What are you doing here, she internally shrieked at the prince. I wanted you to text me back, not show up!
The prince smirked. Haven’t you heard of the saying ‘beggars can’t be choosers?’ But when the prince spoke, his tone was perfectly polite and businesslike. “I truly apologize for interrupting your meeting, but I’m afraid I’ve an urgent need of Fawn’s assistance.”
“Umm, right. Of course.” As she clumsily rose to her feet, she wondered what the heck the prince was talking about. Grant and Lou stood up as well, the former looking wary while the other girl was all smiles, an avaricious gleam in her eyes.
So this is what a gold-digger looks like, Fawn thought.
The prince offered his hand to Grant. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Grant took the prince’s offered hand and tried not to wince at the excruciatingly hard pressure the prince exerted on his fingers. “A pleasure,” he managed to say while resisting the urge to yank his hand out of the prince’s crushing grip. What the hell was wrong with this idiot?
“I’m Lou, the student council’s vice president,” Lou was murmuring.
The prince gave the girl an icy smile. “Charmed.” And then he promptly dismissed her, turning his back to face Fawn again as he asked casually, “Fawn, may I introduce you to my friends?”
At Fawn’s nod, the prince gestured to a pair of black-haired and blue-eyed twins, both of them tall, dark, and handsome. One was dressed in a stylish pin-striped suit while the other was dressed in a crisp white shirt and jeans. “You probably already know Nick and Jason Christakos, who jointly head their family business.”
Family business, she thought weakly. Riiight. That was a vast understatement, considering the Christakos’ fortune amounted to billions.
“It’s nice to see you again, Fawn,” Jason said with a smile.
“Same here, although we weren’t properly introduced when we first met,” Nick said wryly.
She could only smile, tongue-tied in bemusement at their friendliness.
“This is Nathan Callis.” The prince gestured to the former supermodel. Like his friends, Nathan’s features were decidedly Mediterranean, but unlike the others, he had an air of quiet mystery about him, and when he spoke, his voice was soothingly soft and kind. “It’s an honor to meet you, Fawn.”
“I-It’s an honor for me, too,” Fawn stammered.
“And of course, you know the chairman’s son, Derek Christopoulos.” The prince gestured to the last man to be introduced.
“Hi, Fawn.” Derek Christopoulos’ legendary charm was displayed in full force as he gave Fawn a rakish grin. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Fawn blinked.
Behind her, Grant asked sharply, “Have you changed jobs?”
The prince reined his temper in with an effort as he watched Bennett move to Fawn’s side and take her hand.
“Fawn?”
“I—-” She looked at the prince, not knowing what to say.
Derek stepped as planned, saying easily, “I’m talking about the position of treasurer for the foundation Reid, the others, and I are putting up. Reid told you about it, right? He told me you’re good with numbers, and since this friend of mine rarely gives that kind of recommendation, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“We’re sorry for putting you in the hot seat,” Jason added ruefully, “but as we’re a bit pressed for time—-”
“And by that,” Nick continued, “he means we have an urgent need to donate millions of dollars for tax purposes.”
Grant and Lou looked at each other at the amount Nick Christakos mentioned.
“The position is yours if you want it,” the prince murmured. “But we would need a decision now.”
“Umm...” Her head was whirling, and she had the strongest urge to shout at the prince. What the heck did this mean? What was he planning? He had never mentioned anything about this before, darn him.
“About the project you’d like to sponsor,” Grant suddenly said. “Are there any specifics you’re looking for?”
“Anything would do,” Nathan answered. “As long as it can be set up right away.”
“Then maybe we can help you.” Grant cleared his throat. “The student council is actually planning a fundraiser. In fact, I believe Mr. Christopoulos may have heard of it—-” He stopped, expecting the chairman’s son to tell him Grant could call him by his first name instead.
But Derek Christopoulos only nodded, saying pensively, “Yes, I believe I’ve heard of this. You submitted a proposal to my office a week ago, if I’m not mistaken.”
Grant’s cheeks turned a dull shade of red at the indirect snub, but he forced himself to mutter, “That’s right.”