Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Summer
A loud vibration jerked me awake, the obnoxious buzzing echoing through my tiny apartment like an alarm from hell.
My brain, still foggy from sleep, tried to process whether it was my phone or an early sign of the apocalypse.
I groaned, rolling over and blindly patting the nightstand until my fingers found the device, yanking it toward me.
The screen was lit up like a Christmas tree, notifications flooding in so fast I couldn’t even focus on a single one.
I squinted at the brightness, the words blurring together. Missed calls. Dozens of messages. Notifications from apps I barely used. What the hell?
Before I could make sense of anything, my phone vibrated violently in my hand, the name Olivia flashing across the screen. I sighed, swiping to answer.
"Hello?" My voice was hoarse, still thick with sleep.
A high-pitched scream nearly shattered my eardrum.
“SUMMER. WE’RE. FREAKING. TRENDING.”
I winced, pulling the phone away for a second before pressing it back against my ear. “What?” I croaked.
“You and Malcolm!” Olivia’s voice was borderline hysterical, a mixture of excitement and pure chaotic energy. “All over the internet! Apparently, you’re dating now. Or engaged. Or secretly married. I don’t know. The media can’t decide.”
I blinked at the ceiling, my brain completely failing to compute. “Huh?”
A giddy, evil laugh rang through the phone. “Girl. You just broke the internet.”
Still not fully awake, I pushed up onto my elbows, my heart picking up speed. “Olivia. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Check your phone. Now.”
Still groggy, I swiped over to my notifications.
Then my soul left my body.
Billionaire Malcolm Sinclair Spotted on an Intimate Dinner Date with Mysterious Woman!
Is Malcolm Sinclair Finally Off the Market?
Who Is the Woman Who Stole the Youngest Billionaire’s Heart?
And then, the photos.
I clicked on the first article, my stomach dropping to my feet as images loaded onto my screen.
Malcolm. Smirking that damn devastating smirk, leaning in just slightly across the table, looking far too amused.
Me. Laughing, eyes bright, looking like I was having the time of my life.
From an outsider’s perspective? It looked ridiculously intimate. Romantic. Like some undeniable chemistry was crackling between us.
Like we were on a damn date.
“Oh. My. God,” I whispered, absolute horror flooding through me.
“RIGHT?!” Olivia howled, her laughter borderline maniacal. “I woke up and BAM—my best friend is apparently dating one of the richest men in the country. I feel betrayed that I had to find out through the media.”
I threw the blankets off me and scrambled out of bed so fast I nearly face-planted. “This can’t be happening.”
“Oh, it’s happening,” Olivia sang, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Twitter is in shambles. Instagram is on fire. You’re literally the most talked-about woman in the country right now.”
I began pacing, my bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. “No. This is bad. This is very, very bad. I barely survived high school with that man. I can’t survive the entire world thinking we’re?—”
“Madly in love? Soulmates? Secretly engaged?” Olivia offered helpfully.
I groaned dramatically, dragging a hand down my face. “This is a PR nightmare. People are going to start digging, asking questions. What if this affects my job? What if?—”
“Summer,” Olivia cut in, amusement still thick in her voice, “you work with kids in the foster system. I doubt anyone’s going to blacklist you because of a hot billionaire.”
I threw myself onto the couch, officially spiraling. “But it’s not true! We’re not together. We had dinner. That’s it. That’s all it was.”
“Well, tell that to the millions of people who are now completely obsessed with you.”
I groaned louder, burying my face into a pillow.
“Wait,” Olivia gasped suddenly.
“What?” I mumbled into the fabric.
“You didn’t—” She paused for dramatic effect. “—sleep with him again, did you?”
I jerked up so fast my neck nearly snapped. “OLIVIA.”
“Oh my god, you DID!”
“NO, I DID NOT!”
She howled with laughter, completely ignoring my panic. “Wow. This is wild. I mean, imagine Malcolm Sinclair looking at me the way he was looking at you in those photos. I’d pass out. Right there on the restaurant floor. Just drop dead from pure sexual tension.”
I dropped back onto the couch, covering my face with my hands.
“I need to talk to him,” I muttered.
“Oh, he’s gonna LOVE this,” Olivia said gleefully. “You do realize this man has never publicly been linked to anyone, right? You’re literally his first scandal.”
My stomach flipped uncomfortably. I hadn’t even thought about that.
Malcolm was known for being notoriously private. He had been linked to high-profile women before, but never anything serious, never anything the media could run with.
And now?
Now the entire world thought we were a thing.
“I hate my life,” I muttered.
“No, you don’t,” Olivia countered. “You just hate the fact that Malcolm Sinclair is still as effortlessly charming as ever, and now you have to deal with it.”
I groaned. “I need coffee before I emotionally combust.”
“Get dressed and prepare for war, babe. Because the world officially thinks you’re the future Mrs. Sinclair.”
I stared at the ceiling, heart pounding, knowing full well that whatever came next?
I wasn’t ready for it.