8. Godson
CHAPTER EIGHT
godson
LINNEA
What the hell has been said to whom to make What Happens in Mayfair think I’m seeing Aiden? He must have said something. He called me ‘sweetheart’ in front of his friends last night. What else has he said? To whom?
What a manipulative piece of shit!
Storming down the streets of Mayfair, I allow myself to get even more worked up, digging my nails into my palms so hard I might draw blood.
I need to show him that this is serious.
He can’t play around with people’s lives like this.
Just because it doesn’t matter to him—a rich, successful man—it matters to me. This is my livelihood.
I round the corner and there he is, standing outside the Grafton Street house, talking on the phone.
He sees me approaching, likely clocking my expression, because there’s no smile playing on his lips now.
“Alright, thank you. Yes, keep digging,” he says into the phone while holding my gaze as I stop in front of him and cross my arms. “I have to go, speak later.”
He pockets his phone and raises the middle of his eyebrows in that puppy-dog way again.
“I don’t know what happened,” he says.
“So you’ve read it.”
“My PR team alerted me late last night. They’re not impressed that I didn’t inform them first.”
“And what did you tell them?”
“I… Uh…”
“Did you tell them it’s not true? You can easily get ahead of this. It’s a silly little blog.”
I say that, but I also acknowledge the power of gossip…
“Well, I told them to leave it until we’d spoken. I’m trying to find out who leaked this.”
“There’s nothing to leak. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Aiden blows out a long breath. “You’re right. But can you remember who was nearby in the last few days? I’ll ask my mother but she’d never share with the blogger, of course.” He mutters the last part, tracing his thumb across his lower lip.
“Are you saying you don’t actually know who said something? You didn’t say something?”
He drops his hand, gaping at me. “You seriously think I’d do that?”
His eyes search my face, so intense and blue.
“I didn’t get the impression you cared about my side of it,” I answer, not able to keep eye contact so I look at the dent in his chin instead. “That you appreciate how dire my situation is, or how scared I am of making it all even harder for my employees.”
When I glance up at his eyes again, they soften and his shoulders drop an inch.
“It might not occur to you, but I’m well-informed of anything that affects my business.”
“Your business?”
“Indeed. Your design is one of my major investments. Your design makes my places unique. What happens to your design studio affects my business.”
It’s nice of him to spin it this way, but we both know who’s scratching whose back here.
My phone rings in my purse, and the only people who call during the day are clients or employees, and the occasional intrusion from my ex-husband, so in case it’s work, I hold up a hand to Aiden.
“Excuse me,” I say to him. I pick up my phone, and the name on my screen makes my pulse pick up.
What?
“Linnea, darling,” Lady Venetia Beauchamp says when I answer.
“Lady Beauchamp, how do you do?”
“It seems I have made a mistake.”
“You have?”
“Since we last spoke, I’ve learned more about you, and I’d like to have another chat.”
“That’s… That’s wonderful, Lady Beauchamp. Any time, please, when it suits you.”
“This week is no good, but I’m sure I’ll see you Saturday at the party.”
“The party?”
“Yes, darling, you must have expected me to catch on that you’re dating my godson? I know all that goes on in Mayfair. So I assume you’ll be going to his mother’s engagement party.”
“Your godson?”
“Indeed! What a wonderful surprise! I’m baffled as to why Aiden didn’t say anything himself when we met last week. I just heard it from his mother yesterday. Oh, she’s delighted. Anyway, I’ve got to run, but I’m happy to admit when I’ve made a mistake, so will I see you Saturday?”
“Umm.”
Nip it in the bud now.
Tell her the truth.
Tell her.
I turn, my gaze landing on Aiden. He cocks his head at me.
Can I pretend to be his date? His girlfriend?
I can hardly look him straight in the eye without freezing up or weirding out; how am I supposed to act convincingly enamoured with him in front of his family?
My employees’ faces flash before my eyes. I tell them we’ve landed Lady Beauchamp’s mansion, and her friends are all calling us to do their homes, and the relief in their eyes is priceless.
All because I’m dating Aiden? I absolutely hate how dependent I am on him already, and this makes me even more entangled with him.
But if it works … it’ll save my company.
“Yes,” I say, and keep eye contact with Aiden so he understands he needs to stick around. “I’ll be there on Saturday.”
“Wonderful, I can’t wait to get to know you.”
“Thank you, Lady Beauchamp. I look forward to seeing you then.”
Aiden sucks in a breath and holds it while I put my phone away. Waiting for me to say something.
I shake my head. “It seems I’ll be your date on Saturday.”
“Oh, what made you change your mind?”
“It turns out being linked romantically with you has made me more attractive to Lady Venetia Beauchamp. I had no idea she’s your godmother.”
“She’s not really. She doesn’t have her own children, so when my mother started working for her, she spoiled me rotten.” He chuckles.
I realise I know very little about Aiden. His mother worked for the Lady?
“Sounds like I’ll need to learn more about you if this is going to fly,” I say.
“Yes, and me about you.”
“This makes me very uncomfortable… I didn’t want anyone to think I couldn’t make it on my own.” I instinctively reach up to check my hair covers my ears as they burn with humiliation. “But I’m in a pickle right now. It’s not just about me, and I can’t let my pride hurt my employees.”
Aiden takes one step towards me and my eyes flick up to his.
“You’ve always made it. It’s your design people want.”
I shrug.
“It seems it’s not enough on its own. Lady Beauchamp said she’d made a mistake, and now she’s learned more about me? I don’t know what she meant.”
“She was at the pre-event with her husband on Saturday and raved about the Diamond Lounge. I made sure she learned it was all your work.” Aiden waves towards the house next to us; our current project and currently my entire design portfolio.
“Thank you.”
Was that out of pity too? I pull on a lock of my hair, wishing I felt as confident as I pretend to be.
Aiden nods. “Alright, let’s get to work and we can talk over lunch. Did you have breakfast today?”
“I did,” I say, stretching the truth a little. I had milk in my coffee.
Aiden narrows his eyes at me. “Okay, if you say so.”
My senior designers, Olga, Daniel, and Inez, arrive around the corner of Grafton Street. Aiden turns at the sound of their voices and waves at them.
His gaze finds mine again and he says in a low voice, “Let’s start at lunch if you can break free, we’ll sort out the … arrangement.”
“It’s a date,” I say, and flash him a big smile that’s so genuine I surprise myself. Aiden’s eyes widen, and he opens his mouth as if to say something, but then he chuckles and smiles back, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Hey, team,” I say, greeting them at the bottom of the stairs to the house, and I’m more aware of Aiden’s presence already, wondering if my employees have read the blog.
If they have lost respect for me. Do I need to tell them?
Oh God, it took all of five seconds for the relief to blend with anxiety.
I just need to get to work now so I can take my mind off it all for a few hours.
Today is the day for measurements, site surveys, and the first round of ideas; perfect busywork for a troubled mind.
“Hey, Linnea,” they say, and maybe I’m overthinking, but I swear Olga smirks as she looks between me and Aiden.
Deep breaths.
I’ll own this. This is for them. For Daniel’s kids who have put stickers all over the phone he’s currently photographing the building with.
For Olga’s life here in England that’s put that smile on her face.
I’ve watched her make friends, go on dates, and make this city her own.
If she loses her visa … she’ll lose it all.
I nod once and wave them over when they catch me watching them.
“Let’s get to work.”
The usually rather chaotic first hours of a site review will go fast and suddenly I’ll be on a lunch ‘date’ with Aiden.
Ugh, my stomach churns at the thought of the awkwardness.
I’ll have to sit with my humiliating memories while I lean on him to help save my business. What the fuck have I got myself into?