Clark's POV

Slouched at the table, I release a quiet groan as the burn from my last drink of whiskey travels down my throat.

Elias sits across from me as I throw myself a pity party, his eyes large pools of worry and shock. I don't know if he's as angry as I am right now, but my mind hasn't stopped churning since the anonymous prick who'd been after us had his identity revealed.

I'd read over the information from my private investigator three times, and I still couldn't believe what he had uncovered. I wished and prayed that it was all a joke. A dumb prank gone too far.

Unfortunately, the receipts proved otherwise.

"Hey!" I signal the bartender for another round, desperate to numb the pain.

"I'm really sorry things turned out this way," Elias breaks the silence, speaking softly. "You don't deserve any of it."

A humorless chuckle escapes my lips. "The asshole bought the building you wanted for your second flower shop just to fuck with you, all because you're associated with me. You didn't deserve that."

"Off first impressions, I knew your brother was a certified douchebag. But I had no idea he'd stoop this low with his own family. It's disgusting."

It's beyond that. It's painful, insane, and a waste of everyone's time.

Something that never should've happened. Something I wish I could travel back in time to prevent from happening. I don't think I'll ever be able to comprehend the depth of Christian's betrayal.

My own goddamn brother.

"I let love blind me, I guess. He's been playing me for a fool for years and I...I had no idea," I mumble as the bartender sets another drink in front of me. I immediately take a swig.

"Do you have any idea why he's trying to come between you and saving Ashford Technologies?" Elias asks.

I shake my head, feeling the full weight of my failure pressing down on me. "I didn't even know he had a problem with me, Elias. I feel so fucking stupid right now."

"Clark, no. This isn't your fault. You couldn't have predicted something like this would happen."

"But I should have been able to."

"No. That motherfucker should have been on your side helping to find solutions that would keep the company afloat instead of coming up with ways to see it fail."

"I appreciate you trying to lift me up, but I really should've seen this coming." Leaning back in my seat, I swirl the dark liquid, letting the cool glass numb my fingertips.

"I shouldn't have glossed over Christian's anger when our grandfather pushed the board to vote me in as the next CEO, and not Christian. It'd come out of nowhere, so we were both blindsided by my grandfather's decision, but I eventually got over it. Kind of. Seems Christian is still stuck in the past. I wonder if he ever really saw me as his brother and not his competition—"

"Stop." Elias reaches out and grabs my free hand resting on the sticky table. "You're spiraling, Clark. You can't blame yourself for anything that's happening right now."

I take another sip of my drink, but it does little to soothe my nerves. "There's something else I don't understand."

"What?"

"How do you not hate me for what he's done?" I meet Elias' gaze as I say the words. "How have you not ended things with me when it's my fault he's become such a problem in our lives? When he has taken so much from you..."

Shame washes over me in sickening waves.

Before Mark called with the news about Christian, I had taken Elias to the park. We were on the verge of having a moment, and I fully intended to confess my true feelings to him. I was going to tell him how I was tired of pretending. That I wanted something real between us because faking it had become an exhausting fucking chore.

But in an instant, that call from Mark turned my world upside down. Now everything is in shambles, and I have no idea how I'll recover from this betrayal.

"Clark, listen to me." Elias slides out of his side of the booth and sits next to me, one hand resting on my thigh. "I don't hate you because you're not the one out there who's being petty and lame. It's your shithead of a brother."

"My grandparents are going to be wrecked when they find out about this."

"Then you shouldn't tell them," Elias suggests. "Not yet."

Turning my head, I realize just how close we're sitting, his handsome face mere inches from mine.

"You got that look in your eyes again. I see a plan forming," I say. "Or am I just really drunk right now?"

A smile tugs at his full lips. "You aren't that drunk. And I do have a plan."

"Besides strangling my brother with my bare hands, what else is it you suggest we do to fix this?" I question.

Elias glances around the bar to make sure no one is paying us any attention. Leaning in closer, his warm breath fans my cheek as he whispers, "We should discuss this more in private."

"Yeah, you're right. Wouldn't doubt if he has people out spying on us and doing more of his dirty work."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Together?" I ask, sounding hopeful.

"If you want me." Elias smiles, making my pulse stutter. "But I can understand if you'd prefer to be alone."

"Fuck no. I...Please come home with me. I'm honestly afraid of what I might do if left alone."

Like hunt Christian down and literally murder him.

"Okay," Elias says. "Have your driver pick up your car since you've been drinking. Then I'll drive us back to your place."

Taking my phone out of my pocket, I text my driver to come and collect my car. "Done," I say after hitting send.

Elias smiles. "Let's get out of here."

As much as it grounds me, I barely register Elias' presence beside me during the drive back to my place.

I'm too consumed by the frenzy of negative thoughts swirling in my head. Anger, disbelief, and a profound sense of hurt rips me apart on the inside, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Why? That is the question I end up on whenever my brain tries to quiet itself. Why would my brother do something like this? Why do it to me, his family? Just fucking why?!

Elias doesn't immediately push for conversation when we finally enter the house. All he tells me is, "Why don't you go freshen up? I'll wait for you in the living room."

I nod, grateful for his understanding.

Once inside my bedroom, I strip off my clothes and hop in the shower. I stand there, motionless, as the hot water cascades over me. My mind attempts to replay every interaction I've had with Christian over the last few years, searching for signs I might have missed.

I'm so deep into it that I don't even notice when the water runs cold.

What jerks me back to the present is Elias knocking on the bathroom door. "You okay in there? It's been a while..."

I quickly shut off the water. "I'm okay! Be out in a second!"

Hearing his retreating footsteps, I exit the shower and dry off. I pull on a t-shirt and sweatpants before heading downstairs to the living room where I find Elias dressed in similar attire. He plans to stay the night, which thrills me that he cares enough to do this.

"So, your plan." I sink onto the couch beside him, fatigue seeping into my bones. "What do you have in mind?"

Elias takes a deep breath, and then exhales. "Remember at my sister's birthday party when you told my mom that you planned to propose to me by the end of the year?"

I nod, unsure where he's going with this. "And?"

"Well, if we do that for real, Christian will no longer have any leverage to hold against us."

It takes a moment for his words to sink in.

"Hold on. What you're suggesting is that...we fake our relationship even harder than we've been doing?"

"Pretty much."

"Elias..."

"Just hear me out. If we can continue to prove that our relationship is real, that it's solid, then he'll have nothing to hold over us. Whatever lies he tries to tell afterward will have no credibility." He pauses, then says, "You don't have to decide and give me an answer right now."

"Thanks. This is all so fucking overwhelming." I sigh and stretch out on the couch, resting my head on his lap. "I've never been backstabbed like this before. Never by family."

"The ones closest to you are usually the first to disappoint you," he says. My eyes struggle to stay open when his fingers run through my hair. "In your case, I'm sorry it turned out to be your brother."

Silence falls and my thoughts drift back to Elias' plan.

A real proposal.

"I know how I want to move forward," I say after some time passes. "I'll give you my answer in the morning. But right now, can we just stay like this and pretend the world isn't on fire again?"

Elias chuckles softly. "Whatever you want."

***

To continue reading the next season in His CEO, click HERE.

After successfully fooling everyone with their faux relationship, Clark and Elias think the hard work is done...until news drops about their wedding. Surprise! Now they're fake fiancées. As the lies pile up, and an old flame comes calling, their hope of a real future together begins to slip further away.

***

After a whirlwind faux romance saves his company, CEO Clark Ashford and Elias Barnes, his romantic partner in crime, nearly get away with their lies - until an unhinged associate runs their mouth on national television about their unplanned wedding, forcing them to take their deception one step further by confirming their engagement.

Elias struggles to adapt to the relentless attention and criticism that comes from being a CEO's fiancée. Cracks begin to form in their arrangement, so when a handsome new face appears and tempts Elias with a simpler, quieter life, Clark realizes he might have real competition.

With his company thriving but his personal life unraveling, Clark is on the verge of losing Elias forever, unless he confronts his true feelings. Can their staged romance survive long enough to become something real? Or will they lose everything by playing pretend?

> > > Click here to read His CEO's Hired Fiancé < < <