All Chapters of Fake Dating My Highschool Bully: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Liam“What the hell? Why is there suddenly a picture of me on the internet?” I asked, standing in front of the window overlooking the beach in Tuscany. I was advised to go MIA—the press wasn’t supposed to care until we’d come up with a solid comeback to counter the news circulating. And now? I’m making headlines. With Maya in them.The fuck?“Liam, we’re working on it. But the news is already spreading—it goes fast when you’re a celebrity. Everyone thinks you have a new girlfriend now,” my mum said, her tone more professional than motherly. Yeah, because she wasn’t just my mum—she was my manager.“I don’t fucking have a girlfriend,” I bit out, my jaw clenching.“We know that. But the public doesn’t, especially with the saga around your ex,” she paused, and I gritted my teeth. Of course, she had to bring that up. That’s the reason I’m here in the first place.“The PR team thinks it would help to introduce a girlfriend now.”“I said I don’t have a girlfriend.”“Yes. But we could arrang

~•Liam•~We sat silently for the next few minutes, both lost in our thoughts. I’d heard her. And it ignited something in me.The realization that she was just like me—if not more broken, more hurt—hit hard. And it made me feel so fucking bad.Because we had history. And not the good kind.I mean, I’m a better person now than I was sixteen years ago. Therapy helped—it fucking did. But that couldn’t erase the pain I’d caused, especially hers.No excuse could justify it. But she made me curious. The new girl in school, with big glasses and long skirts, always sat in the back of the class like no one noticed her.But I did.And I wanted to push her, see how far she’d go before she broke.Funny thing—she never did. She just pressed her lips together and walked away. I never saw a tear.She really was stronger than she thought.And slowly, that curiosity turned into obsession. I was obsessed with seeing her break.Then Dad happened.I was taken from Mum after the divorce and brought to Ital

~•Maya•~“Step back,” Liam growled, smoothly stepping before me and shielding me from the flashes.Saying I was in shock was an understatement. I was watching everything unfold, but I couldn’t process any of it. It was so sudden.“Mr. Carter, what do you have to say about your relationship with Miss Caldwell?” the woman asked, shoving a microphone into Liam’s face.He held one arm out protectively while keeping the other behind me, pushing me back.They even got my name? I shouldn’t be surprised. But hell—it was still shocking.“Step back!” he barked again, but this time at the lady before him. He guided me backward as he stepped with me. This was ridiculous.I never knew celebrities went through this. The media is right in your face the second they smell a story. Sure, I worked in the media, but I did the back-end stuff—the headlines, the copy, the daily reports.I wasn’t the one sticking mics in people’s faces.Ava said I wasn’t cut out for it, since I had minimal interaction skills

~Liam~With the guards outside, no paparazzi showed up the next day. We were supposed to change scenery, but the town was full.And despite how unaffected I acted, I was worried. Not for me—Maya. Poor girl had no idea what she’d be walking into once this blew up. Crazy fans and all.My phone buzzed as I lay sprawled on the bed, not because I wanted to hide up here, but because giving the little brown-haired lady downstairs her space felt necessary. Didn’t help there was only one couch. So yeah, my ass stayed up here.I glanced at the screen. Amber. The head of PR.For a second I considered letting it ring out, but whatever she had to say was probably for my own good. I swiped the call.“Liam!” she shrieked, bubbly as ever. I rubbed my jaw and winced. Oh boy.“Amber,” I returned, curt. Talking to these people drained me. Some days I wished for a normal life—no cameras, no one shoving into my private business.Maya’s flushed face from yesterday slipped into my head, lips pressed tight,

~Maya~It was our first date—or technically, our first fake date.I’d given thought to Liam’s proposal and while it was ridiculous, there was a little sense in it. If I’m going to be tossed into a world I know absolutely nothing about except that it’s toxic, then yeah, I deserved to be paid.A lady had reached out to me. She’d said she was Amber Smith—or whatever she said was her last name.Turns out she works for Liam as his PR manager. She offered to pay three thousand dollars if I agreed to date Liam for the next three months, and if it was going to exceed that, she’d get in touch with me.I made a mental calculation. Something would be happening in the next three months, maybe a movie shoot or something, and they wanted to extend the timeline of this… relationship.Top marketing strategy.Well, three thousand dollars was a big deal for me, and that’s why I was seated across from Liam with a frown on my face and a dozen eyes on us while he took a sip from his pumpkin latte, starin