Page 22 of Ruled By Rivalry

Without the questions or judgmental glances I’d caught from the receptionist on my first day, she opened the gate for all four of us. “Thanks, Bella,” Elliot said in passing, knocking his knuckles against the counter in appreciation.

Another name from that list of women he just worked with. Although with the way she looked at him, I wasn’t all that sure if she belonged on it.

As we led Daphne and Ryan into one of the offices on the third floor, Elliot and I battled for the upper hand and failed. Instead, our shoulders kept bumping; one was always trying to walk faster to be in the lead, and the other always caught back up. We ended up walking next to each other, just looking clumsy.

At least this way, I was focused on him, and not the superstars trailing after us. I’d spent enough of the past twenty minutes freaking out about them, and I didn’t need to continue in their presence.

Instead of nerves rattling my chest, it was annoyance when Elliot was the one who managed to open the door. I half expected him to throw it in my face when I let Daphne and Ryan pass me, but he only ushered me inside with a glance that said as much as, What are you waiting for?

I wasn’t sure either.

Chapter 9

The signature Ashwood bow was delicately drawn onto one wall, while the opposite one was covered in huge framed prints of designs and Hunter Ashwood on his first red carpet. There were a lot of things you could call the Ashwoods, but modest wasn’t one of them.

In the back by the window, I’d prepared a cart with flavored waters, tea, and coffee, and on the table was a bowl of snacks I knew no one would touch. For my peace of mind, I’d put it there anyway.

While Elliot asked for their drink preference and prepared it, I took the opportunity to grab the seat at the head of the table. Ryan and Daphne sat on the chairs closest.

It wasn’t catching a ride with them for an uninterrupted conversation, but it was something. A small win.

“When did you guys get to New York?” I asked for the sake of No Awkward Silence. I needed to stay cool, calm, and collected. They were just people. Normal people adored by half the world. “You’re LA based, right?”

From behind, Elliot gladly let them know, “This one loves to do her research.”

He set the first two cups of coffee—Ryan’s and his—on the table, then went back to the cart behind us.

Another way-too-big smile. I paired it with a shrug and hoped they couldn’t tell how forced it was when I asked, simply to keep myself busy, “Sugar, Ryan?”

“I’d take some,” Elliot commented from behind, and I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.

Meanwhile, Daphne shook her head for Ryan. “His manager would kill him, then you for offering.” She laughed.

“If it was up to me, I’d have the entire plate of cookies you guys prepared,” he agreed. “Unfortunately, it’s not.”

I did not envy that. I liked eating healthy, and I tried to avoid fast food, but never strictly. If I wanted pizza, I’d get a pizza. Then again, I wasn’t paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to look a certain way on screen. Maybe I’d diet strictly for that kind of money too.

“If it was up to the casting directors of his next project, you’d put salt in his coffee instead to keep him from drinking it,” Daphne went on.

But all I heard was salt in coffee, and all I saw in my head was Elliot, spitting it across the table. I nodded understandingly, continued listening to Daphne and Ryan bickering about his diet, and hoped they didn’t notice how I grabbed the saltshaker instead of the sugar.

“Anyway.” Daphne sighed. “Yeah, we got in from LA last night. But we’ll be staying in the city until the Annual. I’m not the biggest fan of the West Coast.”

Poisoning Elliot was easier than it should’ve been. I pushed the salt back into the middle of the table just in time to follow the rest of their conversation. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I wasn’t quite sure if it was still just their presence or the salt dissolving in his coffee.

Ryan gave Daphne a playful glance. “She makes it sound so casual. Like she hasn’t been begging to do this.”

A gasp. A giggle. Both sounds bleeding into one as Daphne rolled her eyes ironically. “Don’t reveal that! Eve said to play it casual,” she mocked. “We’re not supposed to tell them I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited.”

“My publicist,” Ryan added for context. “Who doesn’t know that the first gift I got Daffy was a vintage Ashwood necklace, so I don’t think she’ll be able to play this casual,” he added, grin on his face, eyes still on her. I’m glad she can’t written in the green of them.

“Well.” I laughed, trying not to melt at how clearly in love they were. “I’m happy to report that I’ve been told to play it casual, too. And I’m not sure how great of a job I’m doing.”

But my nerves were finally starting to settle. Maybe I was slowly getting used to sitting at the same table as Daphne and Ryan. Maybe I was a little excited to see Elliot spray his coffee across that table in a few minutes. Who knows.

My confession was as much of an attempt to make them feel better about themselves as it was necessary to get off my chest. “I’m a huge fan. Of both of you.”

Ryan’s smile turned genuine, showing perfect white teeth and crinkles around his nose. “Your gasp when we walked in kind of gave it away,” he joked. “But you recovered quickly.”