Chapter 15
“How could you do
that?”
Marcus was furious. I had actually never seen him this mad. We were back at the house now, Billings and his people trailing behind. The housekeepers scattered upon our noisy arrival and even the bloodthirsty Eduardo shrank back into the safety of the trees.
He threw up his arms and whirled back at me, ignoring the sea of faces watching. “I told you what was on the line!”
But not only was he dealing with a girl who’d just been betrayed and ambushed on live television, he was dealing with a hormonal, pregnant, soon-to-be mother. Needless to say, his rage was met with some rage of my own.
“I’m not going to hide my baby because it’s inconvenient for your latest stock merger!” I shouted back. “And what the hell was I supposed to do Marcus? She handed me booze on live TV! It’s not like I could drink it.”
“One sip of Champagne wouldn’t have hurt the baby in the slightest, and you know it!”
My mouth fell open in shock. “Listen to what you’re saying!”
“No, Rebecca, you listen!” His voice echoed off the marble floors and high ceilings like he was screaming through a mic. “You’re a hard worker with an admirable job, and I respect that. But you have no idea what it takes to run a multi-billion dollar corporation! Now, both Billings and I were telling you that the best thing for all of us was if you just sucked it up for a few weeks and held in the news that you’re pregnant.”
The redhead woman dressed in a fashionable dress rolled her eyes at me. “If you had to take one harmless sip of Champagne in the process—so be it! But you couldn’t even do that!”
I glared at her.
“Hey,” she said. “I’ve been working my ass off with Billings trying to fix your boyfriend’s image.”
“Excuse me,” I said. “Who are you?”
“Tabitha. Your husband hired the best PR firm around. And we’re going to fix this.”
Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “How bad is it?”
“Actually, sir,” Billings interjected himself with his usual lack of grace, “The reaction from the show thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. They loved Rebecca. Regis and Kelly are considering doing a full segment dedicated to you and Rebecca.”
“True. But she fucked everything up,” Tabitha said.
“Shut up!” Marcus roared at the woman.
“Please calm down,” I said.
“How am I supposed to fix this?” he said.
“I can’t believe you’re actually angry with me for this,” I hissed. “I did your little dance as long as I could. Up until the very moment that she plopped a glass of Champagne into my hands. How is it that no matter how high the stakes, you don’t seem to care what’s best for our baby?”
“All I’ve ever tried to do is what’s best for you!” he interrupted.
“No, all you’ve ever tried to do is mold me into whatever fits best with your present social narrative,” I shot back, temper rising. “And I’m sick of it!”
“They’re calling you a whore!” Tabitha said. “An actress trying to get to the top by sleeping with a billionaire.”
All was suddenly quiet.
My breath caught in my throat as the word echoed out into silence between us. Marcus was panting as if he’d just sprinted inside, chest heaving up and down as we locked eyes.
“Why do you think I’ve wanted you to stay inside? Why do you think I’ve wanted to keep the baby news under wraps this entire time?” His eyes flashed heatedly. “I’ve been trying to protect you. And our future child.” He took a step closer and leaned down with a glare. “Don’t ever tell me that I don’t care about what’s best for my family. It dictates my every move.”
I suddenly felt very small in a house that was much too big. The windows and doors seemed to loom up in front of me, and I staggered a half-step back.
“A whore? You didn’t think I could handle hearing this. I have an unbelievably thick skin from all the rejection of being a struggling actress. And yes, I have a better chance of getting hit by a meteor than getting my acting career off the ground. But I never went after you so you could help me get to the top. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. You should’ve told me about the rumors. Because I can handle anything thrown at me.”