CHAPTER 045: Gossip Column
+25 BONUS
I keep my eyes on Luke, forcing myself not to let the anger boil over too soon. I see the hesitation in his eyes, the way he shifts in his chair, trying to calculate just how much of this evening he can salvage.
But I’m not giving him an inch.
“What’s in the article?” I ask.
Luke sighs, running a hand through his hair, but his eyes refuse to meet mine. He’s doing that thing- holding back, hesitating, as if he can cushion the blow,
“Julie,” he begins, “I’don’t think it’s necessary to ruin a good meal with some tabloid garbage.”
“I want to know what they said. No games, Luke.”
Javier clears his throat, and Luke gives him a quick glance.
“Maybe we should at least enjoy the food first. Just… breathe a bit, you know?” Luke says.
Javier leans back, folding his arms. “Lucas, just tell her. Or would you rather I do it?” His tone is matter–of- fact, tinged with something that almost sounds like sympathy.
Luke’s jaw tightens, and finally, he gives in. “Fine. But remember, it’s a blog. It’s mostly assumptions.”
“Read it to me. The most important lines. I want to hear it.”
After a moment of reluctance, he scrolls through Javier’s phone until he finds what he’s looking for. His eyes dart to me once before he starts reading, voice low and tense.
“The blog says they got a tip from a very ‘reliable source‘ that there’s some kind of ‘battle‘ going on between Ryan and me… over you.” He pauses, gauging my reaction.
I feel my cheeks flush. “Go on.”
“And it seems I am winning, as the source also confirmed that Julie O’Brien left her home recently.”
My pulse quickens, anger coiling tighter with every word.
“They say it’s unclear where you’re staying, but the writer concludes, ‘If we had to take a wild guess, we’d say she’s with her new lover, Mr. Lucas Martinez. This, of course, comes just a few days after the news of Julie’s divorce filing leaked to the press.‘
The last words echo in the room, mingling with the simmering tension. I feel my blood pounding in my ears, the fury threatening to break through my careful restraint.
I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay calm, but my voice cracks as I say, “I’d bet anything this is Adeline’s doing.”
Luke shakes his head, surprising me with a quick, blunt answer. “I don’t think it is.”
“Why?”
He looks almost guilty for a moment, glancing at Javier again before he speaks. “Because we talked yesterday, and she… she proposed a deal.”
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“A deal?” I repeat. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember, I told you I was going to terminate the partnership?” He sits up, bracing himself. “I went to Ryan’s office, and Adeline asked me to reconsider. To stay on, just for another few months–well, two years actually. I told her I’d think about it.”
“You… considered it?” I say.
“Julie, hear me out. I didn’t even want to tell you this, but you need to know what she’s offering.” He takes a breath. “They’re willing to drop all charges. Give you seventy percent of Ryan’s assets. All you have to do is drop your lawsuit.”
I sit in stunned silence, a thousand thoughts swirling in my mind. How dare he make decisions on my behalf, even consider deals with people who would sell my sanity for a dollar.
“That was my decision to make,” I say.
He holds his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t make any decision. I just… thought you should know.”
“No, Luke. You don’t get it. You don’t get how Adeline operates. You can’t trust a snake like her with something like that. This–this whole article? Clearly, she’s behind it. She’s playing nice on the surface, while she’s sabotaging me in the press!”
His brows knit, and he shakes his head. “I still don’t think it’s her. It doesn’t make sense. She knows I’d cut the partnership if she tried to pull a stunt like that. It doesn’t fit.”
“Great. Now you’re defending her?”
“I’m not defending her. I just think someone else could be behind this, someone who stands to gain from stirring up chaos without being directly involved.”
I laugh, bitter and hollow. “The only person that points to is Adeline. Can’t you see that?”
Luke throws his hands up, his patience visibly thinning. “Why are you being so unreasonable, Julie?”
“Unreasonable? I’m the one who just got called a slut on the world wide web. Forgive me if I’m lacking in
reason.”
“Jesus, Julie, it’s a gossip column!”
“And tomorrow it’ll be on every news station from here to the other coast.”
The tension between Luke and me snaps with the sound of someone clearing their throat. We both turn to find Denise, Javier’s caregiver, standing a few feet away, watching us with a raised eyebrow and an expression that’s somewhere between sympathy and bemusement. Her stance is composed, one hand resting on her hip while the other dangles at her side, giving off an air of practiced patience–as if she’s used to clients‘ late–night theatrics.
She greets us with a polite, knowing smile. “Good evening, Luke, Julie,” she says. “You two seem… lively tonight.”
Javier snickers, shaking his head as he nudges his chair back with a grand gesture. “Oh, don’t mind these two. They’re just blowing off steam. Just another Tuesday night.” He looks up at Denise, his face lighting up as he takes in her neatly pinned hair, the simple, understated necklace resting at hér collarbone, and the soft blue blouse she’s wearing. He gives her an appreciative nod. “Denise, you’re a vision tonight, as
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always.”
Denise rolls her eyes–she’s clearly used to Javier’s antics–but there’s a spark of amusement in them. You’re full of charm, as usual, Javier. Let’s get you back to your room before you start any trouble.”
“Oh, Denise, don’t tempt me,” he quips, throwing a wink her way as she pulls his wheelchair away from the dinner table. “Try not to burn down the house, you two. He’s pointing at Luke and me.
