Chapter Three: The Price of Pretending
780 Words
Amelia barely touched her dinner.
Her older sister, Lena, noticed immediately.
“You’ve been staring at that pasta for ten minutes.”
Amelia sighed.
“I met Nathan Hart today.”
Lena looked up.
“The Nathan Hart?”
“The movie star?”
Amelia nodded.
“He offered me two million dollars.”
Lena dropped her fork.
“…I’m sorry?”
Amelia placed the contract on the dining table.
Lena skimmed through the first few pages.
Her eyes widened with every paragraph.
“A fake relationship?”
“For six months?”
Amelia nodded.
“He says it’ll help repair his public image.”
Lena leaned back.
“And what do you get?”
“The money.”
“And?”
Amelia smiled faintly.
“Apparently, six months of paparazzi, interviews, and pretending to be madly in love.”
Lena winced.
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It does.”
That night, Amelia couldn’t sleep.
She sat on the balcony with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
The contract rested on the small table beside her.
Two million dollars.
It was enough to:
• Renovate the school library.
• Replace the leaking roof.
• Help Lena finally open her bakery.
• Pay off the mortgage on their late parents’ house.
It wasn’t greed tempting her.
It was the chance to change lives.
But at what cost?
The next morning, Nathan arrived at the film studio before sunrise.
Instead of photographers waiting outside…
There were protesters.
Some held signs.
Others shouted accusations.
“Celebrities think they’re above everyone!”
“Apologize!”
Nathan lowered his head and walked inside without saying a word.
Oliver caught up with him.
“The sponsors are nervous.”
“I know.”
“The studio wants an answer by Friday.”
Nathan rubbed his temples.
“I know.”
“And Amelia?”
Nathan looked out the window.
“I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, Amelia was teaching her class.
“Okay, everyone.”
“What do we say when someone makes a mistake?”
A little girl raised her hand.
“We help them.”
Another student smiled.
“We don’t laugh.”
Amelia nodded proudly.
“Exactly.”
Kindness wasn’t just something she taught.
It was something she believed.
Her phone buzzed quietly on her desk.
A message from Nathan.
No pressure. I just wanted to check that you got home safely yesterday.
She stared at the screen.
He hadn’t asked about the contract.
He hadn’t pressured her.
He had simply made sure she was safe.
She found herself smiling before she realized it.
That afternoon, she arrived at the café they had agreed on.
Nathan was already there, wearing another disguise.
This time, he looked genuinely nervous.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“I wasn’t sure either.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
Finally, Amelia slid the contract back across the table.
Nathan’s heart sank.
He assumed she was rejecting it.
Instead…
She said quietly,
“I have conditions.”
He blinked.
“I’m listening.”
“Rule number one.”
“My job comes first.”
“I won’t abandon my students.”
Nathan nodded.
“Agreed.”
“Rule number two.”
“No lying to children.”
“If my students ask me something I can’t answer…”
“I’m not making up stories.”
“Fair.”
“And rule number three…”
She looked him directly in the eyes.
“The second this fake relationship starts hurting innocent people…”
“I’m walking away.”
Nathan didn’t answer immediately.
Instead…
He smiled.
It wasn’t the confident smile that magazine covers loved.
It was softer.
More genuine.
“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Brooks.”
“I learned from second graders.”
“They’re tougher than Hollywood.”
He laughed.
“I believe it.”
Oliver arrived with the final paperwork.
Nathan picked up a pen.
“So…”
He asked.
“Does this mean you’re saying yes?”
Amelia looked at the contract one last time.
Then at Nathan.
Slowly…
She signed her name.
Nathan signed beneath hers.
Oliver exhaled in relief.
“Congratulations.”
“You’re officially Hollywood’s newest couple.”
Amelia groaned.
“I already regret this.”
Nathan chuckled.
“You haven’t even met the paparazzi yet.”
As if on cue…
Camera flashes exploded outside the café windows.
Someone had leaked their meeting.
Nathan looked toward the street.
“They’re early.”
Amelia looked at the crowd gathering outside.
“No…”
She whispered.
“They’re right on time.”
Their fake relationship hadn’t even lasted five minutes.
And the whole world already believed it was real.
.
- Writer
