Page 170 of Between the Lines

His lips turn down. “Not one I’ll enforce.”

“Mm-hmm.” I dig my teeth into my bottom lip and look past him at the bookshelves lining the walls of his home office. Maybe my book will be on one of them in a few months. He still needs a picture for the cover. The photo shoot is next week, and Aiden asked me to go with him.

“I got an interesting call earlier.” I look at a bookshelf instead of directly at him. It’s easier to face.

“You did? Is everything okay?”

“It was from a journalist. Audrey Kingsley of theNew York Globe.” My gaze slides to his. “Do you know anything about the article she’s writing?”

His face doesn’t change. But there’s a flicker of something in his eyes, there and gone again. “I know of her, yes.”

My stomach sinks. I feel it drop, and disappointment tastes like ash in my mouth.

“How do you know her?” I ask.

“She’s married to one of the owners of Acture Capital. Our paths cross from time to time,” he says.

“Right. You’re friends.”

“I’m not sure I would go that far,” he says.

“But you’ve never spoken to her about business things.”

“What are you getting at, Charlotte?”

“She’s writing an article. About exploitative situations in reality television.” I cross my arms over my chest, and for a second, try to channel him. The commanding presence I’ve seen him put on like a cloak. “She thought of me, even though I’ve never spoken about my experience publicly.”

“Did she?” He’s standing very still. So am I. Like a sudden movement from either of us could break this stand-off.

“Yes. Even said that she would mention me regardless of whether I made a statement or not.” I shrug and work hard to keep my voice under control. “Then, she assured me—and here’s the weird part—that I wouldn’t have to worry about Titan Media suing me for breaking the NDA I signed for doing the show. You know why?”

Aiden blows out a breath. “Chaos.”

“Do you knowwhy, Aiden?”

“I do. I made it clear to her that I won’t stand in the way of an independent investigation.”

“You made it clear to her. Or did you encourage this? You forget that I know you fairly well by now. Even if you’ve made it difficult to get close to you.”

Aiden’s jaw tenses. “You’ve gotten closer than I’ve allowed anyone else for as long as I can remember.”

“Did you encourage her to write the article?”

There’s a moment of pause. “I gave her the idea,” he says.

The punch knocks the air out of me. I knew he was manipulative, in a way that most successful people are. He plans, he’s strategic, his focus is always on winning.

But this?

“Why,” I breathe.

He takes a step closer and reaches out. I react in kind, taking a step back until I’m in the hallway outside his office. “Charlotte, it was never meant to hurt you. Quite the opposite.”

“Right. Because dragging up my past would help mehow?”

“Because I wanthimdiscredited,” Aiden says. His voice is tight with suppressed fury. “I can fire him from all our shows in a heartbeat. That decision has already been made. After this season airs, he will never be on Titan Media’s payroll again. But it’s not enough. I don’t want him to work in this industry. Ever.”

“Aiden,” I say.

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