Maria:
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my phone.
The second was that something about it felt… aggressive.
Notifications stacked across the screen, one over the other, like they’d been building up overnight with nowhere to go.
Most of them were from Lily.
Of course.
I squinted, still half-asleep, and opened the messages.
Lily:
HELLO???
Lily:
ARE YOU ALIVE
Lily:
WHY IS THE INTERNET SAYING YOU AND DANIEL ROTHFIELD ARRIVED TOGETHER
Lily:
CALL ME BEFORE I SHOW UP AT YOUR HOUSE
I dropped my face back into the pillow.
Right.
The auction.
The cameras.
Daniel’s hand at my back.
The part where I agreed to this.
I turned onto my side and opened the link she’d sent.
The headline didn’t bother with subtlety:
Walker Heiress and Rothfield CEO — New Couple or Just a
