"The information you give me will be crucial for the press. I'm not planning to disappoint my future wife," he says. "Well?"
"I'm sure that my team has already told your employees about that—"
"Cassie." His voice softens but is deadly—it sounds like a warning.
I let out a shaky breath. "The first one is a cheater. The second one assaulted me. The third one is another misunderstanding because we're just friends who were making music together."
Squeezing my eyes shut, I curse silently at myself, because I just purposely left the fourth one out.
God, talking with Lucas Klein drains my energy. Why does he have to be so intimidating? Now that I realize how much he can change my life, I'm nervous.
His eyes pierce me. "So, what happened to the fourth one?"
This is crazy. I already feel like I'm admitting my sin to my husband even though I wasn't married to him when I did the deed. Now, I understand how his business opponents must feel when they cross him. Poor them.
I look back up at him. "I did sleep with him."
For a split second, I think that I see anger in his eyes, but then he looks away from me.
"Is it that bad?" I ask. "Is it too late to fix the damage?"
He shifts his attention back at me. "You're lucky that I control the sports channel airing most of Alejandro's games."
So, basically, Luke can really turn the tables around. If we announce to the world that nothing is going on with me and Alejandro, the said football player won't be able to brag that he has indeed fucked me.
Luke's power makes me shudder, and without much thinking, I blurt out, "About Jude, can't you just tell the world that we went separate ways because of our differences?"
I know that it's a diplomatic answer any record label would say regarding their artist's breakup with another artist, but being a superstar myself, I know how horrible it is to receive hate from millions of people all over the world, and I don't want Jude toexperience the same thing even though he did cheat on me.
I know better than anyone how emotionally destroyed he is.
"For me, it's enough as long as the world knows that I didn't cheat on him," I say. "Once the news that Brian assaulted me is out, people won't think that I'm a cheater anymore."
Luke's eyes darken, and the anger I saw for a split second back then now skates all over his face.
He strides toward me until we’re standing face to face. His jaw tightens. "First of all, I decide how I'm going to retract the news. We only had a deal to clear your name. Second, that's a stupid argument you had just now."
I swallow again. I can't say that he's wrong. Maybe I did sound too naive. And the words I said make me admit that I still have feelings for Jude, that I still care about him.
Luke’s eyes are still not leaving mine. I push him away to distance myself from him, only to have him catch my hand. I freeze, but before I can protest, he already frees it. That’s when I notice the difference.
There's a diamond ring on my finger.
"Like I said, I will help you, and you will marry me," he states. "It’s about time that the world sees that ring on your finger."
I'm still struck by his words, but I don't fail to notice that there's also a ring on Luke's finger—I didn't notice it the first time I saw him.
However, his ring seems to be made of cheap metal and even looks childish. A set of mini skyscrapers form the band, and there's a small blue stone in the middle.
How strange. The ring doesn't match his personality at all, and doesn't go with the rest of the things he wears, which speak billionaire.
Perhaps, it's a couple ring that he shares with his previous fiancée. I just hope that he won't be wearing that ring on our wedding day, because anybody will find it awkward.
I tear my gaze away from it and stare at my new diamond ringinstead. Oh God, am I really marrying him?
"Do you believe that us getting married will clean my reputation?" I ask. "What if the world thinks that I'm just another gold digger?" My voice is small when I blurt out the second question. It's been bothering my mind too.
Surprisingly, Luke chuckles, his face drawing closer to mine.
