Chapter 35
CHAPTER 35
LUKE
T his is why I never go out. It always descends into chaos, and we achieve nothing. I understand this is Morgana’s lifeblood. The sheer number of photos will be re-posted on her fan’s feeds and attract even more followers to the woman herself.
I still can’t believe how much money she makes from this business, as well as the opportunities that pour in from advertising deals and appearance fees. She is offered holidays, clothing, jewellery and experiences, to name but a few. All she must do is one post about how much she likes something and she charges in excess of ten thousand pounds for them. Morgana is wealthy in her own right and equally as famous as me, and I was there at the beginning.
I note Steven pushing his way to the bar and my heart softens. It was his idea. Morgana and Steven have been dating for well over two years and she was a struggling influencer back then. They met at a party where she was one of the paid models and the rest is history.
It was his idea to raise her profile by making her my fake girlfriend. It suited me because I was single and the target of many women, all desperate to be the next wag and it was a nightmare. The club were angry about the endless stories of me in the press, ‘the player off the field’ was the usual headline as I was pictured with a different woman every night. They always made it look as if it was more than just a selfie request and it was a huge problem.
Steven was concerned because a few of the girls inferred we’d shared more than a photograph and he was concerned I would be the target of a smear campaign, or worse. So Luke and Morgana were born out of a shared interest and I wasn’t lying, I do love her, but not in a romantic way.
The three of us are best friends and now we have a different problem entirely because I appear to have fallen for the one woman who has made me look twice and away from the game and I’m unsure what to do about that.
I can’t tell her. She may not feel the same way and my breakup with Morgana must be managed skilfully.
We can’t have pictures of me cheating on her, just as she is careful to keep her relationship with Steven behind closed doors.
It’s an impossible situation and coupled with the inheritance and my injury, I have a great deal on my mind and no answers.
We finally manage to work our way through the crowds and as I take my seat beside Morgana, she whispers, “So, how did it go? I’ve been dying to ask.”
“How did what go?”
I’m genuinely confused, and she nudges me sharply. “With Jessy, of course.”
She peers across the table at the woman who is trying to remain invisible right now and looks so miserable I feel responsible.
“She isn’t interested.”
“And you know this because–” Morgana reminds me that she never takes anything on face value and I whisper back, “I asked what she wanted in life and she told me it was to travel. She wants to leave Granthaven and do better and I got the impression she wants to do it alone.”
“You got the impression.”
Morgana rolls her eyes. “Honestly, Luke, impressions aren’t facts. You really are hopeless, you know.”
She smiles as Steven places another round of drinks on the table and she jerks her head in my direction.
“Take this one shopping, Steven, and make him buy gifts for everyone he knows.”
“You’re seriously asking me to be responsible for that.”
Steven chuckles and Morgana shrugs. “I trust in you babe, and don’t forget yours truly. You know what I like.”
She fastens her gaze on Jessy’s small figure wrapped tightly inside my scarf and smiles. “I’ll take Jessy with me. Jasper wants to shop alone; he already told me that and so I suggest that in two hours’ time, we meet back here to return to the manor house.”
“Two hours!”
Steven and I speak at the same time, both of us horrified at that amount of time, and she shrugs. “If you’re early, have another drink. It’s no hardship.”
She glances across at Jessy and says loudly, “Jessy, hun, will you take pity on me and show me around the town? I really must grab some gifts because time is running out.”
Jessy nods. “No problem.”
She smiles and once again something strikes me hard in the heart and I suppose this is the moment I accept that without any question, I am falling in love with Jessy Potter and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
“This is a disaster! Where’s the department store?”
Steven grumbles as we wander around a town that appears to be made up of shops that I’ve never heard of.
Steven is equally lost and groans. “I was certain they’d be a John Lewis or Selfridges here and we could find the personal shopper, give them our list and wait in the restaurant.”
“Same.”
I shiver against the cold wind and stare miserably at the lit doorways, crammed with shoppers who are all in an apparent feeding frenzy as they grab their last-minute purchases in a state of panic.
I’m no different and then nudge Steven when I spy Jasper looking very pleased with himself, armed with a multitude of bags as he peers into a nearby shop window.
“Leave this to me.” I say with determination and we head across to him, making him jump as I slap him on the back.
“Oh, guys, it’s you. I thought I was being mugged.” He holds a hand to his heart and breathes deeply.
“You are.” I grin. “You are obviously a professional shopper, Jasper, and we are not. What do you say if we relieve you of these and head back to the pub, leaving you with our credit cards and our lists, plus a hefty personal shopping fee for your trouble?”
Jasper’s face breaks out into an excited smile. “Wow, I’d do it for free. I adore shopping.”
He thrusts the packages in our arms and then holds out his hand for the cards and the list.
Steven grins as we both rattle off what we need - recipient wise and Jasper nods with a serious expression. “Leave it with me guys. Consider me your Christmas shopping fairy.”
He rushes off, almost squealing in anticipation and as we head back to the warm and cosy pub, Steven laughs. “Ingenious.”
“You’re welcome.”
Once we are firmly stationed back in our seats in front of the roaring fire, Steven whispers, “Morgana told me about your conversation.”
“What do you think?”
I’m anxious because Steven is part of this too.
“That it was always going to happen.”
“I suppose.”
He appears thoughtful.
“It may have come at the right time.”
“In what way?”
“Well, a lot is happening right now and you have some life-changing decisions to make.”
He wraps his hand around his pint glass and sighs. “As I see it, you have a few choices. The first is that you decided to relocate to Granthaven and Morgana wasn’t happy about that and you split due to a conflict of interests. That you were growing apart anyway, and it was a natural break with no hard feelings on either side.”
“And if I don’t want to relocate and give up everything I’ve worked so hard for?”
“That you have grown apart and your trip here merely reinforced that, leaving you both mutually agreeing to separate in the new year. That you will always be friends, but nothing more.”
“Then what happens when Morgana is pictured with you and the press makes out she cheated on me? You know they will because it’s what they do to sell their fake news.”
“Says the man who’s made it his business to spread his own fake news.”
Steven chuckles softly.
“We’re all in this together, Steven. Remember that.” I groan. “This is going to break the internet.”
I’m aware how many thousands of people are invested in my relationship with Morgana, and it would be as if they were breaking up along with us. We obviously never thought this through properly because it’s not just a case of posting a joint announcement and getting on with our lives. There will be the rumours, the conspiracy theories, the blame and the accusations. It will be like a messy divorce played out in the most bitter of ways.
“Or we could do nothing at all until it becomes a problem.”
Steven smiles reassuringly. “You have a lot on your mind right now and really don’t need another problem to deal with. Let’s get Christmas over with and see where we’re at in the new year.”
“I’m glad you said that, man, because the other option was giving me a headache.”
I note a couple of women huddled together in the corner, giggling and staring my way, and I smile as one of them is trying to take photographs by pretending she’s taking a selfie. I’ve seen it all before and it doesn’t matter to me. I’m happy to provide a photograph, but it merely reminds me how vulnerable I am regarding posts online. Morgana has always been the firewall between me and scandal, and now as I prepare to knock it down, I realise I’m a lot safer where I am.