Lauren thought she had her life figured out—until her boyfriend of three years dumps her just days before Christmas, calling her a "liability." To make matters worse, he’s now engaged to her coworker, Rosette Goldberg. Humiliated and heartbroken, Lauren devises a bold plan to save face: at the company holiday party, she introduces the mysterious and devastatingly handsome trillionaire Alexandro "Lex" Castello as her new boyfriend. What starts as a harmless lie quickly spirals out of control. Alexandro, intrigued by Lauren’s fiery spirit and audacious scheme, agrees to play the part. But he’s not one to do anything without a motive, and Lauren can't shake the feeling he’s hiding something. As their pretend romance takes them from glittering galas to intimate moments, sparks begin to fly. Yet with the media circling, jealous exes scheming, and secrets threatening to surface, the line between make-believe and reality blurs. Will Lauren and Alexandro’s arrangement unravel under the pressure—or could it be the start of something neither of them expected? **Fake it until you feel it, or risk losing it all.**
View MoreTHIS IS WAR.~ALEXANDRO’S POV~“Tell me you brought a gun, Alex” I didn't answer.Because I hadn't. And that made Mario curse under his breath. “Fucking brilliant”.Before I could reply, the secretary’s desk phone buzzed, she picked up, nodded once, and then gave us the perfect professional smile.“Mr Blackwood will see you now”She stood, gesturing towards the large frosted glass door, behind her. Mario's hand stayed close to his side, probably resting near a concealed blade.I move ahead, calm on the outside, Alert underneath.The door opened automatically, revealing Julian, with dark slick hair, standing by the window, back to us, his shape painted by the overcast skyline.“Alexandro,” he called out to me as if we were friends, his voice annoyingly smooth like silk. “And Mario…still playing bodyguard or just here to count corpses.” “Depends. You handing out bodies today, Julian?” Mario snapped stepping behind me.Julian turned, his face cold, and hard to read as always. Slick gray
BUSINESS AND RISK ~ALEXANDRO’S POV ~I stood in the elevator, watching the numbers change as I listened to Antonio on the line. "Yeah, Patrick put his hands on her again, and that got him a face full of Antonio's fist. Now Lauren is being summoned to her higher-ups. Awesome," I muttered, a hint of sarcasm in my tone."I'll handle everything, Antonio. Just do your job properly," I said, ending the call with a frustrated sigh."Trouble in paradise," Marco remarked, leaning against the elevator wall, casually toying with a knife he'd stolen from one of his latest prey."Antonio's doing a good job keeping her safe and keeping people like her ex at a distance," I replied, trying to keep my focus on the task at hand."Why is he still alive?" Marco asked, straightening up, his imposing height a stark reminder of the danger he could embody."Because we don’t just kill people, you idiot," I said with a smirk, half amused by his intensity.“No,” he stated, pointing the knife at me in mock ser
QUEEN BEES AND QUITE WARS~LAUREN'S POV~I watched as Rosette stood from her seat, heels clicking against the floor with sharp precision as she walked toward me. Her arms folded across her chest, eyes slicing through me like daggers.“Right,” she drawled, her tone dripping with mockery. “You said you sent a mail. Probably ended up in my trash. Do you think I’m stupid enough to read it?”Expected.“At least you admit you saw it,” I replied, holding her gaze.Rosette’s lips curled in a snarl, and for a second, I swore she growled like a feral dog. She hadn’t expected me to talk back—but I was done letting her trample over me. I had survived worse. Guns. Blood. Silence. Fear. Rosette? She was a storm I’d already weathered.“It seems you’re not getting the situation here,” she hissed. “You think growing a backbone and talking back is going to save your job?”I frowned. What was she talking about?“Oh, you poor, clueless soul,” she spat. “I just did you a favor. You don’t have to worry ab
WELCOME BACK, MISS TRENDING ~LAUREN'S POV~I watched as the company’s security made their way toward Ethan, Antonio, and Luca. Eyes followed them—then flicked to me. The murmurs started before I could even react. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag as I instinctively bowed my head, heat creeping up my cheeks.Why was Ethan suddenly acting out? Why now?Antonio had finally lowered his hand from Ethan’s chest, and Luca was already deep in conversation with one of the guards, trying to smooth things over. I exhaled a shaky breath and took a step forward, weaving my way to Ethan, who stood stiffly, still glaring at Antonio like he wanted to punch something—or someone.Antonio tried to say something to me as I passed, but I shot him a sharp look.No. Not now. He might’ve been following Alexandro’s orders, but that didn’t give him the right to decide who could or couldn’t speak to me. I wasn’t some precious doll to be guarded every second.He stepped back, sensing my irritat
IF SHE DIES, I BURN~ALEXANDRO'S POV~I should have never let her leave. But three days of silence. Three nights of her body in my bed but her eyes somewhere else. She didn’t yell. She didn’t cry. She simply shut down, and somehow, that was worse than if she’d put a bullet through my heart. So I let her go. Home. Work. Routine. Normal. As if any of this shit was normal. But I’d be damned if I let her walk away unguarded. Still—sending guards wasn’t enough. My gut twisted like something was off. So when Mario called about a body down by the docks, I knew. My father was sending a message. The sea crashed violently against the rocks as I stood at the edge of the coast, the salt biting the air. The sky was gray. Fitting. Mario stood beside me, smoke curling from his lips like he was waiting on a goddamn dinner date. His leather coat billowed in the breeze, and he didn’t even flinch as the body was hauled from the rocks.“You really didn’t have to call me for this,” I mutte
CRAZY FIRST DAY ~LAUREN’S POV~It still surprised me that Alexandro let me go back home. Well… it took a lot of arguing, some pleading, and a whole lot of ignoring him before he finally gave in. But of course, it came with a price. I bit my lower lip as I sat in the back seat of the sleek black car he'd sent. I wasn’t expecting a car. And definitely not this car. It screamed wealth. Power. A warning wrapped in luxury. And it came with two guards. According to Alexandro, my safety came first. He said he didn’t know when his father might make another move, and he wasn’t about to take that risk again. And honestly? After what I experienced… neither was I. Nightmares had been my new normal. And this—this was the price of being in Alexandro Lex Castello’s world. The car pulled into the parking lot of Storm Publishing. I took a deep breath, grabbed my bag, and stepped out. So did the guards. I froze and turned around, brows furrowed. “What are you doing?” I asked, alrea
I WANT TO GO HOME~ALEXANDRO’S POV~I poured myself a glass of scotch, letting the burn of it settle deep in my chest, but it didn’t do a damn thing to silence the words echoing in my head. ‘I want to go home.’Of course, she does. Of course, she wants out of this mess—out of my world, out of my reach. And I should let her. Hell, I should be the one pushing her away. But the thought of her leaving? Of her walking away from me for good? Yeah. That shit sits heavier than any drink ever could. A voice cuts through my thoughts. “I guess we’re drinking tonight.” Mario. I don’t turn right away, just take another slow sip, staring at the fire. “I thought you left.” He steps closer, dragging out a chair across from me. “I was going to.” He flicks his cigar, watching the ashes fall into the tray. “But your father is a persistent son of a bitch, and I figured I’d stick around. Besides, I’m too damn tired to drive.” Mario scans the bar, wrinkling his nose at my drink. “Still dro
DO NOT BELONG.~LAUREN’S POV~The water was warm, almost burning, but I didn’t mind. I let it rise around me, the heat sinking into my skin, easing the tension in my muscles. The effect of tonight, of everything, felt lighter in the water.Steam curled around me, blurring the edges of the dimly lit bathroom. The villa was quiet—too quiet. It left too much space for my thoughts, for the replay of gunshots and blood and Alexandro’s voice telling me to leave.I leaned my head back against the tub’s edge, breathing out slowly, my body finally beginning to relax.Until I felt it.The weight of a stare.My lashes fluttered open, and there he was—standing in the doorway.Alexandro.He was freshly changed, the crisp white shirt hanging loose over his chest, sleeves pushed up to his forearms, exposing the ink winding over his skin. His dark hair was damp, still wet from his shower, a single drop of water tracing the sharp angle of his jaw before disappearing beneath his collar.He looked li
NIGHT OF TERROR~LAUREN’S POV~The gunshot broke the air like a whipcrack, sending my body into survival mode before my mind could catch up. Julio moved fast. Faster than I thought possible for a man his age. He yanked me down, shielding me as the windshield shattered, spraying glass everywhere. “Run, ahora! (Run, Now!)” he barked. I hesitated for only a second—just long enough to see the men advancing, their guns aimed at the car. Then I bolted. The heels of my shoes sank into the soft earth as I ran toward the tree line, my breath coming in sharp gasps. The sound of bullets rang behind me, followed by Julio’s return fire. I didn’t dare look back. Branches scraped my arms as I pushed deeper into the woods, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. Think, Lauren. Think.I had no phone. No weapon. No idea where I was. All I knew was that these men weren’t here by accident. They were here for me. A twig snapped behind me. I spun just in ti
THE BETRAYAL~LAUREN~My chest constricted as Patrick's words struck me like a physical blow. I remained motionless, attempting to grasp the severity of what he was saying, but my mind struggled to keep up. The tears I was trying to hold back would not fall, even though every part of me urged me to release them. "You're not the right fit for me, Lauren. I need someone who can help me improve." My voice barely escaped my lips. "Fifteen days before Christmas?" He shrugged, the icy indifference in his gaze piercing deeper than any insult could. "I can't wait any longer."This had to be a nightmare. I stared at him in disbelief, my thoughts swirling like a tornado. How could he do this? After everything—after three years of shared memories, plans for the future, promises of forever. We had already talked about getting married after the holidays. I had been picturing it, imagining how beautiful it would be. And now, this. My heart splintered into a thousand jagged pieces. He cou...
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