Page 95 of The Fake Dating Plan

“You know what has been bothering me lately,” Laura said, “is the press over the weekend.”

“I told you, Laura, you need to turn off those notifications.”

“It’s not that at all. The news was positive.”

“And that bothered you?” Dylan asked.

“It would not be weird if we simply disappeared from the headlines. Gossip gets stale after a while, and it fades, replaced by something else. What’s odd is that all the coverage I’ve seen so far is… glowing.”

“So? I still don’t get your point. Do you want it to be bad?”

“No, it feels, I don’t know, not to get too conspiratorial, but as if perceptions are changing?”

“Well, at least we aren’t being roasted over the coals for literally doing nothing. By the way, if you want a bit of good news, that heinous account got deleted. After finding out who it was, I called the troll and you should have heard his shaky voice when I threatened him with exposure.”

“Nice,” Laura said.

“Thanks for that. So, the account is gone?”

“Search it,” he said, crossing his arms. I picked up my phone and did as he said. Sure enough, there was nothing. It was gone.

“Wow. You deserve a raise for that alone.”

His eyes brightened. “Really?”

“After we fix the financial conundrum, we are in right now. We need to find a new investor before the news about KMVH breaking ties with us comes out.”

“And when the news gets wind of it, the negative press will resume.” Laura slammed her hand on her desk. “The cycle continues.”

The headache that’s been throbbing low, picked up momentum. My phone rings and wouldn’t you know it. “Speak of the devil,” I said and showed Laura and Dylan the screen. I pressed the reject button.

“What!”

“No!”

Their reaction was surprising. “He’s the enemy, remember. Or did I miss another memo?”

“At least hear what he has to say,” Dylan said.

“He could reverse his decision if you ask nicely,” Laura said.

“I thought you were the one who didn’t want us to work with him.”

“I still don’t. But it would be better if we continued having them as an investor than not. I’m just thinking of the news.”

“I already begged twice. I can’t beg again. Regardless, there’s no world where I see Axel going back on something he’s already decided.”

The phone rang again.

Dylan jumped. “Take it.” He looked like he would snatch the phone from my hand and speak to him himself.

“No. Fuck him.”

“We don’t have the luxury to be proud,” Laura said. “Take it!”

I was about to reject it again. I was so done with Axel Reid and his mind games until I thought of where I was. The company and the people beyond this office who would no longer have any jobs if I cannot swallow my pride. Anyway, wouldn’t it be better to prove to Laura and Dylan that there was no turning around when it came to Ax. Best to hear it for themselves. I answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Ax.”

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