“‘Dakota, known for his entitled attitude and uninspired play on the ice, is no stranger to controversy—his latest claim to fame is a self-inflicted injury that eliminated his team from the playoffs last year. A privileged upbringing and lack of accountability have allowed “The Golden Son” to flaunt his bad-boy image without consequence. With a trail of trampled hearts in his wake, Dakota now sets his sights on the sheltered and impressionable Ottavia.
“‘Their union is a glaring testament to the unchecked privilege that pervades our society. While honest, hardworking individuals struggle to make ends meet, Ottavia and Dakota frolic in a bubble of excess, enjoying the fruits of their family fortunes. They epitomize the entitled elite, detached from the realities faced by ordinary people, and carrying on their sordid affairs in secret.
“‘But beneath the glitz and glamour lies a relationship built on superficiality and self-interest. Ottavia and Dakota may revel in their adulterous romance now, but the question remains: how long until their insatiable hunger for attention leads to their own downfall?’”
“Well, that guy sounds totally sane and unbiased.” I set the iPad aside with a sigh. “By now, I’m used to them writing this kind of stuff about me, but …” I trailed off and cast my guilty gaze at Ottavia. “I’m sorry to get you involved in this.”
“You?” She shook her head, refusing my apology. “It’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I should be the one that’s sorry.”
I waved away her self-blame. “Nah. The media loves to drag me through the mud any chance they get. But they’ve never said a word about you—you fly under the radar.”
“Not anymore,” she grumbled. “Pretty sure they hate me now, too.”
A heavy silence enveloped us as the gravity of the situation sank in. But in that tense moment, a mischievous glimmer flickered in my eyes. My smile soon evolved into a chuckle.
Ottavia raised an eyebrow. “Okay, why are you laughing right now?”
“Because I’m thinking how, for once in my life, the media has actuallysolvedone of my problems.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“Think about it. We didn’t know how to convince your dad we were serious about each other. Well, now we don’t even have to! The media just did our dirty work for us. By exposing our ‘scandalous affair,’ they’ve made Leo look like a cuck, and your marriage to him would look illegitimate, like the loveless sham that it is. There’s literallynoreason for you to marry him now.” Wondering why she wasn’t beaming like me, I gently shook her shoulders, trying to hype her up. “Ottavia! Don’t you see? You’re getting out of the arranged marriage!”
“Hmm.” Her eyes narrowed skeptically. “Yeah, I dunno, Dakota. I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ve got a bad feeling. All I know is, none of this makes sense.” Searching for answers, her brow furrowed. “Why would they even write this in the first place?”
“Because the story is sensational, and they’ve had a hate-boner for me for years? And because everyone hates rich people, especially privileged brats who haven’t earned their success? So they getdoublethe satisfaction from seeing us both get torn down.”
“Sure, I get all that,” she said. “But why would they lie and say they saw us together six months ago?”
“Beats me. But I don’t give a fuck. It only helps us, I think.”
She thought it over in silence. “There’s only one explanation I can think of. And I don’t like it at all.”
“What’s that?”
“Remember when we had dinner with my dad, and he pulled me aside so we could talk in private?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“That dinner was three months ago. And at the time, I told him Dad we’d been dating for a few months, and that I’d met you at a bar. So the time frame and the story both fit what I’d told him.”
“So you’re thinking that your dad planted the story?”
“Maybe? I really don’t know. That’s the only thing I can think of, though.”
“But why would he do that? He wants you to marry Leo. He’s made it pretty clear he hates me. Why would he help us out like that?”
“If hediddo it, he didn’t do it to help us out.” She paused. “But I can’t think of why anyone else would do it, either.”
“Well, maybe people reallyaregossiping about us, Ottavia. I mean, it is possible, isn’t it? Wearekinda having an ‘affair,’ aren’t we? From their perspective, I mean.”
“Sure, it’s possible, I guess,” she said, but it was clear she didn’t believe it. She pointed at the pictures in the article. “But someone was following us around and taking pictures of us for months. And onlynowdid this story come out. The same day you start training camp?” She blew out an anxious breath. “The timing is strange, Dakota. It’s like theywaiteduntil hockey season started for maximum publicity.”
“I just can’t see why your dad would want something like that written, though.”
