Chapter 3
Sabrina immediately disliked Lucas Cooper's manager.
Not because he was rude exactly.
He was worse.
Polished.
The kind of polished that made every word sound carefully selected three seconds before leaving his mouth.
He stood from the couch and extended a hand toward her.
"Adrian Cross."
"Sabrina Sanders."
His grip was brief and professional.
Unlike Lucas, Adrian smiled easily. Too easily.
"You've caused quite a bit of chaos in the last twenty-four hours."
"I spilled one drink."
"You trended above a political scandal for six hours."
Sabrina stared at him.
"That feels unhealthy for society."
Adrian actually laughed at that.
Lucas didn't.
He stood near the windows overlooking Manhattan, one hand wrapped loosely around a glass of whiskey, looking completely detached from the conversation already.
Like he didn't want to be here any more than she did.
Interesting.
Sabrina folded her arms.
"So are you going to tell me why I'm here or am I supposed to guess?"
Adrian gestured toward the couch.
"Sit."
"Threatening."
"Sabrina," Lucas said finally, voice calm but tired, "nobody's trying to murder you."
"You say that like you hear it often."
"That's because I do."
She glanced at him.
For a second she thought she caught the edge of dry amusement in his expression, but it disappeared too quickly to be sure.
Annoying.
Everything about him seemed controlled.
Even his reactions.
Sabrina sat carefully on the edge of the couch anyway.
The penthouse was unnervingly quiet.
No TV playing.
No music.
No warmth, really.
Just clean lines, expensive furniture, and a city view that looked too perfect to belong to real people.
Adrian remained standing.
"The situation online has escalated faster than expected," he began smoothly. "Public interest in you and Lucas is extremely high right now."
"Why?"
Lucas finally looked at her directly.
"You're normal."
Sabrina blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
Adrian jumped in quickly.
"That came out wrong."
"It really did."
Lucas took another sip of his drink.
"You don't act impressed by any of this," he said flatly. "People find that interesting."
Sabrina stared at him.
"That's the nicest possible way you could've called me poor."
"I wasn't calling you poor."
"You were thinking it loudly."
A silence stretched between them.
Then, unexpectedly, Adrian covered a laugh with a cough.
Lucas looked mildly irritated by this.
Good.
He deserved it.
Sabrina leaned back slightly.
"So the internet thinks we're secretly in love because I assaulted him with champagne. What exactly does that have to do with me?"
Adrian exchanged a quick glance with Lucas.
Something silent passed between them.
Not agreement.
Tension.
Lucas looked away first.
That tiny detail made Sabrina weirdly curious.
"This is temporary," Lucas said before Adrian could speak. "Strictly professional."
Well.
That sounded ominous.
Adrian sighed softly like this conversation wasn't going the way he wanted.
"There's no elegant way to say this," he admitted. "Lucas needs good press right now."
Sabrina frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means the public likes this story."
Lucas looked bored already.
"The mystery girl," Adrian continued. "The accidental meeting. The chemistry in the photos. People are invested."
"People need hobbies."
"They have hobbies," Adrian said. "Unfortunately this is one of them."
Sabrina rubbed her forehead slowly.
"I still don't understand why I'm involved."
This time Lucas answered immediately.
"Because the media already decided you are."
His tone wasn't cruel.
Just blunt.
Matter-of-fact.
Like this was normal to him.
Maybe it was.
Adrian finally sat across from her.
"We'd like you to continue being seen with Lucas publicly for a while."
Silence.
Sabrina stared at him.
Then laughed.
Actually laughed.
"Oh, you're serious."
Neither man joined in.
Her smile faded.
"You cannot honestly be asking me to fake date a celebrity."
"Not date," Adrian corrected smoothly. "Appear together publicly."
"That is literally dating with better branding."
Lucas finally moved away from the windows, setting his drink down on the counter.
"We go to a few events together," he said. "Maybe dinner once or twice where cameras can see us. Nothing complicated."
The fact he sounded so detached about it irritated her immediately.
Like this happened all the time.
Like people were props he rotated through for publicity.
"Why would I agree to that?"
Adrian answered calmly.
"Compensation."
There it was. The real conversation.
Sabrina sat back slowly.
"No."
Adrian blinked once.
"No?"
"I'm not getting paid to pretend to be someone's girlfriend."
"Why not?"
"Because it's weird."
Lucas leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed now.
"You think people in this industry date naturally?"
"That is deeply depressing."
"You get used to it."
Something about the way he said it made Sabrina pause.
Flat.
Empty.
Like he genuinely believed that.
Adrian slid a folder across the coffee table toward her.
Sabrina frowned.
"What's this?"
"An outline of the arrangement."
"You made paperwork."
"We make paperwork for everything."
"That might actually be worse."
Still, curiosity got the better of her. She opened the folder. Inside sat a clean typed agreement.
Three months.
Public appearances.
Confidentiality clauses.
Media guidelines.
Sabrina nearly choked.
"This is insane."
"You'd be compensated very well."
"How well?"
Adrian named a number.
The room went silent.
Sabrina stared at him.
"That's not real."
"It is."
"That's more money than I make in a year."
Lucas watched her carefully now.
Not smug exactly.
Observing.
Like he was waiting for the exact moment she started seeing him differently.
Sabrina closed the folder immediately.
"No."
Adrian looked genuinely surprised now.
"Most people would at least consider it."
"I am considering it. I'm considering how quickly I should leave."
Lucas exhaled softly through his nose.
Impatient.
"There's no catch," he said.
"There's obviously a catch."
"No emotional expectations," he replied instantly. "No real relationship. No interviews without approval. We're seen together publicly and eventually things fade naturally."
Eventually things fade naturally.
The wording bothered her more than it should have.
Like relationships were disposable to him.
Temporary by default.
Sabrina looked directly at him.
"And what happens when the internet gets bored and moves onto the next girl?"
Lucas held her gaze evenly.
"They will."
Not cruel.
Not apologetic.
Just certain.
Something unexpectedly sad sat underneath the answer.
Sabrina hated that she noticed.
"You really do this a lot, huh?"
A flicker crossed his expression.
Gone too quickly to identify.
"That's not your concern."
"There he is," she muttered.
Lucas frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"The guy from last night disappeared."
For the first time, she caught him off guard.
Only briefly.
But definitely there.
His jaw tightened faintly.
"You don't know me from last night."
"No," Sabrina agreed. "But balcony-you seemed less emotionally constipated."
Adrian actually laughed out loud this time.
Lucas shot him a look.
"What?" Adrian said innocently. "She's funny."
"I'm sitting right here," Sabrina informed them.
Lucas rubbed a hand slowly across his jaw.
Clearly exhausted already.
Good.
So was she.
"This arrangement benefits both of us," Adrian continued. "The attention helps Lucas's image, and you receive financial compensation."
"There it is again."
"What?"
"You keep talking like I'm signing up for a gym membership instead of fake dating a man voted Sexiest Alive three years in a row."
"That title was ridiculous," Lucas muttered.
Sabrina looked at him.
"Oh my God, you know that?"
A tiny smile threatened briefly at the corner of his mouth before disappearing.
Wow.
That almost looked human.
Dangerous.
Adrian leaned forward slightly.
"You wouldn't have to quit your job," he said. "Your life remains yours. This is simply a short-term arrangement."
Sabrina looked down at the contract again.
The money stared back at her.
Student debt.
Rent.
Bills.
Three months.
One fake relationship.
Her stomach twisted.
She hated that she was even thinking about it.
Lucas noticed.
Of course he did.
"You shouldn't do it if you're uncomfortable."
The words surprised her enough that she looked up immediately.
His expression remained unreadable.
Cold, almost.
But there was no pressure in his voice.
No charm either.
If anything he sounded detached from the entire situation.
Like he didn't particularly care whether she agreed or not.
That annoyed her too.
"You don't even want to do this," she realized suddenly.
Adrian's posture stiffened almost invisibly.
Lucas looked at her for a long moment.
Then:
"No," he said honestly.
Well.
At least he was truthful.
"Then why are you?"
Silence.
Lucas looked away first.
"Because apparently people think I look less dead around you."
The answer landed strangely in her chest.
Too honest.
Too careless.
Before she could respond, Adrian spoke quickly.
"The point is, public perception matters."
"Translation," Sabrina said, "his team thinks I make him look emotionally available."
Lucas picked up his whiskey again.
"You say that like it's insulting."
"It is insulting."
"You'd survive."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're kind of an asshole."
That earned the faintest reaction so far.
Not anger.
Almost amusement.
"Probably."
The honesty threw her off balance again.
God, she wished he'd just act like a normal celebrity.
It would make this easier.
Instead he kept slipping unexpectedly between cold detachment and unsettling honesty.
Like there were two different versions of him fighting for control.
Sabrina stood abruptly.
"I need air."
Neither man stopped her.
She walked toward the enormous windows overlooking Manhattan, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
The city glittered endlessly below.
Tiny lives moving everywhere.
Normal lives.
Not contracts.
Not paparazzi.
Not fake relationships designed by management teams.
Behind her, Adrian lowered his voice.
"We're running out of time."
Lucas answered quietly.
"I know."
"You need something positive before the press tour starts."
"I said I know."
Something tense moved through the room.
Sabrina looked back over her shoulder.
Lucas stood rigid near the counter now, exhaustion written plainly across his face for the first time all night.
Not glamorous exhaustion.
Real exhaustion.
Like he was tired down to the bone.
And suddenly Sabrina understood something important:
Lucas Cooper wasn't asking her because he wanted to.
He was asking because somewhere along the way, his life had stopped belonging entirely to him.
That should've made her feel sympathetic.
Instead it mostly made her sad.
Adrian noticed her watching.
"So," he said carefully, "what do you think?"
Sabrina looked down at the contract one last time.
Three months.
Temporary.
Fake.
Simple.
Except absolutely nothing about this felt simple anymore.
Lucas met her eyes across the room.
Still distant.
Still guarded.
But waiting now.
For her answer.