A WAY OUT

Noah paced back and forth, each step heavier than the last, the glass of whiskey in his hand untouched.

Olivia didn't say a word. She stood perfectly still, her gaze fixed on him. The worst part wasn't that she was staring; it was the silence. He knew the silence alone was dangerous.

“Do you have any idea what you have just done?” Olivia said, finally breaking the silence. “I thought you were going to fix it, but instead, you only made things worse.”

“I didn't know what to do in that moment; that was the only thing that came to mind.”

Olivia let out a bitter laugh.

“What the hell were you thinking? Do you think Lena Carter will stay quiet after hearing your statement?” She took a sharp step forward. “If Lena Carter comes out and tells the world that she isn't your girlfriend, we will all be screwed for life.”

“What was I supposed to do in that situation? I was being pressured at that moment,” he pointed out. The rumor had already taken over the Internet. Denying it would only make things worse. I thought confirming the rumors would end it.”

“The hard truth is that you only made things worse, whether you meant it or not. You dragged that young lady into this.” Her tone gentled.

Lena was still on the couch. Emma hadn't moved.

Lena's finger lingered over the I*******m icon before finally tapping it. One post. That was all it would take, and everyone would know the truth.

Her small frown creased her forehead. A new I*******m message appeared at the top of her inbox.

“This is insane.”

Emma leaned forward. “Who is it?”

“Olivia Grant, Noah Hayes' PR manager.”

“What does she want?”

Lena gave a bitter smile as she hesitated before finally tapping the message.

“Hi, Lena. I'm Olivia Grant, Noah Hayes' PR manager. I would like to meet you regarding today's scandal. Please let me know if you are available to meet at Bay Street, Toronto Road.”

She frowned at the screen. “This is ridiculous. After he made a mess in front of the whole press, she now wants to meet with me.”

“Why don't you hear what she has to say?”

Lena stared at the message in silence as she weighed her options.

She didn't answer.

“You just have to listen to what they have to say. Who knows? Anything may come out of it.”Emma said quietly.

They drove in silence. They only watched the city drift past the window.

By the time they arrived at Hayes Sports Management at Bay Street, the knot in her stomach had only tightened. For the first time, it felt as if she was actually doing something wrong.

The office was entirely made of glass, and a large navy-blue banner featuring Noah Hayes stretched across the wall. They made their way into the building, coming across a spacious reception area.

A receptionist looked up from her desk and approached them with a polite smile, her gaze settling on Lena. “Hi, ma’am. Are you Miss Lena Carter?”

Lena gave a slight nod “Ms. Grant is already expecting you. Could you follow me?”

Emma looked at Lena before giving her a gentle pat on the back.“If you need anything, I'm right here.”

Lena followed the receptionist down the hallway, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her bag.

The short walk to the conference room felt like an eternity.

The receptionist finally stopped outside a conference room and turned to Lena. “They're waiting for you inside.”

Lena nodded, taking a slow breath, but it did little to steady her. For a moment, her feet refused to move.

A conversation she wasn't sure she wanted to have was waiting for her. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and pushed the door open.

Her heartbeat stopped for a second. Holy shit. Who the fuck is seated beside Olivia? It was the same man who made that bloody statement earlier. Noah looked at her from inside the conference room.

“You.” She took one hesitant step after another into the room. “Hey, Lena, thanks for coming." Olivia's voice remained steady.

"What the fuck is he doing here? I thought this meeting was only between us."

"The three of us need to come together and put this whole thing to an end.” Olivia said.

"We are going to do that only if Noah steps out." Her voice carried restrained anger.

"Listen, Lena," Olivia said with quiet authority. "If you go public and deny the statement he made, it would put all three of us into a bigger problem."

Lena said nothing. What could she possibly say? Olivia lowered herself into the chair, letting out a weary sigh before closing her eyes for a brief second.

Noah took a step closer. "I'm really sorry for dragging you into this. I never realized that making that statement in front of the whole press without informing you would cause a lot of trouble for you." He met her gaze before looking away. "I just felt that was the right thing to do; confirming the rumors would end the whole dilemma.”

“And what did that statement of yours cause? It created an even bigger problem."

"I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“But regardless, it did. I don't care why you did it. You didn't even think about what would happen to me. You just stood there and told the whole world I was your girlfriend.”

A heavy silence settled between them. Neither of them spoke again.

Just then, Olivia slid a document onto the table between them.

Lena looked down.

RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENT

Her brows pulled together as she stared at it, unsure of what she was seeing. “What is this?”

Olivia didn't answer immediately. She held Lena's gaze for a second before speaking.

“It's a six-month public relationship agreement.”

Silence filled the room.