The bell above the pizza restaurant’s door jingled as two college-aged girls stepped inside, chatting loudly. Lana stood behind the counter, helping a customer pay for his slice and soda.As she handed over the receipt, one of the girls squinted at her.

“she look so familiar,” the girl muttered to her friend.

“Maybe summer camp?” her friend guessed.

The first girl shook her head slowly, her eyes narrowing.Lana smiled politely and handed over the receipt.

“Thanks. Have a great day.”

But just as the girls turned to leave, the first one suddenly gasped and spun around.

“Wait! You! You’re that girl in the picture! You’re Ryan Kane’s girlfriend!” she blurted out.

The restaurant went silent.Lana blinked, frozen. Natalia, dressed in her usual pizza shop apron, quickly stepped in.

“What are you talking about?” she said, laughing nervously.

“Why would Ryan Kane’s girlfriend be working here flipping pepperoni?”

The second girl tugged on her friend’s arm.

“Come on, Layla. You're just being weird.”

“No, seriously,” Layla insisted, pointing.

“That hair! I swear that’s her!”

Her friend rolled her eyes Paranoid.

“Let’s go.”

They left, still whispering.Behind the counter,

Gus sighed.“You better figure something out, Lana,” he said.

“It won’t be long before the media finds you.”

Lana dropped her head onto the counter.

“God, I’ve officially screwed up my life.”

Natalie grinned. “Nah, you didn’t screw it up, baby. You just added chaos seasoning. It’s giving main character energy.”

—

Meanwhile, at Gold Reel Entertainment, the company’s PR lead, Mara Ingram, stood in Wexler’s office with a file in her hand.

“Her name is Lana Brooks,”

Mara said, flipping open the folder.

“Twenty-five. Lives in Westwood. Works part-time at Pizza Square. No criminal record. Keeps a low profile. one emergency hospital bill in 2022, and some freelance gigs. That’s about it.”

Ryan Kane, lounging on the couch and scrolling through his phone, froze.

He looked up.

“Lana,”

he said under his breath. And then, he smiled.Wexler gave him a sharp glare.

“Don’t even start.”

He turned to the team.

“Mara, contact her. I want a meeting set up for tomorrow at 9 a.m. We need to move fast.”

Ryan opened his mouth.

“And you,” Wexler said, pointing at him.

“Go home. Stay home. No clubs. No bars. No girls. You hear me?”Ryan held up his hands.

“Relax. I’ll behave.”

—

That night, Gus, Natalie, and Lana were sitting around the back counter, nursing lukewarm sodas and aching feet.The door jingled again.Natalie groaned.

“If that’s another customer, I swear I’m gonna fake my death.”

Gus laughed. “You wanna eat, you gotta grind. Money don’t manifest itself.”

He stood and walked toward the front. A woman in sleek black slacks and a blazer stepped in.

“Can I help you?” Gus asked.

“I’m looking for Miss Lana Brooks,” she said.

Lana stood, surprised.

“That’s me.”

Natalie and Gus peeked from behind the counter.

“Who is that?” Natalie whispered.

“No idea,” Gus muttered. “But it looks serious.”

—

Mara handed over her business card.

“I’m Mara Ingram. I work with Gold Reel Entertainment,”

she said.

“The company is aware of the recent media coverage, and we want to ensure this doesn’t disrupt your daily life.”

Lana nodded slowly, still confused.

“Mr. Wexler would like to meet with you tomorrow at 9 a.m. to discuss a potential solution.”

“What kind of solution?” Lana asked.

Mara smiled politely. “That will be explained in the meeting.”

Lana hesitated. Then nodded.

“Okay.”

As Mara turned to leave, Natalie practically jumped on Lana.

“Who was that?! What did she want?”

“She’s from Ryan’s company,” Lana said.

Natalie gasped. “Gold Reel?! Are they signing you? Are you gonna be famous?!”

“No,” Lana laughed.

“They just want to talk. Something about fixing the scandal.”

“Fixing it how?”

“No idea,” Lana replied.

Gus clapped his hands. “Alright, girls, let’s close this place up. It’s already late.”

—

The next morning, Lana walked into Gold Reel Entertainment in a borrowed blazer and worn-out heels.Mara led her into Wexler’s office.

“Miss Brooks,” Wexler greeted, standing.

“Thank you for coming. I’d like to apologize for the media storm. It was not our intention.”

Lana nodded politely, unsure.

“To protect your privacy, and repair Ryan’s public image, the company has decided to offer you a short-term contract. A fake relationship.”

Lana blinked. “A what?”

“Six months. You’ll publicly be Ryan’s girlfriend. In exchange, you’ll be compensated one million dollars.”

She stared at him like he was speaking another language.

—

Meanwhile, at Ryan’s place, Caleb and Dean were sprawled on the couch.

“A fake relationship contract?!”

they both shouted.

“Yep,” Ryan said casually.

Dean shook his head.

“Wexler has finally lost it.”

Caleb leaned forward. “But what if she says no?”Ryan smirked.

“Say no to being my girlfriend? Who would say no to this?”

Suddenly, the front door burst open.

“Ryaaaan!” Vic shouted,

charging in.Ryan groaned.

“What now?! I haven’t even left the house.”

Vic ignored him. “Hey, Dean. Caleb.”

Then turned back to Ryan.

“Guess what? It’s over. Your image is toast.”

“Why?” Ryan asked

“Because Miss Lana Brooks said no.”

“What?!” the three of them said in unison.

Ryan blinked. “Little Cat said no?”

Vic threw up his hands.

“Yes! And she said, and I quote, 'Don’t ever contact me for this kind of thing again.'”

Caleb laughed.

“Wow, Ryan. You finally met a girl who isn’t dying to be your arm candy.”

Dean grinned. “Now I’m curious about this Lana.”

Ryan leaned back, eyes distant.

“So am I,” he said quietly. “She said no…”