Love is for Show

33 - Deal?

As soon as my mind glides back into consciousness, I immediately remember the events leading up to this.

There's no slow wake up call, no gentle nudge to open my eyes and definitely not a moment to take a simple breath.

Because once I force my eyes to open, I'm instantly greeted with an all too familiar face with an all too familiar egotistical smirk on her face as she sits on a random office chair behind a rusty and dusty desk.

Sitting up as fast I can possibly manage, I gape at her.

The nerve to be sitting here as if she owned the world. Like she's proud of herself and what she's obviously done.

Wait—

What is she even doing here?

I barely get the chance to open my mouth when another voice startles me from my glaring.

"You didn't think this through, did you?"

There he stands, all smug and content with his arms crossed as he leans beside the only window in this old office. Hair slicked back and eyes piercing.

With a scratchy voice, indicating I've been asleep longer than expected, I finally decide to defend myself.

"What are you both doing here?"

Logan chuckles with a shake of his head before looking down.

"We thought we'd come pay you a visit,"

She continues, "yes, we understand how vicious the paparazzi can get and decided to offer a helping hand during this... difficult time,"

Kathrine Axford.

"Always lovely to see you, Mrs. Axford," her eyebrow twitches before she smoothes her features out again.

With a smirk, she rises from her seat, her signature sunhat forgotten on the desk. I'm surprised she's even letting her expensive fabric touch such dusty furniture such as that one if I'm being honest.

"You know, Darling," her heels click against the flooring in a steady rhythm as she struts her way over to me. "I could easily make this all so much easier for you,"

Pinching my eyebrows, I sit up further as we meet face-to-face.

"What?"

Logan comes forward as well, tilting his head in the direction of the locked door.

Suddenly, I feel boxed in.

"The people, cameras..." she's staring into the very depths of my soul at this point and I shiver in discomfort. "The attention,"

"We could make it all go away with a simple word from us,"

Finally snapping out of it, I get up from my own seat to glare at them impossibly harder.

"You're the ones who started this whole mess," I sneer.

She places a hand over her heart, careful not to wrinkle her blouse. "How could you accuse us of such a thing, we would never dream of doing anything like this,"

"We have no time for such trivial matters anyway," his sharp eyes take me in with a look that clearly communicates: 'Don't get so full of yourself.'

"As I was saying, a good word from us and instigating our own press to clear your name, you'd be free to leave your own box of a home without getting bombarded again," she pauses and gestures around her.

"It would be as if all of this never even happened,"

Un-pursing my lips, I stare right back at her despite my heart nearly shaking from nerves. "On what condition,"