Page 25 of Billionaire Grump
“Cleo, that’s amazing! That will be so beautiful. Congrats!”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say my bestie has a tear in her eye. “I haven’t officially asked you this yet, but will you be my maid of honor? I need you right next to me the whole time.”
I lean across the table to give her a hug. “Of course I will. I’m so excited for you.”
She picks up her glass and clinks it against mine. “To true love. For both of us.”
I take a sip. “For you, at least. I’ll bask in your glow. I haven’t been on a single date for over a year, can you believe that? It’s depressing.”
“That’s what happens when you feel compelled to babysit your brother 24/7. You tend to miss out on a lot of action.”
She’s right, of course. “As soon as Josh is all set for Columbia, I’ll be able to start thinking about my love life, which at this point has tumbleweeds rolling through it. I just want so badly for him to be okay.”
“Ivy, he’s fine. He is all set for Columbia. I thought you said he’s enrolled now and he’s chosen his classes for the fall.”
“He is. And he has. And right now he’s in Florida for Spring Break, partying it up in Fort Lauderdale.”
She makes a face, like she can’t think of anything worse. “Good for him. So that means your free this weekend. No gigs?”
“No gigs. I had one last night. My next one’s not for a few weeks.”
“Good.” The look on Cleo’s face is mischievous and borderline guilty, if I’m not mistaken. “Because I sort of set you up with someone.”
I stare at her. “You what?”
“Hear me out. Please, just listen to the details. This is way too good.”
“What details? What are you talking about?”
“It’s more of a business proposition than a date. I just talked to Noah again and they’re willing to pay two hundred thousand for the weekend.”
“Wait, what?”
“They’ll pay you two hundred thousand for two days.”
“Who will?
“Noah and his brothers.”
“Two hundred thousand dollars?”
“All you have to do is pretend to be Alexander Maddox’s date at some swanky wedding in the Hamptons—purely for show. He’s the best man and his ex is the wedding planner. He needs a front so she’ll keep her distance. Apparently she’s, like, crazy and won’t take no for an answer.”
“What?” My brain can’t keep up.
“They’re willing to pay so much because they want you to…you know, lay it on.”
“Lay what on?”
“You know, make it convincing.”
I blink at her. “Alexander Maddox?” Of course I’ve heard of him. “Isn’t he, like, a billionaire?”
“Many times over,” Cleo confirms. “He’s also hot, even if he is an absolute grump. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the guy in a good mood. But I do think there’s a diamond under all that rough if he were to have a little fun for a change. He’s what you’d call…uptight. He’s under a lot of pressure with the company he’s in charge of. But the way I see it, what’s the point of having so much money if you can’t enjoy it once in a while? Alexander doesn’t seem familiar with that concept.”
I shake my head. “There’s no way I’m going on a fake date with Alexander Maddox.”
Cleo has worked for Noah Maddox for a couple of years now and loves her job. She fills me in on the office gossip and has mentioned Alexander every now and then. According to her, he runs the old money family empire but is also a shareholder at Invested Enterprises, the company set up by his three brothers.