After five days of no news from Leo, and no response to any of my texts, I gave up. He wanted space, and could afford to have it, since he had several properties to go hide at. Who was I to stop him? And how could I?

The first few days I spent wallowing, accepting comfort food from Nicky—who'd been informed to stay with me at the townhouse and not go with Leo to the penthouse. And I watched sappy TV shows that helped me forget about my predicament. None of those shows gave me answers, though. None of them told me if this was a phase, or if Leo was on the verge of ending our relationship.

I loved him. He loved me. There had to be a way to work through our issues—his issues with jealousy, mainly—and it wasn't by stomping off selfishly to isolate in his fancy penthouse.

On that fifth day, I realized he wouldn't come back with his tail between his legs to apologize. He wouldn't apologize at all, if he had his way. So if I was stuck in his house—it was always his, never mine, even if I'd moved in and taken up a few closets—I was going to enjoy every last second before he kicked me out.

I invited Daphne over for dinner; a luxurious, five-star course of dishes cooked by Nicky, who insisted it was no big deal and he loved hosting. When I showed him Daphne's picture, he was even more eager to please. I had a feeling she was his type, and he'd bend over backwards to make a delicious meal for us.

But instead of letting Daphne show up on her own, I laid out the red carpet for her. I had Leo's car service pick her up and bring her in through the secret entrance, purposely presenting to her the line-up of his Lambos and other high-scale sports cars. She'd salivate when seeing them.

"Phew," she whistled as she was guided up to the ground floor, showing up in the high ceiling lobby with stars in her eyes. "I come from money, but not this much."

I'd asked her to dress up, though I hadn't explained why. I hadn't told her this was a sort of last supper, a last time to enjoy Leo's luxury before he threw me out on my ass and pretended to have never known me. Or yelled at me to go back to Cameron since he was so desperate to have me.

Daphne's heels clacked on the tile as she came up to me and air-kissed me, smirking. "This is how the rich and famous do it, no?"

She wasn't far off; whenever we met with Leo's wealthy friends, it was a mix of hand-shakes and air-kisses and awkward hugs.

"Something like that." I gestured towards the small living room where the piano was. "Come on in."

"What, no tour?" Daphne removed her jacket, which was promptly taken from her by one of the security guys who'd brought her up here. "Oh, gosh, such service." She flushed as she entered the room and dropped on one of the lavish velvet chairs, peering around the room in awe. "This is the piano?" She pointed at the gleaming, gorgeous instrument. "The one where he—"

"—I don't particularly want to talk about it," I said, sitting across from her on a matching velvet sofa, "but yes, that's the one."

I'd told her about many of our sexual escapades, but the one I wasn't allowed to chat about was the threesome. Leo, Belle, and I were the only ones who knew, along with a few staff-members who'd heard us when it happened. But per the terms of the contract and the NDA, we weren't supposed to tell anyone. Oh, I was itching to say fuck the contract and tell Daphne anyway, but I didn't want to make things with Leo worse.

"Ah..." Daphne settled comfortably into the chair, sending one leg over the other, shifting her creamy dress to where I almost saw underneath it. "So it's Leo who's troubling you, then? You sounded distraught over the phone when you invited me."

"Did I?" I grimaced; I often forgot how well Daphne knew me, how many times she'd heard me use fake voices on phone calls when talking to clients or scheduling meetings for my former boss. "Ugh, I totally did. I'm sorry."

Nicky appeared with a tray holding two colorful drinks in martini glasses. I hadn't asked him to play bartender, but I knew from experience that he was an excellent chef, and also a skilled drink-crafter.

He smiled at me, then widened his smile at Daphne as he handed her a drink.

"Seriously," she beamed at him, definitely watching his ass as he walked away, "the service here is impeccable."

"That's our chef," I said, shaking my head though I smirked. Nicky was a good-looking man, and kind, too; it wouldn't be a bad thing for him and Daphne to hit it off. "I can't wait for you to try his food."

"Hmm," she said, sniffling at the drink while maintaining her gaze in his direction, before he disappeared around a corner. "I can't wait, either." We clinked our glasses and she shook herself, snapping out of her lusty thoughts. "Anyway, I'm not here for me, as much as I enjoy all this. You needed me, didn't you? What's going on?"

It didn't take long for me to unravel all my problems, my concerns. Cameron and Leo constantly got in each other's way, their feelings conflicting inside me and blurring my own feelings. They passively fought over me so much that I almost wanted them to get physical, to have a fight to the death to decide who won me. And at this point, I was so frustrated with them both that I didn't care who won. If anything, I hoped they'd take each other out and I could be single again, to focus on myself.

"No, you don't want that," Daphne said, starting on her second drink after a brief round of flirting with Nicky. "Them to fight for you, I mean."

I hadn't realized I'd said that thought out loud, but of all people, Daphne wouldn't judge me for it. "I don't know what to do. It's...I just want them to get along, you know? Right now, since we're working with Sapphire...but later, too. They'll always navigate in the same circles, befriend the same people. Cameron may not be as rich but he's accustomed to all this, and he won't move or change his lifestyle. And Leo...I've never met anyone more stubborn."

"I have." Daphne arched an eyebrow. "You. That's why this is so hard for you. You're butting heads, both insistent on something, and to be fair, you're both correct. He has every right to be jealous of you and Cameron, but he does go overboard with his storming out and ignoring you for days. It's immature."

I huffed out a breath and slouched in my spot. I'd opted to wear pants, so I didn't care how rumpled I looked. Daphne sat up straight and pretty, holding her glass near her lips and scanning the room as if she were at a top-notch bar scouting for a lover for the night. Though I already knew she had her sights on Nicky.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning forward to pat my knee. "I hate love triangles. So I hope things will...work out for you, however you want them to. With Leo, with Cameron, with neither—"

"—no Cameron," I said, swiping a hand through the air. "Not after how he ditched me. I told him we could be friends, but I...I can't forgive that. No," I stiffened, "it has to be Leo, or no one. After everything we went through to get here, if Leo leaves me..."

"He won't. No." Daphne stood up and switched spots, scooching up to me on the couch. "I refuse to think he'd do the same thing Cameron did, and over so much less. Cameron's reaction was, well...I wouldn't say justified, but I get his annoyance, I do. But Leo? Leaving you over a hug and a friendly peck on the cheek? Yeah, he doesn't know that Cameron meant it differently, but he doesn't need to. He needs to get over himself and realize you're the best thing that ever happened to him."

My phone buzzed on the coffee-table, but the number flashing across the screen was one I didn't recognize, so I didn't pick up. Instead, I set my head on Daphne's shoulder as she stroked my hair and rocked me.

"I hope you're right. Yes, I was going to choose Cameron, but in the end...I'm happy with Leo. Right?"

"Emma," Daphne's voice was more soothing than I'd ever heard it, "if you have to ask, then maybe you should think about your relationship with Leo a little more. Do you love him?"

"Yeah." I sat up and swiped at my wet eyes. "Yeah, I do. But it's so complicated and confusing. His billionaire lifestyle and my struggle to become an online reporter don't mesh well, and I thought they would, and it's...awkward. Being his arm-candy when I want to be so much more. I want to be my own person, not Leo's girlfriend."

Daphne fell back into the couch cushions and sighed. "I think we need more booze."

I was about to remind her that we hadn't even eaten yet, when my phone buzzed again, showing I had a voicemail.

"Hm," I picked up the device and unlocked it, "could be Leo. It's not his number, but maybe he's using someone else's? Maybe he's," I gasped, "staying with someone else? Getting back at me by cheating on me?"

I started hyperventilating, and Daphne rubbed my back, shushing me.

"He wouldn't do that, and I have a feeling that wasn't him calling. Probably some scammer. Listen to the voicemail; I'll wait."

I didn't know why, but I clicked on the voicemail and put it on speaker. Something told me I needed another set of ears to listen to whatever would come out of the speaker.

"Hi, Emmaline. This is Zita from SHOW SoHo, in response to a link we were sent containing a portion of your interview with Sapphire. We would love to see more, and for you to meet with us to discuss further opportunities. I'm so sorry it took us so long to get back to you, and hopefully you haven't signed on with anyone else yet."

The message ended with a return phone call and an email address, if I felt more comfortable not speaking on the phone. I pressed the button to end the message, then turned to Daphne.

"SHOW SoHo. SHOW SoHo? Did I hear that right?" Her eyes widened, their focus switching from my face to my phone, back to my face.

"SHOW SoHo, yeah." I was trembling, my heart pounding hard in my chest.

SHOW SoHo was a local magazine that focused on fashion and flair. An up-and-coming, rising star of a review, and it was considered a true competitor for LuXe. I remembered my former boss mentioning them once or twice—and how much he hated them. They were ethical, respectful, tasteful, and not as luxurious, but still well-loved by readers.

"Um, okay," Daphne shoved a few vibrant red curls from her face, "pause on the Leo and Cameron conversation for a second—SHOW SoHo just called you."

I gulped. "SHOW SoHo just called me. They...want my article. They want to meet me."

Daphne clapped and jumped up and down, making the cushions squeak with her movement. "Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! I completely forgot about them as an option. I thought they'd turned you down already."

"No," I said, fanning my face, fearing my blood vessels were about to explode. "They were among those who never answered at all. I thought they tossed my resume into the trash the second they saw my name and that I'd worked for LuXe."

Daphne lifted a finger, an air of knowing in her expression. "Au contraire, my friend. Seeing that you worked for LuXe is exactly why they'd want you. LuXe is still their biggest competitor, so to have you on their team...it would be a plus. Ohhh," she clasped her hands under her chin and batted her lashes, "Mr. Ivy will be furious!"

"Okay," I tapped her shoulder, "I get why I should be excited, because this is huge for me. But you?" I scoffed. "If they hire me, that means I'll be working for your rival company. Mr. Ivy won't let you talk to me ever again."

"Ha!" She snorted. "Let's see him try to stop me. He's my boss, but he doesn't control my private life. Of course I'm excited, Emma. This is a crazy good opportunity and I'm rooting for you. And hey," she smirked, "we can be friends in secret, yeah?" She winked, and something cold jolted through me.

Something frosty and firm and unpleasant; like a reminder that I hated secrets. I hated lies. And yet I'd fake-dated Leo covertly, and had been lying to him for weeks about Cameron's feelings, his potential intentions.

If we did break up, maybe I deserved it. Maybe we'd have been able to fix things if I'd told him sooner about what Cameron whispered to me. "I miss you." It reverberated in my head day and night, no matter how hard I tried to forget about it.

"Call them." Daphne motioned at my phone. "Or email them or whatever. Now. Get that job, Emma. Don't pass this up because you're depressed over something that's not going to happen."

She means Leo breaking up with me.

If anything, accepting to meet with SHOW SoHo might guarantee me something to fall back on if he did leave me.

My heart ached, my brain ached, even my stomach ached from all these emotions—but Daphne was right.

I hurried to compose an email to arrange a meeting with SHOW SoHo. Thankfully, Daphne had memorized the email address they left me in the message.

And once I hit send, I shot one last text to Leo, too. To inform him of the opportunity, in case he still gave a shit.

While I didn't expect a reply, I couldn't help but check my phone every few minutes, all evening. All I wanted was a congrats or a you did it! Not this scary silence from the man I loved and who I hoped still loved me back.

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