Fake It Till We Make It Book Novels & Stories

"A grubby schmuck waltzing into Regal International? Security! What's this place coming to, letting in street scum? It's revolting!" His cronies piled on. "Hey, don't soil the rugs." "Mark, remember? This guy is all principled, claiming money means nothing. Now that his gimpy girlfriend is history, he is here trolling for a rich benefactress?" Their malicious cackles reverberated through the lobby. Enduring their fabricated slander, I fixed Mark with a steely glare and ground my teeth. "Back off!" Mark's expression soured. "Say that again!" He lunged forward, shoving me with brutal strength.

I was wearing my leather jacket over a black button-down, a giant middle finger to the sea of penguin suits below. My phone buzzed in my pocket. 11:42 PM. In eighteen minutes, I’d be nineteen. In eighteen minutes, the trust my mother set up—the one my father had spent a decade trying to find a loophole to dissolve—would legally drop into my lap. It was the "winning" move. With that money, I could buy Lila a life that didn't involve Sterling bribes or Vale threats. I could buy our freedom. “You look like you’re planning a heist,” a voice said beside me.

"All right, Mr. Heathrow. Now let's discuss strategy. Believability is the first rule of fake relationships. The general public must purchase it. Therefore, even if the story is completely made up, it must have an authentic feel. With a hint of humor returning to his voice, he said, "And you've already nixed the storm stranded strangers in a tiny motel room' version?""Unfortunately, yes,"she sighed. "Too ridiculous for a professional sportsman. It shouts "one-night stand,"not "soulmates."We require something relatable and uncliched that evokes a sense of destiny.

“The terms. The arrangement. The… fake love story we now have to parade to the entire world because I couldn’t handle being humiliated.” Dante leaned back against the sofa, watching me like he was waiting for a performance. “Go on.” Fine. He wanted rules? He’d get them. “Rule One,” I said, pacing the length of the suite. “We sell it. All of it. The public wants a fairy tale, so that’s what we’ll give them. Photos, kisses, handholding, the whole charade. If we’re in a room together, we look like a couple that can’t keep their hands off each other. No exceptions.”

To wake up knowing I was Harper Williams, an independent entity and not tied to a billionaire because I couldn’t afford to pay my mother’s bills or my personal bills. I felt like an impostor, which wasn’t a new feeling. The Impostor Syndrome- it always happened to me. And after last night’s disaster, it seemed to worsen. I looked at Xavier while he was working on his laptop. What did he think of me? Did he think I was attractive? Fake relationship aside, would I be the kind of person he’d want to be with? Maybe, because I was already a replacement for a woman he once loved. What an insufferable coincidence.

Maddie voiced out. It had been really tough, dealing with the aftermath of the traumatizing event that happened to her, that is her getting raped, pregnant, and then loosing the baby during delivery after keeping him despite her parents disapproval. She had been broken but she hadn't stayed down. She hadn't been able to deal with what it was doing to her family, seeing her suffer so much. So she had gotten back on her feet, or at least faked that she had. She had faked that she was alright, gone to college, ditched therapy… Fake it until you make it, that was the motto she had employed.

“Don’t we all?” My brows furrow at his words as I don’t quite understand what he is saying. On the outside, he looks like he has his shit together, but I could be wrong as looks can be quite deceiving, so I’ve recently just learned. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret, spitfire. Fake it till you make it and when you think you’ve reached your peak, there is always room to improve. Don’t believe everything you have read or heard, unless you have seen it with your own two eyes, then can it be validated.”

SADIE. I glance at the mirror one more time, ensuring my eyes are not giving me away anymore, and draw in a deep breath. I stretch my fingers and nod repeatedly. “Fake it till you make it, Siyah. One thing you have always done is pick yourself up at all times. This is just a minor setback you can overcome!” I murmur and turn away.

“Excuses….. excuses….. excuses. I guess that is the only thing you are good at.” “ I am not making an excuse. People are allowed to keep the book for more than a week if they make a special application.” She tried to say in an even tone but it wavered slightly towards the end. “Whatever! I have no time to waste on people like you.” She said airily and stormed out of the door. “What a great way to start the day,” Sia muttered under her breath and checked the register to ensure that all the entries were in order. Then she walked along the shelves, running her hand over the books. She halted when she reached the ‘Fantasy’ section and pulled out a book titled, ‘Survival’.

“Can you not read the title?” I looked at the cover of the book. But I knew that was not the title for I could see the make-shift cover, hiding it. I did that too. “Yes, but I am asking about the real title.” “You have good eyes.” She took off the make shift cover, and now I could read the real name of the book. It was “One Hundred Ways To Kill A Liar.” And I was lying to her. “It is a forbidden book, so don’t tell.” What she said was more of a command or a warning.