‘I came to the studio,’ I said. ‘Daniel wouldn’t leave, so I did. Let me guess, you asked Geoffrey where I was again. Keeping tabs on me?’
‘Didn’t have to. I guessed.’ Ashton changed the topic quickly. ‘Why’s that kid still there?’
‘He’s leaving in a few days. Don’t worry. I’m not keeping him.’
‘Good. Come to the hospital. You’ll want front-row seats.’
Ashton and Dominic were already there when I entered the hospital room.
‘What are we doing here?’ I muttered, glancing around.
Ashton stood from the narrow couch by the window, tugged me down beside him, and pressed his palm to my lower back.
‘Still sore?’ His hand moved lower, his thumb grazing the base of my spine.
I shoved his wrist away and shifted on the cushion.
Dominic’s eyes stayed glued to his phone, thumbs tapping the screen like he hadn’t heard a thing.
I shot Ashton a look.
I narrowed my eyes and stared harder at him, the kind of stare that said: stop acting like a horny idiot, we’re not alone.
‘Alright, alright,’ he said, half-laughing.
Then he turned to Dominic. ‘Is it ready?’
Dominic passed me a pair of earbuds.
I took them without asking, slid them in, and nearly jerked back when a familiar voice came through. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
I glanced sharply at Ashton. ‘You planted a bug somewhere?’
‘The next room.’ He nodded. ‘Sort of. Signal’s dodgy, but it works.’
I nodded and leaned in, trying to catch every word.
Rowan’s voice was clearer now, sharp and nasal. ‘Why are you in hospital?’
Through the muffled feed, I could hear movement—fabric rustling, a dull creak, someone breathing through their nose.
Gwendolyn sounded faint. ‘Ashton froze all my cards. Let the house staff go. I’ve got nothing left. Here at least I get meals and a clean bed.’ She paused. ‘And no bills.’
‘You seem surprisingly chill for someone who just got financially castrated,’ Rowan said lightly, then added, ‘Did he find out?’
‘About the photos of Mirabelle and Daniel? Yeah. He knows.’
Rowan’s voice shot up an octave. ‘The only copies were with us. How the hell does he know?’
‘We agreed to hold onto them! For leverage later. What was the point in giving them to Ashton now?’
Gwendolyn’s voice was equally resentful. ‘You’re pissed I gave him the pictures? Then explain why the paparazzo you hired blamed me for it.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘He told the cops I put him up to it. I didn’t even know his name. But he said it was me. Convenient.’ Original content can be found at N0velFire.ɴet
Rowan let out a nervous laugh. ‘He probably got mixed up. I had nothing to do with that.’
I imagined Gwendolyn glaring at Rowan with her beautiful but mean eyes. ‘I took the fall for you. That’s why Ashton cut off my cards and dumped his dad in bloody Africa. And you show up just to scream at me?’
‘I wasn’t—’ Rowan cut herself off. She lowered her voice. ‘I just overreacted. Sorry. But it wasn’t me.’
She paused, then switched tone, softer, trying to sound helpful. ‘So what now? You’re just going to camp out here forever?’
Gwendolyn sounded suddenly exhausted. ‘It’s quiet here. No one asks questions. Ashton said if I pull any more stunts, his father’s stuck in Africa for good. So, for now, I’m done.’
The room fell quiet for a long minute.
Ashton took my hand and played with my fingers, apparently finding them much more interesting than the conversation going on next door.
Rowan spoke in a coaxing voice. ‘You remember what we agreed. I’d drive a wedge between Ashton and Mirabelle, and you’d help me marry him. Once he’s in our pocket, the whole Laurent family bends to you. Right now—’
Gwendolyn cut her off. ‘I don’t need you to remind me of what we agreed.’
I glanced at Ashton, cocked an eyebrow, pointed to the wall separating us from the next room, and mouthed the words ‘your admirer’.
He shook his head gravely as if denying such a serious accusation
Next door, Rowan continued, ‘I know. Just hear me out. Right now, he’s pissed, you’re broke, and every single one of you is hanging off his mood swings. When Edouard croaks, you really think you’ll see a cent?’
‘So what’s your plan?’ Gwendolyn asked reluctantly.
Rowan sounded equally surprised. ‘You are the one who dragged me out here like you had some genius idea. I wouldn’t have come if you hadn’t insisted on it. I hate hospitals, full of nosy staff and phones. But so far, all I hear from you is complaints and more complaints. You’ve seriously got nothing?’
‘What the hell are you talking about? You texted me, said you wanted to meet. I thought something had happened.’
‘Me? You’re the one who asked to talk. I only came because I thought you had something urgent.’
A moment of tense silence later, Rowan said, ‘This, look, a new number. Yours. You said your phone was bugged, you had to switch numbers. You also gave me the room number.’
I imagined Rowan shoving her phone in Gwendolyn’s face.
Gwendolyn: ‘What? Me? No! You said it was urgent, had to meet. Then I sent you my room number. You texted me first. Let me see that... Wait. That’s the same number.’ She read out: ‘New number, can’t talk, meet in person.’
Rowan swore. ‘Shit. Someone’s screwing with us.’
The door handle turned.
Both their heads whipped round.
Ashton stepped in first. ‘Well. Cosy. You two know each other?’
I walked in after him.
Rowan tried to smile. ‘Ashton! What a surprise.’