Unwanted Attention

Grace woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand.

She groaned, blindly reaching for it and squinting at the bright screen.

Finn: OMG, WHAT IS HAPPENING???

Finn: U NEED TO CHECK SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW.

Her stomach dropped. That was never a good sign.

Still half-asleep, she clicked open her browser and searched Jax's name. And there it was—picture after picture of her arriving at his house, carrying her bags, standing at his front door.

Headlines screamed at her:

"Jax Riot's Mysterious New Girl—Who Is She?"

"Rockstar Jax Riot Spotted Bringing a Woman Home!"

"The Secret Relationship No One Saw Coming"

Grace sat up so fast she got dizzy. What the hell?

She had been here for one night. ONE NIGHT. How did this already blow up?

Her door suddenly swung open.

Jax stood there, holding up his own phone with an unimpressed look. "So, congratulations. You're officially famous."

Grace buried her face in her hands. "Oh my God."

"Yeah," Jax said, leaning against the doorframe. "Welcome to my nightmare."

Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting at the massive dining table with Jax across from her, both of them scrolling through the chaos unfolding online.

It wasn't just articles. Fans were everywhere. On Twitter, Instagram, TikTok. Some were already trying to find out who she was.

Some were excited. Some were furious. Some were just downright crazy.

@JaxRiotLover: WHO IS SHE?! SOMEONE FIND HER!!!

@RebelQueen22: Is this for real? He was supposed to marry me???

@TheRealMaggieG: I ship it. They look cute together. 🖤🔥

@JaxAddiction: How do we know she's not using him for money??

Grace groaned. "I hate everything about this."

Jax smirked. "Yeah? Welcome to my world, sweetheart."

She shot him a glare. "You think this is funny?"

"I think it's hilarious," he admitted. "You should see your face."

Grace let out a frustrated breath and tossed her phone on the table. "What do we do?"

Jax stretched, completely unbothered. "Nothing. Let them talk. It'll die down."

"Die down?" she repeated. "People are literally investigating my life right now. I wouldn't be surprised if they already knew where I work."

Jax shrugged. "It comes with the job."

"Well, it's not my job," she snapped.

His smirk faded slightly, and for a second, she thought he might actually apologize. But then—

"Well," he said, leaning back, "it kind of is now."

Grace clenched her jaw. This guy was unbelievable.

Before she could argue, the front door slammed.

Victoria.

"Morning, lovebirds," she said cheerfully, walking into the kitchen like nothing was wrong. She was already dressed in her signature designer suit, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

Jax groaned. "Mom, don't start."

"Oh, I'm not starting," she said, pouring herself a coffee. "I'm simply pointing out that the entire internet thinks you're dating, which means my plan is already working."

Grace's head snapped up. "This was part of the plan?"

Victoria smiled over her cup. "Of course. I knew the paparazzi would catch on eventually."

Jax rubbed his temples. "This is insane."

Victoria sighed, sitting down across from them. "Listen. This kind of attention is good for you. It keeps you relevant, boosts album sales, and frankly, gives the fans something to talk about. Do you know how many people already think this is the best thing to ever happen?"

Grace shot Jax a look. "And how many people want me dead?"

Victoria waved a hand. "Oh, that's normal. Fans always overreact at first. Give it time."

Grace wanted to argue. She wanted to scream that this wasn't normal for her. That she didn't ask for this. But what was the point? Victoria didn't seem like the type of person who cared about feelings.

Instead, she crossed her arms. "So, what now?"

Victoria set her coffee down, clasping her hands together like she had been waiting for that question. "Now? You go on your first official date."

Grace's stomach dropped.

Jax choked on his coffee. "I'm sorry, what?"

Victoria smiled. "Oh, don't act so shocked. You knew this was coming. We need to sell this relationship. And that means public appearances."

Grace shook her head. "You want us to... pretend to date. In front of everyone?"

Victoria gave her a pointed look. "Is that a problem? You agreed to this, didn't you?"

Grace clenched her jaw. She had agreed. But somehow, it hadn't hit her just how real this was going to get.

Jax groaned, rubbing his face. "Where?"

"I booked a nice little lunch spot downtown," Victoria said. "Very public, very popular. Just long enough for people to see you together. Hold hands, smile—make it believable."

Jax leaned back, annoyed. "You act like we're actors."

Victoria smirked. "You're musicians. It's not that different."

Grace let out a slow breath. She had to remind herself why she was doing this.

The money. The chance to study.

She could survive one fake date... right?

One hour later, Grace found herself in Jax's car, heading toward the restaurant.

The tension was thick.

Jax had barely spoken since they left the house, keeping his eyes on the road. Grace tapped her fingers against her knee, trying to act normal.

Finally, she cleared her throat. "So... are we gonna talk about how weird this is?"

Jax let out a dry laugh. "What's there to talk about?"

Grace gave him a look. "I don't know. Maybe the fact that we're about to have a fake date in front of strangers?"

Jax sighed. "Look, just... follow my lead, alright? It's not that hard."

Grace crossed her arms. "Oh? And what exactly is your 'lead'?"

He glanced at her, smirking. "Well, for starters, you should probably look at me like you actually like me."

Grace's face heated. "Excuse me?"

Jax laughed. "Come on, you're supposed to be my biggest fan, right?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Not even close."

He smirked, eyes back on the road. "We'll see about that."

Grace sighed, leaning her head back. This was going to be a disaster.

And they hadn't even arrived yet.