Page 22 of Big Billionaire

The words hang between us like smoke.

Abby drops her bag by the door and sinks into the armchair across from me. She looks exhausted, her cheeks hollow, skin pale, and a faint tremor runs through her hands as she pulls her sweater tighter. The familiar stab of guilt slices through me. While I’ve been drowning in my own mess, she’s been fighting battles I can’t even imagine. And yet she’s the one giving me that soft, steady smile.

“They ran more tests,” she says quietly, as if it’s nothing. “Same old story.”

The words nearly undo me. My throat tightens, but before I can find the right response, the dam inside me cracks. “Abby, I—” My voice breaks, and suddenly I’m choking on the sob I’ve beenholding back for hours. I bury my face in my hands, hot tears spilling freely. “I didn’t do it, I swear. I didn’t sleep with anyone to get a role. I didn’t—”

The shame, the humiliation, the weight of every whisper…it all presses down on me until I can’t breathe.

In a heartbeat, Abby is beside me. She kneels, ignoring her own fatigue, and pulls my trembling hands from my face, forcing me to look at her. “Hey. Stop. I know you didn’t,” she says firmly, her eyes shimmering but steady. “Fuck that asshole Logan for spreading those filthy rumors about you.” I giggle at the harsh language from my normally gentle sister, and she continues, “I know you. You’ve worked harder than anyone I’ve ever met. You’ve earned every single thing you’ve achieved.”

Her words shatter something inside me, and I crumble into her arms. She strokes my hair, her fingers gentle despite their slight tremor, murmuring soothing words against my ear. “You’re not alone in this. You never were. You’re living the dream I had to give up, remember? Every time you step on that stage, it’s like I’m there too. And you’re doing it better than I ever could.”

I cling to her like a lifeline, sobbing into her sweater, and when I’ve finally spent most of my tears, I admit, “But, um…I want you to be the first to know that it’s not all rumors. I mean, you already know I never slept with Logan, but his dad…”

My sister gasps. “No! What?” She pulls back to look into my eyes. “Really?”

I can’t help it—I smile a little through my tears. “Yeah, I mean, I didn’t do it for a role, or for my scholarship, or for my spot at the Academy. But last night, it was…amazing. Damien was…he was everything.”

Abby examines my expression closely, like she’s giving my soul an X-ray. “You do seem different,” she says with certainty. “Happy, despite all the chaos.”

I sigh. “I am. And I don’t regret it. I don’t regrethim. But Abby, what if I lose it all? What if they take it all away from me?”

“Then you’ll fight.” Her voice is soft but strong. “You’ve always fought. And if you fall, you’ll rise again. That’s what makes youyou.” She pulls back enough to cup my face, her green eyes locking on mine. “And no rumor, no jealous ex, no scandal will ever change that.”

Her faith in me slices through the fog of despair. For a moment, I almost believe her.

I faintly hear something about Blackwell Enterprises on the TV and I look up in time to see Damien appear on the screen. He’s at a press podium, flanked by reporters, cameras flashing like gunfire. His expression is sharp, commanding, his suit immaculate, and his eyes…those piercing gray eyes seem to stare directly into mine.Almost like he knows I’m watching.

A reporter asks about the rumors, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“The rumors surrounding Lena Clarke are false,” he says, his voice deep, cutting through the chaos. “She is one of the most talented young dancers at Blackwell Academy, and she’s earned her place through grit and perseverance. She has never used deceit or manipulation to get where she is. She is everything this Academy should stand for.”

My breath catches.

Then his jaw softens just slightly, and his tone shifts. “And more than that…” He pauses, the moment stretching, daring the world to challenge him. “I am in love with her.”

The room on the screen erupts, shutters snapping, voices overlapping, but he keeps going, his gaze still fixed on mine through the screen.

“I fell in love with her from the moment I laid eyes on her, and spending time with her has only shown me more things to love. Lena…” he calls, his voice dropping an octave.

My heart skips a beat and I unconsciously lean forward in my seat.

“I love you.” There’s an intimate pause. “I love your strength. I love your fire. I love the way you make me feel like I’ve been walking half-dead until you came crashing into my world. And if anyone should be accused of seduction”—he raises his gaze a notch as if to address the audience, and a ghost of a smile tugs at his mouth, wry and wicked in a way only Damien can pull off—“it’s me. Because I’ve been the one chasing her from the start. Trying, and failing, not to fall at her feet every damn time she walks into a room.”

A laugh bursts out of me, broken by tears, but it feels so real, so freeing, I can’t stop it. My cheeks are wet, my chest shaking, but for the first time in days, I feel light.

He loves me.

Damien Blackwell loves me!

Happiness surges through me so fast, so bright, it nearly knocks me off the couch. In that instant, it dawns on me…

My dreams, my goals, the stage, the spotlight—those things still matter, but not like this. Not like him. Damien isn’t just something I want. He’s the one thing I can’t live without.

“I’m sorry, Abby,” I whisper, already jumping to my feet. My chest feels like it could burst. “But I have to go.”

Abby gives me that small, tired smile, her eyes warm with understanding. “Go,” she says simply.