Page 50 of Love is So Mean
I assumed it would be a few million since so many people’s net worths are tied into their houses, cars, companies, ect. There is no way I would have allowed a woman thinking she was on the verge of death to sign that much money over to me.
“That’s why they called me a gold digger. There is no way I’m living that down. I’ll be the new Kevin.”
“Kevin who?” Yasmeena asks, not bothered by my meltdown.
“Federline,” the assistants say in unison.
“You know Britney Spears' ex husband? Took advantage of her diminished mental capacity…married her? Got her pregnant with two kids?” Jeeves' statements are said like questions as he checks if Yasmeena knows what he’s talking about. “She had to pay him a lot of money for child support and alimony because he took custody of the two kids.”
Yasmeena being Yasmeena smacks my arm. “Are you saying you think I have a diminished mental capacity?”
The men chuckle and somehow Yasmeena completely missing the point is amusing enough to allow me to breathe a little better.
“That was your take away? This was your idea,” I tell her as I stand to my full height.
“Yes and I was at full mental capacity when I made the decision.”
“I never said you weren’t. When have I ever questioned your mental acuity?”
“You asked a question and I answered it. Is your…moment over?”
I lean on the opposite wall so I can glare at her properly.
”I'm about to have a differentmoment,why?”
“Okay, interesting.” Her eyes fly over to Matthew, “take us to the penthouse so we can wait it out.”
”What penthouse?”
“The penthouse on the top floor that I stay in when it’s a long night of work. No one really knows about it except for Matthew.”
”Now that's fancy,” Jeeves says.
I pause because there is something company-adjacent that I don't know about. I stay quiet as we ride to a floor that isn't present on the panel.
The doors open to a studio penthouse. I step out and look around at the open space. Huge windows make the place brightand airy, it has the minimum decorations just like the house. The only thing that has a door is the restroom.
“Secret lair unlocked, boss,” Jeeves jokes next to me. I look at him without saying anything and he smirks but takes a step back. “I’m just going to…” His words fade as he points at the couch.
Jeeves sits and starts using his iPad like he’s so focused on work that he doesn’t see me staring. Although his name is one of the reasons I hired him, it’s not the only reason. He really is a great assistant and I didn’t want to play into the gender roles that only women can be assistants. It did stack the hierarchy to make it look like only men report to Yasmeena. I’m sure if she thought that way she’d be amused. I usually appreciate Jeeves sense of humor but my current shock is suppressing my amusement.
He’s not in trouble, I just need him to stop talking for a moment. He’s not wrong, there are a lot of things tounlockwhen it comes to Yasmeena.
She starts giving the men orders about paparazzi and image management. I zone out because she’ll tell me what she wants me to do as usual. I stand at the bank of windows overlooking the city and if I concentrate hard enough, I can see the vultures with cameras circling.
One thing is heavy on my mind, I look like the world's biggest liar. I argued with the woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life and swore that I had nothing going on with Yasmeena just a little over a month ago. Now, what was supposed to be a secret is blasted all over the world and I’d be stupid to think Emily didn’t hear the news.
Even without the NDA, there would be no way to explain this. I’d given up hope on ever getting back together since I wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t want us to try to start over on shaky groundknowing that she may never trust me again. With the way that she left, my trust isn’t easily repairable either.
If we tried again after all of this, both of us would forever walk on eggshells. It’s not the way to live for anyone. It still doesn’t erase the guilt. Emily thought the worst of me in the end and this news just confirms her false allegations.
Chapter 30
Enrique
“Yasmeena, what is your favorite thing to eat for dinner,” I ask from my spot on the couch.
With the news still being so fresh, we opted to stay in the penthouse for at least the night. We might be here longer, we have to test the waters. Yasmeena has clothes and things here so Jeeves will have to bring me something else to wear. Now that the shock of there being an entire floor that I’m not aware of has worn off, I can’t complain about the commute.