Movement in the doorway catches my eye.
Sierra.
She stands just outside the office, camera hanging around her neck, face unreadable. I don't know how long she's been there. Long enough to hear the brothers defending me? Long enough to see me fall apart?
Long enough to hear Caleb volunteering strangers to polish my knob.
Her jaw is tight. Just a little. Just enough for me to notice.
Our eyes meet.
Something passes between us. Something I can't name but feel all the way down to my bones.
I saw what she posted.
I know.
Are you okay?
No.
And if anyone's polishing anything, it's going to be?—
I shut that thought down before it gets me in trouble.
“Sierra.” Roman turns, noticing her. “Good timing. We're doing damage control. Tara posted footage of Everett and Bruce's fight.”
“I saw.” Her voice is steady, but I catch the slight tremor underneath. “It's all over social media.”
“We're pushing through,” Caleb says. “Today's the auction, tomorrow's Tara’s last day. We just need to get through the next thirty-six hours without giving her anything else to use.”
Sierra's gaze flicks to me. Back to her brothers.
I watch her calculate. Watch her weigh the options. Watch her decide, once again, that silence is safer than truth.
And I can't even blame her.
Because now I'm doing the same thing.
“What do you need from me?” she asks.
“Keep documenting,” Roman says. “The real stuff. The stuff that shows what this place actually is. We're going to need counter-content once Tara's gone.”
She nods. Professional. Controlled.
But when she looks at me again, there's something raw in her eyes. Something that looks a lot likeI don't know how to fix this either.
“The Rudolph ride starts in an hour,” Caleb announces. “Everett, arms out. Ladies love arms. Sierra, get your camera ready. We're about to give the internet something better to talk about.”
I want to fight it. Want to rage against the absurdityof riding a mechanical reindeer while my reputation burns.
But Roman's right. Nolan's right. Even Caleb, in his chaotic way, is right.
Reacting is what she wants.
So I'll give her the opposite.
I'll smile. I'll ride the damn reindeer. I'll let the Barrett brothers drag me through this circus like the fifth-generation showman I apparently need to be.
