Page 86

I GLOWERED AT MYphone when it rang for the tenth time. Damn thing woke me up, and I was already running late. After my sister, and Baxter had left, I’d spent two hours on the phone with my Mother and only got to bed in the early hours of this morning. I woke up agitated, and emotionally volatile, so when my phone started going off every few minutes I was not impressed.

I picked it up off my dresser, and pressed it to my ear.

“What?” I yelled.

“Uh,” the person on the other end of the line hesitated. “Is this Kadence Kavanagh?”

“Yes it is, who wants to know?”

“My name is Kevin Sanders. I’m a reporter from U.S Weekly.”

Another.

Fucking.

Reporter.

“If you’re calling for a statement -”

The pompous asshat cut me off. “I am, yes. Do you have anything to say about the recent rumors regarding your relationship with Caleb Callahan?”

“No,” I bit out. “I don’t have a damn statement. Now for the love of God, please stop calling me!”

I clicked end, and when it rang again seconds later, I switched it off. I finished getting ready, and when I walked downstairs I found Alfie waiting for me in the lobby, and a group of reporters standing outside the glass doors of my building.

“Alfie…”

“Ms. Kavanagh. I’m here to take you to work.”

“It’s not necessary,” I replied. “I can take a cab.”

Alfie stopped me when I tried to side-step him. “Mr. Callahan insisted.”

“Well,” I stood tall, “You can tell Mr. fucking Callahan I can look after myself. I don’t even know what’s going on right now!”

I pushed past Alfie, and stepped out onto the street. Camera’s flashed, and paparazzi surrounded me. They yelled questions like “Ms. Kavanagh, did you know about Mr. Callahan’s plans to get your Father back to America?” and “Ms. Kavanagh, is it true that your relationship with Mr. Callahan was fake?”, while I tried to take a few steps closer to the curb. They were incessant, and became a little aggressive by boxing me in.

Alfie appeared, shoving some photographers out of the way, and took my arm in his hand. Without saying anything, he pulled me towards the S.U.V and in one movement, opened the door and lifted me into the car. I scrambled across the seat, flustered and irritated. Alfie got behind the wheel, speeding into the steady flow of Friday morning traffic.

“What was that about?”

Alfie didn’t say anything.

“Caleb knows, doesn’t he? He wouldn’t have asked you to fetch me if he didn’t.”

Nothing.

I grunted, and sat back with my arms across my chest. It was only just past 8a.m. and I already needed a do-over.

We arrived at the office, and rather than wait for Alfie to open my door, I jumped out. Fortunately, due to the security at Callahan Industries I didn’t have to worry about being hackled by press, so I stomped my way through the doors without interruption. I’d gone from agitated to straight up pissed, and Caleb was going to give me answers.

The elevator doors opened, and I suddenly felt like I was on show. Every set of eyes in the office followed me, and my colleagues whispered when I walked down the hall. It wasn’t their gossip I was interested in; no matter how worried I was that it wouldn’t turn out to be gossip at all.

I went to knock on Caleb’s door, and stopped short when I heard him yelling on the other side of the door.

“What do you want me to do, Liy? Kadence had most likely already heard about it!”

I flung the door open and found Caleb and Aaliyah scowling at each other.