Page 79 of Solstice

Every day I thanked God for bringing me such a competent chief of staff, but this was the day I knew that if I helped her, she really would take over the world.

22

Lex

Something about this story, in particular, made it blow up.The Puckhad written millions of debatably inaccurate things about us over the years—that I’d fucked my way through the entire royal family before settling down with Ivy, that I’d cleaned up my image in an attempt to be with her, that we broke up and fucked around and got back together every other week, that we’d been in love since we were children.

Most of the time, the public barely batted an eye. But the affair between Ivy and Miri caught the world’s attention, and it became fucking ravenous for information about where I fit into things.

Did I know? Did I care? Was I a part of it?

I ignored the shame in my mother’s eyes when a conservative news network spent forty-five minutes arguing if we participated in a satanic sex cult. Though that wasn’t too far-fetched considering how fucked-up the truth actually was. Ivy and I sat through it, fingers intertwined, hands pressed firmly against each other. A united front.

We took the next week to hide out in our house while the media eviscerated us in public. Comedians and late-night talk show hosts poked fun at the situation—me for being the stereotypical douche whose girlfriends went to town while I gawked in the corner like a perv, Ivy and Miri, for being clichéd brainless party girls, willing to do whatever for attention.

From an outside perspective, it must have looked that way. The scrutiny focused solely on Ivy and Miri, but if someone paid enough attention, they would have remembered I hadn’t been shy about my sexuality when I was a teenager, and we’d been transparent about being close in college. I didn’t care if the public knew I once fucked anything with a pulse. Even if I wasn’t openly pansexual, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out thatgawkinghad not been what I was doing in the corner.

The injustice infuriated me.

Did they not know the impact of what Ivy had already accomplished? Did they not know we were trying to save the world?

But that’s not what got the masses fired up. That’s not what sold magazines and clicks on the internet.

No.

All they cared about, all theyevercared about, was drama, real or imagined.

Giana delivered the public statement announcing the photos were fake, the work of someone set on damaging our reputations ahead of the upcoming legislation and wedding. Kit had found digital footprint experts to corroborate the story. Princess Miriam and Representative Washington continued to be good friends, and the wedding would proceed as planned. We would answer no questions and provide no further comment on the matter.

Ivy went back to work. So did I. Aside from a few brief stares from colleagues and muffled whispers in coffee rooms, no one mentioned anything to me.

Life went on. But something had been fractured. I sensed it on an instinctual level. Miri hadn’t returned any of our calls or texts. We had stopped trying.

“She’s scared,” Carter told me once I finally got ahold of him. He and Miri had been in touch a few times since then, but even he wasn’t safe for her to contact. The royal household monitored her conversations to make sure they were civil and clean. Two old friends and nothing more. “The British press is turning her into a whore, dredging up anyone she’s ever slept with. The royal family can’t put a lid on it fast enough.”

I’d seen the filth they’d been writing, making her out to be a home-wrecker or a seductress. Like me, Miri hadn’t been shy about sleeping around when she was younger. It had been easier to conceal in the days before smartphones and social media. Now, everyone was part-time paparazzi.

“Are you going to see her?”

If she wouldn’t see Ivy or me, at least Carter could be there.

“I still plan to stop by Danae Enterprises the day she’ll be there,” Carter said. “She doesn’t know, or else she would refuse.”

Goddamn stubborn princess.

“Come home.”

“Lex.” He blew out a desperate breath. “I don’t think I can. The media is watching you like a hawk. There’s no way I can get in.”

“She needs you.” I cleared my throat, murmuring the next bit. “I need you.”

“I know.” The yearning in his voice reached down inside of me, yanking something so hard, I nearly got on a plane to Romania. “Do you know who it was yet?”

“No. We don’t even know when the pictures were stolen. We’ve been combing through security footage from the last four months, but nothing is out of the ordinary.”

Carter hummed. “Which means it was someone close.”

“Exactly.”

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