HIS BEST FRIEND IS MY BABY DADDY

Unmasked

Lisa's POV

I stepped into the building, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

Every head turned.

Normally, that wouldn’t faze me. I was used to stares. Cameras. Whispers.

But today was different.

I could feel the judgment.

*She should be bowing her head.*

*She should’ve used the back door.*

No one said it aloud.

They didn’t have to.

I didn't give them the satisfaction of a flinch. I reached the office door and twisted the knob without knocking.

Adrian was already seated inside, jaw clenched the second his eyes landed on me. I ignored him and took the chair directly across from his, feeling the collective heat of Dave, Adrian's manager, and my father.

"Finally, someone has the balls to show up," Adrian muttered, checking his watch with a scowl.

That was the exact effect I wanted. To show them I wasn't desperate enough to be on time.

Adrian's manager cleared his throat.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” he said. “After careful discussion, we’ve decided the best course of action is for you two to reconcile.”

Dave nodded in agreement.

“Adrian,” his manager continued, “has agreed, after a lot of consideration to let bygones be bygones and focus on the future.”

I blinked once.

“What future?” I asked.

They stared at me like I’d spoken a foreign language.

I scoffed. “I thought you called me in for something that makes sense. Since you didn’t, I’ll take my leave.”

I pushed my chair back and stood.

“I don’t want anything to do with him.”

Adrian let out a mocking laugh. "Sweetheart, you need this brand—this relationship—way more than I do."

"And why is that?"

"Are you actually this dumb, huh?"

"That’s enough, both of you," Dave snapped.

"You know, Dave, I was going to let her attitude slide. But now? I want an apology."

I looked Adrian dead in the eye. "Your existence is an insult; you don't need another one from me."

Adrian shot to his feet, face flushed, finger already pointing at me, but my father slammed his palm on the table, the sound echoing.

“Enough,” he barked, loosening his tie. “Let’s act normal.”

Then he turned to me.

“Lisa, you’ll do everything Dave tells you.”

“Hell f*****g no.”

Dave stood up, signaling for a timeout, and pulled me into the corner of the room.

"Lisa, please," he whispered, his eyes darting back to the table. "We’ve poured millions into this project. With the current press, it’ll flop. We need the fans to see the chemistry again. Just do it for them. Remember the fans."

I laughed bitterly.

“For the fans,” I repeated. "If it’s not for the fans, it’s for my father. If it’s not him, it’s Adrian," I said, my voice trembling with a decade of suppressed rage. "When do I get to do something for myself?"

Dave said nothing. He couldn't even look at me.

"I thought so." I walked back to the center of the room. "Let me make this crystal clear: I am done with Adrian. And the movie? I’m pulling out. In fact, I’m taking a break from all of this. Find yourself another puppet for your box office."

"Who said you could make that decision?" my father roared.

"It’s my damn life. I run it."

"Your life?" he sneered. "Your life wasn't worth s**t until—"

"—Until you picked me up and molded me," I finished for him. "I’m grateful for the start. But I was never your liability. For every grain of food I ate and every clothe you put on my back, I worked my ass off to pay you back ten times over. I built your industry as much as it built me.”

I smoothed my skirt, checked my reflection in the window, and gave them a tight smile.

"Have a great day, gentlemen."

I slammed the door, the sound echoing through the empty hallway.

Through the glass of the lobby, I could see the paparazzi, huddled like vultures in the rain, their long lenses pointed at the entrance.

*Shit.*

My phone buzzed in my palm. Dave. Again. I declined the call without looking and pulled up my emails. It was a firing squad of text: **BREACH OF CONTRACT**, **LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS**, **IMMEDIATE RECTIFICATION REQUIRED.**

I felt like the walls were closing in. I needed to breathe air that didn't smell like studio floor wax.

> “I need to disappear for a few hours. Drinks?” I texted Chloe, my home girl, who I’d been ghosting since the whole drama.

*“You need it. Bad n’ Liquid. 10 PM. Don't be a bore,”* she replied instantly.

I didn't use the front door. I slipped through the service garage, feeling like a fugitive in my own life.

---

**10:05 PM**

The bass hit me before I even stepped inside *Bad n’ Liquid*. I clutched my silver purse tightly against my hip. I had chosen a deep sapphire blue dress—obsessively tight, hugging every curve, and ending just below my seat.

Tonight was the club’s Masquerade. I adjusted the blue lace mask covering the upper half of my face.

I scanned the VIP lounge until I spotted her. Chloe was draped across a velvet booth. She was laughing, her head thrown back, while a guy with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline practically devoured her with his eyes, his hands wandering shamelessly over her waist.

Chloe untangled herself the second she saw me.

"Hey girl! b***h, you actually came!" she yelled over the music, her smile bright. Chloe was the kind of friend who was a fire hazard—beautiful, chaotic, and completely focused on the next high.

"Okay, I feel you. You understood the assignment," she said, grabbing my hands and spinning me around. "Look at that ass! If I weren't into him, I’d be into you."

"Stop," I muttered, smiling. I looked at the guy, who was staring at me like I was a second course. "Can you leave us for a second?"

"He's my guest," Chloe said, her fingers tracing the muscles of his chest.

"Chloe, please. I’ve had a day from hell."

She sighed, sensing the genuine tremor in my voice. "Alright, alright. Give me a minute, hun," she whispered to the guy, leaning in to give him a long kiss that made me look away.

I sank into the booth as he walked toward the bar.

"Do you even know that guy's name?" I asked.

"Girl, that’s the point of a mask party," she laughed, leaning back. "Names are boring. Experiences are better."

She looked at me, her eyes softening. "Enjoy yourself, Lisa. For once, stop being the 'star' and just be a girl. Because I’ve got a whole lot of 'steaming hot chocolate' waiting for me at that bar, and I intend to be very busy."

She started to get up.

"Wait, what?" I grabbed her wrist. "You’re leaving me? I just got here."

"Obviously. Look, we’re here for fun, okay? And I’m about to get laid by someone who doesn't know my publicist's phone number." She pulled her hand away gently.

"You’re the worst friend anyone could have," I snapped, though there was no bite in it.

"I love you too," she blew me a kiss, already turning back toward the crowd. "Get hot and mad tonight, Lisa. You deserve it. Bye, sweetheart!"

I watched her disappear into the sea of masked bodies.

I was left alone. *Great.* This was the worst, surrounded by strangers in masks.

Shit. I was wearing one too.

I poured a glass. Then another. I just kept drinking as the alcohol slowly numbed my anger.

My eyes scanned the room, finding nothing of interest until they landed on *him*.

He leaned against the counter. He was masked, but his physique made my jaw drop. He wasn't doing much—just leaning there, his hair messy as if he’d run his hands through it a thousand times. He was hot as hell.

He looked in my direction. I quickly looked away, focusing on my drink, but the curiosity was a physical itch. What Chloe said started to make sense. Why was I hiding? Why was I even thinking about Adrian?

*Screw him.*

I looked back up. Our eyes met again. I should have looked away, but I didn't. He held my gaze, dangerously calm.

I don't know what got into me...maybe it was the liquid courage. My hands moved to the tie at the back of my head. I wanted to stop, but I didn't. I was ho

t, I was single, and I was done being a puppet.

The mask loosened and fell to the velvet seat.

"I'm going to get this guy," I muttered, pushing myself up from the table.