Chapter 02

Leonard and Vivian were together and were going to get married.

I still blamed myself for letting her fool me for so long.

Now, my lie forced me to act. I needed to restore my reputation, and the only way to do that was to appear in public beside a man everyone believed to be my boyfriend, an important, wealthy man.

The engagement date was set, and I still hadn’t found the man to pretend to be my boyfriend. Even though I doubted my ability to find someone willing to help me, it was too late to back out. Everyone on campus was talking about it.

I went into my room to try to focus when my phone flashed with a new notification:

“Premium Escort Services. Find your perfect match for exclusive events.”

I grabbed the phone. I had subscribed to those notifications in a moment of despair. Immediately, I wrote down the address and started getting ready.

I took my purse and shoved inside it the card with all my savings. I didn’t look up any reviews and didn’t check the website’s safety. Not only that, but I looked only at the address and at the money I was about to spend. It didn’t matter if it cost fifteen thousand dollars; I needed to end this, to prove to Leonard, Vivian, and everyone else that I wasn’t the slut they said I was.

I walked off campus. The starry night caught me by surprise. As the door opened, I looked at the sky and didn’t notice Vivian standing in front of me; I bumped into her. Her face, half-hidden in the shadows, made me cover my lips to keep from screaming.

She looked into my eyes. That should have scared her, but it didn’t.

“Where are you going?” she raised an eyebrow. “You never leave campus.”

I felt her ardent gaze on me. A strange feeling arose, as if Vivian had been watching me.

“We’re not friends anymore, so I don’t have to explain anything to you.”

I lifted my eyes to her, her thick lashes blinking, disbelief flashing across her face at what she’d just heard. Something dangerous stirred inside me, and my face burned like embers. I shifted my body, ready to leave, when Vivian gripped my arm.

Her nails dug into my skin, scraping it raw.

“Imagine the rumors tomorrow about what you do when you sneak out of campus at night.”

She was threatening me again. Challenging her was foolish. I could get expelled from the university for confronting the dean’s niece.

I shrugged, unwilling to answer right away, when Leonard’s voice interrupted Vivian’s intentions. Looking into his eyes still felt uncomfortable, but my hands trembled when Vivian released me, and I realized my skin was bleeding and stinging.

“Hi, my love.” Vivian threw herself into his arms, and Leonard smiled. “Can you believe Roberta wants to leave the university? She’s going to meet her rich boyfriend.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked once more at the man I still loved. His gaze was so cold that a death sentence would have hurt less than his disdain. Leonard laughed; he didn’t believe I could have a boyfriend. No one did, but I was ready to prove them wrong.

“You’re right. I’m going to see him.” My voice was soft as always, but it cracked. “It would be terrible if I couldn’t go to your engagement party with my boyfriend. You’re dying to meet him.”

Vivian fell silent, exchanging looks with Leonard. He rolled his eyes, tired of being there. He wrapped his arm around Vivian’s waist. My heart pounded with pain. I shouldn’t suffer for a man who rejected me and helped destroy me, but a love like that didn’t seem easy to forget.

“Tomorrow we’ll see if there’s really a man in this city brave enough to date you, or if you’re just making up this story to cover up your mistake.”

It took me a few seconds to realize Leonard was talking to me. His voice sounded so dry when he spoke to me. My face must have revealed what I felt, because Vivian spoke next:

“No one will know you left; after all, we have no idea what you’re plotting.”

She laughed, scanning me from head to toe before finally walking away. As they grew more distant, my knees weakened. Leonard opened his arms, and Vivian fit herself between them. He pulled her close and kissed her lips.

It hurt like knives piercing my chest. Tears welled in my eyes. I had to live with that pain every day, and I had no idea when it would end.

I turned back toward the street, focusing only on my mission. Likewise, I could barely remember the last time I’d left those walls. I had been so focused on my studies that I forgot there was life beyond them, a life I needed to live. The driver I’d called through the app was already waiting outside. The city lights sparkled in my eyes, the streets alive with movement.

The car stopped in front of a luxury hotel downtown. The neon sign glowed:

The Sovereign Lounge.

My heart froze.

Was I really going to do this? Pay a fortune for a man I didn’t know to pretend to be my boyfriend?

I was one step away from giving up. I could make up an excuse to Vivian. But if I did that, I would be ruined forever. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, smiling at the driver to hide my trembling hands.

I adjusted my glasses, which kept sliding down my thin face. My faded Converse and the old dress that hung below my knees made me feel like a freak. But there was no time to think about that.

I walked timidly into the lounge, looking around. Instead of an agency, I found a luxury bar filled with business executives in suits and women dressed to impress.

My heart raced. I cleared my throat and approached the best-dressed man near the check-in counter, the hotel receptionist.

“I want an escort,” I said, my voice hoarse and weak.

He turned to me, and I saw surprise in his eyes. The professional suppression of any judgment was almost immediate. He cleared his throat.

“For what kind of event? And for how many days?”

“For an engagement,” I said, gaining a little confidence. “I want the most expensive man you have.”

My eyes narrowed past the receptionist, fixing on a man leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone. He wasn’t wearing a suit, but the black T-shirt clung to him like it had been tailor-made, and his wristwatch gleamed with understated luxury. He looked dangerous, powerful. Furthermore, he was the most handsome man I had ever seen.

Not only that, but he lifted his gaze and met mine.

“I want that man,” I said, pointing at him. “I’ll pay for him to pretend to be my boyfriend for a month.”