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“Ray Mallory is throwing his 63rd birthday party this evening, and what better date to bring than my famous daughter, the Amelia London.”
“Mom, I don’t think I can—”
“What? Why?” Turning to Ollie, she said, “Oliver, I thought you said she was free.”
“Sorry ma’am. She might be with her boyfriend tonight.” He frowned as he met my gaze through the mirror. I wanted nothing more than to smack him over the head.
Slowly, she turned to face me with a look of total confusion, “Noah Sloan?”
“Yes.”
A grin spread across her lips. “Amelia, this is perfect. Have him come with you to Ray Mallory’s party. The more people talking, the more exposure. After this movie, you’ll be a household name again.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ollie clench his tablet so tightly, the veins in his hands strained. Obviously, this wasn’t what he expected my mother to say to me. But he should have known better. As long as I was the biggest star in the sky, she would do or say anything.
“Amelia?” my mother said.
“Huh?” My eyes shifted quickly back to her.
She gave my hand a little squeeze. “Dating is fine, but remember, you are the most important person in the relationship…not Noah.”
“Thanks,” I said, squeezing her hands back as I realized why none of her relationships ever worked. The most important person in a relationship was always the other person.
So you can take your ‘advice’ and shove it, Mother.
***
“And, action!”
Every part of me was waxed.
My hair was curled and makeup done.
My stilettos clicked on the marble floor as I made my way through the lobby of the Van Gooden Hotel. I looked at no one, rolling my briefcase behind me. Stopping at the elevator, I felt the man next to me stand up straighter, and I fought the urg
e to smirk.
“I thought I told you not to wear that dress?” Damon’s voice spoke firmly in the microphone in my ear.
I glanced back to him in the lobby. He was dressed in a dark navy suit and shiny black shoes, sitting casually in a chair and not even looking at me as he drank his tea.
“After you.” The man beside me allowed me to enter, and I let one of my bracelets to fall off, forcing me to bend down slowly to pick it up.
“Payback will be a bitch, sweetheart,” Damon said in the earpiece.
Ignoring him, I stepped inside the elevator along with the man beside me and the camera guy who kept panning between both of our faces. From the reflection in the glass, I could see that the extra’s eyes were still focused on my ass.
“Which floor?” the man asked, his hands already hovering over the buttons.
“She’s out of your league, my friend,” Damon said even though the man couldn’t hear him, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
I said nothing, pressing the button for the penthouse, proving Damon’s point and shutting him up. It was a small action, but it had to hurt his ego as he pressed the number fourteen instead. The gap between his floor and mine was more than clear. The Van Gooden was one of the most expensive hotels in the city, which meant everyone here operated on one thing—money. It’s how they measured their self-worth. As was clear in the way his shoulders deflated like he had already given up, it was also his way to attract women.
When he stepped out, he paused for a moment, obviously thinking about whether he should say anything. The camera guy turned back to capture his face, while another camera was already waiting on the floor, focused on me.
“Hey—”
“Too slow,” I said as the doors closed on his face.
