Chapter 304
“Mr. Carr, have you seen those online rumors? Any comments?” asked one of the reporters.
“What, that’s what you lead with? Try some decency, Kurtis said, one hand casually in his pocket as his bodyguards cleared the way. He seemed itching for a fight.
The reporter’s lip curled. Every journalist in Kroit City knew Kurtis’s reputation–he was a notorious playboy in his youth, and honestly, not much had changed.
“We were just talking business. What kind of business? That’s confidential. Not like you’d bail us out if we lost money, right?” he continued.
“Business meeting in a private room like that? Mr. Carr, your story just doesn’t hold water.”
“We couldn’t agree, so we threw down.” Kurtis suddenly leaned in, aggressive. “Who says you have to believe me?”
His defiance only fueled those reporters‘ enthusiasm.
In a high–rise restaurant by the waterfront, Alice anxiously scanned the crowd. She wondered, “Why is Kurtis the only one here? Where’s Aubree?
Alice’s stomach turned. Something felt off. But it was already too late. The reporters finally realized that after all their questions, Aubree and Bowen still hadn’t shown up.
They got so caught up grilling Kurtis, they didn’t even notice the real story slip right past them.
By the time the reporters figured it out, Aubree and Bowen were already on their way to the flower market with the address provided by Kurtis.
“Whatever. They’re already gone. Let them dig. They won’t find a thing. Besides…“Alice paused, pulling out her phone. A sly smile crossed her face as she scrolled through the flood of rumors about Aubree and the two men.
“The more you chase the spotlight,” she muttered, “the more they’ll tear you apart under a damn microscope. My sweet girl. You sure you’re walking away clean this time?”
*****
“This is it,” Kelvin said, double–checking the address before pulling the car over.
Aubree glanced at the entrance. “The door’s shut.”
No one moved. “We’re too late,” she muttered, eyes fixed on the door. “Alice must’ve known I was coming for Gordon. Probably had him moved already.”
She let out a sigh, blaming herself for not being more careful. “Let’s go. We’ll ask Kurtis later if he has any other leads. We’ve already tipped our hand; finding Gordon now is next to impossible.”
Aubree thought bitterly, ‘Whole damn world! How the hell are we supposed to find one person in all of it?”
However, Alice’s actions only confirmed that there was more to Carmen’s background than met the eye. With the Gordon lead gone, Aubree could still dig into Alice’s past or look into Carmen. Either way, Aubree might stumble onto something unexpected.
“So,” Kelvin said, “what’s your plan for handling all that crap online?” They all knew how this kind of thing played out–it always came down harder
on women.
“I’m not wasting my breath on it,” she answered with a smirk. “If people are still obsessed with my private life, that just means I’m not powerful enough yet. Tell me, Mr. Turner, have you ever lost sleep over tabloid gossip about yourself?”
Things were different for Kurtis. He’d been tangled up in scandal for years, but when he chased a lookalike, people called him “loyal“.
“They’re tearing into me because they think I got where I am because of you, and I’ve cheated and cut corners,” she said. “They doubt me. Maybe they’re just bitter. Either way, they’re just waiting for me to crash and burn.”
Bowen stared into her eyes, stunned by the fire in them. For a second, it actually made his heart skip. “Then let them see for themselves—you’ve never cut corners.”
