Page 29 of Size Doesn't Matter

“You didn’t tell her you were still married?”

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring the censure in his older brother’s tone as he took a second to control his temper. “Not helping, Ethan,” he said, opening his eyes and glaring at his sibling.

Sophie started to laugh, only it wasn’t the sweet, shy giggling or the riotous, unabashed laughter he’d heard the night before. This sound was darker. Sadder.

Lonelier.

He understood that sound more than he’d ever want to admit, and it broke his heart to hear it emanate from his woman. “Baby, I—”

“Don’t,” she snapped at him, rising to her feet as she said it. “Don’t call me baby. Or angel. And don’t you dare make excuses.”

Jack shoved his hand through his hair, his frustration gnawing at his insides, making him sick to his stomach. “I’m not going to make excuses,” he said, forcing himself to be calm, “but I’d appreciate the chance to explain myself.”

She shook her head and laughed again, that heart-wrenching sound that tightened his gut with guilt. As she pushed in her chair, he noticed the zipper of her dress was only partially fastened. Stepping forward, he grabbed the back of her dress and tugged at the zipper.

She tried to move away from him. “Don’t—”

“Be still,” he said firmly, sighing with relief when she obeyed his command. “I never cheated on my wife, Sophie,” he murmured as he fastened her dress. “Even after….”

Her zipper fully closed, Sophie attempted to step away again, and this time Jack let her. “Even after what?”

He flicked a glance at his brother and Ethan nodded, indicating he could trust Sophie with the truth. He just wasn’t sure he was ready to share it yet. Not all of it. Not when she wasn’t ready to hear it.

Sensing his hesitation, his brother spoke up instead. “Lisa was the one who cheated on Jack,” he said, folding his arms. “And that wasn’t even the worst of what she did to him.”

Sophie’s gaze met his and he nodded, hoping she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “It’s true. She cheated on me the whole time we were together, but when your family owns one of the largest media empires in the southern hemisphere, you can put a spin on pretty much anything and get away with it. In fact, I’d bet good money that she’s behind this nonsense,” he said, waving dismissively at the article. “Trying to sway public opinion in her favour.”

Sophie seemed to consider that for a moment, then shook her head again and narrowed her eyes. “But you still lied to me, Jack,” she said, her voice strong even though her hands were shaking. “You told me you were single.”

He wanted to take her hands in his and hold them steady, wanted to assure her he was a good guy and not the scumbag the article made him out to be. “I’ve been separated for three years and have zero interest in reconciling with my ex. She’s the one dragging out the divorce, not me. Iamsingle.”

The muscle in her cheek ticked as she spoke through gritted teeth. “You also said you’re anaccountant, not the freaking CEO of Martin Cosmetics.”

“Technically, I’m not CEO yet. Nothing’s been made official.”

“Technically?” She scoffed. “Technically, you’re not single either,” she said, glaring at him again, her hands now firmly planted on her hips. “Not making things official seems to be a bad habit with you.”

Ethan snorted loudly, then covered his stupidly grinning face with his hand. When Jack continued glaring at him, he said, “What? It was funny. And she makes a very good point.”

“You’re an arsehole.”

“As interesting as this all is, can we get back to the main issue, please?” Sophie’s agent spoke through the phone on the table, her tone impatient. “And how this whole debacle is affecting Sophie’s career?”

Sophie’s skin paled as she dropped her hands from her hips and began wringing them together, twisting her fingers until they looked like they would snap. “How bad is it?”

Danielle sighed, the heavy sound crackling through the phone. “I got a phone call from Maxine Anderson, the head of marketing, this morning. The fact that she felt the need to call me on a public holiday is generally not a good sign. You were at the top of their short list, but now they have… concerns. Apparently they weren’t worried about your relationship with Ethan because he’s not directly involved with company operations. But Jack is. He was head of accounting, and it’s all but assured that he’ll be the new CEO come Monday, so they’re worried about how it will look if they award you the contract.”

“I literally met Jack less than twelve hours ago,” Sophie said, throwing her hands in the air. “I didn’t even know he worked for Martin Cosmetics, let alone ran the whole freaking company.”

“It’s all about the optics,” Danielle said. “They don’t want it to look like they’re playing favourites.”

“Of course we play favourites,” Ethan said, his tone clearly annoyed. “It’s a family company. Nepotism is what we do.”

“It’s true,” Anna agreed. “My future in my mother’s company is all mapped out, and as much as I hate to agree with Ethan, he’s right. We’re legacies. It’s what we do.”

“It might be what we do, but it’s not whatSophiedoes,” Jack said quietly, watching for her every reaction. “That’s why she avoided modelling for so long, so people couldn’t compare her to her parents. That’s why she chose to become a make-up artist instead, to forge her own path. It’s also why she’s perfect for the advertising campaign.” Her features softened and her eyes widened, a small smile lifted her lips. A smile he returned before adding, “I’ve followed your Instagram for years, even before you turned to modelling. You always touted Martin Cosmetics as the gold standard. Always gave sound advice. You were as well respected in the make-up industry as you are in the modelling community, and it would do the head of marketing well to remember that. One photograph of two people kissing at midnight on New Year’s Eve is not as scandalous as some people would have us believe.”

“Oh, I like you!” Danielle said. “When I call them back, can I quote you?”

---