Page 113 of House of Deceit

“Charlie”—her smile is warm—“I can’t tell you how excited I was to watch your win. So many people had counted you out there at the end, but I knew from the beginning. You have that look about you.”

“Well, thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”

“I’m sure you wonder why I’ve asked you here.”

“Only a little,” I joke. She gives me a small laugh.

“When I found out you were a journalist, I looked up your pieces. Your writing is snappy with good humor, and your observations are on point. The human element of your stories is fantastic. Needless to say, I became a fan.”

“Wow, that’s so incredibly flattering, thank you.” She waves away my thanks, her golden bracelet catching the midday light.

“I’m going to cut to the chase, Charlie. I would like to be your agent.”

“My agent?”

“Yes. I want to represent you to publishing houses.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, there’s been some misunderstanding. I don’t have any novels to sell.”

“You don’t, not yet. But you will. And with me, it’ll be a bestseller.” I’m not sure what to make of this meeting. Samantha Conn is not one to waste her time.

“You want me to write a novel? About what?”

“House of Deceit, of course.”

“What?” I ask, struck dumb.

“I want your firsthand account of everything that happened in that mansion. Especially whatever happened that wasn’t aired.”

“Oh, um.” I think of Alec thrusting away behind me and I hesitate. “I wasn’t planning on writing a book, and I’m sure there’s something in the contract that precludes it.”

“Funnily enough, I was able to ascertain a copy of your contract. You see, I mentioned wanting to meet with you to an old friend, Tom Cochran, a phenomenal director, and he just so happens to have a new protégé who used to be a wrangler on House of Deceit. He sent it over without any hesitation.”

Samantha sets off a bomb within my chest. I don’t want to believe it, but there’s no one else it could be. Even now, Alec is still trying to take care of me. Unaware my heart has stopped, she continues.

“I have had our attorneys look at it, and the only deal with your contract is you can’t sell your story for a year. Due to the amount of time it will take to write, I believe we can have it ready to be published at a year and a day, if we push hard.”

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, just being in this office is a dream to me. But, Mrs. Conn, every day for months, every breath I breathed, every moment I lived was recorded and dissected.”

I want to pick at the polish on my nails, but I think about Alec reaching over to stop me months ago. I think about sharing our private moments, and I know my answer. “Not every one of those moments made it to the general public and was watched by millions, but there were still people behind the scenes watching every single one. There are some things I just don’t want to share. Thank you, for taking the time to meet with me, but the answer is no.”

Disappointed, I grab my purse and stand. I make my way out of her office and as the cold metal door handle meets my hand, her words stop me dead.

“Cain is taking advantage of the opportunities he has had land in his lap. From what I’ve heard, your story will be told. I’m merely offering you a chance to tell it in your own voice.” I turn toward her.

She seems like she is laying out the facts, but I can see the truth behind her eyes. Not only will my book be quite the feather in her company’s cap, I can see she genuinely wants to help me. “Not many people know this, but before I was the Samantha Conn, I was just a girl who had her story used against her. I know what you’re in for if you don’t get ahead of the curve. Will it be lucrative for me? Absolutely. I’m nothing if not self-serving. But I know what it means to have your story stolen from you. Let me help you own yours.”

“Scott?” I call out as I walk into the apartment. I drop my keys in the bowl like always and slide my backpack underneath the entry table to deal with later. “Scott?” I call out again, déjà vu hitting me.

I hear his muffled voice from his bedroom. The cracked door lets out just enough of his voice I can hear his conversation.

“She was just offered a free week-long vacation at some hotel on the beach. They want her to film some commercial there.” I hear his footsteps and I press myself against the wall. “Yeah, that’s my plan.”

There’s a pause while the person on the other side of the phone speaks.

“I figure I’ll ride it out a little longer. She’s getting all sorts of promotional deals and things like that. I’m sure it will last a bit longer. It’s like payback for all the times I had to cover her when her job didn’t pay well enough.”

My body goes numb before a sweeping sense of vindication brings a smile to my face. I knew Scott was here for a reason, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Sure, I won some money, but it’s not like I was going to buy a yacht any time soon. For some reason, all the perks of notoriety never entered my mind.

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