Pretending Synonyms

I'm on my way to get married when a truck slams into my car from behind. After being unconscious for a long time, I hear the doctor telling my fiancee that I might lose my memory. I decide to have a little fun and open my eyes, pretending to be confused. "Who are you?" My fiancee goes completely still. I'm about to admit I'm only teasing her, but before I can, she grabs my best man's hand without a second thought. "I'm Janice Lloyd, your best friend's fiancee. You got into a car accident on your way to our wedding."

By day, I'm just another quiet IT analyst. By night, I'm the deadliest assassin in the underground. No one at the office suspects a thing, except Isabella Moretti. She's the flawless manager, always with sharp heels and effortless confidence, who everyone dreams of working with. And the last person they'd ever suspect of being a mafia princess… who also happens to be my sworn enemy. Every night, the game begins. The rules are simple: kill each other before we get killed. No feelings. No mercy. No mistakes. For a month, we've been locked in a deadly game, with each of us attempting to outsmart the other. Still, neither of us has managed to emerge victorious. But one night, everything changes. On my doorstep lies a baby, wrapped in a blanket. Alone. No note. No explanation. And before we can come up with a reason, a group of armed men appears, targeting neither one of us, but the baby. Men neither of us recognize. Men who don't belong to my world or hers. So, we call a temporary truce. Because even monsters like us aren't heartless enough to let an innocent die. Since then, mornings have been spent as coworkers, pretending we don't want to tear each other apart. Nights are spent trading threats between bottle feedings and fighting off enemies who won't quit. Every other mission I’ve ever taken was easy. One clean kill and done. But nothing has ever prepared me for the most dangerous and unexpected thing I've ever faced… Falling for the woman I swore to destroy.

“It was supposed to be fake… until it wasn’t.” Elena Ramirez was never supposed to catch Adrian Harrington’s attention — billionaire CEO, untouchable, and dangerously charming. One moment, she’s a struggling intern juggling bills and caring for her younger sister, Maya… the next, she’s signing a contract that turns her entire world upside down. The deal is simple: pretend to be his girlfriend. No feelings. No complications. No lines crossed. But Adrian Harrington doesn’t do simple. One gala. One stolen glance. One soft touch that lingers too long… and suddenly, the line between pretend and real begins to blur. The media calls her a gold digger. Socialites like Clara Vance want her gone. Paparazzi stalk her every move, and Elena finds herself drowning in a world of secrets, lies, and scandals she never asked for. And then — the contract leaks. Every signature. Every clause. Every proof that her “relationship” with Adrian is nothing more than a carefully staged performance. Now the entire city is watching, waiting for her to break. But Elena refuses to be their victim. Because somewhere between the chaos and the cameras, Adrian’s cold walls are cracking… and the one thing more dangerous than pretending to love him is realizing she actually might. Fake dating. Real feelings. Endless betrayal. Some lies build empires. Others break hearts.