The Hollywood Pretence

THE HOLLYWOOD PRETENCE: A Love Born From a Lie (by Velora Fox)

“A marriage?” Maya stares at the contract like it’s a prank. “You can’t be serious.”
Jax Kingston’s expression doesn’t change—cold, controlled, impossible to read. “I’m not asking for love, Maya. I’m asking for survival.”

Maya Sharma came to Los Angeles with a suitcase of makeup brushes and one dream: win an international competition and build a future big enough to save her family. She expected long hours, bright lights, and tough clients.

She didn’t expect Jax Kingston—Hollywood’s most untouchable star—watching her like he already knew she was the answer to his problem.

After a scandal and a dangerous stalker threaten to destroy Jax’s career, his ruthless publicist offers a solution that sounds insane… and perfectly calculated:

A one-year secret marriage.

Maya is everything the public will believe in—real, grounded, “authentic.” A clean slate beside a man drowning in rumors. And the money Jax offers could change her life: her mother’s medical bills paid, her family secured, her own business finally possible.

So Maya says yes.

Now she’s trapped in a Hollywood Hills mansion that feels like a gilded cage—learning to smile for cameras, survive staged dates, and play the role of a devoted wife under the brutal glare of the spotlight. But the longer she lives beside Jax, the harder it becomes to ignore what’s happening in the quiet moments: the way his mask slips, the way his protectiveness turns personal, the way pretend starts feeling dangerously real.

And when the stalker closes in… the marriage can’t stay secret anymore.

Because the lie that saved Jax Kingston might be the one thing that breaks Maya—especially when the contract ends and Hollywood demands an amicable divorce.

The question is:
Will Jax let her walk away…
or will he risk everything to make the pretence real?

Continue reading The Hollywood Pretence if you like:

• Celebrity Romance / Hollywood glamour + danger

• Fake Marriage / Contract relationship

• Broody movie star x outsider heroine

• Forced proximity (gilded mansion “cage” vibes)

• PR stunts, paparazzi, red carpets, and staged dates

• Stalker suspense + high-stakes protection

• Slow-burn tension that turns scorching

Steam Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

What readers are saying (swap with your real reviews when you have them):
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Glamour, danger, and chemistry that burns—I couldn’t stop reading.”
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The fake marriage felt so real so fast… and the suspense kept me hooked.”
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A swoony, dramatic Hollywood romance with a heroine you root for hard.”