“Don’t move.”
Jace Maddox froze when he heard the voice behind him. His hand hovered over the espresso machine. It was just past four in the morning, his usual hour for coffee. But the night had been ruined, and so had his routine.
He turned slowly, eyes meeting the masked man standing in his kitchen. The intruder was tall, dressed in black, holding a knife like he knew how to use it. Jace stayed calm. He always did.
“I don’t keep money here,” he said. “And I don’t panic. So whatever you want, say it now.”
The man didn’t answer. He stepped forward, blade raised.
But before the knife could reach Jace, someone slammed into the attacker from the side. The man was pinned down with brutal force. The knife clattered to the marble floor. Grunts filled the room as the two men struggled, but it ended quickly.
The masked man didn’t get back up.
Jace stood frozen for a second before the other man rose to his feet, breathing heavily.
He was taller than Jace. Strong. Sharp hazel-green eyes locked onto him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
Jace stared at him. “Who are you?”
“River Hale. Private security. Your team hired me.”
“You weren’t supposed to start until Friday.”
River’s face stayed unreadable. “I started early.”
Jace’s gaze dropped to the unconscious man on the floor. “You think this was random?”
“No,” River said. “I think someone’s coming after you.”
The police showed up twenty minutes later. So did Sasha Lin, Jace’s PR manager. She looked like she hadn’t slept, which she hadn’t, and cursed all the way into the living room.
“Jesus, Jace, you couldn’t just stick to boring scandals?”
Jace sat on the arm of his leather chair, sipping his untouched espresso. “I didn’t invite him in.”
“You know what’s worse than a break-in at 4 a.m.? A viral video of your bodyguard tackling someone in your penthouse, and covering your body like he’s protecting his boyfriend.”
Jace blinked. “What?”
“Yeah. That neighbor from the building across yours? They filmed the whole thing. It’s everywhere. T*****r. TikTok. YouTube. People are shipping you two already.”
“I don’t even know him,” Jace muttered.
River, standing by the wall, didn’t react.
Sasha flipped her laptop around and hit play. A grainy video showed River lunging, tackling the masked man, then bracing one arm protectively across Jace's chest as he shielded him. The frame froze on that image.
“Look at this,” Sasha said. “It’s gold for drama. Bad for your image.”
“It’s a misunderstanding,” Jace said flatly.
Sasha raised an eyebrow. “To you, sure. But to the internet? It’s a romance novel in motion.”
“I’m not interested in playing pretend.”
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Sasha snapped. “Crane’s been circling for months. He’ll use this to raise hell at the board meeting. He’ll call you reckless, unstable, secretive….”
“I am secretive,” Jace muttered.
“Exactly! That’s the problem. People fear what they don’t understand. Right now, you look like a recluse billionaire caught up in a midnight tryst with his hired muscle. We have to give them a cleaner version of the story.”
“Then deny it,” River said flatly. “This fake rumor? Just shut it down.”
Sasha glanced at him. “We could. But that won’t stop the fire. If we deny it now, it’ll look like we’re hiding something.”
Jace frowned. “So what’s the alternative?”
“We give them what they want,” Sasha said. “We play along. Just for a while. A fake relationship. Make you look more human, more relatable. The investors will calm down.”
Jace stared at her. “You want me to pretend to date my bodyguard?”
“Only until things settle. A couple of hand-holding moments, maybe an interview. You don’t even have to talk much. Just... smile occasionally.”
River snorted. “He doesn’t even know how to do that.”
“I do,” Jace said defensively.
River tilted his head. “When? In your sleep?”
Sasha waved her hands between them. “See? This banter? People will eat it up.”
“I don’t like manipulation,” Jace said.
Sasha exhaled. “It’s PR, not manipulation. We’re painting a picture that makes you look like less of a machine and more like a man.”
Jace hated attention. But he hated losing control more.
He turned to River. “Would you agree to this?”
River’s expression darkened. “Do I have a choice?”
“You can walk. I won’t stop you.”
River was silent for a long moment. He looked down at the unconscious man again, then back at Jace.
“What do I have to do?” he asked.
“Public appearances,” Sasha cut in. “Photos. A few events, maybe a cozy moment or two and definitely no more saving him shirtless, no matter how good the lighting is.”
River ignored her. “This isn’t what I signed up for.”
“No,” Jace agreed. “But someone broke in with a knife. That wasn’t random. You think this is just about PR? I want to know who sent him. Why now.”
River’s jaw tightened. “Then we’re on the same page. I’ll fake it. But only because someone’s clearly after you. And I want to know why.”
Later that night, Sasha sent out a carefully crafted press release confirming the “relationship.” The media ran with it. Jace’s stock stopped falling. Crane didn’t say a word. Not yet anyways.
River stood in front of Jace, arms crossed, eyes hard.
“This wasn’t the plan,” he said.
“No,” Jace replied. “It’s better than being seen as weak.”
River stepped closer, voice low. “You want to fake this? Fine. But let’s get one thing straight…..”
Jace looked up at him. “What?”
River’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t fall for men like you.”
