Page 18 of Falling Hard
"Hmm, I don’t know, Ms. Olivia. The only thing I can think is that the man has gone out of his mind. Maybe it's drugs," Freddy said, then shrugged again.
Served me right trying to get therapy from the hot dog vendor.
I shook my head. "Thanks Freddy. See you later."
"Go luck. If anyone deserves to get the guy, it's definitely you."
That's what I liked about Freddy. He was a straight shooter, and one hell of a judge of character, well, most times.
I rushed into the tent. The show would start any minute, so I hurried to my seat in the front row. Wearing a blank expression, I glanced across and spotted Sullen, sitting like royalty in her chair. All the celebrities around her desperately clamored to speak to her. She waved at me like a queen bestowing favor. I waved back with the same hand I wanted to flip her off with.
"Hey, Olivia."
Looking up, I flashed a genuine smile when I stood to hug Ella Forrester. "Hi. What are you doing here? Where's Vicky?"
"Mom has the flu and told me to take the tickets," she explained as we both lowered ourselves to sit. Ella Forrester, who I often joked looked just like Luke in a dress, smiled.She had her brother’s familiar golden hair, except hers had some highlights added and was cut to frame her sharp cheekbones. Beside me, her almond-shaped eyes scanned the runway eagerly. I noted her fashionable outfit, designer heels, leather clutch, and Fox & Cie one-of-a-kind dress. Like all the Forresters, she radiated the kind of confidence money couldn’t fake.
"How have you been? Did you hear the big news about Luke?" she turned to me and asked.
Unless something else had happened to him, she meant the tragedy that sat across from us right now. "I heard."
Ella studied me for a while. "You don't like her, huh?"
"Do you?"
She took a while to answer but didn't disappoint. "No, my brother can do better."
"Better than the new Queen of Fashion?" I said, gesturing to the other side of the runway.
Ella shook her head. "Yes, and I'm surprised you let it happen."
Did that mean she saw past my mask and knew I had feelings for Luke?
"I didn't have a choice. It caught me off guard. It’s all happened so quickly. She’s clearly after his money, though. I'm worried."
"You think so? Maybe Luke should ask her to sign a prenup."
Perfect. Ella said it first. If this blew up, she'd take the blame, not me. If Vicky had come, I might've been forced to say the words.
"Protecting the Forrester fortune is your family's business, not mine. I shouldn’t have said anything."
Ella scowled. "You’re family. All my life, you've been there. I'll mention it to Luke."
Yes!
Before I could reply, the music rose and the lights dimmed. The show was about to start.
In the dark, Ella patted my thigh. "We'll put our heads together and stop her. Solenne won't get her claws into Luke."
"I'm surprised he can't see through her."
Ella raised her brows. "He's a man. Luke can't see what's right in front of his face."
"That's true, he clearly doesn't know I–"
My words were interrupted when the first model started walking down the runway. Hidden by the dim lights, I glared at Sullen, who sat there wearing that irritating smile. It would vanish if she knew about the fire burning inside me, or that I planned to ruin her entire relationship. Then the Editor in Chief ofEye on Fashionwould be wearing a very different expression. As the models glided between us, I didn’t see fabric or fashion; I saw the line Sullen had crossed when she tried to take Luke from me.
After the show ended,I was back in the SUV driving to work and filling Alex in on my talk with Ella over the phone. "Ella said she’ll talk to Luke about asking for a prenup."
