Page 93 of Grumpy Boss in Love

“What interview?”

I sat up as I went through every message. Apparently, something big had gone down. My social media was abuzz. I was tagged in snippets from a video. I supposed that was the interview I was supposed to have seen. Hashtags likePrinceCharming, TrueLoveAlwaysWins, BelieveInLove, and LoveConquersAllwere trending. As I delved deeper, I realized that Elliot Westwood and Ruby Westwood were also popular.

Finally, I saw the interview that everyone raved about. With my jaw hanging on its hinges, I stared at Elliot sitting on my favorite talk show host’s couch. His discomfort was obvious. Still, he went on to speak.

“Yes, I asked Ruby to do me a favor because we had become friends. I asked her to marry me so I could get a piece of property.”

“Why would you need to do that to buy property?” the host asked.

“The sellers insisted they’d only sell to a married couple. Lying to those people, whom I’ve come to care about, was a bad move. At the time, I was just thinking about getting something that I wanted.”

Another question was thrown at him. “What does the couple think about you lying? Surely, they’ve seen and heard everything unfold in the media.”

Elliot nodded. “They did. I went to apologize to them in person. They were very forgiving.”

“So, after all the effort, you lost out on the property sale?”

“Actually, they still sold to me.”

“Really?” The interviewer glanced at the audience. “They must like you.”

“They like that I fell in love with my contract wife. They thought it was hilarious and sweet.”

Laughter and a hum ofawecame from the audience.

“And technically I really am married,” Elliot continued. “They thought I was crazy for going through with a legitimate wedding just to buy real estate, however…”

“I bet.” The host chuckled. “I think you’re crazy too, Elliot.”

The audience laughed again when he grinned sheepishly and shrugged. My smile burst through as well as I watched Elliot become more comfortable. I couldn’t believe he did this. It was yesterday’s show which aired while I was at work. I guess tonight was the rerun.

“Okay, Elliot, we all want to know. Why did you come on to this show?” The host asked.

Elliot smiled. “For one, this is Ruby’s favorite talk show, so I was hoping to win some points by sitting on this couch.”

The audience dutifully laughed, and the host turned to the camera. “Her favorite talk show? I’m flattered. Shout out to you, Ruby Bennet-Westwood.”

My giggles filled my apartment. This was so awesome!

When she turned back to Elliot for him to continue, he became somber.

“I also decided to do this interview because I owe Ruby a public apology. I should have done something like this the moment everything got blown up in the media. I should have protected her. Ruby is none of the things the media tried to paint her to be.” He smiled. “She’s compassionate, lovable, spunky, and fun. She doesn’t say yes to me all the time because of who I am. She’s an expert at keeping my ego at a healthy level.”

“I like her,” the host drawled.

I pressed a hand to my chest and chuckled.

Elliot sighed. “So do I. Iloveher, and I want her and the world to know that. I’ve been skeptical about true love my entire life… until I found it with Ruby. She wove her way into my heart and showed me how to love. Now, I’m afraid of losing her, the love of my life.” He grunted. “I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but there you have it.”

He turned directly to the camera with the saddest eyes I’d ever seen. “Ruby, I’m sorry about everything. I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me and that breaks my heart. If I have to, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, trying to show you that you can trust me with your heart again.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my heart ached after his heartfelt confession. It was a public declaration of his love for me, one that laid bare his emotions for the world to see. It was the most unlike Elliot thing he’d ever done. I could just imagine his unease being on national television. Yet, he did it for me.

As the talk show host announced the end of the interview and mentioned what was up next, I rested my phone on the couch. Tears streamed down my face as I wondered what to do. Obviously, I had to speak with Elliot. Was he at home or still at the office? Should I wait until tomorrow?

No, I couldn’t wait that long. Grabbing my phone, I called him.

He answered on the first ring. “Ruby…”

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