He didn't come back. Not to the piano, not to the dimmed room. When I gathered the strength to stand up and walk out, he wasn't in the lobby, either. Not in the kitchen, the living room, any of the ground floor spaces. Nor was he in his upstairs office or our bedroom. I wouldn't go as far as checking downstairs in his studio, but I stopped near the basement door, listening for angry guitar-playing, and heard nothing.

He'd left the house, without a single door slamming or an engine revving up. Where the fuck was he?

I was too tired to push, but I sent him a text as I lay in bed, asking him where he went and why he ran. Me confronting Cameron and getting an opportunity from Sapphire should have angered him the most. But it was the notion that someone had been watching us that infuriated him? Someone watching us when we'd basically invited them to by having a rowdy quickie in a place where four other people waited for us nearby?

I wasn't sure how I fell asleep, but I did. My dreams punctuated with dizzyingly charming melodies that cut sharp pain into my arms, and a piano floating in the air playing by itself. When I woke up—alone, not to my surprise—I found sweat on my forehead and my nightgown clinging to my skin.

And no messages from Leo, no responses. Nothing.

"What the fuck?" I threw the damp covers off and stormed into the bathroom to take a shower.

Under the scalding water, I cursed. Cursed. Cursed again. Cameron had told me to be honest with Leo, always; and being honest had made him run away. Had Cameron known that would happen, and insisted on purpose, to drive a wedge between Leo and I? Or was this a fluke?

I shouldn't have told him. I shouldn't have said anything.

If I'd kept quiet, he would have finished finger-fucking me then actually fucked me on that piano bench, fueling sexy dreams instead of nightmares. We would have fallen asleep in each other's arms, and I'd have kept all my knowledge to myself, until I found a better time to release it.

Would there have been a better time, though? He was relaxed, playing music, and pensive. Granted, him stroking me as we spoke wasn't helping, because I couldn't convey the proper emotion to match the words I was saying. All I could do was moan between sentences and do my best not to explode all over the bench.

I exited the shower, threw my hair up into a messy bun, and dressed in leggings and a sweater before sliding on some slippers and heading downstairs. As I stepped into the kitchen, a scent of fried bacon and strong java hit my nose. I was about to ask Nicky if coffee was ready and what was for breakfast, but I paused near the doorway at the sight of a small, round, feminine figure leaning over one of the marble counters.

Her flaming hair caught my eye first, but even from the back, I'd recognize her easily.

"Petra?" I entered the room with caution, so as not to startle her.

She whipped around, an overly bright smile on her face as she sighted me. "Good morning, Emma." Her gaze narrowed. "Where's Leo?" She tilted sideways, peering at the door-frame behind me. "On his way down?"

"I..." I bit my lip, wringing my hands. "He's...did you have a planned meeting today?"

Petra set one hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow. "We did. He didn't tell you?"

"No." I plucked my phone from the side pocket where I'd stashed it, checking again for an answer I had a feeling would never come. "No, he didn't tell me anything, because he's...not here."

Her eyebrow somehow arched higher. "Not here? Where is he?"

I shrugged; there was no point lying to Petra or trying to cover Leo's ass, not that he deserved it after walking out on me like that. "Your guess is as good as mine. We were chatting last night, and I said something to him, and he...took off, I suppose? I didn't even hear him leave, but he's definitely not in the house."

I noticed two plates covered by bells, near the oven. Our breakfast, I assumed? As Petra grumbled to herself while fishing out her phone, I lifted the bells up. A delectable aroma wafted out as I saw eggs, bacon, potatoes, and buttered toast. The coffee machine was still on, gentle fumes escaping the pot; freshly brewed. Nicky had come in, did his thing, and hurried off to his room. Even he knew something was up.

"Here," I said, gesturing to a frantic Petra as she typed up a storm on her phone. "He's not going to show up any time soon, I bet, so you might as well take his breakfast."

She frowned at me as she grabbed the plate. I took mine, and we headed to the dining room. I returned to the kitchen and poured us both some coffee and, not knowing how Petra took hers, brought along cream and sugar.

Once I was seated, Petra set her phone on the table with a bit more energy than needed, then clasped her hands over her plate as she stared at me. "What happened?"

"Huh?" I'd picked up my fork and was about to dig it into the scrambled eggs. I usually preferred mine sunny-side-up, but Nicky's preparation was never disappointing. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday," said Petra, tipping sugar into her cup before bringing it to her mouth. She left a dark lipstick stain on the rim as she smacked her lips and narrowed her gaze further. "The get-together with Sapphire...is that what had him leaving last night? Or something else? Tell me everything."

Petra, as Leo's manager, was entitled to know everything about his professional life and his personal life. And that personal life incorporated me, his girlfriend. But how much was I willing to share with her? She wasn't my friend, and while I mostly trusted her, I didn't know what she'd repeat to Leo and what she might use against me. She was protective of him, always had been; upon first meeting me she wasn't quite cold, but she wasn't friendly, either. She'd warmed up to me recently, since we'd become more official. But that didn't mean she'd give me a warm reception now, if I were to tell her everything that occurred yesterday.

"I need to know at least about how things went with Sapphire," she said, pulling my silence apart, likely detecting my hesitation. "If you don't want to tell me what happened last night, that's on you...but know that I know him well and might be able to help." She smiled brightly, but that smile instantly faded as she put her mug down. "I'm worried about him. Not showing up to one of our meetings...he can be flighty, but not with me. Not like this."

Her worry prompted me to spill it all, because I was worried too. He'd never acted like this with me—storming off after an argument. It wasn't even an argument, which made it worse. It was a candid moment of me confessing a few things to him while he played the piano and finger-fucked me.

I'd leave the finger-fucking part out when I told Petra.

I explained to her that he and Sapphire spoke privately, with her manager, and when he came back, he was distraught. Not mad, but not content, either. In his thoughts, quieter than usual. And then the rest came tumbling out, too; Cameron shocking us by showing up as Sapphire's new PA. And me accusing Cameron of being the one sabotaging us, and him fervently denying it, and pointing the finger instead at someone in Leo's staff. That made Petra whistle and shove a forkful of food in her mouth to stop herself from reacting with words.

Then I mentioned what he said to me, his offer from Sapphire, my chance at furthering my career with a secret push forward. And lastly...well, I had no choice.

"And while we had a quickie in his bedroom—"

Petra dropped her fork, barely moving after it clattered onto her half-empty plate. "You what?"

I gulped. "He needed to unwind after discovering Cameron, and once I'd said my piece to Cameron, I checked on Leo, and he...well..."

Petra huffed, massaging the bridge of her nose. "He had his dick out."

I balked at her language, and wasn't sure what the extent of her knowledge of Leo's sex life was. "Um..."

She chuckled as she picked her fork back up. "Emma, sweetheart, I'm his manager. I know everything, all the time, including who he's fucking and, sometimes, how he fucks them. Sorry," she likely noticed me turning five shades of red, "I realize you're not used to me speaking like this. I don't give off that vibe, do I?" She raised her shoulders. "Everyone mistakes me for a cute, innocent little lamb, but I'm Leo Lee's manager, for crying out loud. I have a bigger back-bone than he does, and I can curse like a sailor and better than most sailors. So, again, I ask—you were having a quickie?"

I'd managed not to spit out my coffee while she spoke, and cupped my mug with both hands, its warmth helping me focus. "We were. And I think, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think someone...watched us." Petra gasped. "For like, half a second, not even. I didn't lock the door, I know that for a fact. Never thought anyone would follow me...but someone saw. I witnessed someone's eyes, I'm almost positive. But he didn't see it, and then I told him about that last night, and..."

Petra sighed. "And he freaked." She got up and took her mug with her to the kitchen, and came back with it and the coffee pot. She refilled her mug, then mine, and sat down, her lips bunching side to side. "I'm going to give you some advice, so listen closely."

I perked up and swallowed my bite of potatoes. "Yes, ma'am."

She flinched at the ma'am part, but shoved her plate aside to lean forward over the table. "The Sapphire opportunity? Do it." My eyes widened and she waved dismissively. "Don't worry about Leo. He'll be butt-hurt about it for a few days, but he'll get over it. He wouldn't have been able to pull off something like this, no matter how hard he tried. His name carries weight in many worlds, but the fashion world? The boy wears ripped jeans and band t-shirts, and a fancy luxury suit from time to time. He's no fashion god, as much as he thinks he is."

I snorted out laughter, realizing at once how right Petra was. Leo was hot, and dressed well, but he'd never been on the cover of any fashion magazines, and probably never would be. Unless he was with me, or...if I put him on there.

"As for the rest...the Cameron thing," she winced, "you weren't wrong to confront him. It could have been him. Disgruntled ex-boyfriend, ex-employee, ex-best friend? Quite the trifecta, there. But despite the issues between the three of you, he does still care. I know Cameron." Her lips lifted into the smallest smile, loaded with kindness, before lowering again. "It's not his style. If he wants to talk shit about you, he'll do it himself."

I gave a quick nod of acknowledgement. I didn't know Cameron like she and Leo did. For all I knew, me accusing Cameron had upset Leo, who'd never stoop so low as to think that. Maybe I'd offended him by suggesting his former best friend and PA might have done something this harmful.

But that wasn't what made him stomp off. It was the watching part that tipped him over the edge, stole his voice, and made him dash.

"Don't worry," said Petra, stretching her arm over the table to pat my hand. "Cameron mentioning Leo's staff as potential suspects might have gotten to his head. Then you telling him about someone spying on you...he might be linking the two occasions and looking into things. His staff...they go between this house and the penthouse often, even when he's not there. He might be checking on that right now...seeing who else was at the penthouse yesterday while you were there."

I furrowed my brows. "Why...what does his staff do that makes them travel between the two places?"

Petra rubbed the back of her neck. "Fetching whatever he needs, whenever he needs it. Cleaning, restocking supplies, washing clothes...that stuff. He has many people behind-the-scenes, some of whom you might not have even met. They're discreet, and you'd never know they were there if you weren't told."

I blinked. My heart skipped a beat. "You're saying anyone could have caught us yesterday. I'd been leaning toward Cameron, but...now it's possible one of his staff might have been lurking and gotten curious?"

"Yep." Petra finished her last bite. "And that person might be the same person leaking false information to Sfuria in exchange for money. Or fame? Something like that. Leo pays his people well, but you never know why they're unhappy, sometimes."

I worried at my lip, struggling to eat the remainder of my breakfast, no matter how delicious it was. "That's...terrifying. To know, to suspect someone he trusts...that might explain why he ran."

"Definitely." Petra stood, taking her plate to the kitchen. Having lost my appetite, I followed, and we deposited the dishes into the sink. "Look, don't stress too much about it. Go about the rest of your day, and leave Leo to me. I'll talk to him."

I took her words to heart, and only texted Leo one more time that day, to notify him I was using the car service to go meet up with Daphne for dinner.

During the meal, I confided everything to Daphne, too; and she, like Petra, implied how celebrities employed so many more people than what met the eye.

"It absolutely could be coming from any of them," she said, after we'd clinked our glasses of wine. "They generally sign clauses and contracts preventing them from spilling anything, but some people are greedy jerks. It's definitely possible Leo has one or several peeps like that in his staff."

It wasn't reassuring, and I shuddered as I took a sip of my drink. Daphne, ever intuitive, changed the subject to my potential exclusive with Sapphire, and she gushed at me.

"It's so fucking cool. That woman is," she sighed dramatically, "glorious. I've been following her for years, before she pierced. Getting an interview with her would launch your career. Period." She clapped and jumped in her seat, like a kid being given a big share of candy. "Oh gosh, if you get published, can you imagine Mr. Ivy's reaction if he sees your name on such a huge interview? Oh, fuck yes." Her smile was so deliciously malicious, it made me smile, too. "He'll be so mad. He'll try to say he made you, and then you can tear him down with the truth."

I smirked and rubbed my hands together, not only because our appetizers had arrived; but because I smelled revenge and Karma working her ways. "I can't wait."

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