Chapter 18 Seventeen
Seventeen
James
The next morning, they descended in the elevator, the slightly stale air curling on his neck.
Sophie shouldered her duffle, the strap catching on a few stray strands of her hair.
He gently pulled them out and simply because he couldn’t help himself,
his fingers traced her ear.
She leaned into him. “You left marks last night.”
He laughed as the floor numbers ticked down in his peripheral vision. “Sorry. But it’s not like you’re going to be wearing shorts right now.”
She shot him a rueful smile.
His arm snaked around her waist, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Turning to face him, her face lit with a smile. “You know, ma—”
The elevator let out a merry ‘ding,’ and her eyes widened as she stepped away.
Two men who had been at the table to their left last night entered and immediately struck up a conversation with her.
James cleared his throat. Even though they stood apart, her touch lingered on his skin, and he flexed his hands.
The elevator emptied them into the lobby, and James hung back, shooting a cautious glance at Sophie.
She was still ensnared in a conversation with the two men, with no indication that it was going to end soon, and James made a beeline toward Marilyn.
She’d set up camp by the window and was peering out through the large panes as he took a seat across from her.
“Morning. Where’s Tom?” James asked.
“He went to get coffee before the car gets here,” Marilyn responded. Taking off her sunglasses, she tapped them with the tips of her polished fingers. “Let’s talk about last night.”
Alarm rang through him at her words.
Did she somehow see him and Sophie out on the patio? When they came back down for the auction, did Marilyn notice the fact that they’d both been gone? His crooked tie or Sophie’s slightly frizzy hair?
“I’m sorry?” he asked.
“Good job. I think you’ll get decent exposure from this.
” Marilyn’s lips tipped upwards. “I know you’ve mentioned that Lotus has seen an increase in clients since you joined us.
But a large reason for your attendance at the gala was that it wasn’t up to the standards you wanted.
And we’re not in the business of denying that when possible.
So, what’s the verdict? Do you think the gala will help you experience even more? ”
He nodded, relief flooding him. “Thankfully, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Without the publicity work from Covey, Lotus wouldn’t have bounced back the way it did. It still hadn’t, not completely, but they were doing better than he dreamed.
“Actually, I want to talk to you about something,” he said. His gaze slid toward Sophie.
She was still talking to one of the men, the other nowhere in sight.
He cleared his throat and refocused on Marilyn. “Sophie did an amazing job last night.”
Since Marilyn had been occupied with her own tasks, Sophie had reminded him to talk to someone, turn on the charm when needed, and ensure that there was only positive output. Without her, he wouldn’t have made it through without blurting something stupid.
Marilyn inclined her head. “She did, didn’t she?”
Something lingered in Marilyn’s eyes, and James could practically see the gears chugging in her head.
He blew out a breath between his lips. His gut thrummed in warning, screaming that he was making a mistake. But … was he?
Well, here goes nothing.
“She mentioned once you were looking for a new account director,” he said, the words punching out of his mouth. “Have you thought about her?”
Not a second after a knock bounced off his office door, did Philip stroll in, hands in his pockets.
“Hey, cabrón.” Sitting down in one of the chairs, he sighed and stretched his arms behind his head. “What are you doing?”
James leveled his friend with a glare. “Work. Like what you should be.”
Philip rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. Ay, did you see what Lina posted earlier?”
“No?”
“Oh. Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“What? You know I’m going to look now, right?” Dread flooded James’s stomach. “Just show me.”
Philip squirmed and pulled out his cell. Hitting a few options, he displayed an Instagram post of Lina’s crossed ankles propped across a man’s toned stomach.
“Oh, that’s it?” Relief rushed James as his mind settled. “I thought something serious happened.”
“Wh—this is serious!” Philip squawked. “My sister is in bed with your brother!”
“You have to get used to the fact they’re engaged.” James eyed Adam’s dagger tattoo, scribbling down the side of his ribcage, and what was clearly a mattress under him.
James swallowed his gag.
Philip shook his head. “I know, I know. I’m happy for her, but it’s just … weird, you know?”
James sucked his teeth. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”
At the engagement party over the weekend, it became evident that what started as a business deal between Adam and Lina had ricocheted into something more.
Philip blew a breath out of his mouth. “Anyway, has Sophie contacted you at all?”
James nodded and swiveled in his chair. “Every day since Saturday.”
But he hadn’t seen her in person since.
Once he got back, he and Philip had jetted off to Shanghai for the engagement party.
“Why?” James asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Philip leaned forward, bracing his weight on his forearms. “I heard from Luc that she got the account director job. She didn’t mention that to you?”
James’s eyes popped, and an uncomfortable sensation gnawed away at his stomach.
Sophie was friends with Luc, but why was she telling him? Unless … she was upset at James.
His lungs tied themselves in knots. “Pip, I need you to get out.”
“What? Why?”
In a flash, James crossed the small distance between them and wrapped a hand around Philip’s upper arm.
“?Ay, cabrón!”
James pushed him out the door, shutting it and leaning back against the wood. Dialing Sophie’s number, unease pulsed through him.
She couldn’t know that he suggested the idea to Marilyn, could she?
But even if she did, why was he so worried about it? It wasn’t like he forced Marilyn to come to a decision. But his heart still leaped when Sophie answered.
“Hello?”
Croaking leaked from his mouth in response, his words getting stuck and drying out on his tongue. Fuck, he had to calm down.
“H-hi,” he managed. “So, I heard about you becoming an account director!”
Striding back to his desk, he collapsed in his chair. He reached for his water bottle and gulped down large mouthfuls as she talked.
“I did! Sorry, I haven’t told anyone yet. Marilyn swore me to secrecy. Chloe saw my laptop screen and then blabbed to Luc, and … yeah. I’ve been swamped lately. I have a lot more things to take care of now.”
James laughed. “I can imagine.”
As she carried on, happiness bogged down her words, and it switched something on inside him. A honeyed warmth replaced the icy dread flooding in his veins, assuaging his fears.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You deserved it.”
She really did.
It was a little terrifying, how much time she spent slogging away to get things done. And that was coming from him—someone who had given up more than he wanted of his life so that his business could thrive.
She never admitted to the real reason behind her work ethic, but she didn’t have to. Every sharp gleam in her eye said enough.
“By the way, along with the bag from Lina and Adam, I got you something I thought you’d like from Shanghai,” James said. “When can I give them to you?”
“Oh, um, thanks. You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said.
“Yes, I did,” he interjected. “Just treat it as a congratulatory gift and promise me you’ll come with me to the wedding.”
She laughed. “James—”
“Sophie.” His voice dropped. “I thought you’d learned by now that I like spoiling you.”
She chuckled. “A reminder would be appreciated for just how much. And maybe that could be my gift instead.”
“I can be over in ten,” he said. His cock was already hardening at the thought, and he debated whether he would be able to slip out of the building unnoticed.
Another knock wrenched him from the haze, and Jackie poked her head in, her eyes wide.
“We need to talk,” she mouthed. “Now.”
He nodded and held up a finger. The last thing he wanted was to let Sophie go, but he had no choice. “Sorry, change of plans. Something came up, and I have to go.”
She clucked her tongue. “Dammit, you can’t tease me like that, James.”
He laughed. “I’ll send them over. Congrats again.”
Hanging up, he nodded at Jackie to enter and she hastened into the room, shutting the door behind her.
“I swear to God, that was her, wasn’t it?” she hissed. “Honestly, James, what were you thinking?”
He blinked. What was Jackie on about?
She tossed a few pages of paper on his desk and he grabbed them.
Two articles from different sources stared back at him, and his breathing grew labored as he scanned the headlines.
‘Bachelor Off The Market? James Tian Romantically Involved With His PR Company!’
‘Is Lotus’s CEO Relying On Bias To Regain Momentum After Delacroix Scandal?’
His gaze dipped, and he sucked in a breath. There was photographic evidence.
The photo headlining both articles was one of his and Sophie’s heads, bent toward each other at the table, with secret smiles frozen in time. Smiles that looked a little too happy.
There was also a picture of their dance, along with pictures of the two of them touching each other on the elbow or waist, captured at just the right time.
“Tell me this isn’t true,” Jackie hissed. “Tell me you’re not that stupid.”
He set the papers down with trembling hands and covered his mouth. “How many are there?”
She sank into a chair. “Only these two and a few others right now.”
He sighed, mind racing. How had they gotten pictures of those moments? He had sworn they’d been safe.
Christ, had they gotten anything else? Had Selena said something, after all?
No, no, no, no.
Sophie had just been promoted. If this gained any substantial traction, she wouldn’t only lose that, she’d lose everything else.
As for him …
Back when he first started Lotus, and after it started gaining some traction, he tracked down his mother’s contact information.
It was a shot in the dark, but he sent her the link to the company website, along with a few charts and the names of some clients.
He hadn’t told anyone, and he sure as hell didn’t expect her to reply … but she called him.
“Yízhāo, you did this on your own?” she had asked.
“Yes.” He fell on his couch. “For you, Mom.”
Hours of spreadsheets, meetings with people he’d rather not deal with, far too much coffee, and becoming intimate with late hours.
It was a living hell. But it all came to fruition now.
“Um … we’re having a party to celebrate our opening next week. Do you think you could come?” It was blind hope wrapped up with a neat bow, but he needed to ask, anyway.
“Oh, I … No, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” she said. “But I’m so proud of you, Yízhāo. So, so proud.”
That did it.
He broke into tears right there. Great, big, hiccupping sobs that bled into each other.
He didn’t care if he was twenty-seven and it was unbecoming. Suddenly, he was seven again.
“Mom,” he whispered. “I miss you.”
He shut his eyes and she was beside him on the couch, patting his back just like she did when he was young and woke up from a nightmare.
“My sweet boy,” she murmured. “I’m sorry. I’ll still be cheering you on, just from a distance.”
He opened his eyes again and his mom melted away, back to her new husband’s house in California.
“Okay,” James breathed. “Okay.”
But after she hung up, he buried his face in the cushions and bawled.
Now, the admiration in his mother’s voice, the respect, and high regard … fissures rent up that perfect moment, threatening to shatter it into a million pieces.
His throat itched, threatening to crack his voice and bring tears to his eyes.
“James,” Jackie said. “What are we—what are you going to do?”
Ignoring her, he typed his name in his browser’s search bar and clicked the first article he saw.
Lotus Art Consultation has made a name for itself over the last six years, brokering deals with notable business figures such as Marco Russo and Joshua Thatcher.
Headed by James Tian, the young CEO already holds gravitas with his last name, but his talent for selecting art pieces is no doubt what drew lucrative businessman George Delacroix to Tian’s doorstep.
But after the scandal that rocked the business world last month, Lotus shot into the spotlight for a very different reason than before.
In the aftermath, Tian decided to hire outside help, and it wasn’t long before romance blossomed between Tian and Sophie Huang, the executive assistant to the CEO of this external PR firm.
After the two were captured in several suggestive positions, an inside source at Lotus provided further information regarding Tian’s and Huang’s relationship.
Their speculation? Sparks are indeed flying between them.
This raises a major concern: How much of what has been publicized about Tian’s image is accurate?
An inside source.
James’s hand curled into a fist beneath the desk.
“James,” Jackie prompted again. “It’s not just a speculation, is it?”
He met Jackie’s frantic gaze with what he had been told was an unearthly calm.
“No, it’s not,” he whispered. Sighing, he explained everything to his assistant.
She was silent, her face drawn.
“Okay.” Her voice trembled. “Well. I suspected as much, but this is…”
He could practically see her trying to fix things in her mind.
They couldn’t go to their own PR department, nor could they rely on Covey.
“Okay,” she repeated. She shut her eyes. “We’re lucky. Right now, they think this is just a rumor. So we need to keep it that way.”
He nodded and stood. Turning and staring out the windows of his office, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets to hide the quiver. His mind cycled through options before landing on the most obvious.
Money was a universal language, and enough of it opened and closed doors you didn’t even know existed. He’d relied on that time and again when things got too tough to handle, and now was one of them.
He kept Sophie’s words on the patio in mind, but now … he had no choice.
“I don’t care what you have to do, just get them taken down,” he said. “All of them. It’s like you said. We keep a rumor, a rumor.”