Page 72 of Stuck with the Billionaire Celebrity

She got upset—started yelling at me.

I walked out of the house because I had to be at a benefit auction.”

I look down, trying to hide my anger now.

“She showedup just as someone bought a date with me. She started screaming, accusing me of God knows what, and before I knew it, we were outside, in front of the cameras, and she was throwing punches.”

I shake my head, the shame still raw.

“I tried to hold her back, to calm her down—but someone caught it on camera.

It looked like... like I was the one being violent.

After that, she made all kinds of accusations about me.

She wouldn’t leave my house, so I had to move out of my own home.

Eventually, she was evicted, and I filed a restraining order... but she did a lot of damage.”

“And they ran with it, didn’t they? The press?”

“Of course they did,” I say bitterly.

“Suddenly, I’m public enemy number one—the guy who can’t control his temper.

It didn’t matter what the truth was. No one cared about the details.

By the time she was evicted, my house was unlivable.

The media spun it into this whole narrative, and she... well, she leaned into it.”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment; she just watches me with an intensity I’m not used to. When she finally speaks, her voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it. “That must’ve been... hard.”

“That’s putting it lightly.

My reputation took a nosedive. Directors pulled out, my agent fired me, and business deals started falling through.

It took years to rebuild.

And even now, there are still people who look at me like I’m guilty.”

She’s silent for a beat, her eyes searching mine. She uncrosses her legs and leans forward slightly, her demeanor shifting from guarded to... something else.

“I remember her showing up at your house. I believed her lies. I also heard those stories. And believed them.”

“I know. I was angry that you didn’t give me a chance to explain. It took me a while to realize that we barely knew each other, and neither of us owed the other anything.”

“I couldn’t understand how Devon could be friends with someone like you.”

She shifts in her seat like she’s debating whether or not to tell me what’s clearly weighing on her. After a moment, she sighs, her gaze drifting to the floor.

“There was someone in my past, too,” she starts, her tone quieter now.

“Not just Andrew.

Someone who... who wasn’t what he seemed.

He was charming, successful, and said all the right things.

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