Page 36 of Billionaire's Second Chance

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Ava

“I’mnotsureI’mready for an interview yet,” I said, my eyes swimming in anxiety.

“Too late,” He said. “We both signed the contracts, and I might have already agreed so—” Greg blurted out, as we stood next to his Chevrolet in front of TrueFit.

“Ugh,” I grumbled. "You should have asked me first!"

“It’s no big deal, Ava. It’ll be about fifteen minutes, and did I mention Derek will be there?” Greg tied to console me.

"Yeah, you did. Like ten times," I scoffed, kicking a stone away from my shoe.

“Damon, too," Greg lowered his voice and looked away.

I grimaced. Bloggers would be all over it in no time. Screenshots would get thrown all over social media with some clickbait caption.

“I thought this was supposed to be our first interview as lead characters. Why does Damon want to attend?” I asked.

“He asked to be part of the interview. I couldn’t argue. It’s all part of the deal,” Greg explained.

I couldn't think about this any longer, so I decided to finish what I had come here to do—quit my job at TrueFit.

“You sure about this?” Greg asked with concern.

“Yeah," I confirmed. "I don't have time to come here every day now. I can work out at the gym on set."

A guy with a towel slung over his shoulder waved at me. He wore a black tank top and whispered something to the guys beside him. They all beamed. I glanced at my outfit. My top wasn’t exposing too much cleavage. My sweat pants hung loose, bummy-looking even.

I glanced at Greg. He didn’t share in my embarrassment.

“It seems someone is already getting attention. I bet they recognize you already,” he smiled and poked my ribs.

I shook my head. “I doubt that. He could simply be waving at a pretty girl. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet.”

“Look, it’s not just him. They all recognize you.” He squinted his eyes and pointed at someone. “I bet she would soon be asking for an autograph.”

I followed his gaze, and my heart skipped a beat. Wiping her face with a towel was Lily Rae. I took a step backward. The tons of guilt I had tucked away came racing at me. My fingers held onto him even tighter. She hadn’t seen me yet. If I backed away now, I could leave the gym before she noticed I was ever here.

“I think I’ll submit this tomorrow. We should be on our way,” I pulled Greg's arm. "You should wear your glasses more often, Greg! This is Lily Rae."

We turned to leave, but someone held me back.

“Hi,” a male voice said.

It was the guy in a tank top.

“You’re Ava Sage, right?” He asked. “The girl from Damon’s new movie.”

I forced a smile. “Yes.”

My eyes roamed the room for Lily. I hoped to be out of there before she spotted me.

I faced the stranger. “It’s nice to meet you too. Unfortunately, I’m in a hurry.”

“Could I get your—” he said.

I didn’t hear the rest of his statement. I was already heading for the door with Greg ahead of me.

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