Faking it with the billionaire

You're The Lie They'll Try To Tear Apart

Alex had been asked a thousand questions in his life.

About IPOs, mergers, stock performance, quarterly growth, and lastly about Lila.

He'd answered most of them and he'd dodged the rest. But no one had ever asked how Lila would feel.

The question hit him deeper than he expected. He glanced at Izzy who looked confused as she stared right back at him. 

Alex blinked, his hand clenching. But then he let out a forced smile. 

"I think Lila would want me to be happy," he said smoothly.

Before anyone could speak again, he turned to Izzy and tucked her hair behind her ear, a simple gesture. Gentle, warm enough to give the headlines something else to write about.

She flinched slightly at his touch. Not enough for the press to catch. But enough for him to feel.

"We'll take one more question," he said.

No one dared speak after that.

They made their exit, flanked by his PR team. The lobby door shut behind them, cutting off the chaos outside. The elevator swallowed them in silence.

Izzy stood still beside him, her hands clenched at her sides.

"That was....."

"Unplanned," Alex said, jaw tight.

"Who is Lila?" she asked quietly.

He didn't answer.

When they reached the top floor, Izzy stepped out first. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble like she was trying not to look shaken. He followed closely behind her, not wanting to be in the same space with her. 

Nathan was already waiting in his office.

"Well," he said, arms crossed. "That could've gone worse."

"Find out who planted that question," Alex said, his voice cold. "Now."

Nathan gave a small nod. "Already on it. But I've got a hunch."

"Vivienne?" Alex said.

"Bingo. Someone from her media firm must have gotten in touch with her."

Izzy turned sharply. "Who's Vivienne?"

"Not your concern," Nathan said.

Alex didn't correct him.

Not because it wasn't Izzy's concern, everything was her concern now. But saying her name out loud made it too real.

Izzy crossed her arms. "The press just asked about your dead ex. I think I deserve to know if someone's trying to ruin this arrangement before it even starts."

"She's not trying to ruin it," Nathan muttered. "She's trying to control it and she hates surprises."

"She'll hate this one more," Alex added flatly.

He walked to the bar in the corner of the office and poured himself a drink. He didn't usually touch alcohol during work hours, but this wasn't a usual day.

"Lila was my fiancée," he said at last, eyes fixed on the glass in his hand. "We were supposed to get married three years ago."

"What happened?" Izzy asked, her voice softening.

"She died," he said. "A car accident."

Silence.

Nathan cleared his throat. "You don't have to explain...."

"I do," Alex cut in. "She's going to come up again. They'll compare you to her. They'll measure your smile, your tone, and the way you breathe. She was perfect in their eyes. And now..."

He turned to Izzy.

"You're the lie they'll try to tear apart."

Izzy's face paled slightly. "I didn't ask for that."

"No one ever does."

She didn't back down. She straightened up. 

"Then I guess we give them a performance they'll never forget."

He looked at her for a long moment.

Maybe she wasn't so fragile after all. Perhaps she was more dangerous than he realized.

"Good," he said. "Because from now on it's only going to get worse."