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I feel a sudden, strange burst of energy. I’m standing up straight, my hand flying up in an arc. I slap Brandon right in the face with all the energy I can muster.
“Fuck you,” I hear myself say. Relief floods me at this release of pent-up frustration. “Youdidseduce me.”
Brandon’s cheek is red, but my slap did not move him in the slightest. “Yes,” he says, his eyes burning into mine. “You were trying to ruin my brother’s campaign, and I stopped you. I did it the only way I knew how.”
I stare at him, hatred burning in me. “You lied to me,” I say, the words coming out in a strangled yell. “You made me believe…”
I break off abruptly. Looking back, I’m not only furious at Bran. I’m furious atmyself.I’d known from the outset that Brandon Stawarski was a despicable human being. And yet, I let him convince me otherwise.
“I know,” he says, his eyes filled with pools of rage. “I tried to seduce you. And you tried to ruin my brother’s campaign. I lied to you to get you to trust me, and you only came along to find more things to take me down with.”
“I was clear about that,” I spit at him. “You knew how much I disliked you.”
“Before or after you pretended to flirt with me to get information at your best friend’s wedding?” he asks calmly.
I pause, hating him even more for bringing up a valid point. I open my mouth to argue, but Bran gets there first.
“As your magazine rightly pointed out,” he says, “I’ve done this many times. I’ve won women over to get them to shut up. And I wanted to do the same with you.” He pauses, taking a step toward me. “ButI lost my guard with you around the same time you lost yourswith me. I did not plan to care about you. But I did, and now you’re pregnant, and we’re in this mess…together.”
I’m completely thrown off. I want to rage and storm at him, but the intensity in his eyes holds me back.
He’s telling the truth.
“We cannot stand each other right now,” he says. “But our reputations have been mudded by this, and we needto get our lives under control. That is, ifyou want your career back. I know I want my brother to win his election.”
Want my career back.
For the first time in what seems like months, a tiny ray of hope appears in my heart.
I’m almost—almost—considering this.
“What do you want from me?” I ask.
“It’s simple,” he says, his gaze never leaving my face. “I need you to pretend that you’remadlyin love with me.”
CHAPTER20
BRAN
This is the worst situation I’ve ever maneuvered myself into.
I'm waiting outside Gigi's apartment. Things couldn't be more different than they were five days ago when we last spoke. I'm not here to argue or fight with her, but to take her on a date. It’s the first step of our plan to convince the media to leave us alone. I feel my heart lift as she bounds down the stairs wearing jeans, her hair loosely knotted at the back of her head, and I can't quite explain why.
Over the past week, I've spent most of my time wishing that I had never met Gigi.
Her stunning appearance is impossible to ignore, and the fact that our child is developing a heartbeat inside of her is even more difficult to overlook. I feel the urge to whisk her off for an ultrasound or press my ear against her stomach to feel our child. However, the media circus surrounding us has prevented Gigi and me from discussing the baby.
The New York press has split into two camps—one labeling Gigi as a fame whore and hypocritical journalist, while the other, fueled byEnchanté'sridiculous article, paints me as a manipulative and sadistic man.
We’re both getting flamed. The only way to put the circus behind us is to band together and give them something else to talk about.
Her eyes are glowing with loathing as she greets me with a simple “Hi.”
Great, I think to myself. This night was already going to be horrible, and Gigi working overtime to make me aware of how much she abhors me won't make it any easier.
She slips into the passenger seat, and I go around to the driver’s side.
“So,” she says, dragging the word out, “whereare we headed?”
