Chaotic Love

le's

y bled itself dry. The streets hum low and tired.The neon lights outside our

ollapse face-first onto the couch. The black folder Adrik gave me slides off my lap and hits the

ck," Cami says, appearing from the

next to me, legs tucked under her, and nudges the folder with he

r own private jet?" I lift my head just enough to glare at her. She laughs, but there's a serious look in her eyes underneath the teasing. "You thinking a

urt

ino

dle f

lly appr

ally. "It's insane. Marry

e medical emergency away from homelessness." She's not wrong. I hate that she's not wro

ed out in cold,

ther mutually agreed-upon residences. No unauthorized interviews or disclosures. One year commitment. Five million dollars compensation upon completion

very 'fake marriage' romance novel ever, right?" I groan. "Except without the fun p

d to be someone I'm not." Cami's face softens. "You wouldn't be pretending," she says. "

it's alway

ing at the ceiling, counting crack

I think about my boss Tony threatening to cut my hours. I think about my rent going

t underneath... something else.Something fractured. I know that look.

day away from a nervous breakdown and march back to Sterling Tower because sometimes you don't get the lux

he lobby. She's tall, blonde, and sharp enou

." She leads me to a smaller conference room this time. Le

just always looks like that. Our eyes meet briefly. A flicker of something passes between us. Tens

re it's smoothed away. "Good," he says. "Let's get started." Sandra hands me a final copy of the contract, th

ther's assets after the year ends. A clause about joint public statements if necessary. I sign.

nap and just like that, it's done. I'm engaged. Technically, to a man whose favorite hobbies include gla

ng diamond ring. Elegant is an understatement in fact Way too beau

y head. "No. It's fine." Nothing about this is fine, but whatever. I sl

ty gala this weekend," he says. "You'll nee

arranged." Because in Adrik Carter's world, even fake fairy tales come with personal shoppers. I glanc

uddenly, like

s is just a

to fix a problem. And I? I'm just

own at the ring on my finger. It sparkles mockingly. I'm no

ng's fo

inters, bartender and professional screw-up. I became something