Page 57 of Overexposed

“And invading people's privacy to take their picture is more important than meeting with me, is it? This is urgent, Stray. Do you not get that?” He wasfurious, that much was abundantly clear.

At the same time, though…fuck him. “Is paying my mortgage and ensuring my electricity stays onmore importantthan your fragile ego, Seven? Yes. Yes, it really is. Eat a dick and lose my number.”

“How much?” He snapped before I could hang up.

I frowned, confused. “How much, what? I didn’t sell the images if that’s what you’re implying. I haven’t seen them, don’t know what story is being run, and didn’t even know they were taken until literally half an hour ago.”

He gusted a frustrated huff. “How much is your time worth, to leave work and come to the house so my manager can work damage control?”

My lips parted in shock, then I scoffed. “You’re not serious.”

“I am. How much do you stand to earn if you work the remainder of the afternoon?”

Disbelief rattled me and I raked my fingers through my tangled hair. “I don’t know, Seven. Maybe nothing, maybe twenty grand. There are no guarantees in my line of work.”

He didn’t respond immediately, but my phone pinged in my ear.

“I’ll tell Jerry you’re on your way,” he snapped, then hung up, leaving me staring at the Venmo confirmation for a twenty-thousand-dollar transfer into my account.

My hands shook with blind rage as I texted his number with my response.

Stella: Eat. A. Dick. I’m not for fucking sale.

But I didn’t send the money back. If he was so rich he could pay me twenty grand without my consent, then he damn well deserved to lose it. I hoped he was holding his breath waiting for me because I would rather eat broken glass than do as he commanded.

chapter

twenty-two

Seven

That fuckingbitchaccepted my money and never showed up to discuss damage control on the tabloid trash that was about to be published inThe Nightly Mail. I paid her twenty grand, for fuck’s sake. What more did she seriously want for a couple of hours out of her day?

“Gem! She needs to be here to discuss how we—” I started on my twin again, despite knowing full well that he would not back me up on this.

“Nope!” he cut me off, not even letting me finish my sentence. Dick.

I glowered, fists balled at my sides. “Gemini, you fucking owe me. This infatuation you have with that stray cat is ruining my reputation, and if we don’t get ahead of it, then?—”

“Technically, Sev, I did you a huge favor the other night when your stunt double held up productionagainso I figure we’re about equal. Beside the fact that neither I nor Stella sold those images, we can’t be held responsible.” Gem was totally unconcerned, scrolling through the images that Jerry had sent on his laptop. Ollie was in them too, of course, but the story was all aboutSeven’s Mystery Womanthanks to the lovesick-puppy way Gem was staring at her in them.

The photo of her pulling into our driveway and leaving againhourslater was damning enough. Especially because the article noted Gemini Harrison was on set forKeeper’s Pursuitthat night.

Fuck my life.

“Jerry?” I pleaded, turning to our shared agent for some kind of backup. Gem was flat refusing to contact Stella and ask her to come over, and Ollie was in the middle of a press event for his upcoming release so was absolutely no help at all.

Jerry had been quiet for a while, letting my twin and I bicker like children while he tried to work out a damage-control plan. In fairness, he’d been our agent since we were fifteen and cut ties with our parents, so he was pretty used to our twin shit by now.

“Jerry, help me out here,” I prodded him. “If we are spinning this story, thensheneeds to be in agreement. Legally, if possible.”

Gem scoffed, and I extended my middle finger his way. In fairness, though, the NDA was entirely useless when she wasn’t the one selling sensationalist shit to the trash rags. That was more wasted money.

“Okay, we have two options here, so far as I can see,” Jerry said thoughtfully, his fingers steepled as he pondered it inside his devious mind. He was the best agent in town, and we were fucking lucky to have him on our side. “Either we get ahead and correct the story to the truth, that all those images are ofGeminiand notSeven, effectively taking the air out of the scandal bubble…”

I didn’t hate that idea. Then I could play the part of victimized by the media for once.

“Is now a good time to mention there’s another Seven Harrison image hittingBright Starztomorrow?” Gem spoke up, looking the tiniest bit guilty. “Sorry, Bro. Clara Belle was superdrunk at the party last weekend and thought I was you, so I took the opportunity to say a few things…”

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