Chapter 67: Chapter 67

ENRICO

I used my index finger and thumb, with minimal distance between them, to gesture that it had indeed been small.

Sarah didn't need to know all the details about the clash I had with my biggest competitor after training, as it was, in fact, just a minor disagreement between gentlemen that was quickly smoothed over when Fiori decided to collaborate by telling me, albeit superficially, about his conversation with Rachel.

"I understand."

I knew she hadn't understood anything, but she was too foolish to press on and confront me for the truth.

"So, the reason I insisted on us having lunch together today is because I believe that given the circumstances, we can help each other in a way that will be beneficial for both of us."

"What do you mean by 'help each other'?" Sarah asked, suspiciously, making air quotes with her fingers.

"I'll be very straightforward, and I'm sure you'll catch on quickly," I said. "I want Rachel, because I'm interested in her in every way, and unlike the idiot Fiori, I've perfectly understood who she really is."

"And you want my help to win over my sister?" she seemed confused now.

"I want Rachel, and I understand that you'd like to get to know Lorenzo better if he wasn't involved with your sister, right?"

"I'm not sure I want any kind of relationship with Lorenzo," she insisted.

"You say that now because you're upset, believing he chose your sister," I pointed out, as she failed to see something that was practically being shoved in her face. "Despite being around Rachel for so many years, you still have no idea how manipulative she is, how she convinces you to do anything, like pretending to be her, just to keep me from getting in the way of your romance with Fiori, the jerk."

"It's not like that!" Another futile protest on her part.

"Continuing..." I made sure to ignore her protest and proceeded with what I had intended from the start. "I've thought about it a lot, and I believe that if we pretend to be dating, Rachel will let go and realize that the man she truly likes is me."

Sarah stared at me with such a glaringly incredulous expression that I was certain she wasn't buying my words. After a few seconds of what seemed like shock, she burst into laughter.

"Where did you come up with this madness, Enrico? Rachel doesn't like you at all, I'm completely sure of that!"

"Well, I say she does like me and that she's just avoiding her feelings for me," I countered.

"You're crazy, completely insane, you must be."

She was still laughing, and I waited for her to finish and pay attention to me again because the only delusional one at that table was herself.

"Done?"

"Not yet, but... go on. It's actually quite entertaining," she said, teasingly. "You were saying my sister is in love with you and if we date, she'll finally realize it. Did I get that right?"

"You got it, but you're not taking me seriously," I pointed out the obvious.

"Definitely not."

"Then, let's date," I suggested abruptly. "You have nothing to lose, really. I'll take you to all the events, and I guarantee you'll have a great time keeping me company."

"I don't agree."

"At least agree so you can prove that Rachel isn't the person you think she is. Because it's very clear that she's always getting you into trouble."

She looked at me suspiciously again, as if I knew something she didn't, which was entirely true. I had realized, from the very first moment we were together at the car manufacturers' event in Montreal, that Rachel was extremely selfish and didn't care about her sister at all.

From the moment I laid eyes on Rachel, I couldn't take them off her enchanting figure. I'm attentive to everything involving Rachel, and I'm absolutely sure of how selfish she is and how little she cares about Sarah. But the main party involved hadn't even realized this and kept coming up with excuses for her sister's behavior.

"I don't believe what you're saying, Enrico," she said to my face. "If you want a companion, whatever the reason, why didn't you just ask me? In the end, I owe you a huge favor, considering you're the one who got me the job on the team."

"If you're willing to help me, even if you don't believe what I say, then so be it. From now on, we're dating, and you'll need to be strong to keep up this lie for the most important person of all: Rachel!"

"We have a deal, then," she agreed.

Sarah

Despite considering all the arguments Enrico used to justify the idea that we should date a load of nonsense, I agreed nonetheless. The truth was, he had done something significant for me. The job he managed to get me into was excellent, both in terms of salary and the work itself.

I had resonated a lot with the secretary role, and Hillary's help was also crucial in this regard. So, I owed Enrico a great deal, even though I believed what he was saying about Rachel was a complete absurdity.

It's true that we had a lot of disagreements after the auction incident and everything involving Kael, but that was entirely understandable given our delicate financial situation and her desperation due to the loan shark debt that required an extreme action, like the one we ended up taking, in order to raise the money quickly.

However, ever since that was resolved, I got my sister back, the one I've known since we were born and grew up with. Now that those problems are gone, Rachel is lighter, and I've noticed that our bond has returned to what it always was – something good that makes me very happy.

This dilemma about which side to choose was easy to solve, as I would never go against my own sister, especially for someone I have no connection with, other than being grateful for the opportunity to work today.

However, Enrico's proposition for us to pretend to be a couple wouldn't harm Rachel in any way, and I even believe it would help her. This way, there wouldn't be a constant threat of Lorenzo discovering what happened when they met in Seattle. Although I became interested in Lorenzo, I would never compete for a man's attention with my sister, especially when she clearly told me she was in love with him.