“Structured?”
“Public appearances. Stability optics. Think reputations, not romance novels. So there wouldn't be anything…untoward happening. It’s contractual. Professional. And the partner—that would be you—is compensated. Very well.”
My stomach flips. “You’re talking about pretending to date someone.”
“Yeah,” Luna says. “But with boundaries. Legal protections. And other safeguards.”
I stare at her, words stuck in my throat. My heart thrums with a new, impossible idea. But oh, what a ridiculous idea it is.
Fake date some billionaire to save a historic storefront?
That is crazy.
Chapter two
Seamus
I think when I grow up I want to make places where people feel happy. Like my bedroom when the sun hits the yellow walls. Everything feels sunny side up in there. I think people should live sunny side up all the time. —Anna (Age 11)
The conference room is on the fortieth floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the city below. I prefer it this way.
Distance makes things simpler.
Malcolm Hale, the COO of the company, sits to my right, tablet open, already scrolling through quarterly projections. Talia Nguyen, our communications director, sits across from me, her expression carefully neutral.
At the head of the table, Graham Whitlock, Chairman of the board, adjusts his cufflinks.
This isn't a board meeting, but a smaller briefing.
"Gentlemen. Talia." Graham nods to each of us in turn. "Thank you for making time. I know we're all busy, so I'll get to the point."
He taps the folder in front of him. It's thin, which somehow makes it more ominous. "The press has been circulating old photos again."
I don't react. I've learned that stillness is its own kind of power. "I'm aware."
Talia clears her throat. "Your reformed image has helped. But lately, it's slipping."
She slides a tablet across the table toward me. I glance down. Headlines. Old photos. The pictures are all highlighting my playboy past.
"These are from five years ago," I say evenly.
"Six," Talia corrects. "But they're getting traction again. Algorithms don't care how old the photos are. And 'reformed playboy' only works if people believe it."
Malcolm leans forward, fingers steepled. "Investors are getting skittish. Nothing catastrophic, but the calls are starting. Questions about leadership stability. Long-term vision."
He pauses, letting that sink in. "Right now, you're a thirty-four-year-old bachelor CEO with a history. It's... distracting."
I feel the first prickle of irritation. "My personal life has been irrelevant to company performance for years."
"Perception isn't rational, Seamus." Graham's voice is calm, almost kind. "We're not questioning your competence. We're addressing noise. The board wants to reinforce the stability narrative before it becomes a real problem."
"Reinforce it how?" I ask.
Graham opens the folder, then pauses. "There are the usual approaches. Press tours. Controlled interviews. Media coaching."
"All of which require significant time on your end," Talia says carefully.
She hesitates. "There is one unconventional option."
