Page 44 of Paparazzi Perfect
The entire school had known when she’d summoned the press to her dorm room at Drake—apparently, she wasn’t getting enough attention online. I wondered how much her father paid them to keep that story quiet…
Taking in the stunning view over the water, I stared hopelessly through the tinted window.Ivy would love this.The bright city lights reflected off the water around the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, creating an ethereal glow beneath the moonlight.
I pictured us strolling along the foreshore together, past the Opera House, winding through the beautiful Botanic Gardens as my heart twisted with despair.
Tonight could have been exquisite with her by my side. Instead, it was hollow.
“Good lord!” cried Gus. “It’s a circus out there tonight, Karson. It’ll be a bloodbath to see who gets the best shots of you. Watch your back,” he added grimly.
“And so, the hunt begins,” I whispered, bowing my head.
“I’ll get your door.” He cracked it open a sliver. “Get in there, out of sight, as quickly as you can.”
For a heartbeat, I saw Ivy’s smiling face, her windswept hair, almost feeling her in my arms.
Gus swung open the car door, before shouts and chaos from the crowd flooded inside. Launching out of the car, I stepped onto the red carpet.Just get this over with as swiftly as possible.
With questions shooting at me like poison arrows, I strode toward the door, journalists scrambling and yelling over one another.
“Mr. Wells, is your father intending to compensate the owners for the devastation his mining development is going to cause to the local community? Do you support your father’s plan?”
Camera shutters exploded around me. Someone bumped my shoulder before security pulled them away.
“Are you aware he’s displacing an entire community?” One voice rose above the rest. “These people have been living on that land for decades! Can you make a statement?”
The doorman held an arm out toward me—like a life raft—and held the door open with the other, shouting for me to come inside.
I raced up the steps and hurried inside, welcoming the refuge from the onslaught. He pushed the door shut behind me, cutting off the commotion outside.
A dull ache throbbed in my forehead as the questions they’d hurled at me circled in my head.
The mining development sounded devastating.Typical of Karlos not to consider the impact on anything but himself.He couldn’t care lessabout throwing people out of their homes, as long as there was profit involved.
He didn’t even have a problem threatening my girlfriend and her father. The ache spread around the back of my head and neck.
“Karson!” A high-pitched voice sliced through the air.
I turned to see Bella charging at me in a bold silver dress that sparkled like a disco ball. She was tiny but all energy, screeching to a halt in front of me and spinning in a full twirl, showing off her glittering gown.
Sheesh. Ivy would look amazing in that dress.
It was backless with a plunging neckline; the back fell all the way to the floor while the front barely reached her upper thigh.
“Karson!” she cried. “I thought you’d never get here!”
Her glossy black hair was half swept up into a high bun, and the bottom section spilled over her shoulders. Her glittery eye makeup caught the light; a small silver star was painted on one cheek.
“Hey, Bella, cool outfit,” I said, attempting a smile. “How have you been?”
“I know, right?! This dress is stunning… the photographerscouldn’tget enough of me,” she said proudly.
“Right—”
“Daddypromisedme you’d be my date tonight!” She giggled, her dark eyes shining happily. “And now, I get to have you on my arm for all to see!”
What the actual fuck?I stared at the floor in the hope it would open and swallow me.
She reached into her clutch and pulled out her phone. “Let’s get some photos. My followers willlovethis.”
