Fake Dating, My Foot. I Love You!
"This is just for show," I whispered.
Then Damien kissed me harder.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing harder than they should have, Damien rested his forehead against mine .
"That... wasn't part of the plan."
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One fake relationship. Two best friends. And feelings neither of them expected.
When Ava Bennett's childhood best friend, Damien Cole, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to get rid of his possessive ex, she thinks he's completely lost his mind.
But she agrees, with three simple rules: no catching feelings, no unnecessary kissing, and no confusing fiction with reality.
Easy enough, right?
Wrong.
Between fake dates, unexpected jealousy, and kisses that feel a little too real, their friendship begins to change in ways Ava never anticipated.
Now she's left wondering if Damien is just playing his part or if something between them has changed forever.
He's her best friend. Falling for him was never part of the deal.
But what happens when fake dating becomes dangerously real?
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Chapter: An Unexpected VisitorBy Monday morning, I had decided I was done thinking about Natalie.It was a temporary decision, obviously. I wasn't delusional enough to believe a woman connected to Damien's mysterious past would simply disappear from my thoughts because I wanted her to.But I could try.I had work to do, chapters to write, and a life that didn't revolve around investigating my best friend's questionable history.At least, that was the plan.My phone rang while I was making breakfast.Damien.I answered without looking at the screen.“Before you say anything, I'm not investigating your past today.”He laughed.“Good morning to you too.”“I'm setting boundaries.”“Congratulations.”“What do you want?”“Lunch.”I stopped spreading butter on my toast.“Excuse me?”“I was asking if you'd have lunch with me.”“That's a very dramatic way to invite someone to eat.”“Would you prefer a formal invitation?”“With flowers.”“I'll consider it.”I smiled.“Fine. Where?”“I'll pick you up at one.”“Don't be late.
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: A Friend's WarningI read the message at least five times.Unknown: Some people don't approach you because they like you. Sometimes they have other reasons.It wasn't the first strange message I'd received, but this one felt different.Perhaps because it had arrived shortly after my afternoon with Ethan.Or perhaps because Damien's warning suddenly made more sense than I wanted it to.Maya leaned over my shoulder.“Have you told Damien?”“Not yet.”“Why?”I locked my phone.“Because I don't want him turning this into another investigation involving people from his past.”“Ava, someone is clearly watching what you do.”“I know.”“Then you should tell him.”I sighed.“I will.”Maya gave me a knowing look.“And you should probably be careful with that Ethan guy.”I turned toward her.“Not you too.”“I'm not saying he's suspicious. I'm saying you barely know him.”“He's been perfectly nice.”“I'm sure he has. Just don't rush into trusting him because he bought you coffee.”I stared at her.“First of all, he
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: Coffee And ComplicationsSaturday arrived with sunshine, an empty schedule, and one problem.I had absolutely no idea what to wear.I stood in front of my wardrobe, holding two different outfits while Maya watched me from the edge of my bed.“You've been doing that for twenty minutes,” she said.“I'm making an important decision.”“It's coffee, Ava. Not a royal wedding.”I turned to her.“Why does everyone keep acting like coffee isn't important?”“Because it's coffee.”I looked down at the outfits again.One was a simple blue dress. The other was a pair of jeans with a fitted white top.“Which one?”Maya examined them.“The jeans.”“Why?”“Because you look comfortable in them.”I narrowed my eyes.“You're not helping.”She laughed.“Fine. Wear the dress if you want to impress him.”“I'm not trying to impress anybody.”“Of course not.”I threw a pillow at her.She caught it, still laughing.“Wait. Is this the same guy who bought you muffins?”“Yes.”“The charming one?”“I didn't say he was charming.”“You smi
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The Things We Don't SayI was beginning to hate unknown numbers.Not because they were particularly frightening, but because they had developed an annoying habit of ruining perfectly good mornings.My phone buzzed while I was brushing my teeth.I glanced at the screen.Unknown Number: Did you sleep well, Ava?I stopped brushing.Seriously?Another message appeared.Unknown Number: I hope Damien's secrets aren't keeping you awake.I rinsed my mouth and picked up the phone.“Whoever you are, get a hobby,” I muttered.I took a screenshot and forwarded it to Damien.His response came almost immediately.Damien: Don't reply.Me: Good morning to you too.Damien: Ava, I'm serious.Me: So am I. Whoever this person is, they need a life.Damien: I'll call you in a minute.I tossed the phone onto my bed and finished getting ready.A few minutes later, it rang.“Good morning,” I answered.“Morning. Did you receive any other messages?”“Just the one I sent you.”“Okay. I've spoken to someone who might be able to help ide
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: A Little Too ComfortableBy Friday morning, I had come to one important conclusion.Pretending to be Damien Cole’s girlfriend was exhausting.Not because of the hand-holding, the fake smiles, or the occasional public display of affection. Those were manageable.The real problem was Damien himself.He had apparently decided that being my fake boyfriend gave him unlimited permission to disturb my peace.My phone buzzed while I was getting dressed.Damien: Good morning, beautiful.I stared at the message.Me: Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?Damien: Your best friend is busy being an excellent boyfriend.Me: He's doing a terrible job.Damien: That's hurtful. I haven't even brought you breakfast yet.I was still typing a reply when another message appeared.Damien: Check outside.I frowned and walked to the window.Sure enough, Damien's car was parked across the street. He leaned against the driver's door, holding two takeaway cups and a paper bag.I shook my head.Of course.I grabbed my ba
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The Man Who Got Me CoffeeI had a problem.Actually, I had several problems, but one of them was currently sitting on my couch while I stared at my phone like it had personally betrayed me.Unknown: Someone who knows what happened that night.I read the message again.Then I locked my phone.Then I unlocked it.Then I considered throwing it out the window.Unfortunately, my phone was expensive, and I wasn't financially stable enough to let mysterious strangers ruin my investment.So I did the next best thing.I called Damien.He answered on the second ring."Miss me already?""Don't flatter yourself.""Ouch. Good afternoon to you too.""It's afternoon.""That's what I said."I rolled my eyes."Damien, did you tell anyone we were meeting at the diner?""No. Why?"I swallowed."Someone knew."The teasing disappeared from his voice."What do you mean?"I explained the messages, reading each one aloud.By the time I finished, Damien had gone completely silent."Damien?""I'm here.""Say something.""Take screensho
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
The CEO's Intern
"Take it off" he commanded
"Okay ,Boss" I replied, breathing heavily .
"Don't call me Boss ," he growled ,his voice low.
"Outside of work , I'm Luca or Daddy. Got it ?" "Okay... Daddy."
"That's a good girl"
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At twenty-three, Kayda Williams never imagined that becoming an intern at Romano Enterprises would bring her anywhere near the man she had admired from magazine covers for years.Luca Romano is forty-eight, powerful, wealthy, and famously unmarried. He has everything except an heir and a past he's willing to discuss.Kayda's life changes when she discovers that the untouchable CEO has been secretly paying attention to her.But there's more to Luca's interest than attraction.When Kayda discovers her family's name hidden inside Luca's private files, she realizes their connection began long before she walked through the doors of Romano Enterprises.As secrets emerge and enemies close in, Kayda must decide whether she can trust the man who has captured her heart.Because falling for the CEO may be dangerous.But discovering why he wanted her in the first place could be even more dangerous.
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Chapter: The Record They Couldn't DestroyBy the time we returned to Manhattan, I had reached one conclusion.Someone had gone to considerable lengths to keep my father's records hidden, and whoever that person was had never expected us to find Box 0417.Unfortunately for them, we had.Unfortunately for me, the box had raised more questions than it answered."You're awfully quiet," Luca remarked as we approached the city."I'm thinking.""That's usually when you get yourself into trouble."I turned toward him. "Are you saying I should stop thinking?""Not a chance. I'd never hear the end of it."I laughed despite myself.The moment passed quickly, but it reminded me that beneath Luca's controlled exterior was a man capable of teasing me without turning every conversation into a business meeting.Then I remembered the missing register."Do you think the person who removed it knew we'd find Box 0417?""I think someone knew the box existed and wanted to make sure we couldn't access everything inside it.""But why leave the other
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: What The Archive KeptLuca's message arrived at seven the following morning.I'm downstairs. We need to leave now if we're going to reach the estate before the legal team arrives.I grabbed my handbag, checked that the old key was still tucked inside its small pocket, and hurried out of my apartment.Luca stood beside his car, speaking to Daniel Mercer. His expression was serious, and a folder rested beneath his arm.When he saw me, he ended the conversation."Did you bring everything you need?""I think so.""Good. We have permission to examine the transfer records, but the legal team has restricted access to the original archive.""So we can't just open Box 0417?""Not without documenting everything first."I sighed. "I suppose that would be too easy."A faint smile touched his face."Nothing about your family seems to be easy."I wanted to argue, but he opened the car door before I could.As we drove away from Manhattan, I watched the city gradually give way to quieter roads.I couldn't stop thinking ab
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The Man Who Never Came BackI arrived at Romano Enterprises earlier than usual the next morning.I had barely slept after speaking to Luca. His explanation about recognizing my family name had answered one question, but it had left several others untouched.Why had my name appeared in the company's records before I applied for the internship?Who had connected my family to the Romano estate?And why had my grandmother hidden a box that someone had apparently searched for years ago?I placed my handbag beneath my desk and opened my laptop.Before I could begin searching through the ordinary company records, an email notification appeared.From: Victoria HaleSubject: Historical Archive UpdatePlease meet me in the executive records room at 9:00 a.m. I found something concerning the old estate visitor registers.My pulse quickened.Victoria rarely sent emails when a conversation would do. If she had put something in writing, she probably wanted a record of the request.I checked the time.Eight forty-seven.I clos
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The BoxLuca and I hurried toward the security office.For the first time since this mystery began, we had found something that connected the missing records from 1988 directly to my family. Someone had classified a document under the Williams name, hidden it in restricted legal storage, and now appeared to be trying to access it.I couldn't stop thinking about one question.What had my grandfather promised?"Has security identified the person who attempted to access the register?" Luca asked when we entered the office.Daniel Mercer, the head of corporate security, stood beside a computer displaying the company's access logs."Not yet, sir. The system recorded an authentication attempt, but the user identification was incomplete.""How is that possible?""Someone used an administrative override. The request originated from a terminal inside the building, but the account details were partially erased."Luca's expression hardened."Can you recover them?""We're working on it.""Then keep worki
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The Name They BuriedI barely slept that night.The visitor log lay on my kitchen table, its photocopied pages illuminated by the light above my stove.Thomas Williams.Richard Romano.Unknown Female.Child — accompanying female.Four entries. One evening. One promise that had somehow survived thirty-eight years of silence.I picked up my phone and reread the final message.FIND OUT WHAT YOUR GRANDFATHER PROMISED.Whoever was contacting me knew exactly what I had discovered. But instead of giving me answers, they kept pushing me toward another question.I turned the visitor log over.At the bottom of the page, I noticed a small reference number I hadn't paid attention to before.RF-06/17.I wrote it in my notebook.If the visitor log had been preserved somewhere, there might be other records connected to the same reference. I only needed to find out where to look.By eight thirty the following morning, I was back at Romano Enterprises.I hadn't even reached the elevators when Victoria approached me."Kayd
Last Updated: 2026-11-13
Chapter: The Day BeforeThe date wouldn't leave my mind.June 17, 1988.The day before the promise.The day before my grandfather stood beside that woman and the little girl.The day before someone decided my family had a responsibility to protect someone.I stared at the photograph until my eyes hurt.The man in the background was still barely visible.But now that I'd noticed him, I couldn't unsee him.He was standing behind the building's window.Watching.Just like someone had been watching me eighteen years later.I zoomed in again.The image became grainy.The man's face was impossible to make out.But there was something on his wrist.A watch.Silver.With a small dark symbol.The same symbol.I slowly lowered my phone.That couldn't be a coincidence.Could it?---I called Maya again."Did Mom tell you anything about June 17, 1988?"There was silence."How do you know that date?""I found something.""Kayda, what exactly are you finding?""I don't know yet.""That's not reassuring.""I know."She sig
Last Updated: 2026-11-12
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