He stood beside me, our shoulders almost touching, his presence solid and unexpectedly comforting.
The publicist’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? Do you know how hard we worked to get you both out ofthis mess?” Her voice rose with each word. “And she has the audacity to go online and not just deviate from our script, but blow the whole thing up with a grenade?”
Something sparked inside me. Not anger exactly, but a flicker of the same resolve that had pushed me to go live in the first place.
“I was just trying to be honest,” I said, my voice quiet but steady. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do this from a script. I just wanted to be true for once.” I leaned forward, hands splayed on the table. “I’m sure that I said things wrong, and I’m sure that I went about it all wrong, but that’s the whole problem: overthinking everything I do online. It’s not healthy.”
The publicist opened her mouth to object, but I pressed on.
“If I was going to apologize to my followers, they deserved that apology to come from the heart, not some script that my public relations company handed me.”
“You hired us,” she pointed out.
“I know. And I’m sorry that I didn’t give you a heads-up.” I met her gaze squarely. “It wouldn’t have changed what I did, and it wouldn’t have changed how I went about it, but after everything you’ve done for us, you deserved to be in the loop.”
“Your damn right I did!”
“Hey!” Axel snapped. “I told you. Do NOT talk to her like that.”
The publicist leered at Axel. “I’m surprised I have to explain to you how reckless this was,” she hissed. “And I’m even more surprised you’re defending her.”
Axel leaned forward, his palms resting on the table, eyes never leaving the publicist’s face. “And I’m surprised I have to explain to you that someone giving a public apology from the bottom of her heart is never the wrong thing to do.”
“Her heart was in the right place? Seriously?”
“Is this why you came here? To berate her?” Axel jerked his thumb toward the elevator. “Because if so, there’s the door.”
My gaze snapped to Axel. He had every right to be furious with me, and yet here he was, having my back, even when, one could argue, I’d made yet another impulsive mistake.
“She’s right,” I said softly, finding my voice again. “I should’ve at least given you guys a heads-up that I was going to do that.”
“You think?” the publicist snapped, nostrils flaring.
“Last warning,” Axel snarled.
My eyes burned with the threat of tears. Ride or die, it seemed, Axel was in my corner.
Axel gestured toward the files, clearly attempting to redirect the conversation. “What’s in the folders?”
The publicist pressed her fingertips down on the files, as if afraid they might fly away. It looked like it took her serious effort—and I do mean, serious—to let go of the verbal lashing she was giving me and answer his question.
“I had my assistant compile and print some of the comments and reactions to that godforsaken live event. I’ve categorized them into two folders. One contains responses from people raising their pitchforks and hating you both.”
She flipped open the first folder, and I immediately wished she hadn’t. The top comment made my heart chill.
@BlushBabe123: You ruined everything. You were perfect, and you DESTROYED it. Years of watching you, supporting you. You were supposed to stay beautiful and flawless. Now you’re just another broken girl, crying on camera. I’m disgusted. You’ve betrayed everyone who believed in you.
My stomach twisted. BlushBabe123 had been my most devoted follower for years. Always first to comment, always showing up with heart-eye emojis and gushing praise. I’dactually started to find her constant presence a little … intense. But seeing her turn on me so viciously? It stung.
“Jesus,” Axel muttered, reading over my shoulder. “That’s not criticism. That’s … unhinged.”
Seriously. Something about BlushBabe123’s fury felt different. Personal. Like I’d betrayed her specifically.
The publicist quickly flipped the folder closed. “There are more like that, many also directed at Axel.”
Oh God. “One of mymaingoals was to not let Axel take a hit,” I said, regret bubbling. Maybe I should have gone about it another way. “Is he going to suffer because of this?”
Her shoulders drew back as she took a deep breath, and in my opinion, she looked like she hated what she was about to say. “His follower count increased.”
