“So twelve years of you two not living together, not being in a relationship together, and you’re still arguing like you’re on the verge of divorce.” Angelica pursed her lips. “Why’s that?”
Mark scoffed, and again he rolled his eyes.
“Mark?” Angelica prodded. She hadn’t heard from him nearly enough.
He shook his head, refusing to answer.
“Fine. Alexis?”
“I don’t know.” Alexis shook her head, folding her hands in her lap and cowering.
Angelica sighed heavily, looking between them and waiting them out again. It might not be something they wanted to talk about on camera, but it was going to have to be something they dealt with before the end of filming, because this was absolutely the main problem at Claridges.
“Here’s the deal…” Angelica looked between them. “I want the two of you to go to lunch, right now. I want the two of you to decide what you’re willing to share with me and what you’re not. And I want the two of you to come up with a plan to move your arguments away from the workplace and somewhere no one else can see or hear you. Got it?”
They both nodded.
“Good.” Angelica snagged her iPad and stood up, leaving the room.
Rex followed her. She didn’t even pause as she flagged down the receptionist.
“Talk to me a minute.”
“Yes, Ms. Shields.”
Angelica lowered her voice a bit, just in case anyone else walked by, but ultimately, she cared more about information than she did confidentiality. “How often do they do that?”
“Fight like that?” The young woman looked worried.
Angelica nodded.
“Every day.” She frowned. “Most of the time I don’t even notice it anymore.”
“Why did you today?” Angelica furrowed her brow.
“Because usually when Alexis pokes him like that, it gets a bit physical.”
Warning bells went off. “How physical?”
“Nothing bad, but he’ll grab her wrists and arms to make her stop, and then sometimes she can get worse and hit him in the chest or the face.”
“Like slapping?” Angelica asked to clarify.
The woman nodded.
“Okay. Thanks.” Angelica sighed heavily and put her hands on the counter to push herself up. These two were a piece of work, and she was going to have to spend more time navigating the drama between them than training employees. Which was a first. Angelica brushed her fingers through her hair and let the moment pass.
Rex called cut and sent Sy on somewhere else. But Angelica was still stunned into staying there, staring at the hotel lobby like it held the answers that she needed. Interpersonal problems weren’t her forte. They were Hope’s. But Hope hadn’t seemed to pick up on any of the tension yesterday when they were doing the initial interviews.
“Is something wrong?” Rex asked, touching Angelica’s arm lightly.
“No.” Angelica toyed with the stylus, threading it through her fingers before she dropped it and straightened her back again. “Maybe. You and Hope… it’s not like this between you.”
“No, it’s not,” Rex agreed. “At least it’s not now.”
Angelica licked her lips. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure where to start or if Rex would even be willing to answer them. She hadn’t been around when they’d first split, though she knew it was bad. She could see that in Hope’s reactions to everything, but had they been this nasty toward each other? Purposely hurting each other just to witness the pain they’d inflicted? Because it felt sadistic.
“What do you mean not now?” Angelica finally asked.
