Page 76 of The Pursuit of Happiness

Selene smirks, “I had him sign a contract and he didn’t even read the fine print. I had verbally told him not to discuss either topics, but I wanted to back the promises with legal support, so I drafted a contract and he signed.”

My jaw nearly hits the floor and I stop walking, “So you’re saying that he- that- What are you saying?”

Selene raises her chin, “I’m saying that I’m suing the fuck out of him for defamation and for breach of contract. I’m also saying that I’m gonna have that motherfucker blacklisted. When he has no guests for his show, it’ll lose views and end. He fucked with the wrong people, and now he can say goodbye to his livelihood.”

Oh my God. Selene may actually be a criminal mastermind. I swear she’s always ten steps ahead and while she may not have anticipated John actually verbally breaching the contract, she had a contingency plan in place the entire time just in case he did. Reason number 734,926,158 on why Selene Stone is not to be fucked with; she will destroy your entire career for crossing her. “Holy shit, you’re good.”

She preens, “I know.” Her look shifts into one of business, “This isn’t what matters right now. You need to go talk to Sly.”

I nod, suddenly feeling my heart race with worry for him. I feel so awful about the allegations that John was making about Sly being abusive towards me. I feel so awful that Sly snapped like that and lost it. I feel guilty but also appreciative of the fact he was so willing to protect me. Such a strange combination of emotions. “Right, yes. Where is he? Do you know?”

Selene grabs my arm and walks, leading the way to wherever Sly is. “They put him in his dressing room. I went to check on him after they dragged him off stage and he refused to talk to meor anyone else. He only wants to talk to you.”

My cheeks flame red. “Is he okay?”

“He’s pissed.”

“I can’t blame him,” I frown to myself, walking as fast as I can. I need to get to himnow.

Selene turns down another hallway with me in tow. In a few feet, she stops in front of a large black door. Sly’s name is printed on a posterboard, stuck to the front. There are two security guards standing guard outside the door and Selene tells them to move so that I can enter. She looks up at me, “Get him calmed down and get him home.”

I nod as I turn the knob without hesitation and push inside. I peek my head in slowly and I glance around the room in search of him to find the room in complete disarray. It looks like a tornado blew through this room. The mirrors are broken and shattered all over the ground, there’s destroyed food thrown all over, ruined furniture, torn clothes, all of it is destroyed. I stop breathing when I catch sight of Sly sitting with his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees in a black leather chair.

I enter the room and quietly close the door behind me. I walk closer to him and stay silent, not sure what to say. He isn’t moving. He won’t look up. I stop in front of him, sinking to my knees and grabbing his wrists in my hands, “Hey,” I say quietly.

He doesn’t respond.

“Hey,” I say again, a little louder this time. “It’s okay, Sly.”

He still remains silent, a sharp intake of breath the only sound that escapes him.

I cup his cheeks in my hands and try to lift his face up. Surprisingly, he lets me and his hands fall as his face is angled forward. The moment his eyes meet mine, I can feel the pain he’s feeling and it shatters my heart into a million pieces, all too small to fit back together. He looks like what I imagine Lucifer must’ve looked like when he was cast from Heaven. I rise fromthe floor and sit on his lap, my body facing the door, but my face towards his. I stroke his cheek and he removes his eyes from mine, lowering his deep blues to the floor. I lean in and kiss his cheek, “It’s okay.”

He finally reacts, shaking his head, “The entire world must think that I- That I’m-” he hesitates. “Oh my God, they probably think I hurt you.”

I frown as I press my forehead against his, “No, Sly. They know you aren’t capable of that. Don’t let what John said to get you riled up have any control over you. I just made him look like the biggest asshole on the planet in front of millions of people. Selene even agreed that he just signed the death certificate of his career and his show.”

He doesn’t look convinced, so I continue, “Babe, I promise you, it’s okay. Nobody thinks you hurt me, and even if they did, who gives a shit? We both know, and everyone we care about knows that you don’t.”

Sly takes a long, deep breath and exhales, nodding. “You’re right.”

“I always am,” I smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

He gives me a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless, “I’m sorry for losing control like that and I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

I shake my head, “You didn’t embarrass me. I know you reacted that way because you were protecting me. I get it.”

He looks so defeated, “I need to work on my anger. It’s just so hard to keep it contained when people talk about you and say those things.”

“I know. I feel that way too when people talk about you. I just don’t go throwing punches. I prefer to use my sharp wit to end careers.”

He kisses the tip of my nose, “I love you, Aria Kane.”

I smile at him, “I love you too, Slater Nicks.”

He wraps his arms around me and hugs me to his chest. Ibury my face in the crook of his neck and take a long inhale, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him. He holds me for minutes, hours, I don’t even know how long. We’re just content being wrapped around each other in silence.

He eventually breaks the silence with, “Can we go home now?”

---