Grace hops out of the Uber, her peepers taking in the sight of the Hotel Regal Crest. This place is straight-up posh, like something out of a fairytale! It's got a grand entrance with big ol' arches and fancy stonework that screams, "I'm dripping with old-school luxury!" The joint looks like it's been holding it down for a hundred years, oozing class from every brick. Warm, glowing lights are spilling out from the windows and entrance, practically begging Grace to come on in and join the party.

The concierge, a real stand-up guy, opens the door for Grace, giving her a warm welcome that makes her feel at home. Grace scurries inside, feeling like she just stepped into a dream. Her heart's pounding like a drum, but she's mighty relieved that one part of this whole shebang is in the bag. She's scanning the room, looking for any familiar mugs, when someone in a snazzy uniform moseys on up to her.

"Pardon me, miss, but are you Grace Monroe?" the guy asks, all polite-like.

"Yup, that's me," Grace says, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Follow me, miss," the guy says, motioning for Grace to come along.

"Now hold up, where are we headed?" Grace asks 'cause the last thing she wants is to get snatched up or tossed in some room.

"Oh, they just want to have a little chat with you, all private-like," the guy says, giving Grace a reassuring smile.

"Okie dokie," Grace says, following the guy to the lift. The lift takes them to the 2nd floor, and the guy leads her to a room, giving the door a knock. Maria opens up the door.

"Grace, darling, come on in," she says. Maria's all dolled up in a red dress, like she's headed to some fancy shindig. Grace feels a bit embarrassed about her threads.

Maria sizes up Grace and can't help but think they might've picked the wrong gal. Grace looks normal, but she's a real bombshell. Even with just a smidge of makeup, she's a bombshell. Maria's worried that Dion might fall head over heels for Grace's good looks. Grace is broke as a joke, and Maria and Antonios aren't looking to have no poor girl be part of their family. Grace reckons Maria's giving her a funny look because she might be ugly as a sin.

"So, Grace, meet your temporary future hubby, Dion. And Dion, this here's the lucky lady who's gonna play the role of your girlfriend and wifey," Maria says to the young stud in the room with Antonios. Grace sneaks a peek at him and realizes she recognizes this hombre.

"Alright, we'll give you two a few minutes to get your story straight for the old man. But remember, no falling head over heels. We ain't paying you to catch feelings," Antonios says, serious as a heart attack. Like, gravely serious.

"Me? Fall for her? Ha! She ain't even my type," the guy scoffs, his voice smooth as honey. His stunning dark blue eyes, the color of a midnight sky, zero in on Grace, and it's like time just stops. He's drop-dead gorgeous, with chiseled features that could make any gal weak in the knees. There's a twinkle in his eye like he's got the secret recipe for making ladies swoon tucked in his back pocket.

Dion sizes up the girl standing in front of him. He's peeved at his Bro-Dad and Maria for sticking him with some plain Jane. 'This is how she dolls up to meet a guy for the first time?' Dion thinks, eyeing Grace's nothing-special outfit. 'What kind of snooze-fest gold digger did they saddle me with?' Dion's disappointed. When Maria and Antonios told him Grace was after his dough, he figured he could at least have a little fun with her. But Grace looks like she's never even held hands with a guy, let alone anything else.

Then his eyes land on Grace's delicate face. Her chocolate browns meet his dark blue eyes, and Dion feels a flicker of something inside, like a spark igniting in his chest. It's a brand-new feeling, and it throws him for a loop. But he pushes it away, refusing to let this foreign emotion take hold.

"Wait a sec... it's you," Grace blurts out, and Dion looks at her, surprised.

"You're her ex. Oh no...," She claps her hands over her mouth, her brown eyes wide with shock.

"Huh? What are you going on about? Quit being weird. You're freaking me out before we even tie the knot," Dion says, taking a step back.

"You're Angelica's ex," Grace says. Dion thinks her voice is adorable and has an innocent ring to it.

"Who the heck is that?" Dion asks, intrigued.

"You can't remember? She's in our uni," Grace says, and Angelica pops into Dion's mind. She's the only uni girl he's ever dated.

"Oh, the boring one? She thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend just 'cause I kissed her a few times and hung out with her," Dion scoffs like it's no big deal.

"Anyway, we're short on time. Here, take a look at these questions and answers. Read 'em over and holler if you've got any questions," Dion says, handing Grace some papers. Grace takes them, her curiosity piqued.

"Questions? Wait, do I have to take a test or something?" Grace asks, dead serious. Dion busts out laughing.

"Oh, aren't you just adorable," he chuckles. "No, silly. These are the questions my Dad or other family members might ask us. We've gotta be confident we've got our stories straight about these answers. And we've gotta act all lovey-dovey in front of them. You know, kissing, cuddling, and spewing cheesy romantic lines," Dion explains.

"Oh, well, I've got a pretty good memory," Grace says, skimming through the questions and answers.

"Hold up, so Antonios isn't your dad?" Grace asks, confusion written all over her face. Honestly, she's getting all mixed up with this crazy situation. Her head's spinning with all the complicated details.

"Nah, that's my brother," Dion clarifies.

"Your brother? But he looks like he could be..."

"Yeah, he looks like my dad 'cause he's 57. And my actual dad? He's 80 years old. Looks more like my grandpa. As for my mom, she's a stripper, and I've never even met her. Don't know if she's alive or dead. Oh, and you wanna know how I came to be? Dear old Dad got wild hair at the ripe age of 57, threw caution to the wind, and bam! Surprise! Here I am," Dion rants, the anger and pain evident in his voice. Grace's heart aches for him.

'Damn, he's even hotter when he's mad,' Grace's traitorous mind whispers.

'Shut up, brain. Not the time,' Grace mentally scolds herself.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Dion," Grace says soothingly.

"Oh, I bet you're judging me now, huh? 'Cause my mom's a stripper," Dion accuses, plopping down on the bed and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What? No, I'm not," Grace says, taken aback. Judging Dion is the last thing on her mind right now. She's got way bigger fish to fry, and this spoiled, entitled brat thinks the world revolves around him?

Grace starts reading the paper in her hands when the door swings open, and Maria and Antonios waltz back in.

"So, you two hash things out?" Antonios asks, and Grace gapes at them, mouth hanging open.

'How the heck are we supposed to cover everything in 10 minutes? What's the rush?' she thinks.

"Yeah, sure," Dion says, sounding about as enthusiastic as a kid in detention.

"Grace?" Maria looks at Grace, eyebrow raised.

"Oh!" Grace says, plastering on a fake grin. But does she get a smile back? Fat chance.

'Right, I forgot. Smiling isn't in the family repertoire,' Grace thinks, mentally rolling her eyes.

"Great, you two better be ready to meet Dad this evening. Dion, take her shopping and get her some decent threads," Maria says, eyeing Grace's outfit like it's a fashion felony.

"This evening?" Grace echoes, her jaw-dropping.

"Yes, this evening," Maria confirms, exchanging a look with Antonios.

"Oh, and Grace, before you go, better give this a read and sign on the dotted line," Maria says, handing Grace a sheet of paper. She takes it and skims the contents. It's a contract laying out the payments and her obligations. And get this - she's not allowed to bail on her acting gig for a whole year. But here's the kicker: once she signs, they'll foot the bill for all her mom's medical expenses and Grace's university fees. Grace can hardly believe it.

'Damn, these people must love their dad,' Grace muses. 'Look at all the dough they're shelling out just to make the old man happy. Talk about a lucky duck.'

Grace puts her John Hancock on the papers, everything crystal clear.

"One more thing, Grace. There's gonna be a prenup to sign before the wedding. We can't just fake the marriage, so you two gotta make it official," Antonios adds.

"Sure, no problem," Grace says, but her heart's not 100% in it. She hears Dion let out a smirk, but she's got no clue why.

"Alright then, Dion, make sure you help her find a proper dress. Something appropriate for meeting Dad. We don't want to give the guy a heart attack and send him to an early grave when he sees what she's wearing," Antonios blurts out without thinking.

"Bro... why would you say something like that? Dad's not gonna keel over," Dion looks at Antonios, hurt in his eyes. He can't believe Antonios would say something so messed up about Kostas.

"No, I... I didn't mean it like that. Just don't pick out anything too sexy. Go for something classy, alright?" Antonios says, giving Dion a reassuring pat on the arm. But Dion's not having it. He's still reeling from Antonios' thoughtless comment.

"I can't believe he said that," Dion mutters after they part ways with Antonios and Maria.

"Maybe he didn't mean it. Sometimes words just slip out," Grace says, but her heart's not in it. She's just as shocked by Antonios' callous remark about his dying dad.

"Are you for real? Would you ever say something like that about your old man on his deathbed?" Dion snaps, his words cutting Grace like a knife. She feels like her heart's tearing from her chest.

"No, of course not. Why are you being such a jerk, Dion?" Grace says, her voice thick with pain. Her lips tremble as she fights back tears. Her dad passed away a few years back, and it was the worst day of her life. Then her mom got sick, sinking into a deep depression over losing the love of her life. They were so happy together so in love. Her mom just didn't have the strength to go on without him. The memories come flooding back, and Grace breaks down, sobbing into her hands.

"You're being a real a-hole," Grace chokes out between tears.

Suddenly, she feels a strong arm wrap around her waist, warm and solid against her back, and a jolt of electricity shoots through her body from head to toe. Her breath catches in her throat, and goosebumps dance across her skin.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay?" Dion says, his voice suddenly soft. "All this crap's got me wound tight, so I snapped. I don't want my dad to die, but everyone keeps talking about it like they've already given up on him getting better."

"So why are you taking it out on me? What did I do?" Grace asks, still crying.

"Ah, shit. Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Please stop crying," Dion says. He's made plenty of girls cry before, so what's one more? It's no skin off his nose. And he hates seeing girls cry because of him, not because it makes him sad, but because it makes him feel guilty as hell.