o smiled through gritted teeth, and dodged sharks disguised as friends in Hollywood's glittering elite, but standing in front of Damien Sinclair, she r

, Damien leaned lazily against the couch, impossibly composed, as if he hadn't just coerced her

ed that he could make

nchor herself. "How exactly do you pla

like a chess player analyzing his oppo

a brow. "Oh?

omance, carefully curated appearances, candidly leaked moments, a

ncredulous. "You've real

n accident, Celeste. Someone is trying to con

, calculated appearances, and never letting scandal dictate her career. This wasn't a fleeting rumor. This was a

harply. "Fine

aint, dangerous half-smile

"there's an expiration date. Three

him. "Three months? The media

e a convincing breakup

d a hand, a silent

"this isn't a real relati

eatening yet magnetic. "

tened. "You know e

here had been no lines, only fire. Heartbreak th

d the mem

dn't change, but his e

hing

. "I don't trust you. I

faintly. "That's not a condit

used. Instead, she pulled out her phone. "I need

, voice firm

linked. "

leaks before we're ready. We

gize with Damien like partners in business, but he was ri

k from his jacket, flipping it open.

ulse skippe

party," he said

lurched. "Yo

oke about

not flying to Paris fo

e pen into his pocket. "It's the only way to c

e smiles, and Damien Sinclair pretending

her fists.

faintly.

she was on a pri

d the tarmac in strobe-like chaos. Headlines had already hit: Celeste Laur

ia was

phone across from her, as if their "engagement"

ng out her phone. Her publicist

you sure

nclair, you tw

that burned eve

ack, trying to

t have a choice

. "You better have

dable. "Do you real

id he mean by that?" She

she sai

leaned back, smirk curling his lips

it. Play the role, fake the passion, smile for

o hear: "surviving Damien Sinclair

was already shifting. A spark, a danger, a temptation she couldn't name, and then there was Damien Sinc

e couldn't relax. She pressed her fingers into the armrests, tryin

r, impeccably dressed, utterly calm, scrolling through his ph

d, trying to sound casual, th

king on hers with that same un

h, more bitter than amus

rrected, tilting his head, "an

t rise to her cheeks. "Defian

e her breathless. He stopped just a few feet away, leaning casually against the seat

almost a purr. "Told you this

e snapped, though he

aze swept over her like a predator, slow, deli

She clenched her jaw. "Do not

ee. You want to resist.

frustration, desire, and... fear. She had survived Hollywood storms, ruthless c

ingers dug into the leather of her seat. Damien reached out

cing idle patterns over her knuckle

ll away, but a part of her didn't. A part of her wanted to lean

uriating,"

of his cologne wrapped around her like a velvet cage. "Always so precise, so con

ightened. "Why doe

l be in Paris soon. Cameras, cameras, cameras, but behind

despite her

ping just enough to ignite somethi

c pull he had over her was undeniably effortless, and the fact that they were about to go public with th

al click of his pen against the notebook he kept open. Paris drew closer beneath th

mposed. She had to. Cameras, flashes, headlines, this was no

ntly, heat blooming in a dangerous, impossible way. She had to remind hersel

ffortlessly engaged, the picture of the billionaire playboy in love. Celeste smiled, pre

spering in her ear. "We're playing a dangerous game. Remember... not

hudded. "I know.

a strand of hair from her face, "but remembe

The words settled deep inside her, along w

amber and gold. Photographers snapped, flashes lighting the courtyard like fireworks. Celeste a

rling around hers possessively. She

e a story. A spectacle, but so

im this was temporary, but the look in his eyes tol

bration, every detail meticulously designed to dazzle and distract. Media, influencers, indu

Damien's hand lingered at her waist. Just for a moment.

ows, a sense that this engagement, this meticulously pl

d. Someone's here.

her ear with a heat that made her

but her mind raced. "This was supposed to

alized one terrifying truth, in Damien Sinclair's world, e

ived, Celeste felt an invisible hand tightening around her life. Someone