Chapter 4

The first thing I heard that morning was my phone vibrating like it was possessed.

I ignored it until the noise became unbearable. When I finally checked my screen, I found seventeen missed calls from Olivia and twenty-three messages from Chloe.

What on earth?

I opened Olivia's messages first.

Olivia: MADISON BENNETT!!!

Olivia: WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!

Olivia: GIRL, WHAT IS THIS?!

Olivia: YOU BETTER HAVE A VERY GOOD EXPLANATION.

Confused, I opened Chloe's chat.

Chloe: So you're just going to hide your relationship from us?

I blinked.

Me: What relationship?

Chloe: Madison, please. Don't insult my intelligence.

Me: I'm genuinely confused.

Chloe: Check the link I sent you.

With a growing sense of dread, I clicked the link.

The headline made me sit upright.

DAMON CALLOWAY FINALLY SETTLES DOWN? GT PLAYBOY SPOTTED GETTING CLOSE TO MYSTERY GIRL.

Below it was a photograph of Damon and me during our assessment. He was leaning toward me as we examined the vehicle telemetry, his arm appearing to rest behind my back.

Anyone looking at the picture could easily mistake it for an intimate moment.

I read the caption.

Sources suggest the professional GT racer has grown particularly close to a fellow student. Could the notorious heartbreaker finally have found someone special?

“Someone special?” I exclaimed. “Are these people completely mad?”

The comments were even worse.

Give it two weeks before he dumps her.

Isn't this the same Damon who was spotted with that model last weekend?

Somebody save this girl.

I pressed my fingers against my forehead.

I remembered that moment clearly. Damon had been arguing with me about the telemetry while I tried to concentrate.

There had been nothing romantic about it.

My phone rang again.

Olivia.

“Madison Bennett, what exactly is going on?” she demanded.

“Good morning to you too.”

“Don't good-morning me! Why am I finding out about your relationship with Damon Calloway from a gossip website?”

“Because I don't have a relationship with Damon Calloway!”

There was a brief silence.

Then she asked, “Why does that picture look like he's whispering sweet nothings into your ear?”

“Because the photographer apparently has the imagination of a romance novelist!”

Olivia laughed.

“You're laughing?” I demanded.

“I'm sorry, but this is insane. The whole department is going to see this!”

I closed my eyes.

That was exactly what I was afraid of. I'd worked hard to earn my place in the motorsport development program, and now strangers were discussing my personal life as though they knew me.

“I'm coming to school,” I told her. “And if anyone asks, tell them Damon and I aren't dating. If he ever tries to kiss me, I'll check whether he has a fever.”

Olivia burst out laughing again.

I ended the call.

“Congratulations, Madison,” I muttered. “You've been dating a man in your sleep without even knowing it.”

By the time I arrived at Aurelia Institute of Technology, I'd convinced myself that the situation wasn't as bad as it looked.

People read gossip articles every day. Surely, they'd forget about this one soon enough.

Unfortunately, conversations stopped as I entered the department building. Students whispered behind their hands, and a few looked at me with knowing smiles.

“Madison!”

Olivia hurried toward me with Chloe behind her.

“Tell me everything,” Olivia demanded.

“There's nothing to tell!”

Chloe folded her arms. “You could have told us you were getting close to him.”

“Getting close to him? He was standing behind me because we were looking at a computer screen!”

“I'm just saying what it looks like.”

“And I'm telling you what actually happened.”

Olivia squeezed my arm. “Okay, I believe you. But you have to admit, the picture is suspicious.”

“I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.”

Before she could respond, a familiar voice interrupted us.

“Well, well. Look who's famous.”

I turned.

Damon Calloway approached with his hands in his pockets, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Call me that again, and you'll need a new set of teeth.”

Olivia made a choking sound.

Damon grinned. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“Someone woke up and discovered that the internet thinks she's dating an overgrown ego with a driver's licence.”

His eyebrows rose. “So you've seen the article.”

“No, Damon. I simply woke up with a sudden urge to threaten your dental health.”

He laughed.

“Why are you laughing?” I demanded.

“Because you're adorable when you're angry.”

“Are you mentally unwell?”

“Possibly. My doctor hasn't confirmed it.”

I stepped closer. “This isn't funny. People think we're together!”

“I noticed.”

“And you're just standing here smiling? You're Damon Calloway. People expect you to have a new woman every week. I'm supposed to be focusing on becoming an engineer, not auditioning to be your next heartbreak victim!”

His expression changed briefly. “Relax, Madison. It's a gossip article. It'll blow over.”

“Easy for you to say! I earned my place in this program, and I won't have people thinking I got here because I'm sleeping with you.”

His smile disappeared. “That's not going to happen.”

“You don't know that.”

“I'll handle it.”

I folded my arms. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

“Leave it to me.”

I hated those words.

Before I could respond, he stepped away.

“See you at the program briefing, sweetheart.”

“Stop calling me that!”

He waved casually and walked off.

I turned to Olivia and Chloe, who were both struggling to contain their smiles.

“Not a word,” I warned.

Neither answered.

Traitors.

By lunchtime, the rumours had spread throughout the department. Someone had posted the article in the group chat, and students were debating whether Damon and I had been secretly dating before the assessment.

One person even claimed I'd deliberately chosen to stand beside him.

I put my phone facedown before I did something that might get me removed from the program.

While packing my notes, I was approached by one of the girls who had questioned my assignment the previous day.

“So, Madison, is it true?”

“What?”

“You and Damon.”

“No.”

She looked unconvinced. “You can tell us. We won't judge you.”

I smiled without humour.

“That's generous of you, considering you've been judging me since yesterday.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she walked away.

I shoved my notebook into my bag.

This was ridiculous. I hadn't asked Damon to stand close to me or anyone to photograph us. Yet somehow, I was the one defending herself.

As I left the building, my phone vibrated.

Unknown: We need to talk about the article.

I immediately recognised the situation.

Another message appeared.

Unknown: Don't ignore me, Madison.

Damon Calloway.

I typed a reply.

Me: Unless you're texting to announce that you've developed common sense, I have nothing to discuss with you.

His response arrived seconds later.

Damon: Funny. I was about to suggest we give them something worth talking about.

I stopped walking.

I read the message twice, hoping I'd misunderstood.

I hadn't.

That arrogant, infuriating man had somehow turned a ridiculous rumour into an even bigger problem.

And judging by his message, he was only getting started.

I'd joined the motorsport development program to prove I was good enough to become an engineer.

I hadn't signed up to become Damon Calloway's girlfriend. But something told me he wasn't going to let the rumours die quietly.