There was no set standard for how a man was supposed to look, but Emmaline thought that whatever it was, she still passed the test for a convincing guy.
Waiting at the very same train station that Ashton had dropped her off at, she even caught some girls checking her out. That was a good thing, right?
Decked out in stylish high waisted trousers with a black shirt tucked in and a casual blazer thrown over, she looked like a K-pop artiste or at least, that was what Camilla assured her.
"You're definitely not going to look masculine, so you might as well lean into the pretty boy look," She had told Emmaline, her experienced eye going over the outfit.
It was Camilla who had gotten the outfit and wig from the wardrobe department in the company she was interning at. She was paid peanuts, but the company always encouraged their employees to work on their own side projects with their resources on loan to them.
Her brown wig was back in place, the short ends brushing her neck as she turned to look for Ashton's stupidly expensive car.
She sighed. If she had known she would be stuck with this wig for a while, she would have picked a better quality one.
Ah well, she would just have to deal with this dreary, brown hair and itchy wig. Six million dollars were at stake!
"Hey, handsome," A buxom woman with a perfect face of make up and a gorgeous pantsuit approached her.
Emmaline didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Ma'am, you're barking up the wrong tree!
"Aww, are you shy?" The lady's smile turned a little more predatory. She was really quite attractive, but it was a pity Emmaline wasn't the right person to appreciate it!
If anything, she really wanted to know where that pantsuit was from.
"Sorry, honey, this one's mine," A deep voice rang out.
Both Emmaline and the lady turned to see Ashton pull up to the sidewalk in a flashy sports car.
Emmaline squinted. This was a different car from the one he had given her a ride in.
Just how many fancy cars did this guy have?
Leaning out of the car window, a lock of dark blonde hair falling into his eyes and a charming smile on his lips, Ashton looked like a movie star.
The woman's smile grew wider.
"Two for the price of one? Even better," She purred.
Emmaline had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. This woman just didn't know when to quit.
"We're not things for sale and we're not interested," Ashton's voice had lost the initial playful tone and for a split second, Emmaline could see how powerful he would be in a boardroom.
Immediately, the woman's pretty mask fell and she scowled, an ugly expression that didn't match the rest of her.
Ashton opened the door, "Let's go, Em."
Quickly, Emmaline hopped into the car and as Ashton sped off, she blew a kiss to the pissed off lady, letting out a huff of laughter when she saw the angry woman stomp her foot.
Out of the corner of her eye, Emmaline observed Ashton.
The things he had said and the way he behaved so far were so utterly different from the other rich people she knew that she had to keep reminding herself that he was one of Them.
Nothing good had ever come from associating with the rich and Emmaline had long understood that they were not to be trusted.
Not when they valued themselves and their wealth more than ethics or loyalty.
She couldn't let her guard down.
"We should agree on a backstory," She suggested. No matter how different Ashton seemed, she just had to focus on business.
"Good idea," Ashton agreed, already back to his relaxed mode, "How about meeting at the gym?"
Emmaline blinked.
She could count on one hand the number of times she exercised this year.
Hell, she could count on one hand the number of times she exercised in her life.
"I don't really look like the type to go to the gym," She countered, "Do you have any other… Hobbies?"
"Between work and working out, I don't really have time for much else," Ashton admitted, "What about you?"
Emmaline paused. Although she had initially expected him to be a happy-go-lucky heir who shopped and partied more, she found that she could believe this.
After being pressed up against him and feeling the hard outline of his muscles against her, she could also believe that he spent most of his time at the gym.
"I…" Emmaline trailed off as she realized that between going for classes, rehearsing and auditioning, and caring for her mother, she didn't actually do anything else.
"I like animals, I like going to the zoo?" She tried. In truth, the last time she had gone to the zoo was years ago. But she had happy memories there, back when everything was good and her mom had been well.
Ashton considered this, his luxury watch glinting in the sunset rays as they drove further out of the city center.
"I don't think it'll work," Ashton shook his head, "They know I hate the reptile enclosure so I'll never willingly step foot in the zoo."
"Don't you normally pick people up at clubs or something? What about that?" She had researched a few gay clubs and bars in the city and rattled off their names.
"They don't- As far as my family knows, I only go to uh, what we would call straight clubs," Ashton turned into a very needlessly extravagant driveway.
It was so long that Emmaline couldn't see the end of it and it was lined with perfectly pruned trees.
But Emmaline didn't even register this as she processed the implications of Ashton's statement.
"Wait, what are you-" She turned to Ashton, "Do you mean that your family thinks you're straight?"
"Well, I've only ever been seen in public with women," Ashton shrugged.
Panic gripped Emmaline and it felt as if a cold bucket of water had been tipped over her.
She had been prepared to face a rich family that wanted their son to get married, full stop!
Now, she might have to face a rich family who was horrified that their son brought home his gay lover instead of a sweet daughter in law!
She clutched at the leather handle of the car door and hissed, "You never told them?"
Ashton pulled up in front of a heavy oak door and a doorman promptly came to open the car doors for them.
But Emmaine didn't budge, "Won't this be too much of a shock for them?"
Ashton was completely calm as he got out of the car and came over to her side.
Leaning down, he held out his hand and smiled in a way that almost made Emmaline forget what she was worried about.
"Why don't we find out?"