Page 48 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Good grief. “She’s his sister. It’s not like he’s called an escort service. It was a surprise visit. She wanted to check on him after what happened after the auction.” Charlotte ran her hand over the cast. Her head still hurt from time to time, but not to the point that it made her sick anymore.
Octavia huffed. “You know the rules. I need to know everything all the time. I don’t like surprises, and we have no idea how the press will interpret her visit. The way the headlines are reading, there’s a suggestion that he’s using again. That begs the question: is he?”
“No!” Charlotte shoved off the bed and walked to the window. “He’s not using.”
“Are you sure? Did you come home with any prescriptions?”
“I did, but he wouldn’t touch them. He ca—” She almost said he cared about her, which she was sure he did, but that wasn’t something she wanted to discuss with her stepsister. “He’s cautious about those things.”
“Have you counted the pills to make sure? You are there to play nurse, remember?”
Charlotte stomped to the bathroom and picked up her pill bottle. If she counted them, she’d feel guilty. At the same time, she also knew it was so hard for someone to stay clean. “Fine. I’ll go count them.”
For a moment, she stared at the bottle in her hand, a war going on in her head and her heart. Should she count them, or did she trust him and her heart? She could hear Octavia’s nail clacking against her desk in the background.
“Well? Are you counting them? I do have other things to attend to.”
In her heart, Charlotte knew he wouldn’t take any. He’d been willing to return to rehab for her. She rattled the bottle like she was opening it and then pretended to count. “Yes, they’re all here. I’ve only taken them when I’ve needed them.”
“Good. I don’t need him wasted at a press conference that’s touting his sobriety and apology.”
“He won’t be.”
“Do you have a timeframe for when I should be expecting his speech? I want to make sure he covers everything. His fans are expecting certain things, and he needs to deliver.”
Charlotte walked out of the bathroom. “Have you heard from his label?”
Her stepsister took a deep breath. “Yes, they’re anxiously awaiting his press talk. I’ve got social media monitors up and ready to go. If he trends positive, I think I’ll have saved his career.”
“You mean he’ll have saved his career. It’s not like he wasn’t part of the equation.”
“Yes, and if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have a career. It was my plan, and it’s working.”
Gritting her teeth, Charlotte shook her head. For so long, she’d worked to keep her anger and resentment bottled, and with every conversation, it was getting harder. “My father was better at this than you’ll ever be. We took clients and we helped them. You take clients and you use them. You’re—”
“Charlotte, you should really watch what you say next. I’ve grown tired of dealing with you andyourfather.”
“Why are you like this?”
“Because I like it.” With that, the call ended.
Charlotte covered her stomach with her hand. Octavia was angrier than she’d ever been. It was so stupid. Why couldn’t Charlotte just keep her mouth shut?
Her phone chimed, and a text popped up.
Get Malakai’s speech to me in an hour. Anything less, and I’ll show you what suffering really means. -O
Charlotte texted out a short reply and then called Emilia. She’d been hesitant about using Emilia at first. Octavia’s connections made it dangerous to do any real private investigating. Knowing that, she’d asked Emilia to walk softly. Now, Charlotte wanted the woman to wear combat boots with bombs attached.
“Hey, Charlotte. Everything okay?”
“No. Forget what I said about being careful. You do whatever you need to do. I’m done being afraid. If I don’t get the information, fine. I’ll start my own business. But I’m done playing nice.”
A laugh popped out of Emilia. “You got it, boss. If you want a ruckus, you’ll get a ruckus.”
“I want Mardi Gras on speed.”
“Yes, ma’am. You got it.”
