“Why are you saying this, Mark?” She crossed her arms, our bodies brushing with the movement. Mark didn’t miss that either. “We’ve been broken up for a while now.”
“That’s not the point.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “Everyone knows we used to date and now you’re kissing someone else onmyshow, at our place of work! It’s a big fuck-you. To be embarrassed in front of everyone on the channel. People we’ve worked with foryears. I thought you were more professional than that.”
Matilda flinched but held his gaze. Jack remained uncharacteristically silent.
“Do you want to talk about embarrassing people, Mark? How about why we ended?” She said the words casually, but the slight lift at the end of her sentence said otherwise.
Mark narrowed his eyes, Matilda’s unspoken message hanging in theair.
What the fuck did that mean?
My instincts willed me to tell Mark to fuck off, to dosomethingto show Matilda that I was on her side. But she was holding her own and finally sticking up for herself. I brushed my arm against hers, silently communicating that I had her back.
He surveyed the room again, our mess fueling the fire.
Did he want to get back with Matilda? Was that what this was about? They’d been broken up for a year before I arrived, so he couldn’t have wanted her that badly. Maybe he was just your standard showbiz narcissist: entitled, manipulative, and controlling. He didn’t want Matilda but didn’t want anyone else to haveher.
Mark exhaled another huff of humorless laughter and shook his head.
“If you want any tips, man to man,” he sneered, lip curling in aknowing smirk as he held my gaze, “just throw some praise at her, and she’ll suck you so fucking—”
I lunged at him, and Matilda squealed at my sudden movement, hand flying to my arm, while Jack jumped between Mark and me, attempting to stop my attack. I shoved him out of the way, but Jack didn’t budge. “Let fucking go of me,” I snarled.
“He’s not worth it.” Jack struggled, arms wrapping around my chest.
“See ya later, boys.” Mark smirked, triumphant, as he strode out the door and slammed it behind him. I wanted to wipe that smarmy smile off his face and made to move after him, but Matilda was suddenly in front of me, holding her handsup.
“He can’t talk to you like that.” I pushed my way out of Jack’s restraint and pointed to the door. My chest rose and fell in quick succession.
“We can’t get kicked off the show.” She held my gaze, and I knew she was right, but it still pissed me off. I hated that he could throw his power around like that and get away with it, especially knowing he’d been treating Matilda like this for the last year.
“She’s right, Luca,” Jack added, stepping back and crossing his arms.
I shook my head, the anger still coursing through my body.
“Why don’t you report him?” I demanded, turning to look at Matilda. “He’s constantly talking shit about you, and you just let him get away withit.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. I got it: Reporting it would get her nowhere.
“Is the show worth it for you?” I stared at Matilda, searching her face for a reason why she put up with his shit.
Her smile was tight-lipped and grim. I knew what she would say before the words left her mouth. “I need to get my mum off my back…” She trailed off, her mouth parting as she searched for thewords. Her cheeks turned a deep pink as she shifted her weight from side to side. “And the money.”
“The money?”
“Before this year, the winner’s bonus was never the reason I stayed. Even if I had been partnered with anyone who I might have made it to the final with, I don’t know if I’d ever have considered quitting afterward. But this season—” She paused and nodded to herself. “I need the winner’s bonus. If I ever want to quit the show, I’ll need it as a buffer. I live by myself and it’s not cheap, but if I have the money, I can take a risk.”
I’d forgotten about the bonus. She’d mentioned it a couple of times in passing, but since then, the only reason she’d given for needing to win was to repay some crazy sense of debt she owed to her mother. Had that changed?
Despite everything, the thought made me want to smile. Matilda didn’t love being onStars on Ice,and the fact she was even considering leaving the show when it would be the opposite of what her mother would want of her was amazing.
“Why didn’t you say you’re thinking of quitting?”
“Well, I’m not going to if we don’t win—I can’t afford to. And that’s a bit embarrassing, I guess.”
“That’s not embarrassing.”
She gave me a look. “What are you being paid to be on the show?”
