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Maybe the rest of his life was in the process of burning to the ground. But right there, in that moment, all was well.
His best friend and her baby were happy, healthy, and alive. And he honestly couldn’t ask for more than that. So he set aside all his outside worries and let himself soak in the peace of the moment.
Love existed here.
Here he was happy.
CHAPTER FOUR
BASTARDS
ZARA
At least she’d slept a bit on the jet. From the looks of her living room in her NoHo penthouse, she wasn’t going to rest again for a while.
Cas had warned her on the drive over from the airport that an “all hands” meeting had been called.
She expected nothing less after last night.
And sure enough, Sonja, Kenna, and Gregor—manager, publicist, assistant, in that order—were chilling in the main living room.
This was going to suck. She just knew it.
Zara sighed and dropped her tired body into an overstuffed chair. “Let me have it.”
It was a little weird that Sonja was there in person. She usually called in through Zoom or FaceTime since her main office wasin Boston. So either Zara was in deep shit or Sonja had already been in the city for other reasons.
Zara’s publicist had been with her since her second album. Which was about the same time Zara stopped going on the internet. She didn’t even run her socials anymore. Kenna’s team took care of most of that for her.
Gregor, her assistant for only the past year, handed out waters to everyone.
She liked Gregor. He was soft spoken but firm. He didn’t let anyone push him around, not even her. Which was exactly what she needed. He also had a pretty dark sense of humor which she loved. They got along very well.
Sonja nodded at Kenna.
Kenna sat forward and cleared her throat.
“Who is Asa Young?” Kenna asked.
Zara blinked and sat up straighter. “Damn. The devil works hard,” she muttered. “He’s a friend. He’s actually more Nikki’s friend than mine but…” She chewed on her lower lip. “Okay, so last night…”
And she launched into everything that had happened the night before. All of it. From winning, to Logan being a dick, to Asa getting her out of there, to burgers, milkshakes, and music. She let them know everything. It would save time in the long run.
Kenna nodded along, taking notes on her tablet.
When Zara finished, Kenna folded her hands on top of her tablet and leaned forward. Her ruby lips were striking on her pale skin. Her short blonde hair slicked back in a way thatseemed effortlessly cool. More than once Zara wished she had the natural style and poise as Kenna who seemed way too sophisticated to be working for Zara.
“Logan’s people are working fast. It’s being reported that you’ve been having an affair with Asa for some time now and that’s why you haven’t gotten married yet. Also, Asa is older, so they’re trying to make that work somehow with you being manipulated and used.”
Zara scrunched up her face in disgust. “Right. Because they still see me as a child.”
Kenna gave her a look and Zara shrugged, rubbing her eyes.
“Most publications are focused on Logan being jilted. He’s playing the wounded puppy. He was photographed outside a café in Malibu this morning looking sad and alone, checking his phone repeatedly, looking distressed. You know the drill.”
Yes, she did.
Logan had done this before. Every time she’d tried to break up with him, he would use the public to get sympathy. Meanwhile, Zara stayed off the streets and everyone accused her of being cold and distant.
