Page 98 of Unwillingly His

“That’s great,” she said just as there was more yelling outside. “Are we going to have to add him to the payroll?”

“No,” I said, distracted by the shouting. “He just wants a shout-out on the party’s social media. He knows several music producers are coming, and he is a drummer for hire.”

“Okay.” She made a note on one of the clipboards. “In the meantime, I just checked the raffle. The amount of traffic after the celebrities shared posts is unreal. Especially the Love is Blind cast. We have four RSVPs with plus one, but the entire cast shared the link. They just got the website back up, and we are now at two million dollars raised for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. I also have a few luxury brands reaching out, wanting to donate trips and items for the raffle.”

“Good, do it. Just make sure there are no direct competitors for Manwarring Liquors.”

“Got it. It’s mostly complementary stuff, like Killian perfumes, a bottle of Angel’s Share, a few gourmet foods, a spa retreat, and other similar items.”

“Perfect. Make sure anything we accept is added to the website and social media, and they do as well. How are we on media coverage?”

“Everyone is picking up the story, and every single magazine with a lifestyle section wants to send photographers.”

“Paps can be outside, but inside access is?—”

“Exclusive to Olivia,” she finished for me.

“What would I do without you?” I asked.

“Host this at Chucky Cheese,” she said, and we both giggled as Aiden came back with a drink for each of us.

“Ladies, here is our sweet option. A Blackberry Smash—this cocktail not only has fresh berries that taste like summer, but ginger beer to lighten it, a little elderflower liquor to cut through the sweetness, and of course, the finest whiskey. Enjoy.”

The way he winked at Allison made me blush as she smiled and took a sip. This one was another homerun—perfect.

“What about the—” Alison was cut off when several loud bangs came from the distillery, and the ground underneath us shook—then another one, and this time closer.

Allison and I screamed and moved behind the heavy wooden door with Aiden.

The bangs got closer, and the ground shook until one went off right outside the door, followed by a blinding light and intense heat.

I was thrown across the room in a blast of heat…

Then everything went dark.

CHAPTER 37

LUCIAN

Ahigh-pitched ringing echoed in my ears, loud enough to block out everything but the destruction.

I watched my distillery, the core of my business, blow up.

It wasn’t until Luc grabbed me and shook me that everything came back, and I could hear people shouting, some for help and others as they tried to pull pieces of debris off of survivors.

Sirens wailed in the distance. There were going to be a lot of injuries, as most people were around what was left of the barrels and vats.

It made sense that was where the rescue teams were going to focus and try to put out the fires that were raging so they could rescue the most people.

But Stella wasn’t there.

Stella wasn’t anywhere near the vats.

She had been in the tasting room on the other side of the building.

Without a second thought, I took off.

Luc called after me, but I didn’t stop.

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