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"—fakemarriage work," he corrects himself. Smug bastard doesn’t even try to hide the air quotes around fake.
"And I should take advice from you, why? Considering you haven’t been able to hold your own relationship together."
His jaw tightens, and his shoulders bunch. I’m sure he’s going to deck me. Hell, I’d welcome the chance for a fight, if I’m being honest. But then, his features relax. "It’s true." He chuckles and the sound isn’t pleasant. "Right now, it’s not just my relationship, but my career is also in the gutter."
I tilt my head. "Wasn’t your last movie a big hit?"
“That was eight months ago. The next one was a flop. It did so badly, it was pulled from the cinema and onto the streamers in less than a week.”
I wince. "That sucks, man."
"It does." He leans back against the railing. "That’s showbiz, eh? Things can go to seed overnight."
"Doesn’t have to be that way when it comes to relationships."
"If you mean Solene, that ship’s sailed." He scowls into the distance. "We haven’t spoken to each other in weeks."
"You’ve both been busy," I offer.
"Yeah, so busy she hasn’t called or texted."
"Have you called or texted her?"
"Why should I? Clearly, she doesn’t have space in her life for me. And considering her last album flopped, she has a lot on her plate, too."
I whistle. "So, both of you are going through a rough patch, huh?"
He narrows his gaze. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing." I raise my hands. "And for the record, it was wrong of me to cast doubts on your ability to handle your relationship."
"Nothing that wasn’t true, man."
"Still." I crack my neck. "It’s unwarranted. And I don’t hit men when they’re down."
"Speak for yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn’t you say you had to be at a press conference?"
I glance at the time on my watch, then swear. "Fuck, you’re right." I push away from the balustrade.
He smirks. "Isn’t this where you announce your engagement?"
I ignore him and keep walking.
"Don’t forget the ring, you hear me, King?"
39
Abby
"You sure you don’t want me with you?" Penny scowls at me from across the bar table.
I asked her and Mira to meet me, knowing full-well I’d have to be at the press conference where the twathole is going to announce our fake engagement.
He texted me the details earlier today. The least he could have done was call me to inform me. Of course, if he had called, I wouldn’t have answered, or maybe, answered just for the satisfaction of hanging up on him. No doubt, he expected that and opted to text me instead. And I don’t have much choice but to turn up. If I don’t, I fully believed he’ll follow through on his threat to tell Knight about what happened to me. Doesn’t mean I have to be on time…or sober. I reach for the glass of wine and drain it. I know I’m putting off the inevitable, but anything to avoid looking the alphahole in the eye.
