Chapter 3 Chapter 0003

•LIANA•

"You're good at your job, Liana," Ellis answered, handing me the contract papers. "I wouldn't have recommended you for this job if you weren't suitable for it."

I took the papers from him and leaned back in my chair. "This is insane," I muttered while flipping through the pages.

We had scheduled fake public appearances, race weekends, interviews, social media posts together, and joint vacations for a full year.

My eyes stopped there immediately. I looked up. "A year?"

"These deals work better long term," Ellis replied. "People need time to believe it."

I laughed dryly. "You want me to spend an entire year pretending to date him?"

Adrian stayed quiet beside me, calm as ever. He didn't even project anything that was on the contract.

I hated how composed he looked while my entire life seemed to be getting rearranged in front of me.

"I know it's a lot," Ellis continued, "but the payout reflects that."

I looked back at the papers again. Then I saw the number. $1,500,000.

I froze.

For a second, all I could hear was Chris's voice from yesterday when he demanded all the money that he spent on my education and on my father's medical bills, and our mortgage.

I remembered the apartment we almost bought together, the wedding venue deposits, and the bills I had helped him cover when his company struggled last year.

And now I was single, emotionally exhausted, and staring at enough money to completely change my life.

My fingers tightened around the papers.

"You'd only need to maintain appearances publicly," Ellis added. "Private boundaries are entirely up to you both."

I glanced at Adrian again. He was already watching me, like he already knew what my answer would be.

Still… one and a half million dollars.

Fuck it. I closed the contract. "When do we start?"

Ellis immediately smiled in relief. "As soon as possible."

I sighed. "Fine."

He pushed a pen toward me and I signed the papers before I could change my mind. Adrian signed right after me without hesitation.

Ellis practically looked ready to celebrate. "Perfect," he answered, standing up. "This is exactly what we need."

I wasn't nearly as excited.

•••

A few minutes later, the three of us walked out of the office together.

Ellis stopped near the front desk to speak with his secretary about scheduling meetings and media calls, leaving Adrian and me standing beside each other for the first time alone since last night.

I kept my eyes on my phone while pretending to check emails. Then Adrian leaned closer, close enough for me to smell his cologne again.

My stomach tightened instantly. "I could still taste you in my mouth this morning," he murmured. "And your moans are still loud in my ear."

I nearly choked on my own breath. My head snapped toward him. "Are you serious right now? We are practically colleagues and we can't have this conversation."

A small smirk pulled at his mouth.

I lowered my voice immediately. "Can you stop, Adrian? Whatever happened last night stays in the nightclub."

His eyes held mine. "Does it?"

"Yes."

He studied me for a second before replying, "That's disappointing."

I crossed my arms. "This is a job now."

"It can be both."

"No," I answered. "It can't."

That only seemed to amuse him more. "We'll have fun together this year," he replied. "Your boss made the right choice by picking you as my girlfriend."

"Fake girlfriend."

"There's no difference, is there?"

I stared at him. The confidence in his voice irritated me. Everything about him irritated me.

"I don't mix work with personal situations," I answered.

Adrian glanced at my mouth briefly before meeting my eyes again. "That's unfortunate," he sighed. "Because I was getting excited to see how this would turn out."

Before I could respond, Ellis walked back toward us. "Adrian has a press conference tomorrow," he explained. "Liana, I need you there."

"Yeah, I'll be there," I answered. It wasn't as if I had a choice to say no.

Ellis nodded. "Good. The public relationship announcement will happen next week. We need photos of you two together before then."

I already hated this.

•••

The meeting finally ended twenty minutes later. I left the building feeling mentally exhausted. By the time I got home, all I wanted was silence.

I dropped my bag onto the kitchen counter and kicked my heels off near the couch before collapsing onto it.

My phone buzzed again. I groaned and grabbed it without checking the number. "Hello?"

"Miss Cross?"

I sat up. "Yes?"

"This is St. Vincent Hospital."

My chest tightened immediately. "Okay…"

"We called to inform you that your father was admitted earlier this afternoon."

I stood up so fast the room spun. "What happened?"

"He suffered complications related to kidney failure," the nurse answered. "His condition became unstable this morning."

I felt my stomach drop. "No," I whispered. "Is he okay?"

"We've stabilized him for now, but the doctor would like to speak with you as soon as possible."

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

My father had been dealing with kidney problems for almost a year, but he kept insisting he was fine, and that he had everything checked out.

And I thought that maybe he didn't want us to bother Chris anymore after his heart valve repair that cost half a million dollars.

"What room is he in?" I asked.

The nurse gave me the floor and room number. "I'll be there soon," I replied before ending the call.

For a second, I just stood there in silence. Everything suddenly felt too heavy.

I was still processing the fact that Chris had cheated on me, and now there was a fake relationship contract with the same guy from the nightclub.

I knew going this was a bad idea.

I let out a shaky breath and grabbed my keys from the counter. Then my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Adrian.

Adrian: "You signed your life away very quickly."

I stared at the text with narrowed eyes. Then another message came in.

Adrian: "After what happened last night, I don't think I'll be able to let this end in us being just colleagues. So, I'm not promising to be on my best behavior."

I almost threw my phone across the room before I walked out of the door and went to my car in the driveway.