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“Thank you all for coming,” Titan said, starting the press conference, and it wasn’t lost on me how Raven King, Orion Knight, and Titan had all been in the news these past couple of years, having to each make a statement because people felt entitled to an athlete’s private life.
As I glanced around the room, I also couldn’t get Rachel Malaki out of my head. Why do this? If it could be proven that it wasn’t Titan’s baby, then why do this? To get internet famous? To try to get some hush money? To make him notice her? Was she a woman scorned after not hearing from him after their one night? What was her motivation? What was driving her to do something that was going to end up a fail for her?
“By now, you have all heard of the accusation that has been aimed my way,” Titan went on. “Rachel Malaki is accusing me of fathering her unborn child, and while I’m not sure of her motives, I’m also not taking her accusation lightly.” Titan straightened his back as he scanned the crowd. “I’m also not going to handle this unfortunate situation publicly. If Ms. Malaki wants to tell her story in front of the cameras, then that is her right. However, I will not be doing the same. Now, while I’d like to ask for everyone to respect my privacy during this time, I know better than to expect that to happen. Still, it would be appreciated if you could honor my request.”
“Titan, do you think this will be a distraction for the Wolves?” asked a reporter in the back.
“No,” Titan answered. “Not at all. We’re professionals, and we know how to compartmentalize.”
“Titan, is the baby yours?”
“No,” he answered honestly. “However, that’s all that you’re going to get out of me on this topic. I owe the public my skills on the field and nothing more.”
I nodded, letting out a deep breath. He was sticking to the script and that was more than a lot of my other clients did. It was hard not to get defensive when you were being judged, but Titan was holding his own, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
When Titan glanced my way, I almost gave him a thumbs up. However, thankfully, I caught myself in time. It wouldn’t be a good look, and I didn’t need to become a meme on the internet. This was live, so the cameras were rolling.
Titan’s eyes met mine before returning his attention back to the reporters. “Now, again, while I’m not expecting my request for privacy to be honored, I’d also like the media to leave my family out of this.”
Whoa, this wasn’t in the written statement that we had agreed upon.
“My family isn’t a part of this, and neither is my girlfriend.”
What.
The.
Fuck?
“Your girlfriend?” another reporter called out. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”
“We’ve been dating for three months, and it just became serious a couple of weeks ago,” he answered, my stomach roiling with dread. “As you can imagine, the past forty-eight hours hasn’t been easy on any of us.”
“What fucking girlfriend?” Opal whispered under her breath at me.
“I don’t know,” I whispered back. “He never said anything about having a girlfriend.”
“I hate my job,” she said, though she still kept her voice down.
“What’s her name?”
“What does she say about all this?”
“Who is she?”
Ignoring all the questions being thrown his way, Titan ended the interview. “Thanks again for coming, but that will be all.”
I stared at him-torn between shock and anger-as he turned from the podium, then walked his way towards us. He was supposed to have limited the details. He wasn’t supposed to have included his family and goddamngirlfriend.
I was about to read Titan the riot act when he slid his right arm around my waist, yanked me towards him, then placed a kiss on my cheek. Though the kiss was innocent enough, the way that he was holding me wasn’t, and I almost screamed with how Titan Miller had just made me his fake girlfriend in front of a room full of reporters and cameras.
What in the fresh hell was going on?
“I’ll explain later,” he whispered as he slid his hand in mine, pulling me behind him like we were a loving couple.
As soon as we all entered the first empty conference room, I lost it. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?” I shrieked, yanking my hand from his.
“What was that, Titan?” Evan asked, and I was grateful that I wasn’t the only one questioning Titan’s sanity.
