“So, you thought you’d convince me to back out by portraying yourself as some entitled slut-boy?”

He winced at my choice of descriptors, or maybe because they were true. “I wouldn’t put it quite like that, but, basically, yeah.”

“Well, good job. You got your wish already. Thanks for clearing all of that up for me after making me look like a fool in front of the rest of my family who didn’t know I was just your business beard before.”

“I’m sorry. It really wasn’t about you. I just don’t want to be stuck married to someone I don’t want.”

Well, that stung. “No problem then,” I mentioned as I stood to go see my way out.

“Wait,” he called out to me as he hurried around the desk to catch my arm before I could get too far. “That was all before,” he admitted.

“Before you realized I wasn’t a truly horrid troll-person?” I asked, and the way he crinkled his nose told me that wasn’t it at all. I braced myself for what was about to come out of his mouth, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.

“No. Look, you aren’t a troll, but you’re still not my type at all.” He glanced at the door to the office and back at me. “You saw Aria, and all those other women. Let’s be real here, none of them look anything like you.” If someone could just kick me in the kidneys repeatedly, I’m sure it would feel better than having a man stand there and basically inform me of how unattractive he found me.

“The thing is, before we even showed up at the meeting today, I was late because I got a lecture from both of them. They knew what I was doing and why. I am supposed to make this right with you, and figure out how to make it work, because my grandfather has been trying to acquire your father’s business for a long time now. It’s not just about the inheritance, who is running the empire, or me settling down at this point. It’s also about the merger.”

“I see.” It was all I could say as I glanced down at where his fingers were still wrapped around my bicep. I used my other hand to grip his fingers and pull. He let go immediately, and then stood there and watched as I walked out of his office. He didn’t follow me as I also left his apartment, made my way to my car, and all the way back to my parent’s house in the suburbs while on autopilot.

Okay, here’s the part where I admit to my mistake in all of this. I talk a really good game. Love isn’t real. Soulmates are an ideal used to sell relationships and monogamy to people who don’t really want that. It’s also used to sell greeting cards and the idea of the nuclear family, but whatever. The thing is, there was a part of me that believed my father when he told me that maybe down the road, my fake husband and I would grow to love one another.