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She referenced her notes. “It’s the room number she gave me. Try again.”
He knocked once more, louder this time.
At last the door swung open. A frazzled-looking young woman peeked her head through the crack in the door. This was not the actress. It must be her assistant. The woman’s gaze moved from him to Sage and then back to him. She wasn’t exactly the friendliest assistant as she had yet to say a word to them.
“Hi.” He used his friendliest smile in spite of her. “Miss White is here for her interview with Starr.”
“That won’t be possible.” The young woman attempted to close the door in Trey’s face.
He was too quick for her and put his shoe in the way, bringing the swinging door to an abrupt halt. “Not so fast.”
The young woman glared at him. “Move.”
“Not until you tell us what is going on here. Miss White has an appointment.”
“Yeah, well, things have changed. The appointment is canceled.”
Sage stepped around Trey. “I don’t understand. The other day Starr was anxious for the interview. Why did she change her mind?”
The young woman glanced over her shoulder as though to see if anyone was listening. “She’s just signed an exclusive contract to sell her biography to be released simultaneously with her movie next year. All her promo is now monitored.”
“But our agreement was prior to her contract.” Sage had the look on her face that said she wasn’t going to back down easily.
There were voices inside. The voices were growing louder as if they were approaching the door. Before he saw her, Trey knew the source of the problem.
The door swung wide open and Elsa appeared. She smiled but it wasn’t a normal smile. It held a hint of deviousness. And her dark eyes sparkled with evil. The woman gave him a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. All he wanted to do was get Sage far away from the woman.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, go.” There was a note of glee in Elsa’s voice. “There is nothing for you here.”
Sage’s face hardened. Her gaze narrowed in on her stepmother. “You had absolutely no interest in Starr until you knew I had plans with her.”
“You did?” Elsa pressed a hand to her chest and feigned an innocent look. “Oh, my.” The over-the-top theatrics made it obvious that Elsa had been targeting Sage. “You should pack up and go home.”
Trey went to step up to the woman and let her know exactly what he thought of her. Words popped into his mind that he never thought he would ever say to a lady, but then again Elsa was anything but a lady.
Sage grabbed his arm and held him back. She glanced at him with a warning reflected in her eyes. “I’ve got this.” She turned on Elsa. “I don’t know why you think you have to lash out at me at every turn. You know, I feel bad for you.”
“Bad for me?” Elsa’s eyes widened in surprise. “Honey, I’m the one that is about to walk away with this year’s up-and-coming superstar. You should feel bad for yourself—always on the losing end of things.”
“I might not have gotten the interview, but I have something more—my self-respect and the ability to smile. You, however, don’t even know what it’s like to be happy. Do you?”
Frown lines bracketed Elsa’s face. If looks could kill, Sage would be nothing but a black singe on the red carpet. “Oh, yes. You think you can stand up to me now that you have Quentin by your side. But even he is no challenge for me.”
“His name is Trey.”
“Really? My mistake.” Elsa’s voice took on a deeper, more deadly tone. “Or perhaps it’s yours. You always were the naive child, wanting Daddy to take care of everything.”
Sage turned to him. “Trey, tell her.” There was pleading in her eyes that tore at him. “Tell her she’s mistaken.”
He wanted to do that for Sage. He would have done anything to spare Sage this agonizing moment, but it was now out of his hands. It was long past the time for the truth.
As the pain reflected in Sage’s eyes, Trey’s chest tightened. Every muscle in his body grew rigid. Everything with Sage was spinning out of control and he was helpless to stop it. He, the man with all the answers, didn’t know how to keep Sage from being hurt.
He turned to Elsa.
How could one woman be so evil? So malicious?
