When Carter needs a fake girlfriend to secure a $500 million deal with the conservative Manning family, he offers Ashleigh $20, 000 to pose as his partner for three events. Despite their stark differences, she's middle-class and drowning in student debt, while he's a billionaire with walls of ice, they craft a convincing relationship narrative.
As they navigate high-society galas and family dinners, their practiced touches and staged kisses begin to feel genuine. Carter reveals unexpected depth beneath his cold exterior, anonymously helping with Ashleigh's mother's medical bills and supporting her graduate school dreams. When Ashleigh receives a full scholarship to Stanford's MBA program, their fake relationship faces its ultimate test.
After the Manning deal closes, neither can bear to end their arrangement. Carter confesses his love and restructures his empire to follow her to California.