Alexis' POV

"It is temporary, Charlotte. I will convince him, please." I pleaded.

"No!" She stated, determined as she stood up.

"If you can't change his mind, what will we do next? Later, you will ask me to marry you and have your babies till you try to convince him?!" She commented mockingly and started pacing back and forth, ruffling her hair.

I sighed, standing up, and approached her. I rested my hands on her arms, stopping her.

"I will convince him. Don't worry. It won't take that long." I assured her, giving her a begging look.

She burst out laughing. "You told me it before starting to pretend we are a couple." She commented sarcastically.

I sighed. "Please help me. The company is so important to me. It isn't about money. My ancestors worked hard for our family business. I can't betray them. I promised my father that I will take care of my family and company. Moreover, I have responsibilities in front of my employees as well as their families." I said sincerely, looking into her eyes.

"No, Alex! Tell your grandpa I am not ready or whatever you want; I will not get engaged to you." She refused firmly. "I can just pretend to be your girlfriend, nothing more. And during it, try to change his mind. If you can't, then find someone else to be your fiancée." She added, determined and left without letting me say anything.

Damn it!

I kicked the chair angrily and ran my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly.

What will I do now?

I am sure my grandpa wants us to get engaged because he isn't still convinced that Charlotte and I are really in love.

If I tell him Charlotte doesn't want to get engaged, he will be sure that we lie to him about our relationship.

When he insisted that I asked Charlotte to take our relationship to the next level, I told him that it was new and we didn't want to marry soon. However, he told me if you found the one, it would be never early; you knew right away that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with that person. After it, he asked me a lot of questions about if I wasn't serious with Charlotte or not, blah, blah.

Charlotte's POV

Using the opportunity that it was the weekend, I decided to go to my brother's house; I missed my little niece, and I wanted to talk to Sienna about Alexis' crazy idea. Sienna was the only person who knew about my agreement with Alex.

When I arrived, Sienna greeted me warmly, hugging me.

"Where is my little bunny?" I asked joyfully as I pulled back.

"She is sleeping." Sienna informed me. "It had been an hour. So she will wake up soon." I nodded happily. "So... How is it going with your friend?" She gave me a mischievous grin.

I rolled my eyes. "He has a new crazy idea. I will tell you later." I shook my head in disbelief. "Where is Romeo?" I asked, looking around.

"He is in the garden. Nathan is here too." She replied softly.

I smiled, excited. I hadn't seen Nathan the last few weeks.

Suddenly, we heard baby cries.

"She woke up. I will come back soon. Make yourself at home!"

I nodded, giving her a warm smile before she went upstairs. Then I went towards the garden after placing my bag on the couch in the living room.

"What is going on between you and that girl?" I stopped walking when I heard Romeo's question. They were sitting on the sun loungers, their backs towards me.

What girl?

Is there someone else in Nathan's life?

"Nothing." Nathan mumbled and sipped from his whiskey.

"Come on, dude! I saw how you looked at her." My brother insisted, giving him a knowing look.

"Don't talk bullshit! I just help her with her problem." Nathan commented, annoyed and ran his hand through his hair.

"So you are her knight in shining armor just because you are a charitable person, nothing more. Huh?" Romeo asked sarcastically.

"Romeo!" Nathan snapped angrily.

My brother chuckled and raised his arms in surrender. "Fine. Fine. Calm down, dude."
I frowned, ruffling my hair, and walked back quietly, thinking who the girl they were talking about was.

"Look, who is here, Amber?" Sienna cooed her daughter while holding her in her arms, interrupting my thoughts, and approached me.

"Hi, my little bunny." I said softly, giving my niece a wide smile, and took her in my arms. She nuzzled up against my chest, rubbing her eyes. I placed a soft kiss on her head, caressing her cheek tenderly.

"Come on. Tell me what happened between you and Alexis." Sienna said curiously as we sat down on the couch while Amber was still in my arms.

I breathed deeply and replied. "His grandfather... Now he insists that we get engaged." I rolled my eyes.

Sienna's eyes widened in surprise. Then the corner of her lips curled up in a mischievous smirk. "And? What does Alexis think about it?"

"He is crazy. What will he think?!" I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Alexis wants us to get engaged." I informed her.

"What?!"

I froze as I heard Nathan's voice coming behind me.

"Umm... Where is Romeo?" Sienna asked Nathan nervously.

"He is talking on the phone in the garden." Nathan replied dryly. I could feel his irritation without facing him. "Sienna, could you let Lottie and me talk alone, please?' He asked firmly.

"Sure." She nodded, standing up, and approached me. She took Amber and whispered to me that she was going to the garden to keep Romeo away from the living room; so Nathan and I could talk. I thanked her and stood up, exhaling loudly.

"Yes? What do you want to talk about?" I asked coldly, folding my arms over my chest.

He frowned and approached me. "Is it true? Are you getting engaged?" He asked angrily.

I raised my eyebrow. "It is none of your business." I stated nonchalantly.

"Charlotte!" He exclaimed, irritated. "Don't ruin your life. Both of us know why you date that guy." He added confidently.

"I date Alex because I want to be with him." I said firmly.

He burst out laughing. "You date him because you are angry at me, and you try to make me jealous, Lottie." He commented, looking into my eyes.

I chuckled. "You are full of yourself, Nathan."

"Then prove it to me. Tell me while looking into my eyes that you don't love me anymore, and you are in love with that guy." He said arrogantly.

I gulped, averting my gaze. "I don't have to prove you anything, Nathan."

"Look, you still love me. Don't do it to yourself. And to that guy." Nathan pleaded, cupping my chin, and lifted my head, letting our eyes meet.

"Why do you care who I date, Nathan? Do you hope I wait for you after what you have told me?" I asked mockingly.

"I just want you to be happy."

"Alex makes me happy." I stated firmly.

He shook his head, giving me an unconvinced smirk. "You can't be happy with the man you don't love."

"Since when do you know who I love or not?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Tell me then. Tell me you love him." He said huskily, closing the distance between our faces.

I gulped nervously. "No, you tell me. Do you not want to believe it because you are jealous? Does seeing me with Alex affect you this much?" I asked, looking into his eyes. "Do you love me, Nathan?"

He pulled back instantly and ran his hand through his hair. "Lottie, we talked about it before. I am not jealous. I don't just want you to be heartbroken or unhappy."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "You don't need to worry about me, Nathan. Alex would never break my heart. So please don't disturb me with your paranoid thoughts." I stated firmly and grabbed my bag. "Tell Sienna I have to leave." I added coldly and left in quick steps without letting Nathan say anything.

As soon as I left the mansion, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a message to Alexis while walking towards my car.

'I accept to get engaged to you. Where are you? Let's discuss the details.'

As soon as I got in my car, my phone buzzed.

'Thank you, Charlotte. You are the best. I am in my penthouse.'

'I will be there in twenty minutes.'

I threw my phone into my bag and started my car.

***

I thanked Alexis as I took the cup he extended towards me and took a sip from my coffee.

"How will we inform our families?" I asked nervously.

"Before I will talk to your father and ask his blessings." He replied nonchalantly and sipped his coffee.