I lift my eyes to meet hers.
“You are MaddoxfreakingKamado. This is only your second year in the NBA, and look at how much you’ve achieved. You are the number-one player in the league, you’re in the running for MVP, and the Dragons have advanced to the playoffs for the first time in decades—because ofyou.”
Tsuki scoots onto my lap and barks.
“See? Even Tsuki agrees with me,” she says, rubbing the fluffy Samoyed’s head.
I let out a small chuckle as my worries fade away and my mood lifts. “Thanks for always believing in me, Rosie.”
“Always.” She kisses me softly on the lips.
“What do you feel like watching?” I ask, grabbing the remote.
She glances at the time on her phone. “Ooh!The Scoopshould be on right now!”
The Scoopis a talk show hosted by Zoey Hartman. She is the main source for the latest celebrity gossip and scandals.
I let out a groan. “I’d rather watch a scary movie than listen to Zoey Hartman talk.”
She cocks her brow. “Oh? So we can watchThe Ring?”
“Oh, fuck no! That gave me nightmares for years.”
She chuckles, and I flip through the channel to find her requested show.
“I wonder if she’s gonna give us an update about what’s going on with S.T.O.R.M.”
S.T.O.R.M. is a pop group consisting of five women—Sasha, Tori, Olivia, Rainey, and Morgan. The rest of their world tour was recently canceled, and people are speculating that Rainey slept with Sasha’s boyfriend.
I only know this because Annalise told me—I never keep up with celebrity gossip. I’ve only caught snippets ofThe Scoopwhen she mentioned it, or when photos of me with an actress—or some other celebrity—got leaked.
Thankfully, I haven’t been the subject of her conversations as of late.
“Good evening, everyone! Welcome toThe Scoop!” The crowd cheers as Zoey struts onto the stage wearing a hot-pink dress.
“Tonight, I’ve got thejuiciestgossip of the season—so buckle up.” She flashes a sly smile, clearly savoring the moment.
I relax a little—until the giant screen behind her flickers to life.
A massive photo ofmefills the screen.
I spoke too soon.
“What the fuck?” I jolt upright, heart hammering.
“The most eligible bachelor, Maddox Kamado, who is notorious for his skills both on and off the court…” Zoey says, pausing for dramatic effect. I can feel my heart racing and I glance over at Annalise, who is nervously chewing on her fingernails.
“…is officially off the market!” Zoey declares, grinning.
The photo of me then fades away, replaced by another image that drains all the color from my face. On the screen behind her is a photo of Annalise and me standing on the tarmac next to my private jet, kissing passionately.
And, just like that, our relationship has been exposed to the entire world.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
annalise
Nausea swellsin the pit of my stomach when I think about how my privacy will be violated. I knew it was only a matter of time before the secret was out. Maddox is a world-famous basketball star and almost everything he does is documented. Those private, intimate moments we shared really helped us rebuild our relationship, and I wanted to savor them with him for a while longer.
