Chapter Forty-One #2
Edward’s voice dropped, serious now. “Luca did this by himself, Georgia.”
“I mean, I’m sure he helped, but Aphrodite sponsors both of us—” I started before Edward cut me off.
“Georgia,” he said sternly. “Luca designed these charms himself and ordered the bracelet without any knowledge from the sponsorship team. I saw the designs on his phone before summer break.”
“Wh-why?” I whispered, my voice cracking like thin ice.
“That’s for you to ask him.”
“Well, maybe if he’d stop ignoring me, I would,” I bit out.
Edward gave me a pitying look that made me want to sink under the table.
“Look, Georgia, you and Luca will have to work this out between the two of you, but here’s what I can say.
Don’t give up on him. Not yet. He might appear to have a laissez-faire attitude, but deep inside, he’s just like you, trying to live up to all the pressure that’s been mounting on him.
I’m not sure what happened between you two in Mallorca, but give him a chance to explain when he’s ready. ”
Before I could respond, Luca returned, sliding silently into his seat.
I tried to catch his eye with a small wave, but he didn’t look up.
His focus went straight to his plate, his fork moving mechanically as he picked at his food, eating in silence for the rest of the meal like he wasn’t even in the room with us.
By the time we made it back to the hotel, the sun had long since dipped below the Austrian skyline.
Outside the front doors, a crowd of fans buzzed with excitement, their eyes scanning every car that pulled up.
We were used to this by now. Fans always found the hotel, no matter how quiet the team tried to be.
Guess it’s their lucky night, I thought grimly, tightening my jacket.
I pushed into the hotel lobby, taking a few selfies while I attempted to maintain the happiest face I could muster. A deep, unsettling voice called out to me.
“Feeling guilty yet for taking a spot from a driver who deserves to be here? How’s it feel to be a diversity hire?” My body stiffened at the taut, and I quickly scanned the crowd for the source. Lily and Henri spun around, scanning the faces, but Luca beat them to it.
“Come over here and say that to her face!” he demanded.
The crowd’s murmuring quickly turned into a tense silence as Luca locked eyes with the offending fan. With a single hand gesture, he summoned the man to step forward. The sound of phones clicking pulled me out of my haze. No doubt this would be all over social media tomorrow.
Luca’s eyes burned as he pointed directly at the man.
“Come on. Let’s hear it again.” The guy stood still, stunned.
His mouth opened but no words came out. Luca looked like a man hell-bent on destruction, ready to burn anything in his path.
The man was deathly still, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
After a few moments of silence, I finally found my voice.
Thrown insults had never rattled me, but something about Luca dragging me in front of this man, refusing to let me hide from it—refusing to let me shoulder it alone—it sparked something in me. My spine straightened.
“Cat got your tongue?” I taunted.
The man sneered. “I said what I said. Why would they lie?”
“Because cash is king, darling,” I said coolly, “and these journalists know they can con idiots like you into buying their lying trash.”
The man finally backed away, his shoulders slumped and his lips moving in silent frustration as he disappeared into the bustling crowd. Shaking my head in amazement, I glanced around at all of the cameras filming me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
As the hotel staff began clearing the lobby, I turned to Luca, my adrenaline still thrumming. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to the elevator and away from prying eyes.
“Th-thank you,” I whispered.
He looked at me, then cupped my chin, tilting my face toward his.
“You shouldn’t ever back down from a fight, Georgia,” he said finally.
“And I know that sort of goes against everything I’ve been teaching all season.
Hell, even the purpose of this.” He motioned vaguely between us.
The fake relationship. “But I don’t know if backing down is the right thing anymore.
Not after that article. You should fight back.
You should be loud. You’re stronger than all of them, and you should face your critics like the champion that you are.
You’re incredibly special. And unique. And strong.
You shouldn’t back down from the press, because they’re wrong about you.
” His voice faded, and he looked away from me. “Just like I was.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there, dumbfounded. Luca rubbed his face, threading his hand through his thick waves.
“In the press conferences this weekend, just be yourself this time.”
My chest ached with all the words I wanted to say. All the questions I still had. But before I could respond, Lily’s voice called out behind me and I turned.
“Are you ready to go upstairs, Georgia? We have an early start tomorrow.”
I put my hand up, asking her for a minute, but when I turned back to Luca he was already making his way over to Edward. As the elevator doors closed behind us, I watched him return to Edward’s side, a nightcap waiting for them at the bar.
His words ran deep in my chest.
Maybe Luca was right, I contemplated. Maybe I had been approaching this all wrong.
If watching Isabelle take on Giovanni today taught me one thing, it was that backing down was no longer an option.