"Easy."


    Giselle grinned. "First, don''t chase after her all the time-give her a taste of distance, just enough to make her anxious. But don''t go so cold you push her away. It takes finesse. Just follow my lead. Trust me, it''ll work."


    ...


    The FM Group.


    Forrest set his phone down, one eyebrow raised in mild surprise. He hadn''t expected Giselle to be quite so... resourceful in this area. She sounded like someone who''d been through this before, though he couldn''t say how useful her advice would actually be.


    Truth be told, he didn''t think much of half her suggestions. Some were questionable at best and could easily backfire. Still, there were a few worth trying.


    And she did have a point.


    But for him, the biggest payoff from working with Giselle had already been achieved. She imed to understand M, but how could she possibly know her better than he did?


    If there was one thing Mimi couldn''t stand, it was betrayal and lies.


    When it came to Lysander, Forrest didn''t need to do much. All he had to do was give Mimi a discreet heads-up, and with her sharp instincts, she''d uncover the truth herself—and the resulting fury would be unstoppable. If, on the other hand, Mimi was left in the dark, and Lysander showed upter with excuses and apologies, maybe just maybe he''d stand a chance at redemption.


    But if Mimi found out on her own, that was a whole different story. Forrest had already seized the advantage.


    Lysander''s downfall was inevitable.


    Even if he came crawling back, there''d be no way to exin himself.


    But taking Lysander out of the game wasn''t Forrest''s end goal. It was just a stepping stone-what he really wanted was Mimi.


    Might as well give Giselle''s ideas a shot.


    Maybe, just maybe, it would get him closer to what he wanted.


    Forrest spun his phone between his fingers, his mind made up.


    ...


    "What?"


    M listened to Forrest on the other end of the call, her mouth half-open, then let out a sigh. "That''s Giselle''s brilliant n?"


    After Forrest hade clean with her a few days ago, she had a better sense of their alliance. It was awkward, but, thinking about it, she supposed this was exactly the sort of thing Giselle woulde up with. She didn''t protest.


    But she honestly hadn''t expected Giselle to be so invested in all this. It was almost... touching.


    "So, what does Mimi think?" Forrest asked, amusement in his voice.


    "Me?" M''s difort was obvious. After a pause, she managed, "Fine, let''s do


    it. If we''re going to put on a show, we''d better go all in. Sorry for the trouble."


    The important thing was to keep Giselle from suspecting anything.


    Forrest chuckled. "Don''t mention it."


    ...


    Early the next morning.


    M stood in front of her wardrobe, mulling over whaty ahead. After some agonizing, she picked out a two-piece denim dress-a fresh, modern take she''d never worn before.


    The fabric was a pale blue denim, the skirt hem embroidered with a riot of colorful flowers. The fitted, short-sleeved top matched perfectly. Instead of her usual updo, she left her fong ck hair neatly tied back in a low ponytail, letting it fall straight down her back.


    She slipped on a delicate pendant, checked her phone for messages, and stepped into a pair of ck kitten heels before heading out.


    Leonard, waiting out front, did a double take when she appeared. He''d never seen M like this-poised and sharp, exuding a new, quietlymanding presence.


    M didn''t notice his stare. She was too anxious, clutching her


    powder-blue purse tightly. She didn''t even have the energy to be annoyed that Leonard was still attached to her like a shadow. Ever since she''d learned the truth, every man in the Montgomery family had started to grate on her nerves-but for now, she kept her feelings hidden.


    She got in the car and gave the name of the restaurant.


    Maybe it was her imagination, but the driver seemed to be in a rush today. When they arrived, M hesitated before getting out, then turned to Leonard and said, "No need toe inside."


    Leonard gave a nomittal shrug.


    Without looking back, M made her way into thevish, over-the-top restaurant, her steps slowing with every stride. By the time she reached the entrance, she was practically crawling. Her phone buzzed insistently from her bag, finally forcing her to grit her teeth and push forward. She ignored the hostess and strode straight to the stairs, heading for the private dining rooms on the second floor.


    She stopped in front of door 202, heart pounding.


    She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.


    Inside, theughter and conversation abruptly ceased. Two people turned their


    heads to look at her-a man and a woman.


    Candlelight, flowers, an elegant meal-clearly a date.


    The man, of course, was Forrest.


    M swallowed her embarrassment and forced herself to look at the woman. To


    her surprise, she recognized her-the heiress, Janice Burke.


    Which made this all the more impossible.


    Janice was the first to speak, frowning in confusion. "Suthend? Chairman Suthend?" She seemed genuinely puzzled. Janice had only ever encountered


    the now-infamous Chairman Suthend once before, at a business g with her father. She remembered her vividly.


    But what on earth was Suthend doing here?


    After all, this was supposed to be a matchmaking lunch.