Chapter 1 THE FIRST CUT IS ALWAYS PUBLIC

Lena Brooks hated two things in life.

Athletes and cameras.

Unfortunately for her, Westbridge University seemed determined to surround her with both.

The flash of a camera hit her face as she stepped out of the lecture hall, forcing her to blink twice before adjusting her backpack strap tighter on her shoulder.

“Lena! What do you think about Kai Ryder’s suspension?”

“Do you regret your article?”

“Was it too harsh calling him reckless?”

Her stomach tightened.

So it had already gone viral, of course it had.

She did not answer.

She never did when they sounded like that.

Instead, she pushed through the crowd of students and media interns waiting outside the journalism building, her jaw locked tight as whispers followed her like shadows.

She wrote the Ryder piece, she ended his reputation, she wants attention.

Lena almost laughed at that last one.

If they knew she was working double shifts at a diner just to stay enrolled, they would not be calling her desperate for attention, they would be calling her exhausted.

Across campus, Kai Ryder did not walk through crowds. Crowds moved for him, at least they usually did.

Now they parted out of curiosity, not admiration.

The whispers were sharper and angrier here.

“Did you see the clip?”

“He snapped live on air.”

“His brother would be ashamed…”

That last sentence hit harder than the others.

Kai’s jaw tightened as he walked past the hockey arena, hands shoved deep into his hoodie pocket.

He did not look at anyone, he did not need to because he already knew what they saw.

They did not see a captain, neither did they saw a star player, nor even a student anymore, just a mistake in motion.

A headline waiting to happen.

And somewhere on campus, the girl who wrote it was still breathing.

Lena did not expect to see him that day.

She definitely did not expect it to be inside the Westbridge media studio. But when she walked in for her assigned interview prep session, she stopped so suddenly her notebook nearly slipped from her hands.

Kai Ryder was already there.

He was leaning back in the chair like he owned it, putting on a dark hoodie, has a bruised knuckles and his expression completely unreadable.

The room felt smaller instantly.

“Perfect,” the producer said, clapping her hands. “You are both here.”

Lena slowly turned.

“Excuse me?”

Kai’s eyes lifted at the same time.

And for the first time, they actually saw each other.

Not headlines, not articles, not clips but just presence.

The producer smiled like she had just set fire to something expensive.

“This is Lena Brooks,” she announced.

Kai did not move.

“And this,” she continued, “is Kai Ryder.”

A pause.

Then,

“Oh,” Kai said flatly.

He said just one word but it carried enough irritation to fill the room.

Lena crossed her arms. “Oh?”

The producer glanced between them like she was watching a match she had already rigged.

“You two already know each other, I assume.”

Kai tilted his head slightly.

“I know her article,” he said.

Lena did not blink. “And I know your reputation.”

There was an abrupt silence. It was heavy and sharp.

The producer looked thrilled.

Perfect!

This was exactly what she wanted.

Kai stood up first.

He was taller than Lena expected.

Not just physically but in presence like the air shifted around him without permission.

“You think you know me,” he said.

Lena did not step back.

“I think I know enough.”

That made something flicker in his eyes.

Not anger but something worse and that was recognition because people usually feared or admired him.

She did neither.

Before either of them could say more, the producer slid a folder onto the table.

“Campus Match,” she said brightly.

Lena frowned. “What?”

Kai did not look surprised.

That alone should have worried her.

“It is a campus reality show,” the producer continued. “We pair influential students together. Romantic partnerships. Public engagement. Social media growth.”

Lena stared. “This is a joke.”

“It is not,” Kai said quietly.

That made her look at him again.

He was already reading the contract.

Jaw tight, eyes colder than before and then Lena stepped forward. “Why are we here?”

The producer smiled.

“Because you two are the most viral conflict on campus.”

There was a sudden pause.

“And we think,” she added, “you would make the perfect fake couple.”

The room went silent.

Lena actually laughed once but it was sharp and unbelieving.

“You want me,” she said slowly, “to fake date him?”

Kai did not look at her but his voice came out low.

“No.”

A pause.

Then,

“Hell no.”

The producer did not flinch.

“It is either this,” she said calmly, “or Kai loses his place on the team.”

That changed the air instantly.

Kai’s hand tightened slightly.

Lena noticed that but the producer continued.

“And Lena loses her scholarship funding.”

Now it was her turn.

Her breath caught but it only did slightly and it was only enough for Kai to notice.

Their eyes met again, for the first time without hatred, just understanding the consequences.

Neither of them spoke for a long time because suddenly, this was not about dislike anymore, it was about survival.

Finally, Kai exhaled slowly.

“This is blackmail.”

The producer corrected him gently.

“It is an opportunity.”

Lena stared at the contract, then at him, then back at the paper.

“You are insane,” she muttered.

Kai finally looked at her properly for the first time.

“No,” he said quietly.

“We are just trapped.”

Outside the glass walls of the studio, cameras were already being

set up recording everything and preparing the story.

The internet did not know about it yet but they were about to fall in love.

Or at least, pretend to.