LOVE WAS NOT IN THE CONTRACT

The doors bounce back open with a mechanical whoosh.No. No, please, not now.Adrian Knight stands there.For a second, we just stare at each other. Him in his perfect charcoal suit, expression unreadable. Me with my composure hanging by a thread, that three paycheck dress feeling like the most expensive mistake I’ve ever made.Of all the people who could have followed me. Ryan’s boss. The man whose cold voice agreed these events require polish.“Ms. Bennett.” His voice is low. Controlled. Nothing like the cold authority I heard earlier.I press back against the elevator wall, trapped. Every instinct screams at me to say something, apologize maybe, but my throat has closed up entirely.He steps inside.The doors slide shut behind him.We’re alone in this small metal box, and I can feel the breakdown coming. My hands shake. I clasp them together, pressing them against my stomach, willing myself to hold on just a little longer.“I’m sorry,” I manage. The words come out rough, scraped ra

Two weeks.Two weeks of dodging Ryan’s calls. Two weeks of watching clients ghost me. Two weeks of Mia threatening to expose Ryan on her blog while I beg her not to.Two weeks of Adrian Knight’s assistant leaving voicemails I delete without calling back.“Zara, you’re coming to dinner tonight.”My mother’s voice isn’t asking.“Mom, I have a deadline…”“You always have a deadline. This is important. A family friend wants to discuss a potential business opportunity with you.”I pause, paintbrush hovering over the fabric sample I’m working on. “What kind of business opportunity?”“Interior design, what else? He’s opening a new hotel chain and needs someone creative.” She sounds pleased with herself. “I told him all about your work. He’s very interested.”My chest tightens with hope I can’t afford to feel. A hotel chain. Multiple projects. Exactly what I need to rebuild after losing Morrison.“What’s his name?”“Does it matter? Just be at Lombardi’s at seven. Wear something nice.”She han

Victor Shaw’s office is nothing like Adrian’s.Where Adrian’s space is all clean lines, Victor’s is organized chaos. Schedules pinned to corkboards. Color coded calendars covering a wall. Stacks of folders labeled with names from gossip magazines.Command central for Adrian Knight’s life.“Sit.” Victor gestures to the chair without looking up from his tablet. “We have forty seven minutes, so let’s make this efficient.”I sit. “Good morning to you too.”He finally looks at me over his reading glasses. “Ms. Bennett, I don’t do pleasantries when there’s work to be done. You signed a contract yesterday that makes you Adrian Knight’s public girlfriend. That means you’re now part of his brand, and I manage that brand with extreme precision.”“His brand.”“His image. His reputation. The carefully constructed public persona that keeps Knight Corporation’s stock prices stable and his family satisfied.” Victor pulls out a thick binder and drops it on the desk between us. “This is your bible for

I’ve changed outfits three times.My apartment floor is covered in rejected clothes and crumpled confidence.“You look fine,” Mia says from my bed. “More than fine. You look hot.”“I look like I’m trying too hard.”“You’re going to a charity gala with a billionaire. You’re supposed to try hard.”I stare at myself in the mirror. The navy dress fits perfectly. My hair is swept up after forty YouTube tutorials. Minimal jewelry.I look like me trying to be someone else.“What if I trip?” I turn to Mia. “What if I say something stupid? What if I forget the fake origin story and accidentally tell someone we met because my ex called me ordinary?”“Then you’ll be human.” Mia sets down her phone. “Zara, you’re spiraling.”“I’m realistic.”“You’re panicking.” She stands, walks over, and takes my shoulders. “Listen to me. You walked into that dinner and dumped Ryan in front of everyone. You told Adrian Knight you’d rather walk away than let him buy you clothes. You are not the girl who falls apa

Adrian drives in silence before speaking.“That went well.”I stare at him. “Your grandmother gave us a three month deadline and threatened to intervene. That’s well?”“She didn’t throw you out. That’s progress.”“The bar is underground.”He almost smiles. “Eleanor likes you.”“She threatened us.”“That’s how she shows affection. Cold politeness is her actual weapon.” Adrian turns down a side street. “She suspects something. That’s different from knowing.”“Three months is half our timeline.”“Which means we need to be more convincing, faster.” He pulls into a parking garage. “Photos are easy. Living together is harder.”I blink. “What?”“Eleanor’s going to watch closely. Drop by unannounced. Ask neighbors questions.” He turns to me. “She’ll notice we live in different apartments. That I’ve never stayed over.”“What are you suggesting?”“We need to look more integrated. You keep things at my place. I keep things at yours. Just enough to be believable.”“Fake living together.”“Fake th