AN: Letting you know, I didn't get the time to edit it and it's a really big chapter with like 3.6k words. There are no cliffs. So, if you find mistakes, let me know.🫡
--
[Jack's house]
Jack stretched across the couch, one leg draped over the armrest while Haley leaned against him with her head on his chest. The sunlight spilled through the blinds, casting a warm glow over the living room. “You’re seriously going to sleep through the whole day again?” Haley asked, tugging lightly at the blanket covering him.
Jack opened one eye and smirked lazily. “I don’t see the problem. It’s quality rest. Necessary maintenance for extreme boyfriend performance.”
They had sex five times yesterday. And both of them were spent and slept like babies.
Haley laughed and rolled her eyes. “Extreme boyfriend performance, huh? Is that what we’re calling last night now?” She wiggled a little and pressed closer. “Because I think you owe me breakfast for that performance.” She did some extreme deepthroat, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, and swallowing at the end. She had milked him dry despite his high stamina.
'Can't argue with that,' Jack chuckled and sat up just enough to brush a strand of hair from her face. “Breakfast, got it. Anything specific?”
“Pancakes,” she said immediately. “With strawberries. And coffee. You know how I like it.”
“Strawberries? You’re not making me cook for love points again, are you?”
“Maybe,” she admitted, grinning. “You’re already getting some for free.”
Jack swung his legs off the couch and grabbed his robe, standing with exaggerated effort. “Fine, fine. But I’m still taking credit for all the other mornings when I didn’t make anything.”
Haley nudged him playfully and followed him into the kitchen.
A few minutes later...
The smell of fresh coffee filled the kitchen, and Jack hummed while mixing batter, occasionally stealing glances at her. Haley was sitting on the kitchen island with her legs wide open and she wasn't wearing any panties under that robe. She loved the way he was looking at her.
"You're one naughty girl. We had sex five times yesterday, yet you're still horny," He said with a little laugh.
"Aren't you?" Haley said with a knowing smirk. She knew the effect she had on Jack. 'I'm gonna tease the hell out of you.'
"First of all, am I horny? Yes. Second of all, do I want to just push you down and fuck you right there? You bet your ass I do," Jack said with a nod. "Third of all, am I ready to shoot blanks and embarrass myself before my hot girl? Nope. So, we're gonna eat breakfast, lots of fruit juice, and we'll hydrate properly. After that, I'm gonna take you doggy style."
"In the tub?" She raised an eyebrow.
He nodded, "Oh yeah."
Once breakfast was done, they settled back on the couch, plates in hand, and started scrolling through a video game on the big screen. Laughter and groans alternated with the occasional playful argument over who was winning. Halfway through, Haley leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, and sighed. “I could get used to this,” she murmured.
Jack kissed the top of her head. “Me too. Two months of just us? Heaven.”
For the rest of January, Jack’s schedule was gloriously empty. They went on long, lazy brunch dates, wandered through shopping malls and boutiques, played endless video games at home, and whenever they were alone, the time slipped effortlessly into hours of sex, laughter, and more sex. And they might have watched porno together.
Jack often fell asleep mid-game, controller slipping from his hands, and Haley would just shake her head fondly, cover him with a blanket, and nuzzle back into his chest.
Sometimes, evenings were for cooking together, experimenting with new recipes and eating far too much dessert. Jack lounged on the couch afterward, full and content, while Haley rested against him, her fingers tracing absent patterns across his arm. Sometimes they talked about the future in soft tones, sometimes they just stared at the ceiling, letting the silence stretch comfortably between them.
Also, sometimes, she stayed the night with him, which once again involved too much sex. Haley was like a nymphomaniac on crack. She rocked Jack's world.
Two months stretched on like a small eternity of perfect normalcy.
...
February 1
Jack was alone in the backyard pool, enjoying his last week of break before getting back into the pre-production of Zombieland, when the first comment caught his attention.
He had one arm folded over the pool edge, sunglasses sliding low on his nose, and his phone resting dangerously close to the water on the stone ledge. The morning had been quiet until then. Just sunlight, warm water, and the rare pleasure of doing absolutely nothing.
Then Twitter ruined it.
He blinked at the screen as one reply under his latest harmless post kept getting liked.
@prestonupdates:wait is nobody talking about those jack and emma pics??? where’s haley???
Jack frowned, tapped the replies, and immediately regretted it.
@cinemagirl_94:Jack Preston and Emma Stone were looking WAY too cozy in Miami. Haley girl stand up.
@haleydefender:no because if he cheated on Haley after 3 years I’m actually done with men.
@filmtea_daily:Sources say Jack Preston has been “distant” from longtime girlfriend Haley Dunphy since his Miami trip. More soon.
Jack sat up a little, water dripping from his shoulders as his expression hardened.
“Sources?” he muttered. “What sources?”
He switched apps and opened Instagram. That was worse.
A gossip account had posted a grainy beach photo of him and Emma laughing near the resort café. Haley had been cropped out of the frame completely, even though Jack remembered her sitting right beside him five seconds before the picture was taken.
@starspillofficialJack Preston and Emma Stone spotted sharing a private laugh in Miami. Friendly co-stars or something more? 👀
The comments were already a mess.
@laurenlovesmovies:Emma nooooo not messy like this.
@dunphycloset:Haley was literally there that day. Why is she cropped out?
@jacknation:This looks edited as hell.
@celebriteaaddict:Famous men always disappoint.
Jack stared at the post for a long second, then screenshotted everything and sent it to his lawyer.
A reply came less than two minutes later.
Martin Graves:Do not respond publicly. Send every post, article, and image. I’ll handle it.
Jack looked at the message, then at the comments still flooding in, and forced himself not to type a single word.
...
February 2
By the next morning, the story had grown teeth.
Small celebrity blogs started stitching together Miami photos like they had uncovered an international conspiracy.
Jack Preston and Emma Stone Spark Romance Rumors After Miami Birthday WeekendRising superstar Jack Preston may be facing trouble in paradise. The actor was photographed laughing closely with Emma Stone during what insiders describe as an “intimate beachside moment.” Preston has been publicly linked to fashion assistant Haley Dunphy for three years, but recent sightings have fans wondering whether the relationship is on shaky ground.
Jack read the article at his kitchen island with a cup of coffee going cold beside him. The “intimate beachside moment” was Emma telling a story so funny that Haley had nearly spilled lemonade onto Willa.
He sent the article to Martin.
Martin replied almost instantly.
Martin Graves:Good. Keep collecting. This is moving from gossip into defamation.
Over the next few hours, Jack talked with his lawyer and his parents about the situation. They told him not to worry since things like this are common in Hollywood; they will take care of it.
Jack leaned back in his chair and rubbed his thumb over the edge of his phone. He wanted to call Haley immediately, but he knew she was probably already seeing it. Still, he called.
She answered on the third ring. “Before you say anything, I know.”
Jack closed his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Haley said, voice tight but controlled. “But I’m mad at these liars.”
That helped more than she probably realized.
“They cropped you out,” Jack said.
“I saw,” Haley replied. “Which is insane because I looked amazing that day.”
Jack laughed despite himself. “You did.”
“I’m serious. If they’re going to drag me into a fake cheating scandal, they could at least use one where my hair looked bad.”
Jack smiled faintly, then softened. “I’m getting my lawyer involved.”
“Good,” Haley said. “Because I’m not making a statement and giving those people more attention.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll get you a lawyer too.”
There was a pause.
“Jack,” Haley said carefully.
“You’re part of this now because they made you part of it,” Jack replied, already reaching for his laptop. “You’re not dealing with it alone.”
Haley was quiet for a moment before she sighed. “I hate that I love when you get responsible.”
“I’ll try to be less attractive next time.”
“Don’t push it.”
--
February 3
The Emma rumor barely lasted a day before the story mutated again.
This time, it was Willa.
A tabloid site called The Velvet Wire posted a heavily edited photo from Miami. In the original, Jack, Haley, Emma, Willa, and Dakota had all been walking together along the beach path. In the published version, everyone except Jack and Willa had been blurred, cropped, or darkened until the image looked like a secret romantic stroll.
Exclusive: Jack Preston’s Secret Relationship With Willa Holland? Inside the Alleged Romance Hidden Behind Haley Dunphy “Showmance”Multiple insiders claim Preston’s public relationship with Haley Dunphy may be more strategic than romantic. New photos from Miami appear to show Preston and Holland enjoying a private moment away from the cameras.
Jack stared at the words “showmance” for almost ten seconds.
Then he laughed once, coldly.
“Oh, you stupid bastards.”
His phone buzzed.
Willa Holland:Please tell me you saw this bullshit.
Jack typed back.
Jack:Unfortunately.
Willa:They blurred Haley out. She was literally between us.
Jack:Martin’s already moving.
Willa:Good. My team is joining. I’m not letting them use me to hurt Haley.
A second later, Emma texted too.
Emma Stone:My publicist just called me before coffee. I hate everyone.
Jack:Lawyer up. Don’t post.
Emma:Already done. Also, for the record, I was laughing because Haley called you emotionally constipated.
Jack:That sounds accurate.
Emma:It was.
By noon, Twitter had split into factions.
@willaarchive:The Willa pics are obviously edited. Haley was in the original fan photo. I remember seeing it in December.
@gossipgarage:Jack Preston being exposed in real time is crazy.
@fashionbyhaley:Calling Haley a fake girlfriend when she’s been with him for 3 years is disgusting.
@filmfactsnow:Emma Stone, Willa Holland, and Haley Dunphy all getting dragged because tabloids want clicks. Embarrassing.
@scandalszn:where there’s smoke there’s fire.
@prestonlegalwatch:or maybe where there’s Photoshop there’s a lawsuit.
Jack saw that last one and almost smiled.
Almost.
---
February 10th
Entertainment TV had joined the feeding frenzy.
That was when Martin stopped calling it gossip and started calling it a case.
Jack sat in his home office while Martin’s voice came through the speakerphone.
“They used altered images, repeated false claims, implied a fraudulent relationship, and damaged four public reputations,” Martin said. “You, Haley, Emma, and Willa all have standing.”
Jack leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Haley didn’t even do anything.”
“That’s exactly the point,” Martin replied. “They portrayed her as either a victim, a liar, or a willing participant in a fake relationship. That is reputational harm.”
Haley sat beside Jack with her legs tucked under her, unusually quiet as she read through printed screenshots. “So what happens now?”
Martin answered without hesitation. “We send preservation notices first. Then demand letters. Nobody deletes footage, drafts, payment records, source communications, metadata, or editing files. After that, we approach the agencies, stations, and publishers. Quietly, at first.”
Emma’s lawyer joined the call next, followed by Willa’s. Within twenty minutes, the tone in the room changed completely. It was no longer about embarrassment. It was about evidence.
They collected the original resort security footage and timestamped photos from Jack’s team. They also found fan pictures showing Haley beside him in the supposedly “private” moments. They had metadata proving several images had been altered before publication. And they had witnesses from the resort café, and since the cops were already involved back then, things became easier.
Most importantly, they found the paparazzo’s agency.
By late afternoon, Martin had already sent the first wave of letters.
Jack read one line twice.
//Your publication knowingly or recklessly circulated manipulated images and false statements implying infidelity, a fabricated romantic relationship, and professional deception involving our clients.//
Haley looked over his shoulder and gave a small nod. “That sounds expensive.”
Jack’s mouth twitched. “That’s the idea.”
---
The first outlet folded quietly, followed by the rest.
By Friday evening, the same people who had shouted “exclusive” were suddenly using words like “unverified,” “misleading,” and “editorial oversight.”
Jack watched from the couch as Haley sat beside him, scrolling through Instagram without saying much. She had not posted anything. Neither had Emma and Willa. Their silence made the legal pressure feel heavier somehow.
A small correction appeared at the bottom of one article first.
Editor’s Note:A previous version of this article mischaracterized the nature of Jack Preston’s interactions with Emma Stone and Willa Holland. We regret the error.
Haley snorted. “Regret the error? They called our relationship fake.”
Jack took the phone gently from her hand and set it on the coffee table. “They’re going to do better than that.”
She looked at him. “Are they?”
“They will if they don’t want this going to trial.”
That was the word everyone hated.
Trial.
A trial meant discovery. Discovery meant emails, payment records, editing files, source agreements, internal messages, and every ugly conversation behind the story becoming part of a legal fight that could last years. No one wanted a courtroom full of evidence showing they had sold a fake scandal built from altered images.
By that night, Martin called again.
“They want to discuss settlement.”
Jack glanced at Haley, then answered, “All of them?”
“The major players first,” Martin said. “The agency, two TV entertainment programs, three digital tabloids, and the newspaper that republished the Willa story.”
Haley’s eyes widened. “That’s fast.”
Martin’s voice remained dry. “People move quickly when the alternative is public humiliation with filing fees.”
---
The apologies started before the money was finalized.
Celebrity Circuit TonightDuring a recent segment, we discussed online rumors involving Jack Preston, Emma Stone, Willa Holland, and Haley Dunphy. Some images referenced in that segment have since been called into question. We are reviewing the matter internally.
Jack watched the clip once, then closed the laptop.
“Called into question,” he said flatly. “They were edited.”
Haley sat across from him at the kitchen island, stirring her coffee with more aggression than necessary. “They don’t want to admit it until the settlement’s locked.”
Jack nodded. “Martin said the prime-time apology has to be explicit.”
“Good.”
“And they have to name all four of us.”
“Better.”
“And state that the relationship rumors were false.”
Haley finally looked satisfied. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
Emma texted the group chat a few minutes later.
Emma:My mom saw the correction and asked if I was “done being involved in fake adultery.” So that’s going great.
Willa:Mine asked if I needed soup.
Haley:For a scandal?
Willa:Yep.
Jack:I know it's hard, Emma. Don't even think about posting anything yet.
Emma:Relax, Jacky. We’re being silent and mysterious.
Haley:I hate that this is making you look mature.
Jack:Thank you.
Haley:That wasn’t a compliment.
---
By the end of the month, the rumor had already begun collapsing under its own weight.
Fan accounts found the original photos. Someone reposted a wide-angle shot from the café, clearly showing Haley sitting beside Jack while Emma laughed across the table. Another fan posted a birthday party clip where Willa hugged Haley before Jack even entered the frame. A resort guest uploaded a video from the beach path, and there they all were together. Did Jack spend some moments with Emma and Willa? Yes. Did they do anything inappropriate? No.
The internet shifted fast.
@haleydefender:So they cropped Haley out and called her relationship fake? Sue them.
@cinemagirl_94:I owe Haley an apology. That photo was edited.
@prestonupdates:Original pics are out. Jack didn’t cheat. Tabloids lied.
@willaarchive:Willa got dragged into a fake affair because someone wanted clicks. Disgusting.
@emmastonefiles:Emma was literally just laughing at lunch. Leave women alone.
@legalpopculture:If the metadata claims are true, this is not gossip anymore. This is lawsuit territory.
Jack read the last post while standing near the kitchen window, then slipped his phone into his pocket as Haley came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You okay?” she asked.
Jack covered her hands with his. “I’m more pissed for you than me.”
Haley rested her cheek against his back. “I know.”
“They tried to make you look stupid.”
“I know.”
“They tried to make Emma and Willa look like homewreckers.”
“I know.”
“And they tried to make me look like a cheating asshole.”
Haley squeezed him tighter. “I know.”
Jack turned in her arms and looked down at her. “I’m sorry.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For this being part of my life and dragging you into it.”
Haley softened, then reached up and touched his face. “I knew what I've signed for when we started dating. You even warned me. So, I was mentally prepared... somewhat.”
He nodded once, though the guilt did not fully leave his face.
“And for the record,” she added, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jack gave her a tired smile. “Even after the fake secret Willa relationship? Remember, you were kinda jealous of her back then. You wanted to...” He stopped noticing her expression. 'Oops. Slip of tongue.'
Haley gave him a dangerous smile. “Keep that up and I'm gonna kick your knee.”
Jack laughed for the first time in days, and Haley smiled because she had been waiting to hear that sound again.
---
By the End of March
The settlement was finished quietly, but the apologies were not. That had been one of Martin’s non-negotiable terms. There won't be any tiny editor’s note buried under an article, vague “mistakes were made” language, or pretending the scandal had simply been a misunderstanding created by fans.
They have to do multiple prime-time announcements.
On the last Friday of March, Jack, Haley, Emma, and Willa watched from separate places as Celebrity Circuit Tonight opened its broadcast with a formal statement.
The host looked uncomfortable under the studio lights.
“Earlier this year, our program aired and discussed claims involving Jack Preston, Haley Dunphy, Emma Stone, and Willa Holland. After review, we acknowledge that the claims were false. We also acknowledge that several images used in connection with those claims were misleading, altered, or presented without proper context. Jack Preston did not have a secret relationship with Emma Stone or Willa Holland, and his relationship with Haley Dunphy was not a public relations arrangement. We regret our role in spreading false information and apologize to all four individuals.”
Haley sat beside Jack on the couch, watching the screen with her knees pulled to her chest.
“Well,” she said quietly, “that was satisfying.”
Jack nodded, his arm resting along the back of the couch. “Yeah.”
Their phones buzzed.
Emma had sent a message to the group chat.
Emma:I give that apology a 7 out of 10. Needed more shame.
Willa:Agreed. The host looked constipated, though, so bonus point.
Haley:I enjoyed the suffering.
Jack:Proud of all of you.
Emma:Don’t get emotional, lawsuit daddy.
Haley burst out laughing.
Jack stared at the message in silence. “I hate this group chat.”
“No, you don’t,” Haley said, leaning into him.
He didn’t.
The private settlement totaled seventy million dollars, split evenly between the four of them. By the end of March, Jack, Haley, Emma, and Willa each received seventeen and a half million dollars. It was an absurd amount of money, the kind of number that made Haley stare at her bank paperwork for almost a full minute before looking at Jack like someone had made a clerical error.
“This is insane,” she said. "Pinch my cheeks."
Jack pinched her cheeks with pleasure.
"Oooowwwe! Okay, this is real."
"Yep, this is real," Jack said, sitting beside her at the dining table, reading his own copy. “That’s what happens when people would rather pay than spend years in court explaining why their employees edited photos.”
Haley looked down again. “Seventeen point five million.”
“Yeah.”
“For being lied about.”
“Pretty much.”
She leaned back slowly, still processing it. “I feel like I should be more excited, but mostly I’m angry.”
Jack reached over and took her hand. “That makes sense.”
“They hurt people, then paid to make it go away.”
“They also had to admit they lied.”
Haley looked toward the TV, where another station was preparing to air its own apology during prime time. “Good.”
Jack squeezed her hand gently. “You okay?”
Haley turned back to him, and after everything- the rumors, the headlines, the comments, the fake photos, the strangers dissecting her relationship like it was entertainment... She finally smiled.
“I’m okay,” she said. “And also, I’m rich.”
Jack laughed under his breath. “There she is.”
Haley lifted her chin. “I survived a fake celebrity cheating scandal and made seventeen and a half million dollars. I think I deserve pancakes.”
Jack stood immediately. “Strawberries?”
“Duh.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before walking toward the kitchen.
Haley followed him. "Let's cook together."
--
AN: I almost missed this one. Next Zombieland pre production