “Yes,” I admitted. “Yes, I did lie to you. I didn’t want to be excluded because of my personal life, so … I thought I could even the playing field. I pretended to be engaged to a single dad so I could work on this project. But the truth is … I don’t have kids of my own. And while I would like some one day … I don’t even have a boyfriend. So … no, that won’t be happening any time soon. And … I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied.”

  I looked back up to Jim. “I know this isn’t the kind of values you run your company by. It’s not the kind of values your grandfather, Mr. Nesters, lived by. I can understand if you don’t want to work with me anymore in light of this information, but … I do hope you’ll still consider my pitch because I do think it would work for you. Even if Chuck oversees it, I just want to see your company succeed.”

  The room fell silent as I finished talking. I looked around, waiting for someone to say or do something … anything at all. I was half-expecting for it to turn into an old-fashioned stoning where they made me lay in the middle of the table while they threw rocks at me.

  But before anyone else could say a word, we were distracted by a light tapping on the glass panes that lined the wall. We looked up to see none other than Ben himself standing there, side-stepping his way to the door to come in.

  18

  Ben

  “Ben!” Kate looked at me with wide, stunned eyes. “What are you doing here!?”

  “Give it up,” Chuck barked. “They already know everything. That you stole your friend’s kid and lied.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that, Chuck,” I shot back sarcastically.

  I pushed past him and walked up to Kate at the front of the room, dropping down on one knee in front of her.

  “What the hell …” she mumbled through clenched teeth at me, silently begging me to get up.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to propose marriage,” I assured her. “But I do want to propose something else … That you be my girlfriend.”

  Chuck’s face grew bright red with anger. “I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing here, but now is not the time …”

  “Chuck, shut it,” Greg ordered, raising a hand to silence him. “This is my boardroom. Not yours. You had your turn to talk, now let’s hear what Ben and Kate here have to say.”

  “I love you,” I blurted. “I know my timing is terrible, but I needed to get that out. I’ve been running from saying those words from the moment you first said them to me a week ago.”

  Kate was too surprised to speak, so I stood back to my feet and turned to address the clients and everyone else. “I know you don’t know anything about me. Other than the fact that I’m the lunatic who pretended to be her fiancé and used my best friend’s kid … trying to pass her off as my own. But Kate has told me a lot about you. I understand and admire your values for family. But the thing is … I’ve spent a lot of time with these people in the past few weeks. And if there’s anyone in this room who truly values family, it’s Kate. She may not have one of her own yet, but I’ve seen her with my friend’s kid … and with my friends … and she has a sincere love for the people in her life. And … I hate to say it, but while these other guys may have families … they seem to have more resentment towards them than anything else.”

  “Hey, watch it, buddy,” Chuck growled.

  “Come on. I’ve only met you a few times, and I’ve already heard you complain enough about your wife and kids to last a lifetime. Same with you, Greg. You guys don’t even play with your kids. You just pass them off to your wives and they pass them off to the nannies.” I turned back to the clients. “There’s only one person in this room who I’ve witnessed expressing a genuine concern and interest in the success of your products. And that’s Kate. She has more passion for her job than most people have about anything in their lives, and that’s why I agreed to lie for her to help her present this pitch to you.”

  “So, let me get this straight,” the client said, scratching his head. “You two lied about being engaged and having a kid just so you could present this pitch to me?”

  We both nodded solemnly.

  He turned back to Greg. “And if you didn’t think this woman was engaged … you wouldn’t have even let us listen to her idea … even if it was the best one?”

  “Well, yes,” Greg stammered. “But you said you wanted to work with someone who understood kids firsthand.”

  “I said I wanted to work with people who understood the values of family firsthand,” he argued. “And a family can be many different things. A company should be like a family. And no one should be excluded or go unheard just because of something silly like not being engaged or married or whatever.”

  “But she doesn’t know anything about kids!” Chuck fumed.

  “Actually,” I interjected. “She was great with Olivia. She took better care of her than I did, to be honest. And when it came to the toy testing group, she was the only one that actually went in the room and observed the kids firsthand. Didn’t she even know about research and studies when it came to kids that you didn’t even know yourself, Chuck?”

  He didn’t answer, but the embarrassed look on his face let everyone know that I was right.

  “And Kate, what was it you told me? About how you market products all the time that no one has firsthand experience with?”

  “Yes,” she answered sheepishly. “That is true. No other accounts require us to have pre-existing experience with a product in order to be able to work on the project.”

  “Kate … ” the client said slowly. “If there wasn’t some big promotion on the line, like I’ve heard here today, would you have still gone to such great lengths to have a chance to work with us?”

  “Maybe not at first,” she admitted. “But after I had some time to learn more about you and your products, I think so. Yes. I truly believe in your toys, and I think they’re needed in today’s market. Everything now is so flashy and cheap with plastic and bright lights. It’s all a smoke screen for something that gets tossed in the trash or lost or broken a week later. The toys aren’t about the kids’ brains or imaginations. Or pretending and having fun. They’re about consumerism and the next big thing, only for it to be on to something else the next week or even the next day.”

  She looked up at me, and I knew she wasn’t just talking about the toys anymore. I had made the same impression on her. She thought I was just chasing after the next big thrill, one after the next.

  “But some of us still value something deeper,” she continued. “Something more genuine and real, which is oftentimes a lot simpler than the big flashy things that are marketed to us. It may take a little longer to find or understand, but it’s worth it when you do. Since everyone seems to care about my relationship status so much … That's a good explanation of why I’m still single. Maybe online dating has us always jumping from one person to the next, but I would rather hold out for the real thing.”

  The room was quiet for a moment. The client sat with his palms pressed together under his chin in quiet consideration. Finally, he leaned in and whispered to the other men sitting next to him. After talking among themselves, they all stood up and started for the door.

  “I think we’ve seen enough here. A company that would exclude their employees this way … is obviously not someone we want to work with. I’m not confident you have our best interests at heart.” He buttoned his suit jacket and nodded towards Kate and I. “Good luck, you two.”

  “Jim, wait,” Kate raced over to stand in front of the door. “I know you weren’t expecting to be walking into such a big mess here today. But … I promise you that the pitch I have for your company is solid. You’ve already taken the time to come all the way here. Won’t you at least sit down long enough to hear what I have to present? If you want to leave after
that … I’d completely understand, and I won’t stop you.”

  Jim flashed a look back to the others, and they returned to their seats. “Fair enough. We’ll listen to your pitch. After everything you just said, I am intrigued to hear what kind of strategy you’re proposing. But first … are you gonna answer this man’s proposal or what? Truthfully, I kind of hated the idea of leaving without knowing what was going to happen with all of that.”

  I looked to Kate with hopeful eyes, but her expression was unreadable. She stared me down, looking terrified. “With all due respect, Jim … I think my personal life has been in the spotlight enough here today. Ben and I will have to finish our discussion in private when we’re done here.”

  Everyone glared at me, waiting for me to leave. I turned for the door, but stopped and added, “I know you won’t regret it if you hire Kate for your marketing. Hell, if you don’t … I might. And anyway … if the whole family thing matters so much, and I can manage to make it up to her for being such an idiot, maybe one day, if I’m lucky, we’ll have a family of our own in the future.”

  “One thing at a time, I suppose,” Jim chuckled.

  I looked at Kate one last time, shooting her a thumbs up and mouthing ‘good luck,’ then walked out the door.

  19

  Kate

  I was prepared to give my presentation with confidence earlier that morning, but I had been put through the wringer since then. So much so that my hands were shaking and my cheeks were bright red. Not to mention, my brain was working in overdrive just knowing that Ben was waiting outside. That he had said he loved me and wanted me to be his girlfriend. He even suggested we might get married and have kids someday! It was too much to take in all at once … especially with a boardroom full of men staring me down expectantly.

  Everything with Ben would have to wait. I circled back around in front of the projector and took in a deep breath.

  “Nesters Toy Company is based on a timeless aesthetic for children’s toys,” I started. “The look is inspired by the woodworkings that you and your grandfather used to make together when you were a boy. And while that may be a nostalgic choice for you, it turns out that there are benefits to that you may not have been aware of.”

  I started flipping through my slides, explaining that research had shown that simple toys were actually better for a child’s development and imagination. Flashy electronic or battery operated toys with all their sounds and lights may have looked more enticing, but they do all the work for a child’s brain. While simple wooden shapes, like what Nesters was offering, begged the child to use their own imagination to fill in the gaps.

  “That’s why in my observations, older children who have already had their senses and minds dulled by video games or other flashy toys, seemed to be less interested in your toys,” I explained. “While younger children, who are still malleable and open to new things, are intrigued and entranced by the opportunity to be creative with the toys. They engage with them and use their imaginations.”

  “That could be a problem,” Jim noted. “We don’t just want to sell our products to infants.”

  “I see it as less of a problem and more of an advantage,” I replied. “Additional research has shown it’s not too late for older children to be rewired back to the basics. And in a day and age where so many people are yearning for a simpler time … while more and more people are trying to get back to nature and minimalism, away from the busyness and convenience of our technology consumed lives, your toys could be marketed as a fresh start. A reset. An alternative to video games and other things that are proven to be more harmful to a child’s brain development.”

  I told them my strategy for marketing their products as a perfect start for healthy development for infants, and an opportunity to shift thinking when it came to play in older kids. After dimming the lights, I played a commercial pilot I had put together that showed an old man whittling wood with his grandchildren on the front porch, followed by the kids playing with the toys they made for hours on end. Then cherishing those toys as keepsakes for the rest of their lives. And with Nesters’ products, all families had an opportunity to enjoy that same experience that inspired them to start the company in the first place.

  “In conclusion, this is less about a new line and more about the roots of your company. It’s about going back to basics. We all know the idea is something people are longing for. That’s why we’re all sitting in this room today, in this building. Cherry Falls used to be just another small rural town. But everyone wanted a piece of that so badly that they all started flooding here, us included.”

  I looked out to Ben pacing in the hall outside the door. “That man out there … Ben Wilder. He’s a real estate mogul who has managed to be successful without pillaging the original essence of this city that existed before the population boom. And rather than harming his profits, it increased them. Because people want to give their money to people with integrity.”

  “Pfft,” Chuck huffed. “You’re one to talk about integrity after the lies you’ve told.”

  I knew he was just trying to pull out all the stops to keep my pitch from being a hit. I ignored him and kept going anyway. “I think your products fulfill a growing need in homes and families around the country and maybe around the world. You don’t have to be a parent to know that. Because parents won’t be the only ones buying these toys. It will be the family friends and aunts and uncles who aren’t so stressed with clouded judgment in their day to day lives that they can’t see what these kids need the most. I think I’ve said all I can say. Any questions?”

  To my delight, Jim and his associates asked a few questions delving deeper into my research and some of the specifics about how we would implement the marketing strategy. Once all the bases had been covered, they stood up and got ready to leave, this time after having heard what I had to say.

  Jim stopped to shake Greg’s hand last. “I can go ahead and tell you that we were very impressed with what we heard here today. Even despite all of the … peculiar drama that came up. I’m glad we stuck around to hear Kate out. We’ll have to convene privately of course, but I can assure you you’ll be hearing from us soon to discuss the details of how to proceed.”

  Greg showed them out, looking very pleased. With everyone gone, he came over to me with a big smile. “Job well done, Kate. I’m … uh, sorry that I put you in the position that I did … making you feel like you had to lie. It seems I underestimated what you’re capable of.”

  “But, Greg …” Chuck protested.

  “Chuck, I wish I could say the same for you,” he barked. “It seems I overestimated you. For one, you could’ve discussed this matter with me in private instead of making us look bad in front of a client. You’re lucky they didn’t walk out, or else you might be out of a job right now. And two, I couldn’t help but notice how lacking your ideas were on this project … It’s funny considering this would have been the first time you had to work completely independently of Kate. It seems I miscalculated where all of the real talent was coming from.”

  Turning back to me, he added, “And as for that promotion, I’ll make the official announcement soon. But it's obvious to me who is going to put our company on the map in today’s progressive market. And I don’t think it’s old married men like us. But young, single independent individuals like Kate.” He cut his eyes out to Ben, still stalking the door, waiting for us to finish. “Well, hopefully not single … but you know what I mean.”

  Greg walked out, leaving me and Chuck alone. He looked like he was about to go off on me, but then he got so flustered and angry that all he could do was storm out. I laughed to myself and then looked out to Ben’s eager face through the glass door. I caught him flipping a middle finger to Chuck’s back as he walked away.

  Finally, I walked through the doors and led him deeper into the hallway where we could talk in private.

  “How did it go?” he asked impatiently.

&n
bsp; “Good, I think,” I said with a sigh. “That was some stunt you pulled in there.”

  “I’m sorry. It was a little crazy. I just...I didn’t know what else to do. I was desperate to help you out. Maybe I didn’t exactly think it through too well …” He nervously ran his hand along the back of his neck.

  I crossed my arms, frowning. “Yeah, I’ll say. Getting down on one knee like that. You made quite the scene...in what was already big enough of a scene.”

  I shook my head as he watched me, waiting anxiously for what else I had to say.

  “Not to mention you ghosted me after the other night,” I snipped. “You took off, leaving that stupid note…”

  “And water and aspirin,” he defended.

  I darkened my eyes at him and he quickly recoiled. “How do I know you wouldn’t get freaked out and do that all over again?”

  “You don’t,” he shrugged. “Just like I don’t know with a hundred percent certainty that you won’t break my heart. But I’d rather take that risk. Because the alternative is that none of that stuff happens. And …”

  “And what? We live happily ever after?” I scoffed skeptically.

  “Well, yeah … actually. We could live happily ever after.” He pulled my hands into his. “Kate, I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted. I should have told you how I felt a long time ago.”

  “And how is it that you feel?”

  “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” he admitted. “Everything feels right with you. And we may not know anything for certain, but I have a gut feeling that this is different. That you and I really have something here. I love you and I want to be with you.”