MasukShare
CHAPTER 5
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-09 23:53:24For Liam, to be invited to a dinner with the members of the board was a huge honor and an extremely important sign. It meant he was being looked over by the board members before he was offered the Vice President position.
Yes!
It was really happening…
He was going to be the youngest Vice President in the history of “CareShields Ins. Group”!
And that’s when Liam got it. It wouldn’t be him under scrutiny. Howard and the board members wanted to make sure he was marrying the right kind of woman, the perfect one to become a “CareShields” vice president’s spouse.
Liam considered himself a glass-half-full kind of guy, but right now he felt like that glass had fallen off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor, spilling all his hard work and dreams of promotion with it.
“An engagement dinner?!”
His voice sounded a little higher-pitched than usual as he frantically tried to think of a way out.
“Yes, Liam. We’ve never met your girl. Never had that pleasure.”
“I’m not sure, Howard. She’s got a pretty hectic schedule… I’ll ask her, but I know that work is consuming much of her time…”
Howard rose and patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it, Liam. Since you two are the guests of honor, we’ll work around your and her schedule. ‘CareShields Ins. Group’ got plans for you, my boy. Big plans. Huge!”
“Thank you, Howard.”
After his boss left, he should have plunged into the day’s work. Instead, Liam tried not to panic and started to think. He was staring out his office window, watching the pedestrians scurrying like so many ants way down on main street. The hub of the city center was as busy as always as workers scuttled along hot sidewalks before diving into air-conditioned high rises.
Without knocking, Robyn entered his office.
“Here are the…”
She stopped when she noticed Liam had his forehead pressed against his office window. It was possible he may have groaned like a trapped animal.
“Liam?”
He turned and the look in his eyes was that of a man in agony.
“I’m doomed, Roby! I’m a dead man… or I’m going to be if I don’t come up with a solution.”
Robyn shook her head, unable to understand what he was blabbing about.
“I don’t get it. A solution for what? Liam, what is going on with you?”
“Howard and the board members want to have an engagement dinner for my ‘fiancée’ and I. Understand? A fucking engagement dinner! At this point, we have to set the date, so I can’t pretend she’s not available… Goddammit!”
The woman dropped a stack of papers on his desk with a thump.
“Oh, I see that now. Well, mister, if you’re looking for sympathy, you came to the wrong person. Didn’t I warn you? Didn’t I say you should stop playing with fire, or you’ll get burned?”
“Come on, Roby! Stop twisting the knife! The situation is already dramatic, so coming out with this annoying ‘I told you so’ is not helping at all.”
After taking a deep breath, Robyn shrugged and watched him running his fingers through his hair in desperation.
“What are you going to do? Break up with the love of your life before the engagement dinner?”
He ignored the sarcasm and shook his head. Robyn crossed her arms and drilled him with her pissed-off gaze.
“How long have you got?”
“A couple of weeks, tops… I think…”
“Okay… No problem. I’m sure you can find some nice, respectable young lady who’ll agree to marry you in a couple of weeks. You are Liam Right! This should be a walk in the park for you. There’s Jazzy, for instance, or… What was the other’s name? Adriana? And there’s Candy, Barbie, Cynthia, Deena, Isabel and so, so, so many more…”
“Look, the women I choose to spend my free time with are not the kind of women Howard and the board members would approve of. We both know that.”
Liam picked the first file off the desk and then put it back down.
“Dammit! I didn’t need this… I’m not the marrying kind, Roby!”
“No shit, Sherlock!” she mumbled and then snored.
But Robyn didn’t know his past and he had no intention of sharing the most humiliating interlude in his life. If she wanted to peg him as a player who was having too much fun to get serious, which was essentially true anyway, then that was fine with him. He made the decision then and there.
“You are half-right. I’m going to find a woman to present as my fiancée for a couple of months. All I need is a nice, decent one. Not a Candy or a Barbie… She’ll meet the board and then, after I get the promotion, we’ll break up, faster than you can say ‘Sex’. If I’m up-front about it, nobody will get hurt. How difficult can it be?”
“Liam, this is a terrible idea. On so many levels.”
“It’s only for a couple of months, Roby. All I have to do is find a decent woman.”
“Like you know the meaning of the words ‘decent woman’…”
Liam scratched his itchy nose again and glanced at the woman who had almost as much riding on his promotion as he did.
“I don’t suppose you know someone who might be perfect for the role…? A cousin or a niece? A neighbor?”
“All the women I know are too mature or way too good for you. They won’t fall for your charm.”
He’d been charming women for more years than he could count. He hiked a hip onto his desk, certain he could pull this off.
“Care to make a small bet on my chances?”
“What is a guy like you, who loves risk so much, doing working in insurance? You should be a bookkeeper or something…”
“Insurance is all about odds, Roby, you know that. The client pays a small premium in case catastrophe hits, the insurance company essentially bets that it won’t and keeps the money. Risk, safety, reward… It’s all tied up. And this risk? I think I can safely take it.”
Robyn opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again.
“Boy, you are freaking me out… Right now, Satan is preparing a special throne for you, next to his. Because you are going to skip Judgement Day and go straight to hell. You mark my words.”
“Nah… St. Peter is going to open Heaven’s Gates for me,” Liam said, grinning. “I bet the Almighty needs a good insurance guy on a cloud up there. Who is better than me?”
Bab terkait
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 6
“I’m going to see Billie… Finally!” she mumbled and took a deep breath. Maxima paid the cab fare and started walking quickly toward one of the most exclusive bars in the Upper East Side. Manhattan was not her favorite spot to have a drink and decompress after a shitty day at work, but having a drink and a chat with her best friend in the whole white world was all she needed. This was their first meeting in four years and the excitement was significant. Since she came back from Italy, all Maxima tried to do was to find some sort of balance between two aspects of her reality: her new job and her new life. But all her attempts were doomed to fail. She hated her boss, a pompous ass who didn’t know the first thing about great food, and she hated her rented apartment. But, most of all, Maxima hated being back in a city so different from Florence. The only thing brightening her return to New York, has been getting in touch with Billie Right, her ‘sister from anoth
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 7
‘I must find the perfect fake Mrs. Right or kiss my promotion and my job goodbye.’ Liam was pretty good at staying cool under pressure. In his experience, things usually worked out fine. Maybe he needed to work a little longer, push a bit harder, find a way around a blocked path. But, in the end, the solution would come out. Nonetheless, this was different. He’d stretched out the date of the engagement dinner as far as he could, but it was fast approaching, and the main character was still missing. Having to produce a suitable fiancée in a few days… How was he supposed to do that without stumbling across a magic lamp or selling his soul to the devil himself? And not just any girl would do. This one would be under scrutiny from the top brass, the board, and their spouses. Liam had mentally reviewed every woman he could think of, scoured his social media, his personal contact lists, and his old ‘black book’, but none of the women he
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 8
That name… For the past four years, Maxima’s face and last words kept hunting his dreams from time to time. That last night, before her departure from Scarsdale, he did the most absurd things of all. After the party and after taking a shower, still a bit drunk, he went to her house, kissed her, and asked her to stay, acting like a damn fool who had just had some strange epiphany. She said no… obviously and kicked him out of her house. But those words she said to him, her disapproval, her refusal to come to New York with him, dug a large hole in his very essence, in his male pride, making it hard for him to find the perfect woman… the perfect ‘Mrs. Right’. Liam never told Billie or anyone else about Maxima’s refusal or about the kiss they'd shared. He never saw a reason in opening his heart and mind to the women in his family, allowing them to see the damage that the young woman, his sister’s dull friend, had been capable of accomplishing with ju
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 9
“So? Am I a genius or what?” Billie exclaimed, sounding ridiculously pleased with herself. Another long second of silence passed. The coffee shop was busy with midmorning traffic, moms with kids in strollers, older folks with crossword puzzles, and a large noisy table that seemed to be some walking club. The steaming hiss of the espresso machine punctuated the babble of voices.“What did you just say?” Maxima finally managed to respond. She’d spent the morning looking at two hopeless places to rent, one where a cat came to greet her at the door and her eyes started watering before she could even cross the threshold, and the other with a supposed non-smoking roommate who seemed to think that joints didn’t count. They’d met at a coffee shop in the area. Billie looked pleased with the purchase of an old cookbook filled with recipes for dishes from all over the world, a gift for Maxima. She was looking through the book, so she hadn’t fully paid attentio
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-12PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 10
“What the hell was I thinking?” Liam said slowly, preparing to exit his expensive Upper East Side penthouse. “Asking my sister for help… Accepting her conditions and choosing Maxima Davenport as my fiancée… Man, I need a shrink. A really good one.” He was heading out for possibly the most important evening of his entire life. And to add a little extra spice to the evening, he was about to see a real blast from the past. Maxima Davenport, the chef recently returned to the States after spending the last four years in Italy. Liam had no idea what she was like now. Billie kept her well hidden, as far away from his grasp as possible. The only thing his sister said to him was that Maxima would be on time and ready to do the part of his loving fiancée.“I hate blind dates! I hate the fact that my house is going to get turned upside down by a stranger… a woman I have kissed in another lifetime.” Liam gave a look at the apartment. Everything was just perfect. He call
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-13PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 11
Even with her in those ridiculous heels, they were in time, and before he was remotely prepared, they were standing outside the restaurant. Liam drew in a quick breath.“It’s now or never… Ready?”“As ready as I’ll ever be, Liam.”“Okay.” Liam reached for her hand… her soft, perfect hand, with long, delicate fingers.“I hope you don’t mind. We should act like… Well, you know… Like…”“Lovers,” she closed the sentence, wrapping her fingers around his. The clasp was perfect. Her hand felt surprisingly reassuring in his. Even if the word “lovers”, and the way she’d said it, had him conjuring up a vision of the two of them in bed… Hot, sweaty, and orgasmic. Which was not what Liam wanted to be thinking about when he saw his bosses. They walked into the upscale restaurant and were directed to the upper floor, where a private space had been reserved. There weren’t many people there yet. Only the key ones: Howard and his wife, Amanda; Howard’s brother, Gregory
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-14PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 1
“Well, you have a party to prepare for, so I’d better go home and finish packing my suitcase. Tomorrow I’m going to leave Scarsdale for good.” Maxima got up from the comfortable armchair and put on her shoes. Billie Right, her best friend, did the same thing.“Are you sure you don’t want to come to our party? We would all love that very much,” Billie asked.“I'm afraid I can’t,” Maxima replied to her best friend.“Oh, come on, hon. This is going to be our last party as college girls. Well, college dropout, in your case.” ‘College dropout…’ The definition was right, but Maxima didn’t feel like a college dropout. She felt more like a survivor. This part of her school education just wasn’t made for Maxima. She tried with all her might for everybody's sake, but college was just a prison. She did her best to be a perfect college student for almost three years, but at one point, Maxima felt trapped. She became the shadow of herself, a perfect ghoul.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 2
Maxima put the suitcases near the door and then looked around the house. It was way too quiet and way too big for her alone. The night was warm and pleasant, so Maxima decided to stay outside and enjoy the nightly breeze. What better way to say goodbye to the place that has been her home for the last seven years?“Yeah… I’m going to stay here. I’ll doze off on the plane.” She sat on the swinging chair, enjoying the quiet night. The street was empty, no one in sight. The lamplights offered the best light ever so that she could ‘spy’ on her neighbors without getting caught in the act. From her porch, Maxima could see Mrs. Right in the kitchen, cleaning and loading the dishwasher. Billie’s mother was the perfect housewife. The house was always spic and span, the kitchen was always ‘in full mode’. Spending time with Billie’s family has always been a blessing. And not only because of Billie, or her parents, who always made her feel so welcome in their hous
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28
Bab terbaru
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 11
Even with her in those ridiculous heels, they were in time, and before he was remotely prepared, they were standing outside the restaurant. Liam drew in a quick breath.“It’s now or never… Ready?”“As ready as I’ll ever be, Liam.”“Okay.” Liam reached for her hand… her soft, perfect hand, with long, delicate fingers.“I hope you don’t mind. We should act like… Well, you know… Like…”“Lovers,” she closed the sentence, wrapping her fingers around his. The clasp was perfect. Her hand felt surprisingly reassuring in his. Even if the word “lovers”, and the way she’d said it, had him conjuring up a vision of the two of them in bed… Hot, sweaty, and orgasmic. Which was not what Liam wanted to be thinking about when he saw his bosses. They walked into the upscale restaurant and were directed to the upper floor, where a private space had been reserved. There weren’t many people there yet. Only the key ones: Howard and his wife, Amanda; Howard’s brother, Gregory
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 10
“What the hell was I thinking?” Liam said slowly, preparing to exit his expensive Upper East Side penthouse. “Asking my sister for help… Accepting her conditions and choosing Maxima Davenport as my fiancée… Man, I need a shrink. A really good one.” He was heading out for possibly the most important evening of his entire life. And to add a little extra spice to the evening, he was about to see a real blast from the past. Maxima Davenport, the chef recently returned to the States after spending the last four years in Italy. Liam had no idea what she was like now. Billie kept her well hidden, as far away from his grasp as possible. The only thing his sister said to him was that Maxima would be on time and ready to do the part of his loving fiancée.“I hate blind dates! I hate the fact that my house is going to get turned upside down by a stranger… a woman I have kissed in another lifetime.” Liam gave a look at the apartment. Everything was just perfect. He call
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 9
“So? Am I a genius or what?” Billie exclaimed, sounding ridiculously pleased with herself. Another long second of silence passed. The coffee shop was busy with midmorning traffic, moms with kids in strollers, older folks with crossword puzzles, and a large noisy table that seemed to be some walking club. The steaming hiss of the espresso machine punctuated the babble of voices.“What did you just say?” Maxima finally managed to respond. She’d spent the morning looking at two hopeless places to rent, one where a cat came to greet her at the door and her eyes started watering before she could even cross the threshold, and the other with a supposed non-smoking roommate who seemed to think that joints didn’t count. They’d met at a coffee shop in the area. Billie looked pleased with the purchase of an old cookbook filled with recipes for dishes from all over the world, a gift for Maxima. She was looking through the book, so she hadn’t fully paid attentio
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 8
That name… For the past four years, Maxima’s face and last words kept hunting his dreams from time to time. That last night, before her departure from Scarsdale, he did the most absurd things of all. After the party and after taking a shower, still a bit drunk, he went to her house, kissed her, and asked her to stay, acting like a damn fool who had just had some strange epiphany. She said no… obviously and kicked him out of her house. But those words she said to him, her disapproval, her refusal to come to New York with him, dug a large hole in his very essence, in his male pride, making it hard for him to find the perfect woman… the perfect ‘Mrs. Right’. Liam never told Billie or anyone else about Maxima’s refusal or about the kiss they'd shared. He never saw a reason in opening his heart and mind to the women in his family, allowing them to see the damage that the young woman, his sister’s dull friend, had been capable of accomplishing with ju
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 7
‘I must find the perfect fake Mrs. Right or kiss my promotion and my job goodbye.’ Liam was pretty good at staying cool under pressure. In his experience, things usually worked out fine. Maybe he needed to work a little longer, push a bit harder, find a way around a blocked path. But, in the end, the solution would come out. Nonetheless, this was different. He’d stretched out the date of the engagement dinner as far as he could, but it was fast approaching, and the main character was still missing. Having to produce a suitable fiancée in a few days… How was he supposed to do that without stumbling across a magic lamp or selling his soul to the devil himself? And not just any girl would do. This one would be under scrutiny from the top brass, the board, and their spouses. Liam had mentally reviewed every woman he could think of, scoured his social media, his personal contact lists, and his old ‘black book’, but none of the women he
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 6
“I’m going to see Billie… Finally!” she mumbled and took a deep breath. Maxima paid the cab fare and started walking quickly toward one of the most exclusive bars in the Upper East Side. Manhattan was not her favorite spot to have a drink and decompress after a shitty day at work, but having a drink and a chat with her best friend in the whole white world was all she needed. This was their first meeting in four years and the excitement was significant. Since she came back from Italy, all Maxima tried to do was to find some sort of balance between two aspects of her reality: her new job and her new life. But all her attempts were doomed to fail. She hated her boss, a pompous ass who didn’t know the first thing about great food, and she hated her rented apartment. But, most of all, Maxima hated being back in a city so different from Florence. The only thing brightening her return to New York, has been getting in touch with Billie Right, her ‘sister from anoth
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 5
For Liam, to be invited to a dinner with the members of the board was a huge honor and an extremely important sign. It meant he was being looked over by the board members before he was offered the Vice President position. Yes! It was really happening… He was going to be the youngest Vice President in the history of “CareShields Ins. Group”! And that’s when Liam got it. It wouldn’t be him under scrutiny. Howard and the board members wanted to make sure he was marrying the right kind of woman, the perfect one to become a “CareShields” vice president’s spouse. Liam considered himself a glass-half-full kind of guy, but right now he felt like that glass had fallen off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor, spilling all his hard work and dreams of promotion with it.“An engagement dinner?!” His voice sounded a little higher-pitched than usual as he frantically tried to think of a way out.“Yes, Liam. We’ve never met your
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 4
The elevator doors opened like welcoming arms as Liam Right crossed the marble floor of the office building in Lower Manhattan. Not having to wait for an elevator during the Monday morning rush was always a good sign. It was going to be one of those great days when everything went his way. When the doors opened again to deposit him on the twenty-fifth floor and the “CareShields Ins. Group” offices, he was already moving. Life has never been better! After four years of hard work for the most prestigious insurance company in Downtown New York City, he’d had a few subtle hints dropped his way about a vice presidency coming vacant when Eric Hall retired. Liam was now more than ready to be the youngest Vice President in the company’s history. As he strode to his office, Liam enthusiastically greeted his private assistant.“Good morning, my dear Robyn.”“Good morning, Liam.” Robyn Loggins was one of the most efficient private assistants
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 3
FLORENCE, ITALY (4 years after)“Chef Davenport, we are all waiting for you in the kitchen,” her sous chef said, from outside the changing room.“Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll be out in a second,” Maxima replied, pulling out her cell phone. She looked at the display, trying to stay calm. Her last text was staring back at her. ‘School is over. It’s time for me to come back to the States. How about we see each other for a few drinks and a long chat, just like the ones we used to have? Max.’ No reply. Maybe Billie had no desire to see her… Maybe Billie forgot all about that last favor. Those words were still very much present in Maxima’s mind. ‘The moment you decide it’s time for you to come back home, promise me I’ll be the first person you'll call… after your mom, of course.’ “Is going back the right answer? Is it? And if so, going back to what? To whom?” Maxima murmured. “I’ve spent these past four year
