Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Shepherd is the bad guy.
But not after today.
As we walk onto that stage, though, her eyes widen when she sees us holding hands.
I know right then we’ve got her.
She never expected us to be together. Not for real.
She thought the rumors were as flimsy as the lies she’s been parroting ever since Shepherd rejected her. And the fact that we’re still so clearly together obviously stings.
Good.
The host greets us with a wide smile. Cameras swing in our direction and I have to fight not to acknowledge them. Shepherd, typically, doesn’t bat an eye.
“Mr. Foster,” she says in her cheery mom voice. I swear, these morning human interest hosts all sound the same. “Miss Lancaster. I’m thrilled you could both make it.”
Applause rolls through the live audience.
I’m pretty sure someone screams my name and it’s hard not to be surprised.
Oof. The audience factor makes this a little more difficult, but I pin on my bravest grin.
Shepherd smiles pleasantly at the host, Tiffany. Her lipstick is such a vivid blood-red, it makes the other colors in this place seem faded by comparison.
“Call me Shepherd,” he says.
“Thanks so much for having us, Tiff.” I beam.
“Yes, yes, and won’t it be so good to hear your side of the story.” Her eyes flick between Shepherd and me. “Does this mean you’re dating?”
“We totally are,” I confirm.
Damn, that feels good.
Shepherd turns his smile on me and whatever cold nerves I had melt away.
Yep. I would sell my kidneys for this man.
Vanessa snorts so loudly it sounds more like a cough. I’m almost certain she’s hurt herself.
“Oh, whatevs. So phony. They’ll be over tomorrow,” she whispers, her sympathy as fake as her overdone hair extensions.
Shepherd turns to her. “Vanessa, can we talk?”
I can’t tell if that’s a smile or a silent snarl she throws back.
“Um, yeah. I wish you’d done that earlier. We could’ve avoided a big ugly mess.” Her eyes fill with the cheesiest tears. “Instead of you leaving me like—like you did...”
God, people eat this stuff up?
It’s bad acting at its finest. Like Z-level stuff.
“Enough is enough.” He sighs impatiently. “Look, we both know that what you’re doing isn’t fair to me and it isn’t fair to you either. Do you want to be remembered as the girl I didn’t want? Is that what you think will send your career into the stratosphere?”
Her mouth drops.
I don’t think she’s expecting a direct hit.
He turns and speaks to the camera now.
“Miss Dumas has claimed for months that I did the same thing to her as to Destiny Lancaster, but while Dess and I are together now, we never met before my assistant hired her as part of the Young Influencer program. Meghan Cerva has publicly retracted her allegations, on record.”
“Yes,” Tiff chimes in, pausing as the big screen next to us displays a bullet summary of the drama. “Quite a wild ride for our happy couple lately. But tell me, Shepherd, at the end of the day, we’re still left with a lot of uncertainty about your relationship with Vanessa, aren’t we? So much 'he said, she said' it could choke a horse.”
The audience jeers. A few people clap and laugh obnoxiously.
Torture.
“You paid them off,” Vanessa snaps—but she sounds unsure.
Tiffany whips toward her and waves a hand. “Now, now. Shepherd and Destiny’s relationship really isn’t in question when there’s a pile of legal records and witness testimony to back it up. Adriana Cerva, as you’ll recall, is just beginning to serve her sentence.”
Vanessa’s face whitens behind the red.
“Back to your point, I want to come clean,” Shepherd cuts in. “Yes, Vanessa and I had an agreement once. I was tired of dating and being swarmed all the time after—” He pauses and inhales deeply. “After Serena.”
“Your ex-wife?” Tiff leans forward in her chair intently.
“Yes. Your viewers might not know she was killed suddenly. I surprised her in bed with her lover, we had words, and the guy pulled a gun on me.”
Loud murmurs roll through the audience until Tiffany quiets them down.
I look at Shepherd, my eyes big and pleading.
Stay strong. You’re doing amazing.
“What I’m trying to say is, Vanessa was a stand-in woman. A mistake I made so I didn’t have to face reality. It was a stupid idea. When she wanted more and I turned her down, she ran with stories about us being madly in love. And while she might’ve ran with those fables, I’m the one who tried to run away. All I did was flee from my past—until I met Destiny.”
His eyes meet mine.
I can’t bring myself to care that we’re on live TV.
I walk over, lean down, and kiss him deeply.
The audience goes absolutely ballistic. They’re still shouting and talking loudly as the show pauses for a commercial break.
Next, once we’re back on, Tiffany video calls a few people who met Vanessa while she was on Shepherd’s arm. We were practically buried in requests from people volunteering to corroborate the truth after they found out about Adriana.