Page 29 of Faking with Three

Charlie laughs, a sharp, grating sound. “Oh, come on. You guys want the exposure, don’t you? That’s why you’re out here in public, isn’t it?”

I feel my heart sink. This is exactly the kind of thing we don’t need right now—someone hijacking the shoot and turning it into a spectacle.

“Look,” Marcus says, trying to keep his cool. “We’re just here to enjoy a meal. It’s a private shoot.”

“Private, huh?” Charlie raises an eyebrow, panning her phone between Marcus and Olivia. “So tell me, what’s the real deal here? Are you guys actually dating, or is this just another staged video to scam your viewers?”

Olivia’s face goes red—not with embarrassment, but with anger. I can see it building, the way her shoulders tense and her jaw sets. She’s not the type to take this kind of crap lying down.

“Excuse me,” Olivia says, her voice icy. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m just asking the questions everyone else wants to know,” Charlie says with a smirk. “Like, is this all part of some weird love triangle? Or maybe a square, considering how you’ve got Jax here hovering like a jealous boyfriend.”

Jax bristles at that, stepping forward. “Hey, back off,” he snaps. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Charlie’s grin widens. “Oh, I think I do. This whole ‘Love Lab’ thing—you guys have been floundering for a while now, haven’t you? Views dropping, subscribers bailing. It’s almost like you’re desperate for a hit.”

I can feel the blood pounding in my ears. This is going south fast, and I need to intervene before it gets worse.

“Cut the feed,” I say, stepping forward and waving at the crew. “Everyone, stop rolling.”

Charlie laughs again, this time louder. “Oh, cutting the cameras now? What, afraid of a little truth?”

“Lady, you need to leave,” Jax growls, his usual laid-back demeanor completely gone. He’s tense, fists clenched at his sides like he’s seconds away from losing it.

Marcus tries one last time to de-escalate. “Look, we’re not here to cause trouble. We’re just trying to film a segment.”

“Sure you are,” Charlie sneers. “But let’s be real—no one’s buying it. Especially not when it looks like you’re all vying for the same woman’s attention. It’s kind of pathetic, don’t you think?”

Olivia shoots to her feet, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. “You don’t know a damn thing about us,” she snaps.

I step in, grabbing her by the arm gently. “Liv, don’t. She’s just trying to get a reaction.”

“Oh, I’m getting plenty of reaction,” Charlie says, her eyes gleaming as she takes in the scene. “This is going to make one hell of an episode.”

I glare at her. “This isn’t your show.”

Charlie doesn’t walk away like I’d hoped. Instead, she lingers at the edge of our table, her eyes darting between Olivia, Marcus, and Jax as if she’s already spinning some scandalous headline in her head.

“I gotta hand it to you,” she says, loud enough that the tables nearby start to glance over. “You guys certainly know how to draw attention.”

Jax steps forward, blocking her view. He’s tall and intimidating when he wants to be, but Charlie doesn’t even flinch. “We asked you to leave,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “This isn’t your business.”

“Oh, but it is,” she replies smoothly, sidestepping him so she can see Olivia. “This whole setup is my business. It’s everyone’s business now that you’re streaming your little experiment for the world to see. Do you think people won’t figure it out? That they won’t notice how staged this all is?”

She turns to Olivia.

“How does it feel to be strung along by three men for views?”

Olivia’s face flushes with anger, and she looks like she’s about to launch herself across the table. “Excuse me?” she snaps. “I’m not anyone’s pawn, and if you think?—”

“Liv,” I interrupt, stepping in. I can feel the tension ratcheting up, and I’m desperate to shut this down before it gets any worse. “Don’t engage with her. She’s just trying to stir up trouble.”

“Oh, but he’s right,” Charlie coos, leaning towards Olivia as if they’re best friends. “You shouldn’t engage. After all, it’s not like you’re really in control here, are you? You’re just a tool they’re using for content. Or is it more than that? Maybe you think it’s actually true, which really makes everything even more pathetic.”

Olivia grabs the nearest bowl of soup—a fancy minestrone, still steaming—and dumps it right over Charlie Green’s perfectly styled hair in one swift, fluid motion.

The whole restaurant falls silent, like someone hit the mute button. Charlie just stands there, dripping soup, her mouth open in shock. A noodle slides down her cheek, dangling off her chin like the world’s saddest accessory.

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