All Chapters of Power Play With My Fake Boyfriend : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

CHAPTER 11: OFF THE RECORDIvy's POVI found the one quiet corner backstage, a supply closet turned into a green room, and hid there for ten minutes trying to get my heartbeat under control before the segment started.The door opened. Nate slipped in and shut it behind him."You're not supposed to be in here," I said."Neither are you, technically.""I got here first.""Squatter's rights don't apply to reality TV closets."I almost laughed, but the nerves in his voice caught me off guard before the sound made it out. Nate Callahan didn't get nervous. Not visibly. Not like this, hands shoved in his pockets, shifting his weight like the floor might give out."You okay?" I asked."No." He huffed a short laugh, humorless. "Not even a little.""It's one question.""It's one question on live television in front of a few million people, about the one thing I don't actually know how to talk about.""Which is?"He looked at me like the answer was obvious, like I should already know."Ivy." He

CHAPTER 13: THE COST OF WINNINGIvy's POVI called the financial aid office myself the next morning, and the woman on the other end read me a paragraph of legal language that took three tries before it made any sense."Wait," I said. "Say that part again. About the funding source.""Your brother's scholarship renewal is tied to a corporate sponsorship agreement," she said. "One connected to the university's media partnerships. It appears the terms were quietly restructured last month.""Restructured how?""I'm not authorized to go into detail. You'd need to speak with the sponsorship office directly."I already knew what that meant before I hung up. The show. The network. Somebody had buried Ethan's scholarship inside a contract clause, one more lever to make sure I stayed exactly where they wanted me, doing exactly what they wanted me to do.I didn't tell Nate right away. I told myself it wasn't his problem.He found me anyway, because he always did, sitting on the back steps with my

CHAPTER 15: TWO PEOPLE, ONE QUESTIONIvy's POVI woke up still thinking about the porch. About his voice dropping low, about the way he'd said I'm not sure I want to like separating the two things had stopped being an option for him a while ago.I didn't reply to the message from last night. I told myself I'd get to it later. Later kept not arriving.Nate found me by the pool before filming, two coffees in hand again, though this time he didn't say a word about remembering my order. He just handed it over like it was already understood between us."Morning," he said."Morning.""You look like you didn't sleep.""I had a lot on my mind.""Good things or bad things?""Confusing things."He sat down beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. "Want to talk about it?""Not really. Not yet.""Okay." He didn't push, which somehow made it easier to almost tell him anyway."Can I ask you something?" I said instead."Anything.""Do you ever feel like you don't know what's real anymore?

CHAPTER 17: THE RETREATIvy's POV"Couples' retreat," the producer announced over breakfast, way too pleased with herself. "Top four pairs. Forty-eight hours. Private lakeside house. Minimal crew, minimal cameras."The room erupted. Marcus nearly fell off his chair."Minimal cameras," I repeated. "That's a first."Nate leaned over, low enough only I could hear. "Don't get used to it. They'll make up for it after.""Worth it anyway.""Definitely worth it."The house sat right on the water, wood and glass and quiet in a way the mansion never managed. Two cameras total, mounted high in the corners, easy to forget existed once the first hour passed."This is insane," I said, standing in the doorway of our room. Actual windows. Actual silence. "There's no one filming us brushing our teeth.""Groundbreaking.""I might cry.""Save it for the emotional segment they're definitely still filming somewhere."We fell into something slower almost immediately. Coffee on the porch instead of a rushed

CHAPTER 19: BACK TO REALITYIvy's POVThe mansion felt smaller the second I walked back through the door. Louder too, cameras waiting in the entryway like they'd missed us, producers already talking over each other about the day's schedule."Forty-eight hours and I already forgot how loud this place is," I said."Welcome back to the cage," Marcus said, passing by with a tray of something. "Hope you enjoyed the fresh air."Nate caught my eye across the room, the same tired amusement on his face I felt in my chest. We didn't get more than a look before producers pulled us in separate directions for wardrobe.It was barely past noon when everything fell apart.I heard it before I understood it, phones buzzing across the mansion all at once, contestants clustering around screens, someone saying my name in a tone that made my stomach drop before I'd even seen anything."Ivy." Marcus held his phone toward me, face unreadable. "You need to see this."The headline alone was enough. Reality Ro