Page 55 of The Forever Promise

I felt as though she’d slapped me. “Bryce wouldn’t do that without talking to me first.”

“Did he talk to you before you came here?”

“N-No.”

She tilted her head. “Then he didn’t talk to you first.”

“I’mnotsaying yes to this until I talk to him.”

“That’s fair. But talk to him soon because I have work to do.” Olivia pursed her plumped, glossy lips. “And Chloe, can I say something?”

I blinked at her. “It’s not like you’ve been holding back so far.”

“I’m actually a nice person, even though you’d never guess that.” She sighed. “I’m also very good at my job—which is why an old grump like Gene Windsor would not only pay me an exorbitant fee but would also listen to me.”

Her expression softened. “We aren’t dealing with normal people. Anormalhusband wouldn’t take his wife back—for show, mind you—after she slept with one of his friends, not to mention got pregnant doing it. And she’s not even sorry. A normal guy wouldn’t pay her to stay. Right? These aren’t normal people in normal circumstances.”

“Go on,” I said, my voice gravelly.

“Innormallife, in anormalsituation, your husband wouldn’t ask you to pose for pictures making out with him. He wouldn’t be trying to garner public support, under the threat of federal charges, with the ultimate goal of saving his company. We aren’t dealing with the familiar. This is the realm of the extreme. And you need to understand that the stakes are so high, these people are willing to take extreme measures to protect themselves. We might not agree with the methods, and some of what we have to do might make us uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, we all have roles to play. The question is, do you have the stomach for it—”

“No,” I said immediately.

“You didn’t let me finish my question, Chloe.” Olivia took a deep breath. “Do you have the stomach for itifit means you’re protecting the man you love?”

“I don’t think selling a fake love triangle on the internet is protecting anybody.”

“You’re right—it’s not.” Olivia nodded. “But what itisdoing is giving the public a chance to look into the lives of the rich and soon-to-be-famous. It’s driving interest and obsession, which will only help you guys if Gene gets indicted and has to go on trial. We don’t want this to be a business story, Chloe, something only the financial outlets cover. They’ll lose out if that’s the case.”

She sat back in her seat. “But ifyou’reout there, and people like you—and so far, so good—that changes the narrative. It gives the Windsors a human, relatable element. People might choose to buy their stock just because theylikethe family. It’s emotional, not rational. Think about it, and talk to your husband. I’ll be in the guesthouse working today. Come and see me.”

“Okay, Olivia.” I didn’t thank her for her time. I wasn’t sure Iwasgrateful for her time.

Olivia was obviously good at her job. Maybe she was also a nice person in her non-work life. But for me, this morning? She was a giant-sized pain in my ass.

At that moment, my phone pinged with a text from Akira Zhang. She complained that Lydia had texted her several times last night, sounding drunk and threatening.Speaking of giant pains in the ass!Karma had a sense of humor, I guess. At least someone did!

I’m dealing with it,I wrote back.Talk soon.

But I needed to deal with, and talk to, my husband first. I hustled to his office, nervous about disturbing him. But when I peered through his half-open door, I found him sitting at his desk, staring out the window.

“Bryce?”

He didn’t seem surprised to see me. “Hey Chloe. Come on in. Did Hazel find you this morning?”

“Yes, I talked to her.” It’s not like she’d let her Mr. Windsor down!

“Sorry I sent her instead of touching base, but I had back-to-back calls.”

“It’s okay.” I sat down across from him. It seemed strange, having his big desk between us. It made him seem foreign, like someone else—possibly a very hot principal who was about to give me a suspension or a boss who might fire me. But wait, technically, hewasmy boss…

“Did you just come from meeting with Olivia?” Again, he didn’t sound surprised. He seemed as though he’d been expecting me.

“Yes. She wanted to talk to me about her proposed strategy.”

He sat back in his chair. Bryce was handsome as ever in his zillion-dollar suit, his cufflinks winking in the morning sunlight. But he had dark circles under his eyes. I’d been correct—my husband hadn’t slept much last night. “And what did you think?”

I blinked at him. “Do you know what she wants to do? The angle she wants to push?”

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