

Fake It Till We Make It
Drunk and desperate, I claimed I was dating Damian, the richest bachelor in town. He agreed to be my fake boyfriend, but with a catch: move in and pretend for real. Now our fake romance is viral. What could go wrong?The tequila burned going down, but not as much as the silence after I said it.\n\n'I’m dating Damian Vale.'\n\nThree words. One catastrophic lie. The entire lounge froze—glasses halfway to lips, laughter cut short. My best friend Maya choked on her cocktail. Across the room, someone filmed it. Of course they did.\n\nBy morning, #DamianAndMe was trending. Memes. Articles. A TikTok dance challenge.\n\nPanic clawed up my throat. I needed damage control. So I did the dumbest thing possible—I called him.\n\nHis voice was low, amused. 'You’ve got five seconds to explain why I shouldn’t sue you into oblivion.'\n\nI stammered an apology, ready to beg.\n\nInstead, he said, 'Move in. Two months. Full pretense. We play happy couple until the hype dies.'\n\n'Wait—what?'\n\n'You wanted to be with me? Now you are. But on my terms.'\n\nNow I’m standing outside his penthouse door, suitcase in hand, heart pounding. This is insane. Dangerous.\n\nBut what if I don’t want to pretend anymore?
