Page 95 of Madden
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Madden
“If you’re gonna tell me ‘I told you so,’ you can save it. I don’t want to hear it,” I grumble when Brix opens the door.
He steps back to let me in and presses his lips into a firm line, shaking his head. Although he doesn’t say anything, the words are on his face as plain as day.
“Where would be the fun in that? You just took the wind right out of my sails.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I grunt.
Ivy stands in the kitchen when I walk in, dicing onions. There’s food cooking on the stove. She drops the knife when she sees me and wipes her hand on a towel.
“Kyla told me things with Brielle were over. She didn’t tell me why, just that she wasn’t who you thought she was,” Ivy says, her face softening. “How are you holding up?”
She grew up running around with Kyla and was like a sister to me long before she got engaged to Brix.
I climb the barstool across from where she’s working and fold my arms on the bar. I can’t even wrap my mind around everything. There are so many questions, not enough answers, and I don’t know if I’ll ever want to hear them.
Even if she came clean and told me the truth about her past with Hollywood Tea, why didn’t she tell me to begin with? Why is this how I’m finding out?
I’m angry and hurt, especially when we’ve had countless conversations about my lack of trust when it comes to people in the industry. Hollywood Tea is known for being one of the first and only to smear our names across their headlines any time they think they’ve stumbled upon some dirt.
All they care about are getting clicks and lining their pockets. They don’t give a shit who they hurt or about the lies they spread in the process.
“I’m still sorting through how I feel, if I’m being honest. Angry, hurt, betrayed, to name a few.”
She sighs and nods. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need. Kyla said she was working to arrange a hotel for Brielle to stay at, but if you want to stay here tonight, I can make up a bed for you.”
I hold up my hand and shake my head. “I’ll be fine. I can’t hide away forever, so even if she’s still there when I go home, it is what it is. I wouldn’t mind taking you up on whatever it is you’re cooking, though. It smells delicious.”
She smiles. “I think I can make that happen.”
Brix leans against the counter next to her. He doesn’t say anything, but I know him well enough to figure out what he’s thinking.
“I guess she worked for Hollywood Tea,” I mutter under my breath, wincing at the shooting pain in my chest.
I love her and believe she loved me, but it wasn't that simple.
“Shit,” Brix grunts. Ivy joins me on the other side of the breakfast bar and wraps her arms around my shoulders in a hug.
I lean my head against hers, and Brix grumbles under his breath, “That’s enough,” and I return it with a smirk.
“She was talking to the editor-in-chief, Clive Teller, in an email. Something about meeting up with him when she’s back in New York. All I saw was the response back to her, and he mentioned that if she’s interested in coming to work for him again, the offer is on the table.”
“Maybe it’s not what it seems,” Ivy suggests, turning toward the pantry to pull out a box of pasta. “I know it may not seem like this now, but try to put yourself in her shoes. Maybe she was trying to help you in some way, using her connections to curb all the swirl about Hanna.”
“I don’t need her fuckin’ help,” I grunt, shaking my head.
“I know you don’t, but let’s be honest, if she offered to use her connections, would you even let her? You guys can be so damn stubborn and hardheaded sometimes. Listen to you now.”
I roll my eyes. “The last thing I’d want her to do is try to make negotiations on my behalf with those scumbags.”
“I know that. Hell, we all know it, but I still believe she thinks she’s doing the right thing. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Madden. That girl loves you, and I know it may not be what you want to hear, but I think you owe her a chance to explain herself.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see an unread message from Brielle and Kyla. I don’t have it in me to read Brielle’s message right now, so I click on my sister’s.
Kyla: She’s gone. You can come back whenever you’re ready.