“Well, he did and he played it marvelously.” Sally stood up and smartly brushed off her pants. “He leaves this relationship looking like America’s broken-hearted golden boy. You end up looking like a tramp and losing the business deal that could’ve sealed the deal for your career. He’s smart, I’ll give him that. A real business tycoon. It’s no wonder he’s so successful.”
“Georgia, I’m so sorry.” Angela put her hand on her knee and squeezed. “Want me to slash the tires on his fancy car? I’d do that. For you.”
She hugged her knees to her chest and shook her head. None of this made sense to her. Just moments ago, they’d felt closer than ever. He’d comforted her through Vance’s betrayal. Slept beside her. Made her feel safe.
How could she have known last night that at the same time she was being heartlessly used by her ex, her fake boyfriend was pulling a stunt of his own? What was it that Vance had told her? She was good for business.
Apparently, Alaric had figured that out as well.
Betrayal unlike anything she’d felt before fell upon her like a raging monsoon. It washed away the rosy feelings left over from a night in her crush’s arms and left behind a cold emptiness that threatened to consume her. A soft knock came on the door and all three women watched as Alaric stuck his head in. When his gaze fell on Georgia, a boyish grin lit up his face and he pushed the door open just enough for him to squeeze through wearing a fresh white tee and jeans.
“Ready to go? I’m sure you’re starving,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I know I am.”
A determined coldness settled on Georgia’s shoulders. She’d wished for so long to be stronger. For the will to defend herself against those who would use her like a prop. Vance had strung her along for months, using her fame and celebrity for his own good. She wouldn’t allow that to happen again. If she ever wanted to be a better woman, she needed to handle this now. Alone.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with you.” She stood from the bed and walked toward him, pressing the tabloid into his hands. “I know what you did and I think it’s time we talked.”
Confusion wracked his face. He looked down at the magazine as if it were a foreign object and he’d never seen one before today.
“Ladies, would you mind giving us a minute?” Georgia nodded her head at Angela and Sally. Inside, her gut clenched with nerves.
They exchanged a wide-eyed glance, each one looking slightly surprised at her request. She couldn’t blame them. The old Georgia would’ve stood silently in the corner while Sally did all the lecturing and Angela cussed him out. But not today. She gave them an insistent wave of her hand and they moved silently out of the room, leaving her alone with Alaric.
By now, he’d thumbed through the magazine and landed on the article featuring Gigi Weber’s tragic love life. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and watched as his eyes darted across the page. It was when he inhaled sharply and frowned that she knew he’d read his featured roll.
“I have to say, I didn’t see this coming,” she said coolly, willing the splotchy patches breaking out across her neck and chest to go away. “I thought this fake relationship was supposed to benefit both of us, but I guess I was wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. If my relationships have taught me anything, it’s that I’m only good for business.”
She spat out the last sentence with so much anger and resentment that it caught in her throat and she had to drag her eyes away from Alaric’s face. She didn’t think anything could’ve hurt worse than Vance’s betrayal, but here she was, facing down the man she thought would turn everything around for her.
If anything, he was worse than Vance. At least Vance hadn’t tried to hide his true nature. Alaric had hidden behind a veil of loyalty and honor, only to stab her in the back. This cut deep.
“I didn’t know he was a journalist.” Alaric looked up at her, desperation flashing in his eyes. The magazine shook in his hands. He took a step toward her, swallowing hard. “You’ve got to understand—”
“I understand that while I’m going to lose my contract with Spark, you get to walk away with your board of directors eating out of the palm of your hand.” She took a ragged breath and glared at him. “You broke our rules, Alaric. You sold me out.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He raked a hand through his hair and threw the magazine on the bed. His dark eyes darted back to her face. “When I thought last night that you were still in love with Vance, I became a mess. I wasn’t thinking straight. But I had it all wrong. You aren’t in love with him.”
She shook her head and put a hand on the nightstand to steady herself from the disappointment coursing through her veins. “So let me get this straight. You thought I was still in love with Vance, so you decided to punish me by talking to the paparazzi?”
He took a step back, horror filling his eyes. “No, that’s not it at all.”
Georgia shot him a look out of the corner of her eye, her voice growing deadly quiet. “You had me fooled, Alaric. I thought there was more to us than just a fake relationship. I thought I’d found someone who understood the real me. But you’re just like all the others out there wanting to use me and then spit me out. Well, you got what you wanted. Now, I want you to leave.”
Panic threatened to close her throat. She pressed a hand to her chest and reminded herself to breathe. There would be time to cry later. Right now, she needed to see this through. The new Georgia was stronger than her tears.
“Georgia…”
If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought he carried all the pain in the world in his voice. But that was all part of the act. Just like the trip on the yacht, the embarrassment over his leg, the kiss, the night together. The relationship. Everything was fake.
“Leave, before I call my guards,” she said, keeping her gaze glued to the floor. “I want you out of my life, Alaric. Just leave.”
A long moment of silence passed between them. She could feel him watching her, his gaze leaving a burning sensation on the side of her face. When she finally heard the door shut behind him, her eyes squeezed shut. She dropped onto the bed and folded beneath the disappointment and heartbreak of the day.
She could no longer hold back the tears.
Chapter Fifteen
Alaric slammed his suitcase closed and leaned over it, feeling utter disappointment wrack his chest like a fist squeezing his heart. He inhaled sharply through his gritted teeth, fighting back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. The words printed on that excuse-for-a-magazine haunted him, forever burned into his retina. How was he to know that snake at the bar had been a reporter for a tabloid?