Chapter 52
“You look ravishing.”
Emily whirled around, falling off-balance in her gown, but firm hands held her by the waist.
“You scared me,” she whispered.
Nicolas’s lips wore a coy smile. “Did I? My apologies.”
He dragged his eyes down the length of her body and back up to her face with no subtlety whatsoever.
Emily cocked her head at him. “Really?”
He shrugged. “It’s not my fault you look breathtaking.”
Look who’s talking.
He looked devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo, the crisp black tailoring hugging his frame, bow tie knotted and polished shoes catching the light.
Emily leaned back with sparkly eyes. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
Nicolas choked up laughing. “Hey, that’s my line!” he playfully scolded after taking a short breath.
“Now it’s ours.”
“Whatever your pretty little heart desires.”
She grinned and leaned back into him, her heart steady against his chest. His hands found her hair absentmindedly, fingers threading through the softness like they belonged there.
“You’ll have to ride to the party in a different vehicle,” he murmured.
“We haven’t gone public yet so it’s a precaution, but just know I’ll be your biggest supporter tonight.
I’m so proud of you, Em. You deserve this and a million more moments like it. ”
Like a cat being petted, she snuggled up to his embrace and placed her head beneath his chin. “I love you. Thank you.”
He let out a wistful sigh. “I love you even more, baby.”
She responded by kissing him at the most accessible spot which was his neck. It seemed to be the wrong move based on how he instantly stiffened.
With furrowed brows, she pulled back to look up at him. “Is there something wro—”
The air was knocked out of her lungs when his mouth eagerly found hers.
She grappled at the front of his suit, all the emotions inside of her on overdrive.
Her skin prickled when his lips broke from her to make a trail down her jaw to her neck, running his hands down over her exposed shoulders, until they landed on her waist again.
His fingers gripped the gown’s material as if they were angry at there being a layer between them.
As if reminding himself this wasn’t the time nor place, Nicolas closed his eyes momentarily, reining in his desire. “Fuck me,” he whispered before running a hand through his hair.
Emily could feel her heart slamming against her rib cage at their heated moment.
“Please don’t look at me with those eyes while I’m trying to recover from something like that.” His hands pulled at his trousers uncomfortably. “It’s like you’re asking me to come undone right in front of you. Again.”
She cleared her throat. Her eyes became skittish as they couldn’t decide where to focus: his eyes, hands, or pants. “Um…where will you be the entire night? Will I be able to find you?”
He gave a weak smile. “I’ll find you.”
She gave him a look.
“I’m an investor in the film,” he revealed. “My appearance tonight is not just for pleasure. And it won’t seem odd for me to talk to you because of it.”
“Wait…” One finger was held up by her as she registered what was just said. “You invested in my movie?”
Emily didn’t need to be given a verbal confirmation by the way he froze. “You did.”
He gave a compelling smile as he drew her into him. “Don’t be angry.” She blinked. “It was only to ensure that it had as much financial support as needed—”
“What more financial support would it need?”
“You’d be surprised. I just took the necessary precautions. It’s nice to move into a new house, but what’s the point if the roof over your head isn’t sturdy enough? I wanted to provide that…insurance for you in case of anything.”
Her mouth opened, but he continued. “If I said the decision was entirely about you, I’d be lying.
I was being selfish too. Your name carries weight, and I’m well aware of how much buzz this movie got just because you were cast. I wanted to benefit from that success, so I invested a small percentage. Strictly business.”
It was adorable. His excuse. Oh, Nico.
Her lips found his sweetly. Her heart raced with how moved she was. He deserved this kiss and a thousand more with how thoughtful he was.
Her mind engraved every movement as if it was the first time, her skin igniting as much as her soul.
Kissing Nicolas was like being given a one-way ticket to heaven.
She suddenly erupted into laughter against his lips. “I don’t know whether to be amazed or concerned by how you can go from smoking hot to downright adorable in seconds.”
“Adorable again? Really, Em?”
Her mouth pecked his before pulling away. “Consider it a talent.”
“Yeah?” he mused.
“Yeah.”
His thumb swiped across his mouth. His brows raised at her lipstick stain on his fingers. “God, I can still taste you in my mouth. Absolutely mind-blowing.”
Emily gasped. “Oh no! Jamie is gonna kill me if I ruin this look!” Her feet rushed to the full-length mirror in horror.
“Who’s Jamie?”
“My designer and makeup artist, you brute!”
“I get called a brute after you’re the one who seduced me?” he grumbled. “You drive a hard bargain, wife.”
As said, Emily took a separate vehicle from Nicolas to the event. It saddened her to great depths, their incognito relationship status hitting harder than ever. The moment her limousine pulled up, the cameras pointed towards it. The red carpet was littered with reporters.
Don’t Break My Spirit was one of the year’s most anticipated films, so it was no surprise they turned even the wrap party into a spectacle.
Instead of nausea like the last time, the blinding lights brought a sense of excitement. When she stepped out, it had caused an eruption. Cameras flashed, screams sounded, people gasped and gathered close.
Emily had been waiting for this moment for so long. A moment in which she enjoyed having eyes on her again. And something to back it. As if it was second nature, the actress elegantly waved to the paparazzi and onlookers.
Reporters were so eager to get to her that they tripped over each other. Before any triumphant ones could even get close to her, Talia made an appearance.
“Leave the questions until after the photos.”
The reporters took that as a sign to blind the actress with camera flashes.
“Too much!” Talia snapped.
Emily spun to the other side to face her fans who had been calling out her name.
“Emily!”
“Emily, please sign this! I love you so much!”
“We missed you so much, Emily! I’ve waited years for this!”
“I think I’m about to faint…”
“Holy shit, she just smiled at me. Emily fucking Pinault just smiled at me!”
“AHH! OH MY GOD! STEP ON ME PLEASE, QUEEN!”
Emily burst out laughing. Fans sure were creative.
Her heart swelled at how much they’ve supported her. Even in her moments of silence. Without them, she wouldn’t be where she was today.
Slipping past Talia, Emily signed some autographs. She only got to do six before she got ahold of her. “You need to take the group pictures. The slideshow of behind the scenes footage will start soon. It’ll be inappropriate if you’re late.”
In the next minute, Emily was standing beside the rest of her costars. They took pictures and chatted until she wandered off with Valentina. She wore a deep emerald gown, its fabric threaded with hazel-brown patterns that shimmered like silk. The blend gave the dress a graceful richness.
“How have you been?” Emily’s hands reached out automatically to toy with Valentina’s curls. “You look stunning by the way.”
“I was thinking the same about you,” she returned, then her genuine smile wobbled. “And I’m doing just peachy.”
Valentina was nervous.
Emily smiled. “Me too,” she whispered after leaning in. “Wanna know why?”
She waited on the answer.
“Nico’s here tonight.”
Her friend’s eyes widened, automatically looking around for her secret husband. “Really? Where?”
She slapped her on the arm. “Be more discreet.”
Valentina gave a silly smile. “Oops, sorry. But why is he here?”
“He’s using the excuse of being an investor, so technically he was invited.”
She grinned. “But the truth is that he’s here for you.”
“Something like that.”
“Something like that,” Valentina jeered with a purposefully childish tone.
Emily nudged her with her elbow. Her annoyance quickly shifted when the individual photo op came and she was the first to go.
“Knock ‘em dead,” Valentina told her.
Emily gave a grateful grin in response. She took photos and answered questions reserved for her by the reporters.
The night had been nothing short of dream, but like all things that felt like a fairy tale, the spell didn’t last.
A projector behind them started itself. Naturally, everyone’s eyes shifted to the interruption. A slideshow came up in video format with a distorted voice-over.
“Ladies and gentlemen, meet your female lead of the night!” the hidden person yelled as pictures rolled by of Emily beside a familiar black car.
A man was seen in front of her, then coming in to hold her intimately. Her stomach churned.
“She’s also one of the biggest liars and cheats to ever walk the planet.”
The crowd gasped at such an accusation.
Emily’s heart began to race. What the hell was going on? She looked over to see Valentina wearing the same confused expression.
“The same person who leaves with her sugar daddy—probably some director she slept her way to the top with—after hospitalizing someone. That someone being Stella Peterson who is now pregnant with Jake Mallion’s child.”
Everyone went into a fine frenzy, pointing their fingers at the photos. The person in them indeed looked older than Emily.
She felt her hand balling into a fist by her side. It had to have been a pap who caught them when they were leaving the hospital.
Though Emily knew the truth, a few bystanders were already buying this story: Emily Pinault causes agency colleague and romantic rival to get hospitalized. That was what the headlines would say by tomorrow morning.
A scoop was a scoop no matter how ridiculous it was, and in the entertainment world, it was guilty until proven innocent.