She was just about to step back onto the patio when her phone buzzed insistently in her back pocket. Startled, her heart still hammering and her mind racing from earlier events, she ducked into a small side hallway to take the call. "Hello?"

"Hey there. It's Cordelia." The familiar voice belonged to her editor—among the few people she held in equally high regard as Sabine and Hadley.

"Cordelia! What's up?"

"Quick question—did you get a signed authorization for that photo you used on your cover?"

She froze mid-step, her finger tightening around the phone. "Signed? Uh, no. But I’ve got his verbal consent recorded."

Cordelia let out a long, exasperated sigh. "That’s not going to fly. Legal’s saying it’s insufficient, especially given how the photo’s been altered. They’ve drafted the exact document you’ll need. I’ll email it to you, but you’ve got to get the model’s signature. Without it, we can’t move forward with the book’s release. We already pushed it back five days to accommodate your new cover design—I admit, it’s an improvement—but this authorization is non-negotiable."

"Why can’t we just use the verbal agreement?"

"Because," Cordelia responded sharply, her patience thinning, "we both know verbal consent doesn’t mention the specifics, like him being shirtless or posed in full BDSM gear. It has to be formalized."

"But—"

"No ‘but.’ If we don’t have this signed by end of today, we’re reverting to the original cover. End of discussion."

She bit back a curse, groaning silently as heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs nearby. Pressing herself into the shadow of the staircase, she avoided whoever it was stomping around. "Fine," she hissed in frustration. "I’ll handle it."

As she stepped back out onto the patio, she saw Caspian seated at the table, his expression calm and unreadable, like nothing had happened earlier.

"Where were you?" Orion’s gruff voice cut through the air as soon as she emerged.

"Phone call with my editor," she explained. Then she turned to her father, keeping her tone neutral. "Dad, can I use your printer? I need to print out a contract."

Her father raised a brow. "Sweetheart, you don’t need to ask. If the screen on your phone is too small, use my office computer. Password is—"

"No need. I’ll remote-link to your printer." With that, she trudged toward the office, her shoes dragging against the floor as dread settled over her. The impossible task loomed ahead: how was she going to convince him to sign this document without thoroughly inspecting it?

Once inside the office, she clenched a fist, swinging it at empty air to release her frustration while waiting for the printer to spit out the document. Thankfully, it was only a single-page waiver, but the simplicity of the form didn’t comfort her. If anything, it heightened her anxiety—Caspian might be more inclined to read it, and if he did, he could very well revoke his consent altogether. That would mean scrapping her new design entirely.

The original cover was fine, but this updated version? It was perfect. Having Caspian Harrington as the in-the-flesh inspiration for her intergalactic hero—a burly alien space officer—was too much of a coup to let go. The cover depicted her character as a towering, red-skinned alien strapped in tight leather gear with a face unmistakably modeled after Caspian. The resemblance wasn’t just uncanny—it was deliberate. She needed this. Badly.

Her eyes briefly skimmed over a clause in the waiver mentioning promotional materials. The mental image hit her like a lightning bolt—a life-sized cutout of that modified photo standing in bookstores. It was delightfully audacious. Her grin faded as practicality took over. She pulled out her phone and dialed Sabine.

"Make this quick," Sabine answered on the second ring, sounding hurried. "I’m heading into a coffee date with that guy from accounting."

"Just listen. I’m screwed if Caspian doesn’t sign this waiver for the cover photo."

"Ugh," Sabine groaned. "The old cover’s still good, though."

"Good, but not this good. Also, his stocks dipped after last week’s mess. He told me he lost a fifty-million-dollar deal because of me."

Sabine’s gasp was loud enough to make her wince. "Fifty million? Are you kidding? That’s insane."

"Yeah. It’s more money than I’ll ever see in my life, but here’s the kicker—he can’t demand I reimburse him. And I want this cover. Desperately." She paused, her temper flaring momentarily. "Not to mention how hilarious it’ll be when he realizes the content of this book."

"You’re a menace," Sabine quipped, a laugh poking through her frustrated tone. "Why on earth do you hate him this much?"

"Because he’s done everything to screw with me for years. Orion’s his excuse. Caspian does whatever my brother asks, knowing full well there are zero consequences for him. Growing up, if I had pulled anything, my dad would’ve chewed me out. Not Caspian—his dad was absent, leaving him coddled and untouchable. It’s always been infuriating."

Sabine was silent for a beat. Then: "So, what’s the game plan?"

"It’s even worse," she muttered, deflating. "He’s here. Right now. At the house for brunch with Orion and your brother. And he cornered me earlier to suggest his PR team wants to spin last week’s catastrophe as some sort of consensual BDSM role play. They want me to agree to play along on public ‘dates’ with him to sell the story."

"That’s disgusting."

"Isn’t it? And he’s serious."

"Here’s what you do. Tell him you’ll agree to the dates if he signs the waiver."

She froze, the idea settling uncomfortably in her stomach. "You think I should?"

"Absolutely. Buy yourself time. You’re leaving for Europe in a few days—he won’t be able to hunt you down. By the time you’re back a month from now, this circus will have moved on. Meanwhile, you secure your hot-as-hell book cover featuring Caspian Harrington, BDSM spaceman extraordinaire."

"You’re devious."

"And I’m right," Sabine shot back. "Make the deal. Then ghost him until this whole PR stunt fizzles out."

Exhaling slowly, she nodded to herself. "Alright. I’ll do it."

"Good. Now go seal the deal. My date awaits, and so does your bestseller."