Page 31 of Fallen Princess: Shadow Stalker

He very obviously seems on the straight and narrow, but that element of distrust lingers on my conscience. That cynicism sits right up there with the regret I have of turning my back and closing every door I could on his face.

“We didn’t know Eddie,” Asher says. “It’s the truth, luv.”

“Except Oliver and the publicists did,” I add, not wanting to revisit this shit again, but we never had proper closure with Eden about this. “They had a heads up from the press. So they threw you in the line of fire and protected us. Someone had to take the fall, and they believed to let you have it. It took a while for us to figure it out, but when we did, we had a good word with Oliver.”

“And rearranged his face,” Callum adds with pride. Maybe we all feel a little proud for shoving it into that bastard.

“And then he fired all of us. Threw us to the curb. Sonics became history. Except now we have this against him. If his publicity stunt comes out, no band would want to trust him or work with him. He’s just returned toTone Warsfor another two seasons after stepping down for two years to focus on some new project he’s got going. If itgets out that he was flipping playing with the careers of winning contestants from the show, he’ll be publicly shunned and thrown off a show he was the original mastermind of.”

“It was ten years ago,” Eden remains stoic. Once prone to curving into a trusting smile, her lips now maintain a thin and tight line. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because he’s agreed to manage us again.”

Her eyes blow up wide with disbelief.

Seeing her reaction, I open my mouth, but Jagger beats me to it.

“He has industry contacts. Record labels open doors for him. We’ve been gone far too long for anyone to give us a chance without him. He can make mountains move for us.”

“And you want me part of this new venture,” she states as a matter of fact. “Why me, after all these years?”

Despite the attempt to mask her emotions, I quickly pick up on the subtle cues that betray her lack of faith in what we’re telling her. The furrowed brows, guarded posture, and restrained nature of her response collectively paint a portrait of a woman deeply skeptical of our words and suspicious of our underlying intentions.

“Because the connection we shared was like no other we’ve ever had,” Jagger explains. “We made music, and the world spun around our feet. Remember the gigs we played together? The energy, the connection with the audience? You were a huge part of that, darling. This time, though, we’re older and smarter and doing things our way. Oliver’s agreed to give us a chance.”

She crosses her arms defensively over her chest, creating a barrier as if to shield herself from potential deception.

“Why would I ever trust you again?” She lets her arms down and rests a hand on her forehead.

“Scratch that,” she adds quickly, casting us all a skeptical once over. “Why the fuck would I ever want to have anything the fuck to do with you again? All four of you betrayed me, and I let my guard down and trusted you.”

She gazes at us, and I watch her demeanor change from zero to a hundred in the space of seconds.

“I’ve heard you. Now get the fuck out of my home, you fucking perverts,” the contours of her face form an intricate dance of defiance. “The only thing you have is a talent for is porn videos. You only need me for some publicity stunt. Bring back the whore and then dump her when her cunt goes dry. How many more copies of that video do you have up your goddamn sleeves? You think you can come here andlure me on some sentimental memory lane, and I’d jump into your beds for another video. Fuck you, assholes.”

The venom spitting out from her mouth leaves me stunned for words.

“Oh, you have a lot of nerve, you daft cow,” Callum retorts sharply, and before I can intervene, he moves swiftly, closing the distance with her in an instant.

“I’m sorry I offended you with my common sense, dickhead.” Eden tilts her head up and stares him straight in the eye.

“I’m so done explaining what happened, and not once did you ever apologize for what you did. You think your career was ruined? We were never the same after you fled. So you tried to change your image with that video, but it backfired. Boo-fucking-hoo. Did you ever bloody ask us if we wanted to be in that stunt of yours? But we faced the drama, the press hounding us all the while nursing a fucking big hole in our chests created by you, siren. I’m done with you!”

“Good for you! I hope karma slaps you in the face before I do!” Eden retaliates bitterly.

She inches even closer, mirroring the same fierce anger as Callum. “I was finished with you the moment I realized you released it to get me fired from the band. You were always the loudest about not wanting me in the group in the first place. Always adamant that a woman had no place with the Sonics. So you planted this video and threw me to the wolves.”

Hold-on. What?

“Whoa, stop right there!” Asher and Jagger step between them.

“I think you’re both talking about two different things on the same topic and haven’t even realized it.”

They both turn to us, and Callum immediately steps back, realizing he needs to tone down his frustration. He licks his top lip and then bites down on his lower lip piercing to ground himself as his eyes burn into Eden.

He’s pissed off. We all are, but after what she’s just revealed, we realized how bad the five of us still are with communication.

“You think we secretly made that video?” Asher asks, and I can see the pain all over his face.

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