Page 84 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Uh-huh.”

“So, you think the video will work?”

Penny advised that I shoot a video denouncing the rumors surrounding my and Silas’s engagement. It’s a somewhat obvious idea that crossed my mind when I first saw the news, but I wasn’t sure about it, so I shook it off. But Penny’s convinced it’d work.

“I think it’s the best thing to do. You’re being tried in public court. What better way to defend yourself than to air your truth?”

I nod along as she speaks. “Well, I’m not being tried. Silas is being prosecuted.Theythink I’m a victim.”

“Which couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

“Right?” I sigh. “How was your date?”

Penny’s squeal immediately takes me aback. “It was sooo good!”

“Damn, really?”

“I’ll be at the office in like one hour to help with the video and give you the deets.” She stops. “Or should I come to Silas’s place, or are you coming home? Shit, I don’t know your movements anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” I indulge her. “I’ll be at the office, though.”

“Great, great. I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, thanks, Pen. I’ll see you soon, too.” I reply, my voice thick with exhaustion.

“I hate it when you call me that. It sounds too much like you’re calling me a dick.”

We share a laugh, and when I hang up and grab my bag, I mentally prepare myself for what’s about to go down at the studio.

***

The protests outside Silas’s studio are a mess of angry faces and obnoxious signs.

I step out of the car, and the crowd notices me immediately, their chants growing louder. My jaw clenches. Seriously, do thesepeople have nothing better to do? They’re demanding “justice” for something that never happened, all while my father probably sits behind his desk, sipping on scotch, and watching the chaos unfold with that smug look.

He orchestrated this, no doubt. It’s his favorite pastime—trying to control my life.

I rush inside the studio before I say or do something that’ll make the headlines worse. I hold my head high as I pass the lobby with watching eyes and whispering tongues. People stare at me like I’m some sort of circus freak, whispering behind their hands like I can’t hear them. But I do.

Every. Single. Word.

By the time I get to my office, I’m ready to pull my hair out. The nausea from this morning hasn’t gone away, and the added stress is worsening it. I collapse into my chair and put my head on the desk just as Penny bursts in.

“Wow, you look . . . awful. In a cute, bloated sort of way,” she says with her trademark bluntness, tossing her bag on the couch and setting a small pink carton on the desk.

Penny’s wearing a casual white crop top with high-waisted jeans and a brown leather jacket slung over her shoulders, her blonde hair in effortless waves. She looks like she just stepped out of a Pinterest board.

“Thanks. Just what I needed to hear,” I mutter, not lifting my head.

She tilts her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “You okay? You’re a little off today.”

“I feel like crap,” I admit, sitting up. “This morning was rough. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Penny raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Maybe you’re pregnant.”

I snort. “Yeah, right.”

But she’s looking at me like she’s dead serious. “You’ve been sleeping with Silas, right? You feel sick, you look bloated—”

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