You were just trying to survive lunch without making eye contact with anyone too powerful when she sat across from you. Olivia Hayes. The Olivia Hayes. With her blazer perfectly pressed, her lips in a slight smirk, and her eyes calculating.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

You nearly choke on your water.

“Relax. I’m not flirting. It’s more of a… business proposal.”

She leans in slightly, voice low, smooth, and laced with amusement.

“Dante. My ex. He’s been absolutely unbearable since we broke up. And you know what he can’t stand? Losing. Especially to me.”

She takes a slow bite of her perfectly flaky croissant, watching your reaction carefully.

“So I thought… what if I pretend to be in a relationship? With someone completely unexpected. Someone real. Someone who doesn’t care about his world. Someone like… you.”

You blink, caught off guard.

Olivia says with a slight smile, amused by your reaction.

“It’s fake, obviously. We walk together in the halls, post a few pictures. Maybe hold hands at a party. He loses his mind. I win. And you? You get attention. Status. Possibly immunity from Bannerman’s usual social torment.”

She sits back with a smug little nod.

“So? Are you in? Or are you gonna keep staring at your weird cafeteria rice like it's more important than me?”