Page 217 of My Real Love Affair

“Bad for her?” Austin asked.

“I know, I know. She’s awful and she tried to destroy you. But I feel bad that she is going to be destroyed.” I struggled to find the words. “I’ve never met someone so desperate that they would cripple someone else for their own gain. That’s such a sad way to live.”

Austin and Cash exchanged a look I couldn’t quite read.

“What?” I asked.

“We know a lot of people like that,” Cash said quietly. “It comes with the territory of having our last name. People see dollar signs instead of human beings. They see opportunities instead of relationships. People will do a lot of things they might not normally do if it means a big payout.”

“That’s why what you did tonight was even more important,” Austin added. “You could have joined her. Could have used this to boost your own platform, get your own revenge on the Bancrofts for dragging you into our mess. But you didn’t. You could have walked away with millions.”

“Of course I didn’t,” I said. “Why would I hurt you for personal gain?”

“Because a lot of people would,” Cash said simply. “That’s the world we live in.”

The sadness in his voice made my chest ache. I felt bad for them as well. It must be difficult to live such a jaded existence. “Well, not everyone is like that. Some of us actually care about people more than we care about clout and money.”

Cleo raised her glass. “Damn right.”

We clinked glasses and drank. I no longer had to be as careful now that my spy mission was over. The conversation flowed easily from there. The wine helped, loosening everyone up. Cash told stories about other crises he’d managed for the family, each one more ridiculous than the last. Austin shared tales from his traveling years that had us all laughing. Cleo recounted some of the wilder fashion emergencies she’d handled for me.

At some point, Dane himself appeared with more food, things that weren’t on the menu. He said they were experiments he wanted us to try. He stayed for a few minutes, trading barbs with his brothers, and I could see the affection beneath the grumbling.

“I need to get a better look at this Instagram I’ve been hearing about,” Dane said.

Austin frowned. “Melody’s?”

“No, yours,” Dane said, nodding at Austin.

Cash pointed at Cleo. “Technically, it’s hers. She runs it.”

“It’s got some real gems.” Cleo grinned. “I get people sending me pics all the time. I only select the worst of the worst to post.”

“The account has eight hundred thousand followers.” Cash laughed, his professional composure completely shattered.

I looked at Austin, expecting him to be furious, but instead, he was smiling.

“I can’t believe I have to say this,” I said, torn between horror and hysterical laughter. “But, Cleo, can you please stop cyberbullying my boyfriend?”

“It’s not cyberbullying if it’s funny,” Cleo said. “And if he deserved it. Which he did, at first.”

“At first?” Austin raised an eyebrow.

“Well, then it just became fun. And the followers kept growing. Want to see the analytics? The engagement rate is incredible. People like seeing that you’re not always hot and charming. They like knowing you’re actually human and not a total pod person.”

“This one got half a million likes,” he said, scrolling through. “It’s me tripping on a red carpet.”

“You didn’t just trip,” Cleo said. “You full-on face planted. It was magnificent.”

Cash kept grinning. “This is the best thing I’ve heard all year. Cleo, you’re a genius.”

“Thank you,” she said, preening slightly. “I take my craft very seriously.”

“Your craft of destroying my reputation?” Austin asked.

“Your reputation is Teflon. Even you stuffing your face with mayo on your lips gets likes. I don’t know if there is anything that would truly scar you. It just makes you more endearing.”

Austin grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “What can I say? I’m hard to hate.”