CHAPTER 2: THE DEAL
Lily had imagined many scenarios for how her Friday afternoon might go. Finishing her shift at the library. Catching the bus home. Maybe stopping by the convenience store for instant ramen because it was all her family could afford this week.
Sitting in Alex Kane's luxury car while he proposed a fake dating scheme was decidedly not on that list.
"You're insane," she said for the third time, staring at him across the pristine leather interior of what she was pretty sure was a Mercedes. Or maybe a BMW. She didn't know cars, especially not ones that cost more than her parents made in a year. "Completely insane."
"I prefer 'pragmatic,'" Alex replied, his tone as unbothered as ever. He was leaning against the driver's side door, one arm draped casually over the steering wheel, watching her with those sharp, calculating eyes. "But you're welcome to your interpretation."
They were parked in the far corner of Crestwood's student lot, away from the main building where curious eyes might spot them. Through the tinted windows, Lily could see other students heading to their own expensive cars, laughing and talking without a care in the world. None of them had stalker ex-boyfriends. None of them were being propositioned with fake relationship contracts by people they barely knew.
"Let me get this straight," Lily said slowly, trying to process what he'd just spent the last ten minutes explaining. "You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend so your parents will stop trying to set you up with Vanessa Park. And in exchange, you'll... what? Protect me from Derek?"
"Among other things." Alex tilted his head slightly, studying her. "Your ex-boyfriend is a problem that's not going away on his own. He's obsessive, possibly dangerous, and clearly doesn't respect boundaries. Having a boyfriend especially one with resources and influence would solve that problem rather efficiently."
"You make it sound like a business transaction."
"It is a business transaction." He said it matter-of-factly, like that was supposed to be reassuring. "A mutually beneficial arrangement with clearly defined terms and an exit strategy. Nothing more, nothing less."
Lily laughed, a short, sharp sound that held zero humor. "This is crazy. You realize that, right? People don't just... fake date because it's convenient."
"Don't they?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "I assure you, arranged relationships for convenience happen all the time in my world. This is just a modern variation."
"Your world," Lily repeated. "Right. Because we live in completely different worlds."
"Exactly." He didn't seem bothered by that observation. "Which is precisely why this works. You need protection and social cover. I need my family off my back. We both benefit."
Lily rubbed her temples, feeling a headache building behind her eyes. This was too much. Everything about today was too much. "Why me? You could pick literally any girl in school. Half of them would kill for the chance to date you, fake or not."
"True," Alex acknowledged without a hint of modesty. "But they'd also catch feelings, make demands, or try to extend the arrangement beyond its usefulness. You, on the other hand, actively dislike me."
She blinked. "I don't dislike you."
"You argued with me for fifteen minutes last week about the thematic significance of the green light in The Great Gatsby. You told me my interpretation was 'surface-level at best and fundamentally missing the point.'"
"Because it was," Lily shot back automatically. Then she caught herself. "That's not that was academic debate. I don't dislike you."
"Fine. You're indifferent to me." He waved a hand dismissively. "The point is, you won't get attached. You won't expect more than what we agree to. And you're smart enough to play the part convincingly without making it complicated."
There was logic to what he was saying, which somehow made it worse. Lily looked away, staring out the window at the perfectly manicured grounds of Crestwood Academy. The late afternoon sun cast everything in golden light, making the school look like something out of a movie. Beautiful. Untouchable. Not meant for people like her.
"Tell me about Vanessa," she said finally. "If I'm going to be part of this... whatever this is, I need to know what I'm walking into."
Alex's expression shifted, something dark flickering across his features before he smoothed it away. "Vanessa Park. Daughter of Park Industries' CEO. Her father and mine have been business partners for twenty years. They've had an 'understanding' since we were children that she and I would eventually marry."
"An arranged marriage? In this century?"
"A strongly suggested alliance," Alex corrected. "They can't force us, but they can make life extremely difficult if we don't comply. Cut off trust funds, threaten business partnerships, apply social pressure. My father is particularly skilled at leverage."
The way he said it, so casually detached, made Lily's chest tighten with unexpected sympathy. "That's awful."
"It's reality." He shrugged. "I've known about the expectation my entire life. Vanessa has too. The difference is, she's convinced herself she actually wants it. That we're 'meant to be' or some equally ridiculous notion."
"Does she go to school here?"
"No, thank God. She attends Saint Catherine's Academy across town. All-girls school, very prestigious, very expensive. But she's at every family event, every charity gala, every social function my parents drag me to. And recently, she's been... more aggressive about staking her claim."
Lily thought about the girl she'd seen in photos on social media, the few times she'd been bored enough to look up Crestwood's elite. Vanessa Park was beautiful in that effortless, expensive way perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect everything. The kind of girl who'd never had to worry about scholarships or part-time jobs or whether she could afford new school supplies.
The kind of girl who wouldn't take well to being replaced.
"She's going to hate me," Lily said quietly.
"Probably," Alex agreed, with infuriating calm. "But she would hate anyone I chose who wasn't her. At least with you, there's the added benefit of you being able to hold your own in an argument."
"That's supposed to be comforting?"
"It's supposed to be honest." He leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense. "I won't lie to you, Lily. This arrangement will come with complications. Vanessa will retaliate. My parents will be furious. The school will talk. But in exchange, you get protection from your ex, social immunity at Crestwood, and access to resources that could make your life significantly easier."
"What kind of resources?"
"Tutoring, if you need it. Though I suspect you don't. Connections for university applications. Letters of recommendation from people whose names actually mean something. Transportation so you don't have to take the bus in the dark when your shifts run late." He paused. "Whatever you need to make this worth your while."
It was tempting. God, it was so tempting. The thought of not having to look over her shoulder every time she left campus, of not having to plan her routes to avoid places Derek might be waiting. The thought of her parents not worrying every time she came home late from work.
But still.
"This is insane," she said again, but with less conviction this time.
"Perhaps," Alex allowed. "But it's also practical. And I think, if you're honest with yourself, you know you need this as much as I do."
Lily bit her lip, thinking. About Derek's hand on her arm. About the fear that had become her constant companion. About the way her mother's face tightened with worry every time Lily mentioned him showing up again.
"What would the terms be?" she asked carefully. "If I agreed. Hypothetically."
Something shifted in Alex's expression satisfaction, maybe, or relief. "We'd need to make it convincing. Public displays of affection. Sitting together at lunch. Attending social events as a couple. Nothing inappropriate," he added quickly, "but enough to sell the relationship."
"For how long?"
"Minimum of six months. Long enough to convince my parents I'm serious, long enough for your ex to move on. We can reassess after that and either extend or stage a mutual breakup."
"Six months." Lily's head was spinning. "And after that, we just... what? Pretend it never happened?"
"We go back to our separate lives. Clean break, no hard feelings, no complications."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. We're both intelligent people who understand the terms. We execute the plan, we both get what we need, and we part ways." Alex's voice softened slightly. "I saw what that guy did to you today, Lily. The fear in your eyes. If nothing else, this gives you a way out of that situation. Isn't that worth considering?"
She hated that he was right. Hated that she was actually considering this absolutely ridiculous plan. But Derek's voice was still echoing in her head "you're mine, Lily" and the bruises on her arm were already starting to darken.
"I need time to think about it," she said finally.
"Of course." Alex reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. "Give me your number. We should be able to contact each other if we're going to do this."
Lily hesitated for just a second before rattling off her number. Alex typed it in, and a moment later her phone buzzed with a text: This is Alex. Think it over. Let me know by tomorrow.
"Tomorrow?" She looked up at him. "That's not much time."
"Derek isn't going to wait for you to be comfortable with the idea," Alex pointed out. "And my parents are hosting a charity gala next weekend. If we're doing this, we need to start now."
A charity gala. Of course. Because apparently her life had turned into some kind of teen drama in the span of a single afternoon.
"I'll think about it," Lily repeated, reaching for the door handle.
"Lily." Alex's voice stopped her. When she looked back, his expression was serious, more genuine than she'd seen it all afternoon. "For what it's worth, I meant what I said out there. You deserve better than someone who treats you like that. Deal or no deal."
Something warm and unexpected flickered in her chest. She pushed it down immediately.
"I'll text you tomorrow," she said, and got out of the car before she could do something stupid like agree right then and there.
As she walked toward the bus stop, her phone buzzed again. Another text from Alex: Think about what you want, not what you think you should do.
Lily stared at the message for a long moment, then shoved her phone in her pocket and kept walking.
She had a lot to think about.
And somehow, she had a feeling she already knew what her answer would be.