Page 46 of Falling For The Billionaire Rockstar

“What’s going on?” he asked, still trying to focus on his driving. Unsure of how to explain, so I read one of the article’s headlines:runaway bride makes a comeback with famous rockstar Alexander Steele.

Alex laughed as I stressed the pronunciation of his name. How could he possibly laugh in a situation like this?

“That sounds so ridiculous and unprofessional. Who would write such nonsense?” he asked, still seeming unbothered.

“There are thousands of articles with similar headlines. Some even claim we’re engaged, while others just say we’re dating. Another one says I was dating you secretly while I had Greg.” I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing I could erase all I’d just read.

“Now that sounds terrible. I wonder how they could have released so many articles in barely two hours.” This time, he looked quite concerned.

His phone started to ring, but he ignored it. The caller was relentless and continued to call until he got fed up and picked up.

“Hey, Mother,” he said, putting the call on loudspeaker.

“Alex! How long does it take to pick up your damn phone?” she yelled, and I almost jumped in fear.

“I was busy, Mom. What’s going on?” he asked, and I could tell he was pretending to have no idea why she was reacting that way.

“I’m also just as busy, but that’s not why I called. What’s this news circulating on the Internet about you dating someone?”

Alex sighed, and I stayed breathless in my seat. It was bad enough that I had to read vile articles about me online, sitting through Alex’s conversation with his angry-sounding mother.

“I am dating someone, Mother,” he replied, and I heard a loud, dramatic gasp coming from her end of the phone.

“Oh, Alex, how could you keep something this big from me? I am your mother, for crying out loud.” An uncomfortable silence ensued after she spoke, and I wished I wasn’t in the car witnessing this.

“I was eventually going to mention it to you, Mother,” His voice was a lot calmer now. Whatever manipulative string his mother had pulled, it was definitely working.

“Who is she? What’s her family background? Does she have—”

“Her name is Olivia, and you’ll get to meet her soon enough.” He hung up the phone before his mother could say anything else and let out a huge sigh. I stayed frozen in my seat, unsure of what to say next.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked when I remained quiet for a while. We were getting much closer to Sam’s place, and I couldn’t wait to be out of the car already.

“Uh-huh,” I managed to respond. I felt uneasy, and I feared that he would notice if I said anything more.

He opened his mouth to ask again, but another phone call came in. He checked it and sighed again. He had done a lot of sighing since I read the news to him.

As much as I worried about being in the media’s spotlight, my biggest fear was about Alex. He had a career to protect, and news like this usually created a dent for public figures.

He finally picked up the call. “Layla.”

The voice this time was more frantic than his mother’s. She sounded genuinely worried. “Mr. Steele, where are you? You left the event before I even got a chance to speak with you.” She stopped, trying to catch her breath. It was obvious she was moving at a fast pace.

“I got tired and headed home. What’s the issue?”

“Well, you made news headlines. Thousands of comments and articles have been made about you and . . .” She stopped again and then continued, “Miss Sanders. You’re currently the number one trending search on all social media platforms.”

“Well, is that something? I’ve seen almost all of it, but I’m exhausted right now. Let’s talk tomorrow,” he said and hung up before she said anything else.

The car finally pulled up in front of Sam’s apartment, and I let out a huge sigh of relief. It felt like an excruciating, long journey.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked as I took off my seatbelt.

He shook his head. “It’s late, and we’re both clearly tired, so I think I should head home. Goodnight, Liv.” He pulled in and gave me a full kiss on the lip.

I mustered a smile and got out of the car. Exhausted as I was, I walked toward the door and inserted my key. The door opened, letting me through and shutting as soon as I released it.

Samantha stood there with a phone in her hand, eyeing me intensely.

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