21. Leah

Chapter twenty-one

Leah

I’ve officially lost control of my own life.

I stare at my phone screen, my heart pounding as I scroll through the headlines. "Silas Waverly Engaged to Best Friend’s Daughter! Age-Gap Romance Sparks Scandal!"

The worst part is the picture they used—me and Silas kissing in front of Emma’s stupid camera, mid-lip-lock, like we’re the latest reality TV couple no one asked for.

Damn it, Emma.

It’s not yet noon, but my head’s spinning like I’m hungover. At least with a real hangover, you know you brought it on yourself. This, though? This is straight-up sabotage.

My phone buzzes—FaceTime from Penny. I immediately answer.

“Leah!” Penny’s face pops up on screen, her blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, eyes wide and bright. She’s in her usual casual, pretty look—tank top and yoga pants, like she’s about to head to brunch in the West Village. “Have you seen the news? Shit, what am I asking?”

“Of course I’ve fucking seen it, Pen,” I bark, my voice tighter than I intended. My heart’s racing again just hearing it out loud. "Emma couldn’t keep her cameras off us for five seconds."

Penny winces. “God, this is a disaster, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know, Penny. I feel like that’s an understatement.”

“I’m so sorry, babe. Have you talked to your dad?”

Ah, my father. The last person I want to think about. Harvey fucking Grayson. He’s been blowing up my phone with calls, but I haven’t gotten around to picking them up. I wonder if he’s doing the same to Silas. I let out a bitter laugh.

“No, and honestly, I don’t care if he knows. I mean, he has no right to judge me after all he’s done. But Silas . . .” I trail off, my throat closing up.

Silas definitely cares. He’s the one that matters. Of course, my father’s feelings matter to him. Silas wouldn’t want to hurt his best friend, even though the whole thing between us is fake—or is supposed to be fake.

Last night certainly wasn’t fake.

Penny narrows her eyes. “You’re right, screw your dad. But still, Emma should’ve known better! I don’t care if she didn’t know it was a secret. Who posts shit like that without asking first? It’s straight-up shitty.”

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the tension in my scalp as I pull it back into a tight knot. Penny’s right, but I’m too strung out to dissect Emma’s lack of common sense right now. The urge to punch something is strong, but the only thing around is a marble statue of some Greek god, and I’m not trying to break my hand.

“When are you leaving England?” Penny asks, her voice softening a little, sensing my meltdown.

“This evening, and I can’t wait to leave. This place is nuts, Penny.”

I glance over my shoulder, scanning the estate’s sprawling grounds, looking for Silas or Caleb, anyone who can ground me. It’s too damn picturesque here. The kind of place where you’re supposed to relax and sip tea, not have your engagement explode all over social media.

“And how’s Silas handling it?” Penny’s voice brings me back to the conversation. I bite my lip, avoiding her gaze. “Leah, what are you not telling me?”

“I haven’t seen him yet. But I called him earlier to let him know my father knows.” My voice is small, not like me at all. I hate this feeling—this powerlessness.

Penny squints, her face closer to the screen now, as if trying to pry the truth out of me. “Leah, you’re holding out on me. Spill. How are you handling this?”

I hesitate, my heart doing that annoying little flip it’s been doing ever since last night. “I told him I love him.”

“Excuse me?” Penny’s jaw drops. “You did what ?!”

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me, Penny. It just slipped out, and now everything is spiraling.” My voice is shaking, and I can’t help it.

I feel like I’m free-falling with no parachute in sight. “What do you mean, it just slipped out? Like you were having dinner, and you were like, pass me the salt, Silas. Oh, also, I love you? ”

“Well, I was having an orgasm, so I wasn’t really thinking straight, you know?”

“Back up.” Penny throws her fingers over her mouth. “Jesus Christ, Leah! You go to England for a few days, and suddenly, you’re sleeping with the guy?”

“To be fair, I already slept with him back in New York.”

Penny, ever the realist, arches an eyebrow. “Okay, hold up. Do you actually love him, or was it just one of those ‘caught in the moment’ things?”

I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “That’s a million-dollar question, isn’t it? I don’t know. My head’s all over the place.”

“Yeah, well, you better figure it out fast because this situation isn’t going to wait for you to get your shit together. How does Silas feel? What did he say when you told him you loved him? Please, tell me there wasn’t a repeat of Rome.”

I sigh, glancing down at my bare feet on the stone patio. “He didn’t hear me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Or if he did, he didn’t acknowledge it. I don’t know, Pen. Maybe it was a mistake.” I shake my head, trying to push the panic back down, but it’s rising fast.

Penny’s silent for a moment, her face pinched with concern. “I don’t like that, Leah. Not one bit. He didn’t hear you? What? Were you whispering?”

“I know.” I sigh again. "I know. What is it about him that makes me so damn sensitive?"

“Shit, I can’t believe I’ve been hounding you to get laid for months, and now that you’ve gotten laid, I don’t like it one bit!”

After we hang up, I head out to find Emma. I can’t let this go, not after everything.

The estate grounds are annoyingly serene. The gardens, the pathways lined with perfectly trimmed hedges, the fountain bubbling in the background—all too peaceful for the chaos in my chest.

I spot her near the fountain, standing there in her usual chic attire—white cropped top, high-waisted pants, blonde hair cascading down her back like some sort of damn shampoo commercial. Her icy blue eyes flick over to me as I approach, but she doesn’t look the least bit apologetic.

Not even a little.

“If it isn’t the fiancée.”

“Emma,” I start, my voice tighter than I want it to be. “Why the hell did you post that picture?”

Emma blinks at me, her expression blank. “You mean the one of you and Silas kissing? I didn’t realize it was such a big deal.”

I stare at her, incredulous. “Not a big deal? You exposed our engagement to the entire world! You’re telling me you didn’t know my identity was a fucking secret?”

She shrugs, flipping her hair back like she couldn’t care less. “You’re engaged. So what? It’s not like I bloody made it up.”

My hands curl into fists at my sides. “You had no right.”

She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. If it’s such a secret, why were you making out in the open?”

“In the open?” I look around. “This place is in the middle of goddamn nowhere!”

“Honestly?” Emma steps closer to me. “You guys looked so good together; I just had to share it with the world. You understand, don’t you?”

I have a feeling she did that at her father’s request. The Caldwells are trying to see if my engagement with Silas is as solid as we made it out to be. They’re playing dirty, and I don’t understand it because they will make billions from this deal.

So, why the hell are they trying to tank it?

Before I can retort, I hear Silas’s voice behind me.

“Leah.”

I turn to see him walking up. His graying hair is tousled like he’s been running his hands through it out of frustration. But there’s nothing in his expression to suggest as much—Silas is always so damn composed.

“This isn’t over.”

Emma smirks. “I think it is.”

When I reach Silas, he pulls me into a hug, the warmth of his body momentarily settling my troubled mind. “We need to head back to New York.”

I nod, barely able to breathe, as he lets go. “I’ll get Caleb. I think I saw him studying for his exams under a tree somewhere.”

He kisses my forehead, murmuring something about calling Kane as he walks away to deal with whatever fires are waiting for him on the other end of that phone call.

A few hours later, we’re in Silas’s private jet, the quiet hum of the engines doing nothing to calm my nerves. Caleb’s knocked out in the seat across from us, a blanket pulled up to his chin. I realize I’m not even too bothered about the flying, maybe because I’m not looking forward to what’s waiting for us when we land.

“Leah.” Silas’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. He’s sitting across from me, hands clasped together, watching me carefully. “We’re gonna have to talk to Harvey.”

I nod, biting my lip. “Yeah, I know. I haven’t exactly been answering his calls.”

Silas looks down at his phone, probably seeing the flood of missed calls. “We should also tell Caleb before he finds out online.”

I’m about to respond when Caleb stirs. His eyes flutter open, and he sits up, rubbing the sleep from his face. “What’s going on? Tell Caleb what?”

Silas and I exchange a look. Here goes nothing.

“Caleb,” Silas starts, his voice steady. “We have something to tell you.”

Caleb’s brows furrow as he glances between us. “What?”

Silas clears his throat. “Leah is . . . Well, she’s Harvey’s daughter.”

Caleb blinks, confused. “Uncle Harvey? Like, your best friend?”

“Yeah,” Silas says, nodding. “That Harvey.”

Caleb’s face scrunches up like he’s processing this new information. “Wait, Dad, does Uncle Harvey know you’re marrying Leah? How does that work?”

Before Silas can answer, I jump in. “Yes, he does, and he couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Caleb seems satisfied with that. “Cool. Can I go back to sleep now?”

I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “Yeah, go ahead.”

He pulls the blanket back up and is asleep within minutes.

Silas leans over, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Try to get some sleep, Leah. We’ve got a lot waiting for us in New York. I know you don’t care about Harvey knowing, but besides that, the media will be swarming you after this announcement.”

Shit, I hadn’t even thought of that.

“But it will all blow over in a couple of days. So, for the next few days, we—”

“We have to have each other’s backs.” I nod. “I completely understand that. Have you thought about what you will say to my father?”

Silas looks away from me for a moment. “I’ll try to reason with him.” he shrugs. “You should get some sleep, Leah.”

I nod, pulling my sleep mask over my eyes, though sleep feels impossible right now. As I lean back, my mind drifts to my mother, wondering what she would think of all this. She’d probably tell me to do whatever makes me happy, consequences be damned.

The last thought on my mind as I drift off is that I wish she were here.

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