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I raise an eyebrow at Richard. “Won’t that cause a revolt? Dad will have actors walking off his set.” This is not an idle prediction; it’s happened before.
He shakes his head, like he knows something I don’t, and smiles. I don’t like this. I think he’s about to say something I really don’t want to hear.
“No. Filming doesn’t start for a month, but I’m sending you there now to give you plenty of time to sober up.”
The way he says it, so matter-of-factly, like it’s a happening thing and not completely outside the realm of possibility, makes me laugh. It’s short. Sharp. Sardonic. He can’t actually think this harebrained idea of his is going to work. Surely?
“New Zealand is different than here. You won’t have the paparazzi following you, for starters. You’ll be able to recover in relative anonymity.”
I laugh harder. This whole idea is preposterous.
Then Richard gives me a smug smile that I haven’t seen before. “You haven’t even heard the best bit yet,” he tells me, and I freeze. There’s something in his tone that scares me. Like he knows a secret that I’m not going to like, and he’s enjoying every bit of my discomfort.
I hold my breath. Whatever he’s about to say, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I’m almost certain I don’t. But he doesn’t give me a choice.
“I’ve hired you a manager.”
My jaw about hits the floor at the same time the office door opens behind me. I’m too afraid to turn and have a look, but heavy footsteps pique my curiosity. I can’t resist. Richard rises to his feet, and I twist sideways to see a tall, broad-shouldered man reach out to shake his hand.
“Jaxon Herewini,” he says. He’s a giant. His hair is as dark as his suit but there’s the tiniest smattering of grey at his temples. He’s spiked it up with gel a little bit to give the illusion that he’s young and hip, but he’s not. He’s old. Well, older than me, anyway. By a good decade, at least. Actually, he’s probably pushing forty. But damn, he’s handsome. My heart skips a beat when I look at him and it’s hard to drag enough air into my lungs. This man is by far the sexiest I’ve seen in a long time.
I shake my head, trying to comprehend what is happening. Trying to regain control of my traitorous body that’s acting in ways it shouldn’t. I definitely should not be drooling over a man in front of Richard.
But then his words sink in and my blood runs cold. “Hang on. A manager?” It doesn’t matter how good-looking this guy is; if he’s mymanager,not just a run-of-the-mill slightly useless bodyguard, I don’t like him.
Richard is still standing, having just shaken Mr. Giant’s hand, and he smiles that same scary, smug smile.
“Yes. A manager. He’s going to be overseeing every aspect of your life for the foreseeable future.”
I open my mouth to say something, but no words come out. I think I’m too shocked to speak. All I can do is sit there in disbelief.
“This cannot be happening,” I mutter.
Mr. Giant steps back into the shadows as Richard sits back down and fixes me with a steely stare, but there’s still sadness in his eyes, too. He’s trying to hide it, but I know what disappointment looks like; I’ve been seeing it for years, written all over his face. I thought I was immune to it. Turns out, I’m not.
“I will no longer stand by and watch you destroy yourself, Jade,” Richard tells me firmly. “Your father and I thought all you needed was time, so we gave it to you. But you’re intent on following the path to self-destruction, and we won’t allow it. Not anymore. So, I’m putting a stop to it. Jaxon will be in charge of you from now on.”
“But,” I interrupt, and Richard holds up his hand to stop me.
“You will be flying out to New Zealand this afternoon. Jaxon will be accompanying you. Everything you do, you will run by him first. He will be responsible for every choice you make. He will be getting you clean, Jade. Clean, sober, healthy, and working again. He will help you find your potential.”
I’d sucked in a huge breath of horror at the first sentence out of Richard’s mouth, and I’d unconsciously held my breath the whole time he talked. Now I let it out in a loud rush and close my eyes, pressing my fingers to my temples. This isn’t real. It can’t be. I’m dreaming, right? I’ll wake up soon. I lean against the big desk that belongs to my father but that Richard is currently occupying, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare.Begging the universe or whatever fates have put me in this awful position to let me go.
“No.” It’s only a whisper, but it echoes how broken I feel inside.
“Yes,” Richard confirms. “Now stand up and meet Jaxon.”
Shakily, I get to my feet. I don’t often obey orders, but right now I’m too shaken to do anything else. I turn, holding both the desk and the back of my chair for support. I don’t trust myself to stand up without hanging on to something. I feel like I’m about to faint from shock.
Deep brown eyes stare back at me. His full lips are straight. His nose is bent, like it’s been broken before. Laughter lines frame his eyes and mouth. Tiny wrinkles furrow his forehead. He wears a suit and tie, but I’m sure that’s a tattoo peeking out the very edge of his shirt collar, on the left side of his neck. His skin is brown. Not like my spray-on tan, but deeper. Darker.
Jaxon extends his hand to me. Tribal tattoos swirl over his wrist, just visible because the sleeve of his shirt rode up with the movement. If this had been anyone else, I’d be swooning right now. I’m a sucker for tattoos. The tattoo ends halfway to his knuckles on the back of his huge hand, still waiting for me to shake. I don’t take it.
“You hired a… a…Neanderthalto take care of me?”
Jaxon frowns. “My people are not Neanderthals, miss. We’re more civilised than you, if recent headlines are anything to go by.”
His voice is deep. Sexy. As I expected. His accent isn’t American.
