"This whole being nice thing is part of it, isn't it?"
I met his gaze, then I nodded. "You're right."
There was a second of stunned silence, followed by Emily bursting out in laughter. Theo followed right behind her, shaking his head as he tried to catch his breath.
"I knew it," Emily wheezed. "I knew there was no way this was genuine."
Theo wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I swear you're terrifying."
"All's fair in love and war," I commented calmly. "This certainly feels like war."
Emily wiped tears from her eyes. "Can we be part of it?"
Theo immediately agreed. "Please tell me we can be part of it."
I pretended to consider their request even though I had already decided earlier that I would probably need their help. If this was going to look convincing, I needed witnesses and accomplices.
"I suppose," I said slowly, "that might be possible."
Emily gasped in delight. "What do we have to do?"
"For now, you just need to act like everything is normal."
Theo snorted. "You're asking a lot."
Emily ignored him and leaned even closer. "So what's the plan?"
"I was actually about to tell Emily about me buying a supermarket," I began.
Emily blinked.
Theo blinked.
"You bought what?" Emily asked.
"A supermarket."
Theo stared at me like he was trying to decide if I was joking. "You bought a supermarket?"
"Yes."
Emily took a step back, her eyes trailing over me from head to toe multiple times. "You say things so casually that it takes a moment for my brain to realize how insane they are."
I lifted one shoulder. "A supermarket is a solid investment."
Theo muttered, "You're unbelievable."
Before Emily could say anything else, someone suddenly stepped up beside me. He was tall with blonde hair and striking green eyes that stood out immediately. He had the kind of confident posture that suggested he was used to being the center of attention.
My surprise quickly turned into confusion when he began speaking.
"Hi," he said, smiling easily. He reached out and took my hand before I could react. His grip was warm and unsurprisingly firm.
"Hello," I replied cautiously, wondering why he was talking to me.
"I don't think we've met. I'm Lucas."
I frowned slightly. "Um—"
