One Midnight Kiss: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Holiday Romance
One Midnight Kiss: Chapter 31

The final rollout for Hanna was a few days away, and I should have been feeling good about it. Confident, even. But instead, I was staring at my screen, mindlessly scrolling through the latest social media buzz. Ever since that staged engagement announcement, Hanna’s popularity had risen exponentially. The press and public couldn’t get enough of it. They loved the tech, sure—but what they loved even more was the fairy-tale story of the reclusive billionaire finding love with his marketing director.

I was feeling pretty good about that too.

But I wasn’t naïve. The surge in interest wasn’t just about the product. It was about us. About her. The way they talked about Natalia and me online, you’d think we were royalty, not two people faking an engagement for mutual gain.

I wished I could say the tech was standing on its own, but it was new. I imagined there were plenty of people that were skeptical about the first lightbulb or the first commercial flight. When there was something this new, people were going to be naturally hesitant.

There would, of course, be a small percentage that wanted to be first in line to get their hands on Hanna. But those people were going to be looking for all the things they could complain about. There had to be enough positive to outweigh the negative Nelly’s of the world.

There was a knock on the door, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced up to see Jerrod step inside, holding a stack of papers. He looked more stressed than usual, which was saying something. He was usually calm and level-headed, but the past few weeks, he’d been on edge.

We were all feeling the stress. HomeTech wasn’t going to sink if Hanna crashed and burned, but it would be a big hit to our bottom line. Losing consumer confidence was a difficult thing to recover from.

“How are you holding up?” I asked.

“Trying not to pull my hair out,” he said. “But I’m thinking of taking up smoking.”

“It’s going to be fine.” I was trying to make him feel better, but I couldn’t make him any promises. “The tech is good. We know it’s good. We’ve got a full staff ready to handle any hiccups.”

Jerrod dropped the stack of papers on my desk, his expression somber. “Yeah, the tech is solid, Fox, but there’s a lot riding on this launch beyond just the mechanics. The narrative we’ve constructed around it? It’s fragile.”

I arched an eyebrow, leaning back in my chair. “Fragile how?”

He sighed, raking a hand through his already disheveled hair. “It’s just, this whole thing with you and Natalia. It’s great for the press, but what if it backfires? What if people start seeing through it? We’re not just selling a product. We’re selling a whole story. If you blow that story up, it threatens to take Hanna with it.”

“It won’t,” I assured him. “We’re all being careful.”

He nodded, but I wasn’t sure if he believed me. “Are you sticking around for the Christmas party tonight?”

I had hoped to sneak away without anyone noticing. “Where is it?” I asked.

“It’s at that new bar a few blocks away.”

I leaned back in my chair. “I’ll make an appearance.”

In reality, I wasn’t sure if I’d even bother. If I did go, I would have a drink, shake some hands, and sneak away.

There was only one place I wanted to be. It was with Natalia. I couldn’t just text her, couldn’t call her. We only communicated through work emails or when I showed up at her place. And right then, all I wanted was to hear her voice.

Jerrod gave me a look. I could tell he was hesitating. “Can I say something without you getting pissed off?”

I arched a brow. “That depends. Are you about to say something stupid?”

He smirked but didn’t back down. “What’s your actual deal with Natalia?”

There it was. I should have expected it. I leaned forward, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “The ball is not in my court.”

Jerrod’s brows shot up. He wasn’t used to hearing me sound this uncertain about anything. “You like her, then?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “It doesn’t matter how I feel, Jerrod. She’s complicated.”

Complicated was an understatement. Not only had she been betrayed, but she was absolutely humiliated by her ex. No wonder she ran, letting him take everything he could from her. No wonder she was the way she was. A fake engagement might be the closest she ever got to the real thing again.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” Jerrod said. “Not ever.”

I didn’t respond right away. I thought back to Paris, to the woman I had in the back of my mind almost constantly.

“You came back from Paris kind of weird,” he continued, almost cautiously. “Talking about that girl. Love at first sight.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said.

“You need to be careful with Natalia,” he said. “A girl like her doesn’t come around often. And comparing her to some mystery girl from Paris you barely spoke to? That’s a waste of time.”

I rolled my eyes. “This conversation is a waste of time.”

Jerrod ignored my comment, as usual. “Pining after a fantasy is a waste of time. And so is this sham with Natalia. There’s something real between you two. Why not just—” He gestured vaguely, like the answer was obvious. “Take the fake ring off. Date her. Get to know her. See where it goes.”

“I am,” I said.

He chuckled. “But you’re still thinking about Paris. You know nothing about that woman. She might be all smoke and mirrors. Hell, she might even be married. She might have children. She might not use her blinker when she drives.”

He knew that was a pet peeve of mine.

I sighed, turning back to my computer, but I wasn’t really seeing the screen anymore. “I get what you’re saying, but it’s not that simple.”

“You’re making it complicated,” he countered. “You want my advice?”

“Nope,” I said.

“Well, you’re getting it anyway,” he said, standing up. “Stop hiding behind this fake engagement and do things the right way. Or you’re going to lose her before you even have her.”

He gave me a pointed look, like he’d just solved the world’s biggest problem, then turned to leave. “See you at the party tonight?” he asked over his shoulder.

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

He shook his head, clearly not satisfied. “It wouldn’t look good for the CEO to no-show. It’s just rude. They show up for you every day. You can show up for one night.”

He walked out, leaving me with his advice. Jerrod’s words had hit a nerve, but it wasn’t because he was wrong.

Eventually, I grabbed my coat and decided to head out. I had a few packages to drop off at Wilder’s place anyway—Christmas presents from our parents that had been sent to my apartment. They were traveling the world in their retirement. To make things simple and because my building had security, everything was shipped directly to me. No porch pirates were getting their hands on our things.

When I pulled up to the house, I noticed another car in the driveway. Natalia’s. I hadn’t expected to see her here. It was strange, how even the sight of her car made my pulse quicken.

I walked up to the door, pushing it open without knocking. Wilder and Christa never locked it when they were home. I stepped inside and heard voices coming from the living room. Christa was laughing when I walked in. Natalia was standing there, holding a sparkly green dress over her arm.

“Hey,” I said, the word coming out rougher than I intended.

Natalia’s expression was a mix of surprise and something else—reluctance, maybe. Like she wasn’t sure if she wanted me here.

“What are you doing tonight?” I asked before I could stop myself.

She hesitated, glancing down at the dress in her hands. “Nothing.”

I wasn’t sure I believed that. Obviously, she had a dress over her arm for a reason.

“There’s a company Christmas party,” I said. “I would love if you came with me.”

Christa was watching us, her eyes sparkling with that smug, hopeful look she got when she thought she was matchmaking. Natalia shot her a glare before turning back to me.

“You want me to go?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Yeah,” I said simply. “I want you there. People will expect you to be there with me.”

“Because of our engagement,” she said with a sigh.

“Not only that,” I said. “I have to go, and I would like it if you could go with me. Please. It’ll be less of a nightmare for me.”

She exhaled, like she was weighing her options. For a second, I thought she was going to turn me down, but then she nodded, almost imperceptibly. “Fine. But I’m not staying all night.”

“That’s good enough for me,” I said, trying and failing to hide the grin tugging at my lips. “I had no intention of staying long. But I have to make an appearance. Jerrod will hunt me down if I don’t.”

Christa clapped her hands together, looking like she’d just won the lottery. “You two have fun,” she said, her tone overly sweet.

Natalia rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face, like she couldn’t help herself.

“I’ll pick you up at six,” I said.

“Fine.” Her shoulder grazed mine as she walked out. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through me.

I watched her go, the green dress swinging in her hand. I realized then just how deep I was in.

When I turned around, Christa was watching me. “What’s up?” she asked.

“I brought the gifts my parents sent,” I said.

“That’s not what I was asking.”

“But that’s the only answer you’re going to get,” I said with a laugh.

“Alright, but just so you know, you two make a nice couple,” she said with a smile. “A very attractive couple.”

“I have to go home and get ready,” I said. “Stop playing matchmaker.”

“Never!”