Charlotte's POV

"What?!" I raised my eyebrow, surprised. "You don't have to ask for his blessing. We won't really get engaged."

"Yes, but they don't know about it. And I don't want to disrespect your father." He said firmly.
I nodded, giving him a grateful smile as my heart filled with warmth. I was touched by his attitude.

"Then I will buy you an engagement ring. And after that, we will inform the others, and we have to inform the press that we are engaged." He said with a serious expression on his face. I nodded and sipped my coffee, feeling nervous about all of these.

Alexis' POV

I entwined my hands nervously while waiting for Asher to finish signing the documents which his assistant brought to him. I took a deep breath and sipped my coffee to wet my throat.

"So? What do you want to talk about?" Asher asked firmly as his assistant left, leaving us alone.

I swallowed hard and rubbed the back of my neck anxiously. "Umm..." I cleared my throat and continued, trying to control my voice as much as possible. "I... I wanted..." I stammered, feeling so nervous.

Fuck!

What is going on with me?

Pull yourself together, Alex.

Don't act like a schoolboy who tries to talk to his girlfriend's father.

Take a deep breath and say it all in one breath.

He raised his eyebrow, giving me a questioning look. "Is everything okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes, sir. You know Charlotte and I have been dating for a while." I commented, rubbing the back of my neck. "And I would like to take our relationship to the next level." His eyes widened in surprise. "I want to propose to Charlotte this weekend. It would make me happy if you give your blessing." I stated firmly and breathed deeply, trying to calm down.

"If I will not give you my blessing? What will you do then?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I will still propose to her." I said confidently.

He raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips together. I noticed the amusement in his eyes, but he hid it quickly. I look at him, confused. I didn't understand his attitude; didn't he want me to marry his daughter? Actually, I thought he would be happy when I told him about my plan, but...

"You seem so determined. Are you ready to marry my daughter even if I am against this marriage?" He asked slyly.

"Yes, I am sure of my decision. Even if I have to convince you, I will." I replied firmly.       

"Then good luck with my daughter. She is the most stubborn, strong-headed girl you have ever met."

"I know." I agreed, nodding; I knew very well what a difficult person Charlotte was. She often made me mad, but still... She had a lot of good qualities and I enjoyed spending time with her. "So... Does it mean you give your blessing?" I asked to be sure if I understood it right.

"Yes, I give you my blessing." He nodded, giving me a warm smile.

I beamed at him happily and breathed deeply in relief. I didn't notice I was holding my breath.

"Thank you, sir." I gave him a grateful look.

"Just call me Asher."

I nodded and stood up. "I won't take up any more of your time." I said politely and extended my hand towards him.

He stood up and shook my hand firmly. "And don't even think about hurting my daughter's feelings." He warned me authoritatively without releasing my hand, tightening his grip.

"I would never hurt Charlotte." I assured him firmly. He nodded and released my hand.

Charlotte's POV

I was staring at my diamond and sapphire engagement ring dreamily in my office. It was stunning. I fell in love as soon as I saw it for the first time. Moreover, I was so touched when Alexis told me he chose sapphire because it reminded him of the colour of my eyes, and when it joined with a diamond stone, it reminded him of the Greek flag. So these two stones together represented us. I didn't know what to tell him, I was speechless by his thoughtfulness and romanticism. Besides, the ring probably cost a fortune.

He surprised me and proposed to me on the beach under the stars; the ambiance was magical. It felt like we were a real couple.

When I asked why he put this much effort into this proposal, he told me that it didn't matter if it was fake or real, he would do everything to be worth it for the Stavros bride. After all of these, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about how lucky his future wife was.

The following day, both of us posted a photo of that magical night on Instagram. There were a lot of likes and comments on our posts. After sharing our photos in our accounts, we made the front page of almost all magazines in the USA as well as in Greece.

It had been two days since his proposal, but there were still paparazzi in front of the agency and our penthouse buildings.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, interrupting my thoughts.

"Come in." I said, ruffling my hair.

The door opened, and my fake fiancé walked in, closing the door behind him. He gave me his charming smile, greeting me. I beamed at him happily while my heart started beating faster.

"Did you talk to your mother?" I asked nervously as he sat down on the seat beside my desk. He was supposed to talk to Anastasia and change their mind about the engagement party they wanted to throw to celebrate our engagement in Greece.

"Yes. I managed to convince her. It was hard, but...finally she gave up after forcing me to promise that the wedding will be grand." Alexis informed and rubbed his temple, looking tired.

"Good. There will not be any wedding; so it doesn't matter what you promised. In the end, we got rid of the engagement party."

"Yeah." He mumbled, averting his gaze.

I furrowed my eyebrows as it felt like he became sad after my comment.

No, Lottie. You misunderstood it.

Why did he become sad after I told him there wouldn't be any wedding? Probably, he is just tired.

He cleared his throat and informed me. "By the way, my mother and grandfather want to meet your family."

"What?!" I exclaimed anxiously. "Is that necessary?" I asked and nibbled my lower lip.

"It is normal for them to want to meet their future daughter-in-law's family." Alexis stated firmly. "They are planning to come to New York this weekend." He added.

I gulped nervously as my heart was pounding. "This weekend?!" I exclaimed in surprise, ruffling my hair. "Umm... Can't you change their minds and postpone it?" I asked hopefully, looking at him with puppy eyes.

"No, I can't. You know my grandpa, and my mother is excited to meet your parents."

"Maybe we should tell your mother about our agreement. So she would help us to convince your grandpa." I suggested.

"No!" He shook his head instantly. "I can't tell her about it; she will be disappointed and be an ally to my grandpa. It is  her dream to see me married with children, and especially now when she likes you so much." He stated firmly.

I heaved a loud sigh. "Fine. I will inform my parents."

"Umm... By the way..." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. I raised my eyebrow, giving him a questioning look. "When I talked to my grandpa on the phone, he asked if we live together or not... I said that we moved in together yesterday."

"What?!" I exclaimed as my eyes widened. "Why did you tell him that?" I asked and frowned in disbelief.

"Because I don't want him to get suspicious; my grandfather isn't a stupid man. He knows me very well. If I told him we live in different places, he would understand there is something fishy." He explained firmly. "You don't know how I was sweating during the phone call. He asked a lot of questions about our relationship non-stop." He sighed, annoyed.

"What are you planning to do now, Mr. Know-it-all?" I asked mockingly, folding my arms over my chest, and rolled my eyes.

He bit his lower lip and ran his hand through his hair. "We have to move in together." He gave me a hopeful look.

My jaw dropped instantly. "Are you out of your mind?" I asked and rolled my eyes in disbelief.

"Please, Charlotte. Just for a while. Till they leave. We will have separate rooms. Don't worry." He looked at me with puppy eyes.

I exhaled loudly. "Fine." I said, irritated.

He gave me a wide smile. "Thank you, koukla mou."