Chapter 18 Our Fake Relationship: Exposed To The World!
Harper's POV,
I woke up on Maya's couch with my neck at a terrible angle and sunlight stabbing through the blinds directly into my eyes.
For about three seconds, I forgot everything that had happened yesterday.
Then I remembered, and suddenly the weight of it crashed down so hard I couldn't breathe.
Brianna in the hospital. Joel's interview. My boss putting me on leave. The paparazzi outside my apartment.
Crew somewhere in Portland with no idea any of this was happening.
I grabbed my phone off the coffee table. 6:47 AM. Day two.
Twenty-eight more to go.
Maya was already up, standing in her kitchen in pajamas and making coffee like this was a normal Wednesday morning and not the apocalypse.
"How'd you sleep?" she asked without turning around.
"Terrible. You?"
"Also terrible." She poured two mugs and brought one over. "But we're awake and functional, so that's something."
I took the coffee gratefully, letting the heat seep into my hands. "What's the plan?"
"The plan is we deal with the immediate crisis, which is–" Maya's phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up, read something, and her face went pale. "Shit."
"What?"
"Brianna's lawyer just sent a formal demand letter to your email." She was already opening her laptop. "Let me pull it up."
She turned the screen toward me and I read the email header:
“NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE CIVIL LAWSUIT - BRIANNA CROSS V. HARPER SINCLAIR”
As I scanned the documents, I felt my stomach dropped to the floor.
____
Ms. Sinclair is hereby notified of our intent to file a civil lawsuit seeking damages for assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and reckless endangerment of an unborn child. We are seeking compensation in the amount of $500,000 for medical expenses, emotional trauma, lost wages, and punitive damages.
We are prepared to settle this matter out of court if Ms. Sinclair agrees to the following terms:
1) A public apology acknowledging full responsibility for the incident,
2) Payment of $250,000 in damages,
3) A legally binding agreement to cease all contact with Mr. Joel Hartley and Ms. Brianna Cross.
If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, we will proceed with filing in King County Superior Court.
____
I read it twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
"For a fight that lasted thirty seconds and which she started." Maya's voice was tight with fury. "This is extortion."
"Can they do this? Can they actually sue me for defending myself?"
"They can sue you for anything. Whether they'll win is another question." Maya was already typing on her phone. "But Harper, you need a lawyer. A real one. Not me giving you advice over coffee."
"I can't afford a lawyer. I'm on administrative leave, remember? I have maybe $3000 in my bank account and rent due in two weeks."
"I know someone." Maya hit send on whatever message she'd been typing.
"David Park. He does pro bono work for people who can't afford representation. He owes me a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"Well, let's say… I didn't write a story about his client's DUI three years ago." Maya gave me a grim smile. "Don't worry about it. He's good. He'll take your case."
“And if he says no?"
"Then we figure out plan B." Maya looked at me. "But he won't say no. Trust me.”
...
David Park's office was in a building that had seen better days, sandwiched between a bail bondsman and a tax preparation service. The elevator smelled like cigarettes and regret.
"This is depressing," I muttered as we rode up to the fourth floor.
"He's a good lawyer," Maya said. "Just because he doesn't have a fancy office doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing."
The elevator doors opened and we found Suite 403. The waiting room had three plastic chairs, outdated magazines, and a receptionist who looked about sixteen.
"Harper Sinclair?" she asked, not looking up from her phone.
"That's me."
"David's ready for you. Go on back."
David Park turned out to be a tired-looking man in his fifties with reading glasses perched on his head and a desk covered in files. He stood when we entered, shaking my hand with a grip that was surprisingly firm.
"Ms. Sinclair. Maya speaks highly of you."
"She's biased," I said.
"Maybe." He gestured for us to sit. "But I've reviewed the video footage of the incident and the demand letter from Ms. Cross's attorney. Walk me through what happened, start to finish."
So I did. The press conference. The fight with Brianna in the hallway. Her slapping me first. Security pulling us apart. The hospital, the accusations, Joel's interview making me look unhinged.
David listened to all of it without interrupting, taking notes on a yellow legal pad.
When I finished, he sat back in his chair.
"Here's the good news. You have a solid self-defense claim. There's clear video evidence showing Ms. Cross initiating physical contact. Any reasonable jury would see that you were defending yourself."
"And the bad news?"
"The bad news is that Ms. Cross is pregnant, which complicates things emotionally even if it doesn't change the legal reality. Juries are unpredictable, and a pregnant woman crying on the stand is powerful testimony regardless of who started the fight."
"So I might lose."
"You might. But more likely, they're hoping you'll settle out of court because you can't afford to fight this." David leaned forward.
"Ms. Sinclair, can you afford the $250,000 settlement they're demanding?"
"I can't afford $2,500."
"Then we fight. I'll take your case pro bono, but I need you to understand what you're signing up for. This will be public. It will be ugly. Ms. Cross's lawyers will try to make you look as bad as possible. They'll even bring up your relationship with Crew Lawson, his addiction, the leaked contract–"
"Wait, hold on for a sec!” Maya cut in. “...What leaked contract?"
David's expression shifted. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" I asked, my stomach already sinking.
He turned his computer screen toward us and pulled up a gossip website called ‘TeaSpill’. The headline made my blood go cold.
“EXCLUSIVE: Harper Sinclair & Crew Lawson's Relationship Started as REVENGE PLOT - Contract Leaked”
Below it was a photo of a document.
Our contract. The one Maya had drawn up three months ago outlining the terms of our fake relationship.
I stared at it, my brain refusing to process what I was seeing.
….
This Agreement is entered into between Harper Sinclair ("Party A") and Crew Lawson ("Party B") for the purpose of maintaining a public relationship for a period of three (3) months.
Purpose: Party A seeks to attend Joel Hartley's wedding with a high-profile date to demonstrate she has moved on from their previous relationship...
….
Every word was there.
Every clause. Every detail that made it abundantly clear our relationship had started as a business transaction designed specifically to make Joel jealous.
"Oh my God," Maya whispered. "How did they get this?"
"Someone leaked it," David said. "The question is… who?"
I couldn't stop staring at the screen. The comments below the article were already in the thousands.
‘So their whole relationship was FAKE? She's even more pathetic than I thought.’
‘This explains everything. She's obsessed with her ex and used Crew as a prop.’
‘Poor Crew. He probably had no idea she was just using him for revenge.’
‘Harper Sinclair is a sociopath.’
"When did this go up?" Maya demanded.
"About two hours ago." David closed the laptop. "It's already been picked up by six other outlets. This is going to be everywhere by noon."
"Who would do this?" I asked, but even as I said it, possibilities were flooding my brain.
Joel had access to Maya's office sometimes when we were together. His agent could have found it. Brianna's lawyer might have gotten it through discovery if they'd filed preliminary motions.
"Does it matter?" Maya's voice was hollow. "It's out there now."
"It matters for your case," David said, looking at me. "Because Ms. Cross's lawyers are going to use this to paint you as someone who manipulates people for personal gain. Someone who's obsessed with her ex-boyfriend and willing to use anyone—including a man struggling with addiction—to get revenge."
"That's not what happened," I said, but my voice sounded weak even to my own ears.
"I know that. You know that. But to a jury?" David spread his hands. "This makes you look calculated. Manipulative. And combined with the assault allegations, it creates a narrative that you're someone who hurts people to get what you want."
"So what do I do now?"
"You prepare for this to get worse before it gets better." David pulled out a fresh legal pad. "We're going to build your defense, document everything, and hope that the truth is enough. But Ms. Sinclair, I need you to be honest with me. Is there anything else that could come out? Any other skeletons in your closet that Ms. Cross's legal team might find?"
I thought about it.
Well, my relationship with Crew was real now, even if it started fake. My fight with Brianna was self-defense. Joel cheating was documented. What else could they possibly–
Wait! I think I got it.
"The wedding!" I said suddenly.
"Crew and I are planning to go to Joel's wedding in four weeks."