Chapter 29 Kelsey
Chapter twenty-nine
Kelsey
“I grabbed your key from Gail,” Carter says, sliding a pale-pink plastic keycard out of the small black envelope before handing it to me.
I raise my eyebrow. “My keycard?”
“Well, technically ours. Gail was pretty upset about how much all these rooms are costing, so I may have offered to bunk with you. Told her you’re scared of riding in elevators alone, and she never suspected a thing.”
“I’m sure one three-hundred-dollar room is really making a dent in the expenses of an international tour with hundreds of people on its payroll.”
“My thought exactly! We’ll likely be getting a thank-you card from Jaxon any day now.”
“I don’t think Jaxon or his team will be sending me a thank-you anytime soon,” I say, my guilt returning to the forefront of my mind and bringing with it a deep throbbing in my lower belly.
Just as I was deplaning in New Zealand, the green grass and blue ocean visible out the plane windows, the news cycle in the US started pumping out stories about the concert.
They started as can be expected—blurred pictures of a naked man and jokes about Action Jaxon—but it has quickly taken a turn to the blame game.
In the most recent story, I’m the one being blamed.
After all the negative publicity my firm received when I backed out of the funding deal in London, I thought I’d be immune to having my name unfairly run through the mud. Apparently not.
“You know it’s not your fault, Kels,” Carter says as we both step into the elevator.
A hand catches the elevator door before it can close, and Jaxon’s assistant Annie steps on. “Good morning, you two. Jaxon would like to see you in his suite immediately.”
“Sure,” we both reply, and I scan my key and hit the button for floor 21, knowing from the advance plan what floor Jaxon is on. He’s normally on the top floor, but in this particular hotel, the top floor houses a rooftop bar, so none of their suites are located there.
I check my phone during the awkward silence of the ride, seeing yet another headline about the security breach.
I quickly click into it, realizing this one has something none of the others did: information about the looping video and loss of camera connection before the streaker.
I’m not sure why the American public finds this interesting, but there are already over 1,000 comments at the bottom.
The first guy, Bob69_OhYeah, is calling for Jaxon to fire KH Security.
Fricken Bob.
As we step into Jaxon’s suite, the tension in the air is palpable.
His PR and legal team representatives are scattered around, some standing, others sitting, all looking grim.
The room feels too small, crowded with their collective energy.
There’s an unspoken weight hanging over the meeting, the kind that feels like it’s closing in on me.
I try not to let my nerves show, but I can feel my pulse quicken.
Jaxon stands near the window, his back to us, staring out at the water or maybe the historic-looking building bathed in browns and golds just off to one side. He doesn’t turn when we enter.
His assistant Andre closes the door behind us with a soft click, and the room falls silent save for the faint hum of the city below.
“Please, take a seat,” Jaxon says, finally turning around to face us. His expression is unreadable, the usual glint in his eyes replaced by something colder, sharper.
I hesitate before sitting down, feeling the weight of the gaze from every person in the room.
I try to remind myself that I’m just here to listen, but the sting of the public’s scrutiny makes it hard to focus on anything else.
I want to defend myself, to shout that I did nothing wrong, that I’m being sabotaged, but my team still can’t figure it out—and maybe that alone means I don’t deserve this contract.
The headlines, the comments, the calls for my firing—all of it floods my mind, pushing everything else out.
Carter sits beside me, his presence a quiet anchor. He doesn’t say anything, but his hand rests subtly on the back of my chair, a small but significant gesture of support. I draw strength from it, but it’s not enough to calm the racing thoughts in my head.
Jaxon clears his throat, his eyes hard as they meet mine. “Kelsey, I’ve read the reports. The breach. The malfunctioning security footage. It’s a mess. And somehow, the mess is coming with the type of publicity I typically try very hard to avoid.”
I nod. Jaxon has never been the type of celebrity to believe all publicity is good publicity.
He is very particular about what gets shared about him in the media, and he keeps a very tight grip on what the world knows about him.
Even though the articles aren’t focusing on him, I’m sure he hates not having control of the narrative.
Well, that makes two of us, buddy.
“Jaxon,” one of his legal team members, a sharp-faced woman with dark hair pulled back in a tight bun, speaks up. “The media is already running wild with this. There’s insider information that’s been leaked—people are pointing fingers at Kelsey’s team. If we don’t act quickly, this will spiral.”
I hear the word insider and feel a cold pang of fear shoot through me. As naive as it may sound, that single word forces me to consider, for the first time, that it could be someone on my team. Could this be sabotage from someone on my own payroll?
Jaxon nods, acknowledging the concern. “Right. We need to make a statement, and it needs to be soon. Does it make it better or worse if Kelsey makes a statement?”
“Better,” Susan from the PR team suggests, but at the same time, one of the lawyers replies, “Worse.”
“Great,” Jaxon replies with a sigh. “So glad we’re on the same page. What do you think, Kelsey?”
The room is tense.
“I’d prefer not to. I think it would make it look like I’m protesting my innocence too hard.”
“Have you even said you’re innocent?” the same PR woman asks. “For that matter, are you even innocent?”
Before I can speak, Carter does. His voice is firm, cutting through the room like a blade.
“With all due respect, Susan, yes. The evidence is there that her team’s equipment was tampered with.
” He stands, his posture straight, his eyes locked on Jaxon.
The room falls silent, everyone taken aback by his sudden assertiveness.
“Kelsey shouldn’t have to defend herself,” Carter continues, his voice growing stronger.
“You and your team should be doing it for her. You pay what I can only assume is millions of dollars a year to have a team to help deal with stories like these, and yet you’ve all waited until the narrative got out of control to do anything.
You’re able to help, and you’ve done nothing. ”
I turn to look at Carter, surprised by the fire in his voice. He’s not one to speak in big groups. But I can see the determination in his eyes, and I know exactly what this is. It’s Carter finding his voice. Not just for me, but for himself, too.
The room remains silent, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on Carter, waiting for him to continue. But he doesn’t. Instead, he turns slightly, his eyes meeting mine for just a moment, offering me the smallest nod of reassurance.
He’s stepping up for me. For us. For everything I’ve worked for. He’s making sure I’m not alone in this.
“Anything else you’d like to get off your chest, Carter?” Jaxon asks. His face is neutral, eyebrows slightly raised with the question, but I can catch a glimmer of amusement behind his eyes. He knows just as well as I do how unusual this type of outburst is for Carter.
“I’d be happy to make a statement on behalf of Mitchell Security,” Carter says, his voice unwavering.
I blink, not quite believing what I’m hearing. Carter’s not the kind of guy to make a PR statement, especially not without clearing it with Trent first. And I can guarantee Trent’s not on board with this.
Jaxon takes a deep breath, looking between Carter and me. The tension in the room could snap at any second. Finally, he nods, a slight change in his posture. “All right,” he says, his voice quieter now. “Kelsey, I need answers. I can’t have someone on stage like that.”
“I understand,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “I’m doing everything I can to fix this. We’ll get it sorted.”
Jaxon’s assistant Annie stands up from the couch, typing something into her phone. “Susan and her team will handle writing your official statement, Carter. She’ll be by your room shortly to have you approve it and to collect any soundbites they might need.”
As the meeting winds down, everyone begins to file out, their voices muted. Annie gives me a quick, sympathetic look as we’re exiting, but everyone else seems to think this is on me.
We ride a crowded elevator down to our floor, and as we enter our room, the weight of everything hangs heavily on my shoulders
I drop the bag I’ve been lugging around with me on the floor and take a deep breath.
Carter’s arms wrap around me from behind, his chin nuzzling into my trapezius muscle.
“Thank you,” I say, turning in his arms. His eyes meet mine, and I can see the softness in them, the quiet pride he feels, but I can’t help the flutter of worry that still lingers in my chest. This isn’t over.
The scrutiny isn’t over. The investigation isn’t over.
It’s all just one more thing I need to do and do right.
“I meant what I said,” Carter replies, his voice low. “You’re not in this alone, Kels. I know I’ve often resorted to silence as a shield, but this time, I’m not just part of the defense team. I’m in your corner, sword in hand, ready to fight your battles by your side.”
“Thank you. It means so much to me to have you in my corner. And I’m sorry.”
“For what?” he asks, his voice low.
“When you were talking earlier, about how people could help but do nothing? It felt personal to you. Like you were thinking of all the people who could help with your mom but who don’t. I’m sorry I’m one of them.”
He sighs, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead.
“I didn’t mean you, Kels. I meant my sperm donor, the guy who has lived a life of luxury working a nice job while my mom is on her feet every day working in a diner because he knocked her up and then chose someone else.
And then when she needs treatments and medication that she can’t afford, he doesn’t even offer to help out. ”
I pull him closer to me. “I’m sorry, Carter. I can’t imagine how hard it is.”
“I just once want him to offer to help her because he knows he should, not because he wants yet another thing from me.”
“I know, Carter,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him to me. “I know.”