Donovan smirks like she’s caught him in some lie. “You just have no control over it.”
Sighing, he looks from her to me. A weariness settles in his shoulders and weighs them down as the stiffness from a moment ago makes way for exhaustion. “I have control,” he says to me specifically. “Or I thought I did.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
He seems to debate his answer, studying my carefully neutral expression. “It means I turned a blind eye for too long.”
“You should start explaining yourself with a little more detail,” Donovan says, rolling her eyes. “You owe us that, don’t you think?”
His jaw tight, Shaw looks between us, then nods. “I was away on business when my wife posted that nonsense story about you, Miss Tate. By the time I learned about it, the damage was already done. I warned her that I won’t tolerate her using my platform as a means of revenge.”
“That wasn’t the first time she manipulated your content,” I point out.
“No,” he agrees, “but it was the first time she bypassed my team. Before that, she was simply a source because of her connection to you.”
According to Chad, Shaw married my mom almost three years ago, and I can’t help but wonder if she got into the relationship because ofHot Scoopor if it was the other way around. I’m not sure I care enough to ask, but there’s a small part of me that will always be curious. When she talked about love, was that genuine? Or just another way to manipulate me? Has she ever had a relationship that wasn’t for her own gain?
“How many of the more recent stories about Derek have come from Brenda?” Donovan asks, interrupting my thoughts.
Shaw’s fingers curl into fists, but his almost mournful expression doesn’t match the anger in his body language. “Like I said, I turned a blind eye and should have paid more attention. She no longer had access to the back end, but after I saw the latest story about you, Derek, it was clear to me that my warning went ignored and she still has influence over some of my staff. She’s gone too far this time; I came back early to make sure this ends now.”
Whatever I expected him to say, it wasn’t this. It wasn’t a calm acceptance of his mistake and placing blame exactly where it’s due. I’m not sure how to respond, and Donovan keeps her mouth shut as we both stare at the man in front of us.
“And,” he continues on a heavy sigh, “now my readership is down forty percent because I let my wife build my subscribers around their affection for you, and her desperation broke the illusion that we are anything but what we are.”
Why is there an apology sitting on my tongue? This isHot Scoop. They’ve been a thorn in my side for years and add unnecessary strain to people who already work in emotionally trying professions. Either Shaw is a lot more skilled in manipulation than I would have given him credit or…
I purse my lips. I know exactly what that mournful look in his eyes means.
My body tenses in unease, though that could also be from the continued shouting match happening on the other side of the door. Gina and Toby don’t seem to be tiring out at all.
“You should cut ties with your wife,” Donovan says with more bitterness than I expect from her, and her grip on my hand tightens. “From where I’m sitting, she ruins anything she touches.”
Shaw clenches his jaw. “I’ve thought about it,” he admits.
“But you love her.” My words come out without any strength. I never thought I could pity a man who would build a business around exploiting others for his own gain, but now that I know how deeply love can root itself inside a person, I understand how hard it would be to hold a loved one back from chasing happiness. Whether my mom really loves Shaw, Shaw obviously loves her.
“Yes,” Shaw says, meeting my gaze with eyes full of emotion, like he can read my thoughts. Maybe he can. It’s not like I’m actively hiding anything right now.
“So, what now?” I ask as something heavy settles inside me. My issue isn’t with Neil Shaw, no matter how much I despise his website. This conversation could go any number of ways, and I wouldn’t leave satisfied.
Shaw grimaces. “Now I give you my word that things around here will change.”
Donovan scoffs. “Why would we believe you?”
“Because I—”
Gina and Toby go suddenly silent, and all three of us look at the closed door as Toby swears loudly.
My stomach twists in a knot.
Donovan’s hand tightens around mine.
And a woman’s voice calls across the office. “Neil, honey, I saw your car outside! I didn’t realize you’d be coming back earl—oh.” Brenda freezes halfway through opening Shaw’s door, her eyes wide and fixed on me. She recovers faster than I expected, smiling broadly as she steps into the room. “I hoped you would come to your senses eventually, Derek. I’m so glad to…” She trails off when her eyes focus on Donovan behind me. Then down to our clasped hands. Again, she adjusts her expression and stands tall. “Neil, maybe you and I should—”
“Now is not the time,” Shaw says through clenched teeth.
Her smile falters but remains in place. “But—”
