Something’s wrong.

Neville’s walls had gone up, higher and thicker than usual.

Grayson had the uncomfortable feeling that he had somehow made a serious miscalculation.

He seriously thought that Neville would like this ’dating’ arrangement. They could get to know each other, spend more time together, and be in a much closer relationship.

But suggesting this as a fake would also give Neville an out in case he didn’t want to be with him after all that time.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Maxwell?" Neville’s voice snapped Grayson back to the present.

"No. That’s all." What more could he say?

"Then I’ll return to my duties." Neville rose from his chair mechanically. "The custom robot Mrs. Maxwell ordered should be ready for a progress check. I’ll have a status report on your desk within the hour."

He turned and walked toward the door, his posture so rigidly professional that it made Grayson’s teeth ache.

"Neville."

Grayson called in a hurry, not realizing that he didn’t use Neville’s surname.

Neville paused, a step away from the door sensors, but he didn’t turn around.

"If anyone—anyone at all—gives you trouble about our... dating arrangement," Grayson forced the words out through a throat that suddenly felt too tight, "you can come to me, directly."

Grayson waited for Neville to turn around and say something, but Neville just nodded.

He had to force himself to say, "...and thank you... for agreeing to this."

There was a beat of silence before he heard Neville’s cold voice saying, "It’s my job to make your life easier, Mr. Maxwell. Consider it done."

The door slid shut behind him, leaving Grayson alone with the uncomfortable feeling that he had just made everything significantly worse than before.

○●○●

Bryan was already on his way to the CEO’s office when he passed Neville in the corridor.

Neville’s expression was a masterpiece.

He had a distinctly blank expression on his face. The kind of expression that Bryan had only seen on people who received bad news, they couldn’t openly react to.

"Hope." Bryan nodded in greeting.

"Chief Stewart." Neville’s response was brief as his eyes looked somewhere over Bryan’s shoulder.

Bryan watched him go, noting the tension set of Neville’s shoulders as he tried to walk naturally.

He looked at the closed door of Grayson’s office and thought, Something must have happened in that office. From the looks of it, Grayson had managed to step on a landmine again.

Bryan braced himself the moment he walked in front of the office door sensors. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply as it slid open.

Sure enough, the moment he opened his eyes, Grayson was already donning a dark expression. He stared blankly into the air, thinking of whatever it was he was thinking.

But he was sure that it had something to do with Neville, again.

"Did you do something to Hope again?" Bryan asked without preamble.

Grayson’s eyes came back to life and snapped at Bryan.

"Nothing."

"That look on his face says it was more than nothing." Bryan settled into the chair Neville had sat on previously, crossing his arms. "Come on, spill the beans. We still have some time before the next meeting starts."

For a long moment, Grayson said nothing.

Then he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a gesture that Bryan recognized as his "this situation has spiraled beyond my control" tell.

Grayson began vaguely explaining. "My mother likes Neville."

Bryan’s eyebrow twitched slightly, and he thought, calling Hope by his first name? Hmmm...

Then, he tilted his head and recalled how close Neville and Gloria had been for such a short time meeting.

But then, he shrugged and said, "There was nothing to dislike with such a capable man like Hope."

It earned Grayson’s short-lived glare and then struggled to say, "She likes him to the point of setting him up for a blind date."

Bryan recalled how nosy Gloria had been in several relationships that he knew and nodded.

He said, "Nothing new."

Grayson nodded slightly in agreement but hung his head the second before saying, "I may have impulsively hinted that I am in a relationship with Neville."

Bryan’s eyebrows rose, covering his wide O mouth with a hand.

"And are you?"

Grayson shook his head gloomily, "No. Not really."

"So you lied and told Auntie Gloria that you were dating your newly appointed secretary," Bryan said as he carefully analyzed the situation. "Without consulting said secretary first."

"It seemed like the most efficient solution to stop setting up blind dates for both of us at that time."

Bryan stared at him for a long moment.

Then, slowly, his lips began to twitch.

"Don’t." Grayson’s voice held a warning, but it was useless.

The twitch became a smile.

The smile became a grin.

And then Bryan threw his head back and laughed mercilessly at Grayson. His whole body was shaking. His laughter echoed off the office walls and brought tears to his eyes. He bent forward, one hand pressed to his stomach, completely unable to contain himself.

"Are you finished?" Grayson asked flatly.

Bryan waved a hand, still wheezing. "Give me—give me a minute—"

"You already said that a minute ago."

"I’m sorry, I just—" Bryan straightened, wiping his eyes. A fresh wave of laughter overtook him at the sight of Grayson’s thunderous expression.

"You—you told Auntie Gloria you were ’dating’ your secretary to avoid blind dates. You. Grayson Maxwell." He dissolved into giggles again. "Couldn’t you just tell your mother no?"

"You’ve clearly never tried telling my mother no either."

"Oh, trust me. I know." Bryan’s grin was sharp and knowing. "Why do you think I always scheduled ’urgent meetings’ whenever she visited the headquarters?"

Grayson’s glare could have scared the living shit out of anyone but Bryan, who had been a long-time friend, had remained completely unaffected.

"So let me make sure I understand this situation correctly." Bryan held up a finger. "One: you’ve been complaining about blind dates for years."

A second finger joined the first.

"Two: you notice that Hope had somehow been involved with this blind date mess. So you took the opportunity to get rid of it all at once without consulting the other party."

Third finger.

"Three: your solution to this problem was to propose a dating relationship that somehow ended up going wrong when you talked about it earlier, before I came."

"It’s a fake dating relationship." Grayson corrected.

Bryan was literally floored laughing before he struggled to climb back up to his chair.

He said while wiping droplets of tears from the corner of his eyes, "Sir, with all due respect, adding fake to a dating relationship sounds completely unhinged in my opinion."

Grayson opened his mouth, closed it, then fixed Bryan with a look of profound betrayal.

"Why?"

"Why? That’s a good question. Why can’t our Great CEO Grayson Maxwell even think about why?" Bryan leaned back in his chair, his expression changing from amused to contemplative. "But seriously. Fake dating? That’s your move? Can’t you just ask him out normally?"

"It’s not a ’move.’ It’s a practical solution that would not hurt people’s feelings."

"Uh-huh." Bryan’s tone dripped skepticism. "And Hope agreed to this practical solution?"

"He did."

Bryan instantly became intrigued. "And how did he look when he agreed?"

Grayson’s jaw tightened as he recalled the image of Neville’s blank face, his cold smile, the ice in his voice.

"He understood the necessity of the arrangement."

"That’s not what I asked." Bryan’s eyes narrowed. "How did he look, his expression, demeanor?"

Silence stretched between them. Grayson’s fingers drummed against the desk nervously.

"He looks... upset," Grayson finally admitted. "He made a comment about being an unsuitable partner for an extreme dominant. Said people would instantly know that their relationship was fake."

Bryan’s expression changed to something that might have been pity.

"And what did you say?"

"I told him not to worry about it."

"Oh, Grayson." Bryan shook his head slowly. "You really don’t know anything about relationships, do you?"

"I—"

"He basically told you he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you, to play with this bullshit with you, and you responded with ’don’t worry about it, just play along.’"

Bryan’s voice had lost its teasing tone.

"How did you think that made him feel?"

Grayson’s drumming stopped. He stared at Bryan, the pieces slowly clicking into place in his mind.

Somehow, in trying to solve one problem, Grayson had managed to hurt the one person he had been trying not to—

"Surely, Auntie Gloria gave you that guide, right?" Bryan asked suddenly.

"How did you—" Grayson’s eyes stared back at him in shock.

"She had sent me a copy, too. Just in case you needed ’guidance from someone who actually understands relationships.’" Bryan’s smile returned, though it was softer now. "Chapter Eight has a whole section on apologizing. You might want to read it."

"I don’t need a guide to—"

"Chapter Eight, paragraph three: ’When you have unintentionally wounded your omega’s self-esteem, immediate acknowledgment of your error is essential. Attempt to understand their perspective before defending your own actions.’"

Bryan recited the passage with suspicious fluency.

"There’s even a flowchart."

Grayson buried his face in his hands.

"I don’t think you’ve done irreparable damage." Bryan continued, rising from his chair, "But you might want to think about what you actually want from this arrangement."

"What do you mean?"

Bryan paused and patted Grayson on the shoulder.

"I mean that fake relationships tend to become real ones when both parties are oblivious idiots." His grin sharpened. "And right now, you’re being an oblivious idiot. Sir."

The door slid shut before Grayson could respond.