My jaw locked. “Let them.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I held her gaze. “I do.”
“You’re willing to let them drag everything out into the open?” She shook her head, disbelief cracking through the frustration. “You know how this works. They don’t stop at the headlines. They’ll go for every inch of it. Every detail.”
The second they didn’t find an obvious mother in my social circle, they’d start making assumptions. One-night stand? Secret girlfriend? Paid surrogate?
“What happens when they find out it’s Isolde?” Violet hissed.
“They won’t.”
“They will.” Her tone softened, but not in a kind way. More like she was pitying me for still believing I had any control over this. “You think they won’t figure out that she disappeared from the paddock months ago? That she’s barely been seen since? That her brother is your biggest rival?”
I stiffened at the mention of Jesse Callaghan.
She caught it, her lips pressing together. “You know what will happen if the press puts her name to this.”
I did.
Callaghan would lose his mind. He already hated me. This would give him a cause. A reason to take me apart, piece by piece, both on and off the track.
And Isolde?—
The door swung open behind us. Selene strode in first, her expression an icy mask, her tablet clutched so tight it was a miracle it hadn’t shattered. Julian followed close behind, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. He took his time closing the door with an exaggerated, careful movement. Oh, I was well and truly fucked.
Selene sighed, tapping her tablet against her palm like she was weighing up whether to launch it at my head.
“So,” Julian said, his voice deceptively calm. “You had quite the press briefing, Griffin.”
Violet tensed, her arms wrapping around Hazel instinctively.
Julian finally turned his attention to me. “Walk me through when I approved it.”
I rolled my shoulders, keeping my voice easy. “It slipped.”
Something like a scoff and a strangled laugh escaped Selene. “Congratulations, genius. In twenty minutes, we’ve gone from ‘tough qualifying for Michaels’ to ‘WHO IS THE MOTHER OF GRIFFIN’S SECRET BABY?’”
Julian didn’t react. Didn’t blink. Just stood there, watching me, waiting for me to dig myself a deeper hole.
“At least they’re talking about me.”
Selene muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like ‘I’m going to kill him myself.’
“Tell me.” Julian’s voice stayed smooth, controlled. “When I signed you to this team, did I ask for drama?”
I crossed my arms. “You asked for results.”
“And you gave me P9,” he said flatly. He stepped closer, his voice dropping just enough that it sent something cold down my spine. “You’ve now given the press something more interesting to talk about than your performance. And you’ve made this our problem.”
Violet shifted beside me.
Julian’s gaze flicked to her. “And you!”
She straightened, chin lifting slightly. “Me?”
“You’re supposed to be handling his distractions,” he said. “Keeping him focused. Was that not your job description?”
