Page 75 of Love: Take Two

"Don't youeverdo something like that again!" Dad scolds softly, nuzzling his nose against Mom's cheek.

Her hands tousle my hair. Dad just apologized. All is right with the world.

"How else could I get you two to put your differences aside and finally talk?" she asks.

"That's not funny, Mom," I pout, tears still streaming from my eyes.

"At all," Dad agrees.

The three of us spend a few more minutes in quiet connection before the door to the room bursts open. The Parks and their significant others flood inside, everyone talking at once.

"Oh my God! What happened?"

"Thank God you're OK!"

"Dad's text almost gave me a heart attack."

I'm forced to disentangle myself by Adam, who's wedging his body between Mom and me like a jealous toddler. I don't mind, though. Mom is OK. My brothers are here. In this room, I am surrounded by love. Nothing else matters.

Chapter thirty-eight

Awa

Pinnacle Production Paused by Punch

Insiders say studio is considering lead recast in doomed production.

A Real Knockout!

Learn Tabitha Styles's no-fuss skincare routine that drivesmen wild!

TK-Oh no!

Will Luxe Partners drop Yong-rae Kim over his date night dust-up?

I roll my eyes and swipe the News app closed. Right about now, I want to punch something, throw something, rip something to shreds, but the only thing within reach is my crystal goblet, and I don't feel like finding surprise glass in the carpet for the next three months. I settle for kicking my throw pillow.

In the five days since the news broke, the tabloids have been competing over who can write the most ridiculous headline; facts be damned. Conrad and Emmitt are positively gleeful about the negative press. They're so eager to see me look bad that they're completely ignoring how this could impactTabitha, one of the firm's top-earning clients. And my inbox is full of angry emails from Pinnacle, trying to figure out how they're going to salvage a film that was supposed to be their cash cow.

I can sympathize. A scandal when filming is so close to the finish line and the budget is already overblown is the worst-case scenario, but it could also be Yong-rae's saving grace. Pinnacle wouldn't give a shit about Yong-rae's motivations if they weren't already so invested. The drawn-out actor search, the press releases, the A-list names attached. All of that helps when I'm on the phone with their counsel beggingthem to hold off on making any decisions until more evidence comes out.

I sigh, dropping back into my cocoon of blankets.

Noah thinks I can do this; that makes one of us. My deep knowledge of contract negotiations, merchandizing agreements, and intellectual property rights means absolutely zip in a criminal case. So I called Jill McIntyre, my classmate from Columbia Law and the best criminal litigator on the eastern seaboard, to collaborate on Yong-rae's defense.

The morning after the story broke, I went with Jill to the precinct to get a copy of the charges—assault and battery. Given how recently they'd been filed, there weren't yet detectives assigned to the case and no evidence had been collected.

We walked over to the bar to request the security footage from the night of the incident; the owner slammed the door in our faces.

"Your guy, Noah, might be right," she'd said with a smile. "The guilty ones never cooperate."

My guy, Noah.

My heart squeezed with the memory of the devastation in his voice when I told him we had to pause while the case was active, but I kept my expression neutral. I know she didn't mean it like that; that she had no clue about our relationship, and no idea how much I wanted her words to be true.

"What's next?" I asked, changing the subject.

"We file a motion for expedited discovery to keep that scumbag from destroying any evidence." She frowned. "Well,anymoreevidence. Then I let Philippe know it's time to start digging."