I watched as she shuffled papers on her desk in an attempt to hide her dirty work. “Don’t bother, Samantha. I already know. If you’re going to moonlight as a journalist, maybe don’t use the same insults you’ve said to my face.”

She rolled her eyes and sank into her desk chair. “Fine. You caught me. Darn.”

I walked closer. “You don’t give a shit that I know? What if I told the guys? You know Drake wants to fire you.”

Her smile sent chills down my spine. “Oh, you poor girl. Drake doesn’t want to get rid of me. This whole thing has brought us closer together than ever, actually.”

“What are you talking about?”

“They’re aware of the game, Sonnie. Someone has to lose for there to be a winner, sweetheart. You got voted the loser.” She stood up and walked around her desk, just to lean against it and cross her legs casually, like she didn’t have a care in the world. “As for Drake… Where do you think he goes when you’re out on your little dates with Cole and Price?”

I would’ve been less shocked if she’d sucker punched me. “I don’t believe you.”

“That’s fine. I don’t give a shit what you believe. All that matters is that you keep showing up and making the world hate you. At least for another couple of weeks. Then, we’ll stage a big, sad breakup. All your fault, of course. The guys will be heartbroken and they’ll mourn their heartbreaks for a while, all while milking the positive attention. Who knows? Maybe Drake and I will have a redemption arc after his horrible, money hungry girlfriend hurts him.”

I shook my head. “No. I won’t do it. I’m out. This is disgusting.You’redisgusting.”

She sighed. “You signed a contract, Sonnie.”

“No, I didn’t. Drake never gave it to me.”

“No, he didn’t. The contract he originally wanted to have you sign was a little too sweet. Paul and I drew up a better one, one that works better for us. That’s the one you signed.” She shook her head dramatically and laughed. “No? You don’t remember? You really should read what you sign. That day at the salon? Why in the world would they have asked you to sign a receipt for services you never could’ve afforded, you idiot?”

I was going to throw up. I’d signed the paper without looking twice. I’d been having so much fun with Rosie I’d barely heard the woman who’d asked me to sign.

“So, let’s talk about the contract you signed. It’s an NDA, of course. Tell a soul about this and we’ll sue you for everything you have. That little shack of a house? We’ll own it. It also mentions a few severe punishments for breaking the contract early. If you break it, Sonnie, you will be sued for that, too. The amount you signed off on is a number higher than anyone in your family has ever even hoped to obtain. You’d never make enough money in a hundred more years to pay it off. So, break the contract andyou’ll spend the rest of your life having your wages garnished byme.”

I rushed over to the small trash can and threw up. My stomach cramped and a wave of dizziness came over me as tears leaked from my eyes. “Why?”

Samantha laughed bitterly. “Why? Because you don’t matter, Sonnie. You’re nothing. They matter. Their reputations matter. Sometimes, big fish have to eat a few small fish. It’s the cycle of life and all that bullshit. They needed a job done and we did it.Youdid it, Sonnie. You helped secure their position as America’s sweethearts for the next decade. Good job, honey.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Careful what you say to me,Bartender Barbie. I have a small collection of photos from security cameras over the city that would have the porn industry knocking on your door. You really do come beautifully. It’s no wonder the guys wanted to sample the goods.” She winked. “You’re a bit of a freak, aren’t you? I like it. It’s too bad you’re trash, or we could’ve gotten along. Have you ever done a threesome with another woman?”

I stumbled towards the door.

“Me either. I’ve only had one threesome, actually. I can’t believe you’re so much more advanced than me. I do understand why you let all three of them fuck you, though. I took just Drake and Cole and it was a wild ride. I was sore for days.” Her laugh was like knives in my back. “Remember, Sonnie. If you try to quit, you’ll lose everything. Your sister will have to put away any dreams of college because you’ll never be able to afford to help her.”

I jerked open the door and ran out of there, just another pitiful person running from Samantha’s office in tears. I took the stairs down to the first floor and sprinted out of their building, sobs shaking my body as I went.

Gia answered her phone right away, a nervous tone in her voice. “Sonnie?”

“It’s true, Gia! It’s all true. It’s even worse than I thought.” I stopped at the side of their building and stepped back into an alley, away from people’s stares. “Gia, I can’t do this. I can’t stay, but if I quit, they’ll sue me. I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell me everything that happened.” Gia listened as I rambled through the interaction with Samantha and swore viciously. “I’m going to kill every single one of them.”

Sucking in a few harsh breaths, I pressed my back against the cool stone of the building and took a moment to regain my composure. Crying wasn’t going to help anything. I just had to figure out what I was going to do. “I don’t want to go back there. How am I supposed to keep a straight face?”

“You’re not. Even if the contract is real, Sonnie, nothing in it says you have to pretend to be happy.” Gia growled and a door slammed on her end. “I’m going to the airport now. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much, G.” I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to still the wobble of my lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

Something Gia said sent me back inside the building I’d just run out of. I took the elevator up to Samantha’s floor again without anyone making eye contact with me, and then threw her office door open with so much force it slammed into the wall behind it.

Samantha jumped out of her chair, clutching her chest. “What the hell?!”

“Give me a copy of the contract.” I marched across the office and stopped just on the other side of her desk. “Now.”