In Love For Hire: An Heir's Desperate Gamble, Rowan Pieretti is determined to secure his position as the heir to his father's esteemed financial advisory firm. To achieve this, he devises a bold plan: he hires Holly Fredrickson, the younger sister of a former friend, to play the role of his girlfriend for sixteen months and bear him a child—all for a tempting sum of $1.6 million. Initially hesitant, Holly, a struggling writer seeking financial stability, ultimately agrees to Rowan's deceptive arrangement.
However, as the months unfold, the lines between pretense and reality blur, and both Rowan and Holly find themselves unexpectedly drawn to one another. As they navigate the complexities of their unconventional relationship, they must confront their feelings and reconsider what they truly want, leading to a heartwarming exploration of love, trust, and the sacrifices made for ambition.
Chapter One
"I don't understand why we're still discussing this!" Leo shouted. "I'm obviously more fit to be the heir."
Rowan frowned at his cousin. "'Obviously?'" He arched his brows. "I seriously don't see how you'd lead the business in a better direction than me." His face grew hot. Rowan's father, Davide, sat behind his desk, thinking.
"Well, I do," Leo retorted. "Plus I have someone I can pass the business to."
Rowan rolled his eyes. "And? Not like you take care of the boy."
Leo's eyes widened. His face grew red with anger. "I take care of Daniel."
"Taking him out to McDonald's once every six weeks doesn't constitute taking care of him!" Rowan shouted.
"Boys! Boys!" Davide scolded, standing from his seat. Rowan and Leo turned towards him. "I still have not made my decision just yet." He stepped around the desk as he spoke. Silence shrouded over them as Davide leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms as he did so and sighing. He rubbed his cheek slightly before placing his chin in the palm of his hand. After a moment, he finally looked up, frowning. "Each one of you has good traits and some not-so-good traits. I can see both of you being the heir, but I am still hesitant to name either one of you as such. Some steel in your spine and a shrewd head for business are needed for this job, but you cannot treat the underlings like the other venomous business people that you meet. Turnover will become too high, and then we will not be successful. Businesses thrive on loyalty. If we cannot have employees, we will never thrive properly. We need to care for our employees just as much as our business partners and our customers."
"When will you have your decision?" Leo asked all too quickly.
Both Rowan and Davide glared at him.
Davide huffed. "I will announce my decision at the Annual Charity Gala next April."
"But that's a year away," Leo complained.
"Which gives you two plenty of time to change my mind," Davide scolded before he turned and started fiddling around with his briefcase and the papers inside. "Now, go. I have a meeting with Mr. Hancock and Mrs. Reynolds in twenty minutes."
Leo scowled but said nothing as he turned. Rowan started to turn away as well, but Davide caught his arm. Rowan stopped, turning towards his father. Only when they heard the door click shut, did Davide turn towards him.
"I won't hide my bias," Davide said. "You are my son, and I want you to be the heir." Davide frowned harder. "But I cannot risk the business. It's over a hundred years old. It cannot fall out of our hands." His face fell. "If you have a girlfriend or a fiancé or maybe—maybe having a child on the way, I might not be so hesitant." Davide placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder. "I appreciate and admire your ability and willingness to work as hard as you do, but it comes at the sacrifice of not having a family."
Rowan felt his blood pulse through his veins. "I don't like having everyone meddle in my private life, especially my parents. No offence, but you and Mom are very vocal when you don't like something."
"So you do have a girlfriend?" Davide arched his brow, removing his hand.
Rowan felt his heart jump into his throat. "Of course I do. I just don't like speaking about her. She's not exactly what you and Mother wanted for me."
"Well, your mother's birthday dinner is in three weeks. Bring her then."
"Fine, but say one thing about her, we're leaving."
Davide shrugged. "Deal. Bring her, and I won't say a damn thing about her."
"Good."
"Is she pregnant?" Davide cocked his head to one side.
"I don't know. She doesn't even know." Rowan frowned as a cold sweat broke over his scalp and forehead. What in the hell am I doing?
"Perhaps we can discuss that at dinner."
"Perhaps." Rowan crossed his arms again.
Davide frowned at him. "Well. I'll call the restaurant to add one more to the reservation. I'd love to meet her, so please. Don't forget her."
They both forced a chuckle before Rowan turned and left his father's office. The door closed behind him. He stared down at the floor in front of his feet. "Fuck me." He rubbed his eyes. "Three weeks to find a girlfriend."
He hurried down the hallway to the elevator, pressing the button. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Rowan stepped inside and pulled out his phone as the doors closed.
Who can pretend to be my girlfriend? He scrolled through his contacts. Has a boyfriend. Is a lesbian. Moved away. Rowan frowned at his phone. Every woman of his age was unavailable for him to even ask. Rowan sighed. He didn't have very many female friends, or friends for that matter. Some of his male friends had sisters. I doubt any of them would be happy with me asking their sisters to be with me. He paused as his gaze fell onto a contact he hadn't talked to in years.
Elijah Fredrickson.
Friends in college and roommates for a time, the two of them had a falling out over the past four years since he moved to South Korea. Things just got busy for both of them and with the time difference, it was difficult to remain connected and hold conversations. It didn't take long for both of them to stop trying.
He has a younger sister. Holly, isn't it?
The elevator dinged again as the doors opened. He stepped out, still looking down at his phone. He and Elijah were still friends on Facebook, and through him, he quickly found his younger sister. Young, beautiful, and more importantly, still single.
She was younger than them by three years. Her wavy light auburn hair laid gently on her shoulders, framing her face nicely, and her amber eyes seemed to gleam with her smile. She was perhaps a little shorter than he would like, but right now, he can't be too picky.
Rowan inhaled sharply then exhaled just as quickly, working up the courage to message her.
Will she even remember who I am?
Although he and Elijah were friends during college and thereafter, he didn't see Elijah's family more than two or three times a year. Rowan frowned. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
I'll be asking for a lot from her.
Rowan scrolled through her profile once again. Words On The Street. Several pictures of her sitting and posing in a quaint little bookstore where she worked.
"I could always go there. Try and talk to her." Rowan sighed. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Holly straightened the books on the shelf, humming to herself softly. It was later in the day, so the bookstore had picked up a considerable amount of traffic, and thus the usual amount of misplaced, dishevelled, and unorganized books. Though she didn't mind too much, it gave her something to do and in a way, she found it soothing to her soul.
"Two more hours," she heard Akira say. "And then freedom."
Holly chuckled. "So long as you get to cleaning. You know how particular Mr. Howard is."
"Yeah, yeah." She sighed as she continued dusting the books. "How's the writing coming along?"
"Slow. I always seem to have too many ideas, and I can never focus on just one. My mind goes scattered-brain sometimes."
