Page 99 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“Kiersten,” Henry snaps. “We have two minutes. Two minutes to figure out what we are going to do.”

“I know what we are not going to do,” Kiersten says. “We are not going to sabotage our podcast!”

“Thirty seconds,” Henry warns us.

“Okay, you know what?” I say. “I just won’t talk about it.”

“Good,” Kiersten says, and we put on our headphones. I unwrap my straw and shove it in my coffee. Then I take a long sip and a long breath and force a smile.

“Good morning, romantics. I am Olivia Ramone.”

“And I am Kiersten K.”

“And you are listening to Unmatched. Right Swipe, Wrong Person,” I begin, taking a second, undetectable through the microphone. “We have all been there. We match with someone online and everything seems too good to be true. And as much as I hate to say it, that probably means it is. I’m talking about the ones you think you know, the ones that seem perfect for you, only to find out that they are someone else entirely. I’m talking about…catfish. And unfortunately, they’re everywhere, just waiting to hook, reel, and deceive.”

“Yes, they are,” Kiersten pops in. And while it is her turn to speak according to my script notes, I noticed that she’s not looking at her tablet, which tells me that she’s going rogue. Not that we always use a script. Most of the time, our conversations are organic. But for time purposes and to guide us through some of our more targeted episodes, we follow notes. Or I do, anyway. Kiersten apparently does whatever she wants.

“Sometimes they are so good at what they do–deceiving us through charm. It clouds our better judgement and we keep the hook in our mouths even after being thrown back to sea.”

Kiersten’s eyes are on me. I can feel them, hot and judgmental. But I keep my eyes on my notes.

“Which is why we are here to help you identify those people and eliminate them from your life,” I go on.

“Exactly,” Kiersten says. “And speaking of catfish, how was your last date, Livv? With the king of all catfish.”

I’m smiling. But I am also gritting my teeth. “Interesting you should ask,” I say. “Because Luca and I have been out on another date…multiple dates, really…and–”

“And from the sounds of it, he’s laying it on thick, am I right?” She asks and waits. Henry is staring between us like he’s going to puke. But I’m not afraid of Kiersten. She’s always been on the salty side. It’s half the reason I love her and half the reason I’ve got a backbone.

“Luca has been…a surprising adventure,” I chose my words very carefully. All the while, Kiersten shoots me a warning look.

And with that, I am done.

“For those of you just joining the conversation,” Kiersten takes over. “Olivia has been going out with Luca Laurent, the CEO of Realr and the world’s biggest playboy. This is a man known for his belief in love, and yet, he doesn’t even believe in romance. Yet after five…or more…dates with Olivia, he is pulling the most strategic and sneaky move of them all…pretending to be in love in an attempt to save his reputation. Crazy right? I mean, seriously, this man deserves a slow clap for his performance. He truly is the king.”

With that, I rip my headphones off. Kiersten looks up at me. Henry looks panicked, and I am done giving a fuck. Am I goingto blow up on the air? No. I don’t actually want to tank my podcast and my career. But I’m not going to sit here and smile while Kiersten rips me apart either.

So I leave. I grab my coffee, my bag, my dignity, and walk out. I fly down the stairs, half angry and half on the verge of tears. Mostly just angry, though. Because I am tired of defending myself. I know how it looks to everyone. I know what people believe about him. But none of those people have actually been out with him.

I get in my car and grip the steering wheel in my hands. I take in a deep and shaky breath and let it out slowly. My life has never felt more right. And yet, it’s spiraling out of control.

Suddenly my phone buzzes with a text.

Luca: Dinner tonight?

It’s amazing how such a simple question calms my nerves, and I’m no longer strangling my steering wheel.

Olivia: What did you have in mind?

Luca: My place.

Olivia: You can cook?

Luca: You’re not cute.

Olivia: Yes I am.

I smirk.