Chapter 35 #3
“No, actually I don’t. Not when the relationship is real.
Not fake, or choreographed, Lindy. If you hadn’t been so keen to have the paps at every meet-up with Jude, maybe he would have stayed around a bit longer.
But to be fair, I doubt it. Fake only lasts so long.
” She turns to Tommy, and he steps forward politely in front of Evie and me, blocking Lindy from us.
But too late, I see cameras flashing. And suddenly Lindy starts to cry. Full on blown tears. They’re streaming down her face. She stumbles away towards the table of actresses. They gather her up, and more photos are taken.
“Emma, don’t listen to that. Let’s go.” Tommy and Evie are gathering our bags at a rate of knots.
“Evie, the car’s here. But there are photographers outside. It seems Lindy has been posting whilst we’ve been here.” He looks over as a suited man comes through the doors and nods at him.
Evie takes hold of my hands and shakes my arms. I must look a bit poleaxed. “Emma, we’re leaving. Tommy will take you to the car. Stick close to him, okay? Ignore anything they shout, just keep moving.” She looks into my eyes. “Emma.”
She’s trying to get me to focus, and I’m trying to figure out how I even got into this situation. What the hell is going on?
“Okay, yes. I can do that.” I work through the shock to look at Tommy, and he smiles confidently at me.
“Let’s go, Emma. I got you.” He signals for the driver to come and keep a hold of Evie, and we move towards the car.
The flashes start as soon as the door opens.
The shouts of, ‘Did you have an affair with Jude Greystone?’ ‘How does it feel to break up a happy couple?’ ‘What did Lindy say to you?’ ‘Did you have a threesome?’ ‘Why do you think you’re better than Lindy?
’ All of these are shouted at once at me.
And a few aimed at Evie, including, ‘Evie, are you going to share one of your husbands with her?’
I fling myself into the car and Evie gets in at the side of me. “As lovely as ever,” she states. “Always a pleasure. Such nice comments.”
She grins at me and takes a hold of my hand.
“Don’t listen to them. And do not listen to Lindy.
She has the biggest case of sour grapes ever.
” She squeezes me tighter. “She wanted publicity, and Jude had had enough of her. So she went to Kasey. Until she found out, like a lot of people, publicity can be unhealthy. Please don’t let her get in your head.
That’s what she wants. She called all the press.
She knows how to play the game.” Her voice is calm and considered, trying to keep me from spiraling.
I nod. I know what she’s saying is right. Logically, I know she’s telling me the truth. But it’s still hard. I’ve never experienced anything like that. The vitriol, the agendas. It’s not a world I want to inhabit.
“It’s fine, Evie. I know what’s happening. She was being nasty when you went to the loo. I knew she knew who I was, just didn’t think she’d go that far.” I sound detached, bemused. I thought I was a tough businesswoman, but I’ve just got an insight into another world. One I know nothing about.
And I hate it. I hate how it felt, how the words were like knives being prodded at my skin. I hate how I reacted, like a fish out of water, floundering and foolish. I felt small, and I promised myself eight years ago, I would never feel small again. For anyone.
Evie huffs out. “She has no boundaries. Any publicity is good. She wants to control the narrative. Poor Lindy, being dumped and cheated on.” Evie’s voice rises incredulously. “She buggered off with Kasey. Willingly.”
My phone rings and I see Jude’s name on the screen. Evie hugs me and looks out of the window as I answer.
“Are you okay?” He’s agitated. “Are you with Kitten?”
I look across at Evie. “Yes, we’re in the car. Tommy got us out of the bar.”
Tears inexplicably fill my eyes. But what is a person supposed to do?
He must hear the wobble in my voice. “Come home. Come to Greystone house. I’ll run you home later.”
“I can't. I've got some work stuff from the sign-up this morning that I must finish. I’ll go to the office then I’ll go straight home. The boys are back later.” I take a breath.
“Come to mine later. I’ll see you there.
” I try to push positivity into my voice, but I’m not sure I’m managing it.
Evie’s kind eyes are on me, she looks really concerned.
“Okay, I’ll do whatever you want. Stay safe and I’ll see you at home.” His voice brings the tears brimming in my eyes. He pauses slightly, then croons, “I love you, Emma. Hang in there.”
I hang up quickly before I can start to cry. The tears start to run as soon as I put my phone away. Evie takes my hand but says nothing.
We’re near my building before she speaks again.
“It’s not normal, what happened today. That is not the norm for Jude.
He wanted away from all that, and then he found you.
Please don’t judge or chuck Jude in with what happened there today.
That is not his life. And it wouldn’t be yours.
” She’s deadly serious. Obviously I’m telegraphing my thoughts to her.
“I know. It’s just a bit of a shock. To be confronted with it like that. Do you think it’ll be reported on the internet?” I’m thinking about my kids. From the shouts of the reporters, I am not in favour.
“I don’t know. Jude will have called Jonno. We’ll protect you and the kids. Stick with Jude, we’ll sort it.”
She nods at me as we pull up outside my building. My heart sinks when I see a few people with cameras in front. In the past, they’ve been on the other side of the road. I hesitate, not sure if I should get out or not.
“Wait in here, Emma. Let Tommy and Mark get you in. Stay in the building, and Jude’ll sort out transport for you home.” She sounds so calm, like she deals with this everyday.
Well I don’t want to normalise it. She’s right—this is not normal, not normal at all.
I see Tommy outside my door, and Evie says, “Okay, go now. I’ll call you later.”
I exit the car as if I’m on autopilot, Tommy on one side, Mark on the other. I’m delivered with much pushing and shoving into my building. Tommy deposits me into my office.
“Emma, I’m going to leave Mark with you. To ensure you can get back to your car. Is it over the road in Jude’s building?” I nod. “Let Mark go get it when you’re ready to leave and he’ll drive you home. Okay?”
I nod again, hardly computing what his cool calm voice is saying. How can this be happening? I’m a recruiter. Not a celebrity.
I hear him talking to Louise as he exits—he keeps his voice low, probably filling her in on the plan in case I try to leave on my own. Mark stays, standing guard right outside my door.
Nearly fifteen minutes after Tommy leaves, I’m still out of sorts, nodding at anything anyone says to me. But I need to get it together. I’m speaking to my signed up client to register all the paperwork. I need to focus. Put all this behind me.
Louise comes in with extra shot coffees and the paper copies of the file I sorted this morning. I smile as she hands me the files.
“Let’s just focus on this for now. And I’ll catch you up afterwards.” I try to show I’m not bothered, it's business as usual. But her face is a mask of worry.
“You might need a bit more makeup. You look very pale. Lippy and a bit of bronzer. I’ll sort you.
” She bustles out and comes back with makeup and brushes.
She’s patting and brushing at me as I set up the laptop.
“That’s better. You got this Emz.” She pumps her fist at me and exits as the ringer starts on my laptop.
Pressing accept, I push an Oscar-winning smile on my face.
I collapse back, all the documents signed and electronically registered. I should feel elated, but I don't. I'm exhausted.
“All sorted.” Louise comes in, and sits opposite me.
“Have we still got a welcoming committee?” I tilt my head towards the windows.
She nods, her expression even more worried.
“What’s up Louise? I don’t think you can ruin this day any more.
I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster and can’t get off on the bits I really don’t like.
Am I going to want to get off?” She nods and closes her eyes. “What the fuck now?”
She takes a deep breath. “We’ve had correspondence couriered over this afternoon, from a large solicitors office.
Big lawyers.” She stops talking, regarding me.
I sit still, looking at her, waiting for the bomb to drop.
“Prestige is countersuing us for unfair contract terms. They’ve reported us to the local authority for fraudulent practices.
The police turned up today whilst you were out. ”
My jaw has officially unhinged itself and is rolling around on the carpet.
“The police. Fraud.” I’m shaking my head. “What the hell? It’s a fucking contract that the companies signed. I am not a mafia don, sat with a gun, making them sign.”
Tears start in her eyes. “I know. I told the police. Showed them the contracts. Referred them to our solicitors.” She leans forwards and grabs my hands.
“The solicitors said it’s a total bluff.
We just have to hang in and let them sort it out.
” She’s trying to push her positive energy my way.
I appreciate her effort, but no amount of cheerleading is sorting this one out.
“That seems to be the words of the day. Hang in there, let me sort it. But that will cost a fortune. And I’ve got the paps at the door. If the police turn up again, what the hell am I going to look like. Wait, were the police here at the same time as the paps?”
She nods, and the tears fall, her positivity evaporating like the steam from a kettle.
I drop my head back. This is a disaster. She bites her lips as if she has more but doesn’t want to say.
“What else? Everything, Louise. Tell me everything.”
“You’re all over the internet. Nigel’s phoned a lot.” On cue, her phone starts to ring, and I can see missed calls as I pick mine up. “Is this since the restaurant?”
“Yes, it’s saying you had a cat fight with Lindy. There are photos of her crying in the arms of some TV actress.” She spins her phone around to show me a snapshot of a distraught Lindy.
My phone is buzzing like an angry wasp. It’s Nigel, twenty missed calls. I don’t know why, but I answer. My masochistic tendencies have kicked in. Might as well hear all the bad news.
“Nigel.” I put him on speaker so Louise can hear.
“You’ve fucking done it now. You and that fucking boyfriend. There are reporters outside my house.”
I pull a face at that. He lives a mile down a private drive, how can they have got there?
“Really, I thought Sir Philip would have—”
“Not that house. Your house, my house— The house in St. Albans. Reporters camped on the doorstep. My kids are being harassed and crying. I told you to get rid of him. And now this. You, all over the fucking internet. Fighting with a pop star. Have you lost your fucking mind? Well I am not having my kids involved. I filed for full custody today. And not a moment too soon,” he hisses at me.
“You’ve been too busy fucking him to sort my kids. ”
I can’t get any words out. I’m in absolute shock. And he’s apparently not done.
“I’m also filing for the money from the house.
You did me out of the building money. And I want my share out of my fucking house.
When the kids are living with me full time, you won’t need a five bed detached.
You’ll need a fucking flat. Or maybe you’ll be in prison for fraud of your clients.
” The venom in his voice is unmistakable.
I hang up. Sitting with the phone falling out of my hand, my heart rate has kicked up to titanic levels.
I feel like I am going to pass out, my eyes going black at the corners.
How could he be so horrendous? I have never been nasty to him or his son.
I’ve gone along with things for my kids. But this, him. It’s all too much.
Louise shoots around the desk and grabs me into a hug as I hyperventilate. I hear a roaring in my ears, and I slump into my chair.