The Caretaker | Levi x OC

Chapter 13

"How could you be so stupid and selfish? You've undercut everything we've been building with this fake romance! Mr. Ackerman just got his image back. People were finally starting to trust him. Stocks were on the rise!"

Every syllable was a fleck of hot coal striking Karma's skin. But worse than Yelena's reaction was Levi's. Steel-jawed and silent. Unreadable.

Why was this happening? She was trying to save their fake romance, not sabotage it. If people thought she was unfaithful to Levi, she'd be hated for more than just her origins. There was no salvaging this. Karma groaned, grinding her eyes with the heels of her palms. Then she remembered something Wickham had said.

Adalia May is a good friend of mine.

Her head lifted out of her hands. "The bastard set me up," Karma said as the realization struck. "He blackmailed me. He said if I didn't go to dinner with him, he'd leak to the press that our romance was fake. He told me not to tell you. This was his plan all along and I fell for it. I'm so sorry." Her voice dripped with desperation. She needed Levi to believe her. He was finally starting to open up to her. To reciprocate her feelings.

But Levi didn't answer. He just stared at the incriminating picture. The wine glasses. The doting smile directed at Wickham. She wondered if he'd even heard her.

"You being caught with another man is infinitely worse than a press leak. Who cares if they suspect your romance was fake? Without proof, it's just hearsay. But now you've given them proof, Miss Karma." Yelena shoved the newspaper into her bag and dropped into an armchair with an impatient huff. Karma sank into the loveseat. Levi didn't move.

Karma wasn't ready to leave Marble Estates or lose Levi. Everything she did was an attempt to preserve what they had. She cursed Wicked Moron's name, determined to confront him. Just what was he gaining from being seen with her anyway? Was he clinging to her clout to boost his own? Was that why he showed interest in her in the first place? All of those times he'd asked her out to dinner, being caught by the press was his end game. It was always a setup.

Levi sat in the loveseat beside Karma, but there was a platonic distance between them. He finally spoke. "We need a new tactic. Stocks are plummeting. I don't need Steve Bark breaking down my door." Karma cringed at his hostility. She couldn't detect any of the warmth he'd shown her last night.

"I have an idea. Though you may not like it," Yelena said. "A fake proposal would completely overshadow Mr. Moriano's stunt. You've seen the way the public is eating up Jean and Mikasa, and the rumor that Connie is engaged."

Levi's teeth clenched at those names.

"A proposal?" Karma's head whipped between Yelena and Levi, waiting for one of them to refute the ludicrous idea.

Mercifully, Levi shook his head. "The fake romance is done. Even if people forget about this, they'll always doubt Karma's affections. No one would buy it."

Yelena's shoulders stiffened. "Then we'll need to reconvene once this dies down. I'm at a loss for options at the moment." Yelena made to leave.

"Hang on," Karma said. "The night of the movie—the only thing the press focused on other than our fake romance was a Scout reunion."

Dead air. The only sound was Jean scratching his cat tower until Yelena rubbed her temple. "It might be time."

"They'll never agree to it," Levi said, maintaining his hostility. "The second they see my face or hear my voice, they're running. Beardface won't have any luck either."

"Then I could bring them all together," Karma said.

Yelena scoffed through her nose. "It could be any number of individuals. There's nothing special about you. In fact, I'm loath to involve you any further, Miss Karma. You're no longer a caretaker or a fake mistress. We have no more use for you."