Page 111 of Ice Cold Hearts
“I don’t owe either of you a damn thing,” she says venomously.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You treated her like garbage. The bare minimum you owe her is an apology, you absolute?—”
Emily’s hand grabs my wrist, stopping me from calling her an ugly name that I would definitely regret later. When our eyes meet, I find myself back on solid ground again. I give her a quick smile in gratitude, and she responds with a slight nod.
“It’s not worth it,” she says softly, then to Liza, “I think we’ve settled our business here. Good afternoon.”
Emily stands and exits with a quiet dignity that I hope to one day possess for myself. Frank and Beth follow right after, leaving me the last person in the room.
“Goodbye, Liza,” I say curtly.
“I am going to make you regret this, Oliver. You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” she hisses at my back.
38
IAN
Ever since Oliver told me what Liza said as he was leaving her office, I’ve been on edge. I’m jumping at shadows just waiting for something to emerge from them. Extending my morning yoga routine has been helping quiet my mind. Talking with Emily usually helps too, but lately, she’s been just as twitchy as me. Every time she has a moment alone, she’s sending off rapid-fire messages to someone, but anytime someone gets close, she immediately locks her phone. There’s a secretive air about her, and her eyes are often twinkling like she’s in on some private joke we’re not privy to.
Nothing we’ve tried has gotten us any closer to figuring out what she’s up to. We’ve tried to tease, please, punish, and bribe it out of her, but she’s unflappable. Clearly, it’s something big.
My phone chimes, notifying me that Gossip Gretchen has just updated her blog. I’d turned off all media and news notifications after falling into that black hole after my shoulder injury, but I made an exception recently for this blog. I know in my bones that if Liza is going to try to wreak havoc with our lives, it’s going to start there.
It’s been over a week since that showdown, so I’m half expecting not to see anything important when I tap on the notification. Maybe it was an empty threat and she’s moved on with her life.
Puck Bunny Baby Daddy Exclusive
Or not.
Oh, shit, it’s a video.
The last time Gossip Gretchen did a video interview, six people were fired from their organizations and a lawsuit was filed that was so salacious, even international news was covering it.
“What is it?” Emily asks.
“I think Liza might have made her move.” I cringe as I turn my phone toward her.
Her reaction surprises me. Instead of curling into herself or starting to pick at her cuticles, she just shrugs and shakes her head.
“Well, let’s see what we’re dealing with,” she says.
“You sure?”
“No sense in waiting. It won’t change anything.”
I call Alexei and Oliver over so we can all watch together just in case she ends up needing some additional moral support.
The interview is over video chat, and as usual, Gretchen, or whoever she really is, has her camera turned off. All we can see is her logo. What’s unusual is that her interviewee has done nothing to obscure her identity. There’s Liza, looking polished and poisonous, preening for the viewers.
“That’s bold,” Emily mutters.
“You are in for a treat today, gossip fans,” Gretchen says with her distorted voice. “I have here one of the top insiders in the pro hockey world, the agent of one of the most notorious men in media, Oliver McKenna.”
“Former agent,” Liza corrects, smoothing her hair.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Gretchen responds.
“Honestly, I’m glad we parted ways. Things were getting far too dramatic.” She laughs.