Chapter 17 #2
“I think this would look great with my eyes,” she says, holding it up against her body.
I’m not buying what she’s trying to sell me. I’m almost insulted that she thinks this little ploy of hers will actually work. Avoiding any comment on the lingerie, I say, “I wish you happy shopping. I’ve got places to be. A trousseau to pay for.”
“An entire trousseau? Wait, you’re marrying Phoebe?” She sounds outraged.
“What business is it of yours?”
“I care about you, Theo. And I know the Coates twins are good guys, too. But trust me, you don’t want to get embroiled in this whole Baldwin mess.
It’s about to get worse. She won’t have a penny to her name, and the court of public opinion has already cast their verdict.
Soon enough, Phoebe won’t be able to set foot anywhere in New York. ”
“Will that be yours and Crystal’s doing?”
She blinks a few times. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been busy with a smear campaign against Phoebe, you and your adoring fans. Crystal has been along for the ride, ever her sister’s bully. Her mother is trying to take away her inheritance. I’m calling it as I see it—a calculated effort to destroy a good woman’s life and reputation.”
Georgina stares at me for a long second, a wicked grin slowly stretching across her face.
“Don’t you think she’s fully responsible for her own reputation?
I mean, screwing three men at the same time isn’t exactly a lifetime achievement.
Polyamory may be more generally accepted these days, but we’re still in New York City.
Manhattan. The Hamptons. The original families, including the Baldwins, will never accept that kind of lifestyle. ”
“The only vocalizing I’ve heard on this matter has come from you, Crystal, and Helen. Oh, and of course, Matthew. But we all know what that’s about.”
“Please. Phoebe should’ve done herself a favor and lost the weight. If she had, he’d still be by her side. It was a simple thing to do.” She rolls her eyes. “We live in a shallow world, Theo. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
“I wonder if you actually believe this nonsense or if you’re just reciting it out of habit.”
“It’s the truth, whether you like it or not. The only reason the three of you got with her is because she… well, she’s able to take three cocks at the same time,” Georgina scoffs. “Nobody wants to marry Shamu. Honestly, I pity her.”
It takes a tremendous amount of strength to filter the profanities swirling through my head. After a moment’s worth of careful thought, I decide not to slide down the same wretched rabbit hole as before.
“Georgina, I will only say this once. I’m sorry you’re such a miserable woman. I’m sorry you were taught to shrink yourself in order to be accepted by the world around you, but that is not my problem.”
“Theo, come on. I’m an international supermodel,” she reminds me with a laugh. “Designers argue about who gets to feature me next.”
“Yet here you stand, talking shit about a woman who never did anything to you. You, on the other hand, have an extensive history of bullying Phoebe all the way back to middle school. You have an awful personality, Georgina, which is why so many people don’t like you.
“And the only reason designers fight over you is because you are slightly more aesthetically appealing than a clothes hanger. Phoebe, in the meantime, is twice the woman you’ll ever be, in every way that matters,” I add.
“And I get it. It irks you. You’re mad, you’re jealous, you’re acting out.
You’re emotionally immature and it bothers you that I don’t want to be with you. At least be truthful about it.”
“Fuck you, Theo,” she snaps.
“You wish,” I chuckle dryly and walk away.
I know Georgina well enough to recognize that she wants to follow me, but she knows better than to harass someone who’s about to pump a five-figure payment into the Perle Noire. Melanie greets me with a smile from behind the counter. Phoebe’s carefully boxed and wrapped trousseau sits beside her.
“Melanie, thank you so much for your service and your exquisite guidance. Now, please, take my money.”
She laughs lightly. “It’s been my pleasure, Mr. Forbes. I hope every woman is as lucky as Phoebe to have a gentleman like you in her life.”
“I’m the lucky one,” I reply. “And do add a twenty-five percent tip for yourself, Melanie. You’ve earned it.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I notice Georgina is headed for the door.
The sales rep stares at her with a mixture of offense and confusion.
It only serves to confirm what I had already suspected.
Georgina was following me. Given that this store is by appointment only, however, I have to wonder exactly how closely she’s been following me.
Evening finds me outside Phoebe’s apartment building with the trousseau gift box in my hands.
I’m nervous, but in a good way. I hope she loves every piece in this collection, and I hope it makes her feel beautiful. The stronger and more self-confident Phoebe becomes, the harder it’ll be for anyone to stand in our way. I feel like I could take on the whole world with this woman by my side.
Glancing up, I see that the lights in her apartment are off. I text her.
Hey, babe, are you home?
She should be. We spoke earlier and she knew I’d be coming over.
No answer. Not even a read receipt. My stomach tightens as I head inside the building. Upon reaching her door, I pause and listen. There are no sounds coming from the other side. The TV is off.
I call her. It goes straight to her voicemail. “Hey, this is Phoebe. I can’t answer the phone right now, you know what to do!” I hear her sweet voice say, followed by a beep.
“I’m outside. Where are you?” I leave my message then hang up.
Nothing. For a few long, languishing minutes, there’s nothing. I decide to check our message history again and notice that Phoebe read my text. So, I send another one.
Left a VM. Where are you?
No response.
Irritation works its way through me, so I call her again. And again, I’m sent straight to voicemail.
What’s going on? Phoebe, answer me. Are you okay?
She’s typing something.
“Fucking finally,” I say to myself as her message comes through. “Wait, what the hell?”
It’s a Twitter link. I tap to open it.
My stomach drops as soon as I read the TMZ headline in capital letters.
THEO FORBES AND GEORGINA SPRINGFIELD AN ITEM AGAIN?
Below are photos of Georgina and me at the Perle Noire, taken from outside the boutique. The store may be by appointment only, but anyone can see through those massive glass windows.
Fuck. I read the rest of the tweet.
Former couple reunited? Theo Forbes, Hamptons billionaire, and Georgina Springfield, supermodel, seen shopping for sexy lingerie at NY’s Perle Noire flagship.
I shake my head. “No, no, no…”
The replies to the tweet make my stomach turn inside out.
I thought Theo and the Coates twins were dating Phoebe?
Poor Phoebe Baldwin. Theo did her dirty.
You deserve better, Phoebe!
What do Dominic and August think? Are they involved with Georgina, too?
Is this gonna be one of those Team Coates vs. Team Forbes things? I can’t keep up anymore!
Matthew must be laughing his ass off.
If only I could unplug the entire fucking internet forever. We’d all be happier, that’s for sure. I damn near smash the phone against the wall before stopping myself and taking a deep, shaky breath.
Georgina must’ve planned the whole thing. This was calculated, timed, and deliberately played out. I suspected something fishy when I saw her enter the store, but I had no idea how far she would go.
How the hell do I find Phoebe now?
Clearly, she’s not home. She’s hurt and probably thinking the worst of me. Who could blame her? The photographer timed his shots to perfection. There’s a shot of Georgina laughing. Me smiling politely. Georgina hugging me.
I should’ve pushed her away, dammit.
Georgina holding up the lavender lingerie set. Me, not turning away. There’s nothing in these images that reflect how I honestly feel or what I said. I tried to be civil with Georgina, and this is how I was repaid.