Chapter 1 One

"Lisa Pov "

I was working on a new project in my office when my phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID, and it was my mother. I rolled my eyes.

She never gave up. I had been ignoring her calls all day because I was in a good mood and didn't want it ruined.

With a sigh I finally picked.

"Hello, mother."

"Why are you not answering my calls, young lady? I have been trying to call you for ages!"

"I am busy, Mom! I have a big new project I am working on."

"You are an office rat, Lisa! How will you find a nice man, get married, and give me a grandchild if you never leave your office?"

"Mom, we talked about this. I don't want to get married anytime soon. I am just 23. I like my freedom, and I want to focus on my career."

She scoffed. "When I was your age, I was engaged to your father. Anyway, I have a big announcement tonight at dinner. Don't be late." Then she hung up.

When will they stop meddling in my life?

In my personal life, for fuck's sake

I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions.

I wondered what the "big announcement" was. I just hoped she wasn't trying to set me up with some random guy.

Later, when I got ready for family dinner, I kept things simple: high-waisted, ripped dark blue jeans, a classic white T-shirt, white sneakers, and a small pink bag.

I drove to my parents' mansion, reached the gate, and parked my BMW in the family lot.

I rang the doorbell, and the maid opened it.

"Good evening, Sarah."

"Good evening, Miss Lisa."

"Where are my parents?"

"The whole family is in the living room."

I headed there and found my parents, siblings, and my sister and brother-in-law gathered.

"Good evening, guys."

"Well, hello Lisa, no time no see," they all chimed.

"I have been busy,"

They mimicked me at the same time, mocking.

I rolled my eyes. "Somebody's in a good mood today. What's the occasion?"

"Let's have dinner first, and then we will talk." Mom said.

Dinner was delicious. We talked about the family business and my new project.

My sister and sister-in-law were both pregnant with their first children, due any time now.

They complained about how overprotective my brother and brother-in-law had become.

After dinner, we moved to the living room for drinks.

"So what's the big announcement, Mom? Dad?" I asked.

"You know we love you, and we want to see you happy like your brother Tommy and your sister Megan. We want to see your future children before we die." Dad began.

Here we go with the drama.

"So we have decided that you will marry your uncle Jerry's son, Thomas, this summer, and that's final."

"You what?" I yelled.

"You don't have to force me to marry that spoiled brat! I can't stand him! He disgusts me! He's a ladies' man; he would be the last person on earth that I would marry."

"You're single, and there's plenty of time to get to know each other," mother insisted.

"I can't marry him because....I'm pregnant with another man's baby. and we're getting married."

"You are pregnant!"

My mother fainted on the couch. My dad yelled for the maid to bring water.

Everyone was shocked by my lie, but it had to be done. There's no way I was marrying that dickhead.

Once the chaos settled, they were still furious that I was "pregnant before marriage," but they accepted it. Then they demanded to meet my fiancé tomorrow.

I told them that he was on a business trip and wouldn't be back for two weeks. That gave me just enough time to find myself a fake fiancé.

I said goodbye, drove back to my apartment, and immediately called my best friend, Maria.

"Come to my apartment now. ASAP." I hung up before she could ask anything.

I showered, changed into shorts and a top. And made drinks and snacks us.

Half an hour later, Maria burst into my apartment. "What the hell is wrong with you calling me here at this hour?"

" Maria. I'm in big trouble. I need your help."

"Okay, tell me."

"I told my family I was pregnant with my fiancé's baby."

"Holly shit, you what?!" she screamed.

"Calm down! I am not pregnant. I don't even have a boyfriend. I'm still a virgin."

"I need a drink to process this."

"I will get the martini."

She grabbed the glass and downed it in one go.

"Whoa, slow down, missy."

"So? Why did you lie to your family?"

"They want me to marry Thomas, their business partner, against my will. And they won't take no for an answer."

"Ew. That annoying manwhore."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. They want to see my fiancé, but I told them that he's on a business trip for two weeks; I can't drag this out forever."

Marie leaned back. "Okay... I might have an idea. A friend of mine is an actor. He's gorgeous, sexy, you could hire him to pretend your fiancé "

"No, I don't want any kind of relationship with a man, even a fake one. I don't want complications."

"Okay...what about a gay man?"

"What?! Are you crazy?" I burst out laughing.

"Listen.You hire a gay man, set up a one year contract, pay him a fixed amount and he will pretend to be your fiancé and baby daddy. No one will know. He won't see you as a woman, and you won't see him as a man; no strings attached."

"And where exactly am I supposed to find a gay man?"

"I know the perfect place."