What was she doing? Was she really reliving everything that had happened when she was back in Denver?
She wasn’t naïve—she’d known what she was getting into by continuing to date Maurice. His entire job was based on being the public face for this company. He knew reporters and photographers by name. There were always pictures of Maurice with women in the tabloids, so seeing some of them in that video wasn’t what had shocked her. It was the pictures of her and Maurice taken while they were at the ski resort that caused alarm. Despite not trying to keep their relationship a secret, having it revealed that they’d been on a dating app meet ’n’ greet wasn’t something she wanted the public to know.
What had made her entire body tremble was hearing that unknown woman talk about Maurice fathering a child. She’d never imagined him as a father, and the thought of him being a father to someone else’s child sent a quick jab of annoyance and pain through her chest.
Sitting back in her chair now, she let loose a nervous chuckle. She couldn’t make this stuff up: her life might read like a movie script, but it was real. And now she needed to get home and change for this dinner with Maurice, where she’d have to tell him that their secret was not only out, it was exploding for the entire world to see on social media.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“YOU MISSED THE DEADLINE? I thought you said your guy was going to have the IP address of the blackmailer this morning and you’d have this wrapped up by the end of the day.” RJ slammed the door to Maurice’s office a few minutes after five that afternoon.
Major was already there standing across from Maurice’s desk, and Chaz was in the far corner talking on his cell phone. RJ was technically late to the party.
“He had some kind of tech failure this morning, so I called Major and Chaz. They’ve been working all day to track the IP address and get us the name of the owner.” He was trying to keep the cool he was known for, trying to let this play out the way it needed to so he could get to the desired result. It was hard. He wanted to punch somebody, but he didn’t know who, and then he wanted to scold himself for making the same mistake over and over again and not listening to anyone who’d tried to warn him about the way he dealt with the press. His jaw hurt from clenching it so tight each time he thought about how insane this situation was. The woman mentioned in the blackmailing emails and who he suspected was narrating that video—which he now knew had been viewed over a million times—was a liar. He’d definitely dated her. There were pictures of them in the video that could prove it, but he’d never slept with her—a fact she wasn’t thrilled about in the end. He wasn’t the father of her child.
“We found the IP address, and Chaz has his people working on getting us the name and location now,” Major said.
“So all we can do is wait? This thing is spreading like a virus. You’re gonna have to make a statement. Tell them about the blackmail attempt and that the paternity thing is all a lie. Dad’s already called the lawyers, so they’re standing by ready to go after whoever’s behind this.” When it came to family scandals, RJ was just like their father. He went into action immediately, doing any and everything he could to protect his family first, the company second.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Maurice said, dragging his hands down his face. And of all times for it to happen, why now? Why when he’d finally realized the player lifestyle he’d adopted because he didn’t think he deserved real love and happiness was a total mistake? When he’d just found Des.
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pressure in his chest at the thought of how she’d react when she got wind of this. How long before she saw the video and came storming down to his office to curse him out?
“Okay, let’s just all calm down. We’re actively working on the situation. As soon as we get a name and an address, we’ll be able to get the ball rolling toward prosecution. And this will all blow over just like the other failed attacks against us,” Major interjected.
Opening his eyes and sitting up straighter in his chair, Maurice nodded. He believed every word Major had said, but those weren’t his only worries. “I gotta tell Des.”
“You mean you haven’t told her about this yet?” The stunned tone in RJ’s voice caught his attention, and he looked over to where his older brother stood. “I thought that was some kind of code for you people in love, that you had to tell each other everything.”
“I never said anything about being in love,” Maurice countered, but his temples throbbed as if to reject the words. He stood from his chair and started to pace, something he never did.
Major shook his head. “Did you think you had to? You haven’t been like this with a woman since India.”
RJ slipped both hands into the front pockets of his pants, his brows lifting. Chaz was still in the corner of the office with his back turned to them while he talked on the phone.
“If you’re not in love with her, why risk sleeping with someone so close to all of
