Philip pulled back, still gripping my shoulders. ‘I bet you have! I saw the newspapers and the TikToks.’ He pulled a face at how ugly everything was. ‘The things they’ve said about you, about Katy, it’s awful.’
I nodded, agreeing, but I had no energy to go over it all again with him. I pulled away from his grasp and sat on the sofa, clasping my hands round the coffee Zola had made me.
‘You should try telling Jimmy that,’ I managed, reliving the moment from the night before when he was questioning my intentions.
Philip bristled slightly, uncomfortable when I said Jimmy’s name. He sat beside me. ‘So, what’s the plan?’ he asked. ‘I want to help if I can – could I talk to the media on your behalf? Maybe they’d listen if it came from me?’
I shook my head, knowing no one could do a thing, but grateful for his offer. They were only interested in ruining people’s lives, not printing a story on how they got me all wrong.
‘It’s pointless.’ I shrugged. ‘This entire trip has been pointless.’ I felt my voice crack. ‘I’ve lost everything in the process, and it’s all been for nothing.’ My eyes glazed over, and I scrunched my face up, determined not to cry in front of him.
‘Hey, come on! I’m sure it hasn’t been pointless. You had a little drama at a party, Ella. You still have the app launching next week! Remember the last gallery drama you had? You basically put that Italian guy on the map.’
I covered my face. ‘The app isn’t launching. A major investor has pulled out .?.?. so .?.?.’
Philip went quiet, clearly out of ideas for pep talks. Silence settled between us.
‘I’ve ruined my entire career. If someone sticks my name into Google for recommendations, all they’re going to find out is that I’m a fucking money grabber.’
Philip moved closer. ‘Well, the offer at my company’s PR firm still stands,’ he said softly, likely thinking about how I’d reacted the last time he’d mentioned it. ‘But I can also help you if you want to try it on your own for a bit longer. I know a lot of people back home, Ella.’
I forced a smile as I watched him genuinely try to help me. As much as his recent actions infuriated me, he had always been kind. I could see he was trying. Philip’s eyes locked with mine and he matched my smile.
‘Thank you,’ I said quietly, feeling drained of pretty much everything I had.
‘Come here!’ he said, stretching out his arms for a hug. I dragged myself up the sofa and leaned into him, properly this time. His body felt warm, strong, protective. I closed my eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath.
‘I know things aren’t great between us, Ella. And I know I hurt you, but I’m going to do everything in my power to fix this. I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice still soft.
My thoughts ricocheted in my skull. I felt lost, uncertain, raw. But it felt nice to have someone on our side. Someone who knew me, who knew my friends and knew we weren’t any of the awful things the media had made us out to be.
We sat in complete silence for a while. Philip ran his fingers through my hair. I had missed this for so long, I’d dreamed about his touch, his comfort, his warmth, but now it felt strange, like nothing. After my time with Jimmy, it all felt entirely different.
Then I heard a voice call out from behind me.
‘Zola! It’s me!’
I turned to see Ethan standing beside the elevator, his eyes fixed on me, cuddling Philip. He looked a little more uneasy than usual.
‘Hey!’ Zola called out, looking happy to see him as she came out from her room. Then her gaze fell on me. Her smile dropped as quickly as Katy’s knickers when she caught wind of a twelve-inch cock. She placed one hand on her hip and paused, biting her lip.
‘You have got to be fucking kidding me,’ she muttered under her breath. ‘Ella, a word!’ She pointed to the hallway, summoning me. I stood up like a naughty schoolgirl and dragged my feet through. ‘One second, guys,’ Zola said to Ethan and Philip, then stormed behind me into the hallway.
When she reached me, I could see the fury blazing in her eyes.
‘What the fuck was that, Ella?’ Venom seethed through her teeth.
I took a step back, wondering who the fuck she was talking to, because there was no way it could be me.
‘Excuse me?’
‘He fucking cheated on you!’ she continued.
I felt my face radiate enough heat to warm the city with anger. ‘What are you on about? I know exactly what he’s done! And just for the record, we’d finished!’
If I were being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure whether we had or not, but it had been a grey area when Philip and I broke up. I didn’t have the mental strength to dive into the finer details of that right now.
‘What is your fucking problem anyway, Zo?’ I spat back. ‘Philip and I have history, and he’s trying to make amends. He’s shown up to help me, to help all of us! It’s not like that anymore. He’s a friend!’
