Page 103 of You Rock My World
But as I walk into Nadine’s office, my suspicions that I’m about to get fired three days before Christmas are confirmed. Sitting next to her is the company’s grim reaper—the HR director. Only one reason he’d be here, and it’s not to wish me a good day.
“Josie.” Nadine gestures to the chair across from her like this is a casual performance review and not an execution. “Have a seat.”
I lower myself down, my posture stiff, hands folded in my lap like a schoolgirl bracing for a scolding.
Nadine shakes her head as if disappointed I forced her into this conversation. “I’ll get straight to the point: I’m not a fool. I recognized you the moment the first photos surfaced.” Her voice is clipped, efficient. “I know you’re the mystery woman kissing Rian Phoenix at his last concert when you were supposedly working.” She sighs, folding her hands on her desk. “You’ve shown an appalling lack of judgment, and now we’re paying the price for it.”
I could do without the condescending, fake-worry speech. I almost ask her to spare me but bite my tongue.
“My company’s reputation won’t be tarnished by your reckless actions.” She leans back in her chair. “If Rian walks away from his contract over this mess, so be it. He’s free to pay the termination fee and leave, but I won’t let you drag this firm into his latest scandal.”
I seethe in the satisfying certainty that Dorian’s lawyer will find a way to evade that fee.
I’m heartbroken, Dorian is too, his ex-wife just ruined his life a second time, and all my boss can think about is money. Or how smarter she is than me. How much wiser. I almost tell her to go fuck herself, but I don’t want to come across as unhinged. If Nadine can be cold, so can I.
“You had potential, Josie. But integrity is the foundation of good PR, and clearly, yours is… lacking.” She lets the words settle as if waiting for me to protest, tell her she’s right, or apologize. Whatever she’s waiting for, I don’t give it to her.
She tilts her head in mock-pity. “And I suppose you believe he’ll stick by you?” Her lips curl into something that isn’t quite a smile. “That a man like Rian Phoenix, a legend, will weather this storm by your side? Tell me, was it worth it? Throwing your career away for nothing?”
The worst part is that she’s right. It will all have been for nothing. Not because Dorian wouldn’t have stood by me. But because we don’t have a choice anymore. Billie made sure of that.
Nadine watches me for a moment longer before dropping the ax. “HR will go over the paperwork, but as of this morning, your employment here is terminated.”
I nod once and don’t argue. I turn to the HR director and ask where I have to sign. He hands me the papers.
Ten minutes later, he’s still explaining the specifics of my dismissal when the interim head of the celebrity division barges in, announcing that Rian Phoenix is giving a live interview.
Nadine’s eyes narrow on me. “Did you know about this?”
I shake my head.
As one, we get up from our seats and move to the main office floor, where a giant TV is tuned in on the feed.
Seeing Dorian, even if it’s through a screen, is a knife to the heart. He’s dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans. He hasn’t shaved. Dark circles rim his eyes. He looks tired—but still painfully handsome.
He and the host of the talk show—Lilo, another singer and songwriter—must’ve already circled through the greetings because she jumps right in. “So, Rian, have you requested this last-minute interview to reveal who the mystery woman is?”
“No, Lilo, sorry.” Dorian turns to the camera, expression dead serious as his eyes pierce through the screen. “But this is about her.”
My stomach drops. I stop breathing. He’s going to talk about me? On national TV? While his ex-wife has a loaded gun pointed at us? Fear claws at my chest, fast and panicked, because I have no idea what he’ll say. Anticipation tangles with the dread, twisting into something reckless and stupid—hope. But I know better. Hope has no place here. Whatever Dorian is about to do, it won’t change a damn thing.
But even as the world falls apart around us, I believe in him. After what he did with the cover song, he wouldn’t put my family at risk again for a petty revenge. He must have a plan. So, I sit on a desk, grab the remote, and turn up the volume.
47
DORIAN
The studio set is standard—warm lighting, a polished, wooden dais, two armchairs, and a sleek coffee table between them. The massive Christmas tree behind Lilo is overkill, blinking at me with blinding white lights, taking my focus from the cameras locked on me, ready to shoot at different angles. Lilo sits across from me, her striped dress flowing over the chair, making her look both polished and approachable. Her hair falls in warm waves over her shoulders, framing a face that’s open, engaged, and genuinely interested. She’s done a thousand interviews with as many other artists, but today, I’m flipping the script.
I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “This interview is about her.”
Lilo takes my declaration in stride, smiling into the camera. “Well, that certainly sets the stage.” Then she leans forward a fraction, slipping into full interviewer mode. “How long have you and the mystery woman known each other?”
“Since last summer,” I say, blinking against the Christmas lights. “But before you jump to conclusions, we met once, nothing happened, and we didn’t see each other again for a year. We only reconnected a few months ago, after my divorce was finalized.” My jaw tightens. “That kiss on stage? That was our first.”
Lilo chuckles. “Didn’t go according to plan, huh? And I wasn’t going to assume anything, but your ex-wife, Billie Rae, has been making some… not-so-subtle claims on social media. And, well, in her latest hit.”
“I never cheated on my wife,” I declare flatly.
