Page 108 of The Temporary Fiancée
“—and I just don’t know what to do about it,” Olivia is saying. “I don’twantto be bothered by it, but…”
“I hear you,” Riley says. “You know, to be honest…”
She trails off at the soft chime of the elevator, both of them going quiet. I head down the hallway and round the corner, immediately locking eyes with Olivia.
The air is tense. I have a hunch that I know what they were talking about. Riley seems nervous, her gaze darting between me and Olivia.
I want to fix things between us. I want things to go back to the way they were, when I’d come home and we would enjoy each other’s company. The feeling of coming home and finding Olivia here with Riley, clearly venting her frustration with me, isn’t ideal.
And bringing this article into the mix… well. It might just make things even worse. It’s my fault that Olivia was dragged into this spotlight.
Right now, though, I know I have to tell her. I want her to hear it from me, rather than finding out from someone else—or worse, from a stranger online. We need to deal with this. It’s the priority.
Eventually, I clear my throat and break the silence. “Olivia, we need to talk.”
She frowns, clearly picking up the seriousness in my voice. “Did something happen?”
“In a manner of speaking,” I say, reaching into my inside pocket to produce the article. “Though I’m pretty sure this is more about something thatdidn’thappen.”
I reach over the coffee table to hand the article to Olivia. She eyes me warily, then unfolds the page and begins to read. She holds the paper out so that Riley can see it, too, and as the two of them scan the page, I see horror and fury dawn on both of their faces.
Olivia is silent for several minutes as she reads. When she looks up, her face is grim, her mouth a thin line. Only her eyes betray her anger.
“I can’t believe him,” she says, flinging the paper onto the coffee table. “This is just…” She shakes her head, at a loss for words.
“Disgusting,” Riley finishes for her, and she nods. Olivia seems more weary and upset than angry, which only makes me angrier on her behalf.
“It’s more than disgusting,” I say furiously. “It’sslander.We ought to go after his ass for defamation. He’s a complete piece of?—”
“I don’t know how we could possibly go after him,” Olivia interrupts, her head dropping into her hands. “It’s his word against mine, right? And if I accuse him back, it’ll only make me look even more guilty.”
“That’s not true,” I argue. “You’renotguilty.Heis. That has to count for something.”
“But I don’t know if it does. He’s well-connected?—”
“So am I.”
Olivia looks up at me, and I can see the beginnings of tears in the corners of her eyes. “Reed?—”
“We can fix this,” I insist. “We’re going to fix this. Okay?”
I’m not sure whether I’m talking about the situation, or about the tension in this apartment, or both. Everything. I’m going to fixeverything.
“What am I supposed to even do about this?” Olivia’s expression is one of total despair. “The public barely knows whoI am. We’ve only just gone public with this, and I’m already dealing with a scandal?”
“We’ll get PR to help you craft a statement,” I suggest, sinking down onto the couch opposite her and Riley. “Something that can contextualize things a little. Obviously, you’ll have to deny the allegations.”
“How am I supposed to deny it without looking like I’m a liar?”
“We’ll word it perfectly.”
“That might not help,” she says.
“It won’t have to,” Riley breaks in, grabbing her by the arm. “You’ve got thereceipts.”
Olivia turns to her, confusion and stress creasing her forehead. “What are you talking about?”
“You worked for Martin Keller for years,” Riley says. “You’ve got texts. Emails. Dozens of messages from him full of inappropriate comments—stuff you can screenshot. That’s proof that he’s a liar and a pig.”
