Some scandals are accidental.
Others are engineered with lipstick, silk sheets, and just enough shadow to break the internet.
Liana Zhou knew the power of a perfectly framed lie.
And today?
She woke up next to one.
Scene: 8:00 A.M. – Presidential Suite, Crestfall Hotel
The sheets were designer.
The man beside her was shirtless, smirking, and absurdly good-looking in a non-threatening, totally fake boyfriend kind of way.
"Photos go live in three, two…" he whispered, holding up his phone with a wink.
Click.
Liana adjusted the strap of her silk nightgown and sipped espresso like a villainess enjoying her morning chaos.
"You sure this won't cause a real scandal?" he asked, still shirtless, still very not Damon.
"I hope it does," she said. "And you'll be paid double if Damon punches a wall."
Flashback: One Week Earlier – Liana's Apartment
Liana slid a contract across the table.
The man—Julian Wei, international investor, heartthrob, and chaos-loving ex from her college days—read it and grinned.
"You want me to play fake lover?"
"Just for a few mornings. I need Damon to think he's losing."
Julian sipped wine.
> "And are you trying to make him jealous?"
Liana's smile could've cracked glass.
> "No. I'm trying to break him."
Scene: Qin Corporation – 8:45 A.M.
Damon's phone buzzed as he stepped into the elevator.
A text from a private number.
He opened it.
PHOTO ATTACHED.
Liana. Bedhead. Sleepy eyes. Coffee in hand.
Julian Wei's arm casually draped around her shoulder like it belonged there.
Damon didn't breathe for a full ten seconds.
Then—
Crash.
The elevator control panel cracked under his fist.-
Scene: Qin Corp Boardroom – 9:00 A.M.
Liana strolled in ten minutes late.
Flawless. Calm. Dressed in black and white like a CEO or a funeral guest—you couldn't tell which.
Damon was already there, looking like a storm in a tailored suit.
"Rough morning?" she asked sweetly, taking her seat at the head of the table.
He didn't speak.
But his jaw? Grinding like a man chewing on betrayal.
The meeting dragged. Numbers were discussed. Strategy debated.
And when it ended?
Damon waited for everyone to leave.
Scene: Empty Boardroom – Just the Two of Them
He slammed the door shut.
"You think this is a game?"
"No," Liana said. "This is a performance. And judging by your reaction, it deserves an award."
"Julian Wei?" he growled. "You're in bed with him now?"
She looked up with eyes like ice on fire.
> "You forfeited the right to ask that when you chose Shen Ruoyi over me."
"I never chose her."
"Lies must be contagious," she said. "Be careful—you're starting to sound like her."
He stepped closer.
"You think I'm jealous?"
She leaned in, her breath brushing his cheek.
> "I think you're losing. And I hope it hurts."
Then she walked out.
Again.
Scene: Damon's Office – Later
He stared at the photo again. Zoomed in.
Julian's hand. Her bare shoulder.
He hated it.
Not because he believed it.
But because a part of him wanted to believe it—just to justify what he was feeling.
Obsession. Rage.
Longing.
And worst of all?
Fear.
Because if Liana could love someone else…
she could erase him.
Back at the hotel, Julian turned to Liana and said,
"You know, if you wanted to make him jealous, we could always make it real."
She didn't blink.
> "You wouldn't survive me."