Part 1Best Actress in Love (and Scandal)

Rumor has it the Best Actress is a homewrecker, caught in a scandalous affair. At the awards ceremony, she set the record straight right on stage.

“That’s not true. Susan has already agreed to be my girlfriend.”

Down in the audience, I was completely floored.

When did I agree to that? We were just trying things out for seven days!

* * *

The A-list actress Vivian Monroe was chasing me, and the whole of Hollywood knew it.

It got so bad that even the stray dogs on the studio backlot would give me a look that said, So, Susan, have you said yes to Vivian yet?

"No, no, NO!" I shrieked, finally snapping at one of them. "How many times do I have to say it? I did not say yes!"

Just as I was losing my mind at a golden retriever, Vivian appeared. She held out a check.

I instinctively recoiled, clutching my chest. "What do you think you're doing? I didn't come to Hollywood to sell my body."

"I came here to outlast everyone!" I declared. "I'll watch the druggies, the gamblers, the liars, and the creeps burn out, and then it'll be my turn to shine!"

Vivian simply flipped her wrist, revealing the number written on the check.

Pfft. A measly…

My eyes widened as I counted the zeroes. One, ten, hundred, thousand… holy… mother… of God.

"A billion dollars?" I looked up, my voice trembling slightly. "Are you trying to buy my soul?" A flicker of fear crossed my face.

"A billion dollars," Vivian said, her voice smooth as silk, "to be my girlfriend for seven days."

I stood there, blinking, my mind racing.

In this world—the one I’d woken up in—I was an actress who’d shot to fame overnight thanks to a low-budget web series. The critics had called me a star born from the heavens. But the hype faded as quickly as it came, and soon I was a nobody again, completely off the Hollywood map.

Well, not a complete nobody. I was still famous for one thing: Vivian Monroe, the titan of the film industry who had swept every major award, was in love with me.

After my fifteen minutes of fame were up, my paychecks got smaller and smaller. I thought my first seven-figure deal was the beginning, but it turned out to be my peak.

But if I dated Vivian for seven days, I could get a billion dollars.

Suddenly, outlasting anyone seemed like a terrible plan.

I gingerly took the check from her, then paused. "Is that pre-tax or post-tax?"

Vivian's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "I didn't say anything about sleeping with you."

I gasped, mortified. "No, not that!" I scrambled to explain. "I mean T-A-X! The money that goes to the government!"

She just looked more confused. "Which one?"

Right. An A-lister like her probably didn't spend her time on internet meme pages.