Chapter 3

　　Vesper's POV

　　If Jaxon Laurent destroyed his career before I got to him, I might actually kill him myself.

　　That thought stayed in my head the entire ride from the airport.

　　My phone sat in my lap with Chloe's hospital address glowing on the screen like a countdown clock.

　　But I needed this job. 

　　I leaned my head briefly against the taxi window. Panic later….Work now. Chloe's fine, she has to be.

　　By the time the taxi stopped outside Jaxon's hotel, I had already built the first version of his recovery strategy in my head.

　　Step one: stop him from making things worse.

　　Step two: figure out whether he actually had a girlfriend or just enjoyed lying recreationally.

　　Step three: get him under control long enough for me to visit Chloe.

　　I moved quickly toward the elevators, already pulling out my phone to call Jaxon again.

　　It went to Voicemail.

　　I tried again and narrowed my eyes at the screen. "Oh, you're already irritating."

　　As the elevator doors opened, I caught two hotel staff whispering nearby.

　　"Can you believe it, same guy, different woman every night."

　　"I wish I were her. He's hot and the best player!"

　　I closed my eyes briefly. Of course, it's all about him.

　　The elevator doors closed, and I stared at my reflection briefly, tightening my expression until it became something neutral again. I didn't have space for distraction.

　　By the time I reached his floor, I was in work mode.

　　I knocked once, but no answer.

　　Knocked again, still nothing. Thrice and annoyance were crawling up my chest.

　　I knocked harder this time, until it finally opened.

　　Unfortunately for my nervous system, Jaxon Laurent looked even worse in person. Or maybe better, which was honestly more annoying.

　　He stood there shirtless, black sweatpants hanging low on his hips. His dark hair was messy, and there was a faint mark near his collarbone that told me exactly why he hadn't answered his phone.

　　His gaze moved over me slowly. "Well," he drawled, voice rough with sleep, "....you're prettier than Caleb described."

　　"And you're more irresponsible than advertised."

　　He stepped aside lazily, letting me in. "Starting aggressively. I like it."

　　"I'm not here for you to like me. I don't have time to waste."

　　The suite looked exactly how I expected. Empty bottles, expensive mess. A pair of red heels sat near the couch, and I ignored them.

　　Jaxon picked up his phone and headed toward the minibar.

　　"You usually ignore your manager's calls?" 

　　"You usually stalk clients at hotels?" 

　　"I called you six times."

　　"And eventually I answered. See? Growth."

　　I inhaled slowly through my nose. "Sit down," I said, opening my laptop.

　　"No."

　　I looked up. He was pouring himself water, one tattooed arm flexing slightly as he twisted the cap open.

　　"You don't seem to understand the severity of your situation," I said flatly.

　　"I understand it." He took a sip without looking at me. "I just don't find panic attractive."

　　"This isn't panic. This is career preservation."

　　"Mhm." God, I already wanted to strangle him.

　　I opened the latest article on my screen and turned it toward him. "You're trending for gambling rumors, public intoxication, violence, and relationship scandals."

　　"That sounds busy."

　　"You punched a paparazzi." I raised my brows at him, and he shrugged.

　　"He was annoying."

　　"You threw cash at someone in a nightclub, too."I raised my hands before he could utter a word.

　　"You publicly claimed to have a girlfriend while leaving hotels with different women every three days."

　　That finally made him glance at me.

　　"Are you counting?"

　　"I'm employed to clean up your mess, not track your body count."

　　A laugh escaped him then, low and genuine this time.

　　"I need answers," I continued. "Do you actually have a girlfriend?"

　　Jaxon leaned against the counter, phone still in hand. "Why? Are you jealous already?"

　　I stared at him.

　　"You're exhausting…. Let's get straight to work and discuss how we'll handle these scandals."

　　His hand paused briefly near his throat before he smiled slowly.

　　"That attitude." His eyes stayed on mine. "Caleb warned me you were bossy, but he forgot to mention the control issues."

　　"I don't have control issues, I have zero patience for running about doing nothing."

　　"You walked in here giving orders thirty seconds after meeting me."

　　"That's because you behave like a fraternity president with a concussion."

　　That actually made him laugh again, a real one this time, and annoyingly attractive.

　　Jaxon pushed himself off the counter and walked closer, still holding his phone loosely in one hand.

　　"You know," he said casually, "I was expecting someone older."

　　"What a rude thing to say out loud."

　　"I meant boring. Old people are boring."

　　His gaze flickered over my face slowly, thoughtfully. Then he asked quietly, "Do you remember me?"

　　The question caught me off guard, and I frowned slightly. "Should I?"

　　Something unreadable crossed his expression.

　　Then he smiled again, except this one lacked warmth completely.

　　"Right," he murmured. "...never met."

　　The way he said it made something uncomfortable twist faintly in my chest, like I was missing part of a conversation I hadn't realized started years ago.

　　But before I could think about it further, I pushed my laptop toward him.

　　"I need your phone."

　　His brows lifted immediately. "Excuse me?"

　　"Your social media passwords. Messages. Contacts related to the fake girlfriend narrative. I need to know who's leaking information."

　　"You move fast and have an eager tone.

　　"I don't have time to move slowly, and I'm here to work, don't mistake me as your wannabe fans."

　　For a second, something in his expression shifted when I said that. Like he noticed the exhaustion underneath my tone.

　　The fact that I kept checking the time without realizing it.

　　But then the arrogance came back just as quickly.

　　"What if I say no?"

　　"Then I leave and let your sponsors eat you alive. I'm sure your opponent would be proud to see your downfall."

　　His mouth twitched, and he sat down this time.

　　"Do you threaten people often?"

　　"Only the irritating ones."

　　He stared at me for a long second before finally tossing his phone onto the couch beside me.

　　"There," he said lazily. "Look how obedient I can be."

　　I picked up the phone immediately before he could change his mind.

　　Then my phone rang with an unknown number.

　　I answered distractedly while opening Jaxon's messages. "Hello?"

　　"Miss Hale?" an excited voice asked quickly. "We need a statement immediately."

　　I froze slightly. "What statement?"

　　There was shuffling on the other end before the woman practically blurted it out.

　　"YOU AND JAXON LAURENT ARE TRENDING."

　　My stomach dropped, and slowly, I lifted my head.

　　Jaxon was already watching me from across the room.

　　"What headline?" I asked carefully.

　　The woman told me to check the headlines online, and BMI quickly swiped my phone, but something popped up on my screen immediately.

　　"AN ULTIMATUM? JAXON CONFRONTED OUTSIDE HIS HOTEL ROOM; MYSTERIOUS GIRLFRIEND RUTHLESSLY SHUTS HIM DOWN."

　　Silence filled the suite.

　　Then Jaxon leaned back against the counter, looking entirely too entertained, and suddenly, getting to Chloe on time became a lot more complicated.