Chapter 7: Old Flames, New Games

Back at the table, my head was spinning.

Derek cornered me. "You okay, Tyler?"

I rubbed my stomach. "Sorry, Derek. Had stomach surgery a while back—can’t really drink."

He was about to say more, but his eyes bugged out at the business card in my hand. "Is that… President Morgan’s personal card?"

I nodded. That card was legendary—a direct line to Lillian herself.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing good comes without a catch. I looked up, wary, still lowering my voice: "Why would President Morgan give a golden opportunity to a nobody like me?"

She’d just smiled, lips curling. "Maybe… I just find you easy on the eyes."

Classic Lillian. The more I’d gotten to know her, the more I saw her wild streak. Like that night…

Memory crashed in: my hands tangled in her hair, her soft bangs brushing her blind eyes, her fingers trailing down my neck. Her whisper: "Other places are fine. So you have to make your voice louder. Let me hear it."

…

I snapped out of it and made some excuse to ditch Derek.

The next day, my boss called me in. "Tyler, there’s a hit reality show—get ready, you’ll be a special observer."

But when I checked the guest list, my heart sank. Next week’s stars? Nathan Carter and Lillian Morgan.

After that interview, their engagement was all over social media. Pre-show, the comments were on fire:

"They survived everything and made it to the top—true love!"

"Carter family was on the ropes, but Morgan Group saved them."

"#PowerCouple #DramaAlert If you don’t ship them, are you even human?"

I scrolled past quickly and closed the tab.

Tanya, the host, was reviewing the script and chatting with me. "If we can dig up some details about those two years between President Morgan and her fiancé, the show’s gonna be a smash."

I clenched my pen, answering quietly. I knew those years better than anyone. But not a word of it was mine to tell.

I caught my reflection in the studio’s glass—tired, pale, haunted. Every time Tanya pushed for drama, I wanted to run, but I stayed. Swallowing every story only I remembered.