Page 94 of Fake It 'Til You Sleigh It

“We thought you had this under control,” Wiley says.

“I did—I do. All press is good press, right?”

“No,” Riley snaps. “This is bad. We are not the Spice Network. We are in critical damage control.”

I wince, bracing myself for the axe about to fall. Instinctively, I look to Ethan for comfort, but he’s pacing, deep in conversation on his own call. Our eyes meet briefly, and I’m startled. A hurt look flashes across his face before he turns away.

Oh shit. What’s happening? What’s his agent saying?

“Well, Ms. Pemberton? Can you handle it or not?”

Dammit. I should have been listening.“I’m sorry, you cut out,” I lie. “Say that again.”

Wiley’s voice turns stern. “We’ve had to tap into our reserves to hire a Florida PR firm who swear they can make the public forget about your recent… activities. They’ve already started planning a Christmas Eve livestream event in Marco Island. You have twenty-four hours to work together and make this happen. Do not disappoint. We anticipate crowds, we expect buzz, and there better be stellar performances.”

“And a happy ending!” Riley adds.

“Our directing offer with you still stands,” Wiley says, “ifyou hit that million.”

“Ensure you do!” they finish in unison.

“Yes, I’m truly sorry,” I stammer. “I will give it 110 percent. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“We’ll be there in person to be sure of that,” Riley says ominously as the line goes dead.

“Fuck me in the fucking fuckhole!” I sag against the balcony railing, both enraged and defeated.

Ethan’s still on the phone, so I take a moment to collect myself. He finishes his call just as I step inside. Immediately, I’m confronted with the full force of his anger.

“You’re firing me?!”

“What? No—well yeah, I was, but that was before—”

“Before you tricked me into boosting your career?” he says, cutting me off. “What the hell, Chase? My agent found out about your little scheme. A ten-movie dealwithoutyour leading man!”

The disappointment in his eyes cuts deeper than his rage.

“This whole time I’m trying to get you to trust me, but you were going to dump me after we hit a million subscribers? You’re the one who can’t be trusted!”

I match his outrage. “Drop the innocent act—you wouldn’t have lifted a finger if I’d told you the truth. And you should be fucking thanking me. I secured both our futures. You get to keep your perfect little King of Christmas title where everything’s easy and you don't have to make hard choices.”

“I don’t understand how you could do this. How can you pass me off to another director? We’re the magic, Chase. You and me,” Ethan insists softly.

“No, we’re not. Remember how it is when we’re on set? We don’t work well together.”

“Seriously? Look what we’ve achieved. Sure, it’s stressful sometimes. But the spark of our movies only happens because we push each other.”

His raw vulnerability threatens to shatter my determination.

“This vacation has been a wild ride of emotions, and every single one of them pointed to one truth: we are incredible together. I’ve never experienced anything like it with anyone else. It’s something extraordinary. Can’t you see it? Why are you denying this pull between us?”

His voice, passionate and pleading, is a wrecking ball to my heart, each word pounding into me, demolishing who I am and what I stand for.

It’s too much.

Too intense.

Too scary.

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