Page 2 of The Player

That she’d prefer to spend time with her disabled sister than any of the able-bodied men she’d dated?

That every word and every smile at events like this were part of a carefully constructed, elaborate mask to ensure her popularity led to continued work that would set up Cindy’s care for life?

Being a WAG meant she could spend most of her time caring for Cindy; a part-time gig as opposed to a full-time job that would take her away from her sister.

It suited their lifestyle, Liza putting in infrequent appearances at galas or launches or openings in exchange for days spent attending Cindy’s physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions, ensuring the spasticity in Cindy’s contracted muscles didn’t debilitate her limited mobility completely.

She’d sat through Cindy’s Botox injections into specific muscles to ease the pain and stiffness and deformity around joints, followed by extensive splinting to maintain movement.

She’d supported Cindy through intrathecal baclofen therapy, where a pump had been inserted into her sister’s abdomen to deliver doses of the muscle relaxer into her spinal fluid to ease the spasticity and relieve muscle spasms in her legs.

She’d been there for every session of speech therapy, muscle lengthening and strengthening, splinting, orthotics, mobility training and activities of daily living management.

Putting on a façade for the cameras might’ve been a pain in the ass but it had been a small price to pay for the time she’d been able to spend supporting Cindy every step of the way.

The financial security her fake life provided was an added bonus.

Cindy’s care didn’t come cheap and if a magazine wanted to pay her to put in an appearance at some B-list function, who was she to refuse?

She almost had enough money saved… After tonight she could hang up her sparkly stilettos, leave her WAG reputation behind, and start working at a worthwhile job. Something in promotions maybe, where she could put her marketing degree to use.

Cindy had progressed incredibly well over the years and Liza could now pursue full-time work in the knowledge she’d given one hundred percent with her sister’s therapy when it counted.

Cerebral palsy might be an incurable lifelong condition but, with Cindy’s determination, her amazing sis had reached a stage in her management plan where the spasticity affecting the left side of her body was under control and she maintained a certain amount of independence.

Liza couldn’t be prouder and could now spend more hours away from Cindy pursuing some of her own goals. Though she wondered how many interviews ‘serial WAG’ would garner from her sketchy CV.

A local TV host laid a hand on her arm and she faked a smile, gushing over his recent award win, inwardly counting down the minutes until she could escape.

Think of the appearance money, she mentally recited, while nodding and agreeing in all the right places.

Another thirty minutes and she could leave her old life behind.

She could hardly wait.

Chapter Two

Wade couldn’t take his eyes off the dazzling blonde.

She stood in the middle of the room, her shimmery bronze dress reflecting light onto the rapt faces of the guys crowding her.

With every fake smile she bestowed upon her subjects, he gritted his teeth.

She was exactly the type of woman he despised.

Too harsh? Try the type of woman he didn’t trust. The same type of woman as Babs, his stepmother, who at this very minute was making the rounds of the room, doing what she did best: schmoozing.

His father Quentin had been dead less than six months and Babs had ditched the black for dazzling emerald.

Guess Wade should respect her for not pretending. As she had for every moment of her ten-year marriage to his father.

A marriage that had driven the family business into the ground, and an irreversible wedge between him and his dad. A wedge that had resulted in the truth being kept from Wade on all fronts, both personally and professionally.

He’d never forgive her for it.

Though deep down he knew who should shoulder the blame for the estrangement with his dad.

He looked at that guy in the mirror every morning.

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