Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

ZAYN

I stared at the city outside my office window, my mind a whirl of thoughts that refused to settle. The buzz of New York traffic below barely registered as I replayed the conversation with Marigold over and over again in my head.

I had not been able to stop thinking about it. Part of my brain refused to believe it really happened. I would wake up in the middle of the night, and for a brief second, I convinced myself it was a nightmare.

And then reality sank in.

"It's going to be messy," Kate said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She was perched on the edge of my desk, her tablet in hand, tapping away as she spoke.

"I know," I said, not bothering to turn and look at her.

"But we can make it work if we announce that Marigold had to go home to help her father and his health. We'll say the long-distance relationship wouldn't work."

I shook my head immediately. "No. Not happening." I wasn't going to use Marigold or her father as a convenient excuse to end things. It wasn't fair to her. "I broke up with her," I said firmly. "That has to be the message. Can't we keep it vague? Why does anyone need to know what broke us up? Shit happens. Couples break up all the time."

I looked over my shoulder when I didn't hear her respond.

Kate gave me one of her patented blank stares, the kind that made it clear she thought I was being na?ve. "Because the public wants to know everything these days. You can thank social media for that." She set her tablet down and got to her feet. "People will fill in the blanks if we don't give them the narrative. And trust me, the stories they'll come up with on their own will be much worse. Your reputation will take a huge hit. They'll spin stories out of nothing. A glimmer of a rumor will explode into a massive scandal. Anyone you've ever looked at will come out of the woodwork to tell their own sleazy story about you."

I let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. It was true, of course. Privacy was a luxury that people like me simply didn't get to have. The minute you stepped into the spotlight, the world claimed a piece of you. But this wasn't just about me. I couldn't drag Marigold into this mess more than she already had been.

"I don't care about my reputation," I said, finally turning around to face Kate. "But what I do care about is Marigold. I won't let her become a casualty of this breakup."

Kate crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at me. "Look, Zayn. I get it. You still care about her. But you can't protect her from everything, especially not from the public's curiosity."

She was right, of course. No matter how much I wanted to shield Marigold from the inevitable fallout, there was only so much I could do. And yet, I couldn't just sit back and let it happen.

"Is there any way you guys could work it out?" she asked softly.

If only.

"No."

"Zayn—"

"The damage is done," I murmured, not quite able to meet Kate's gaze. Guilt gnawed at me like a starved animal.

Kate sighed, one manicured nail rubbing her temple. "Well, we'll figure something out. We always do." She fixed me with a determined look. "In the meantime, lay low. The less you're seen out and about, the fewer stories there will be. Don't put yourself in a position to be asked questions. No matter how you answer the question, it will be twisted to make you look bad. Or her."

We went back and forth for what felt like hours, discussing different angles and narratives, each one more distasteful than the last.

Eventually, we landed on something that I could stomach. Something that protected her. I got cold feet and realized marriage wasn't for me. Simple, believable, and most importantly, it didn't paint Marigold in a bad light. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough.

"The board's not going to like this," Kate warned, but I waved her off.

"The board can go fuck themselves," I said. "I'll take the heat."

"Your reputation is going to take a huge hit," she added, as if I didn't already know. "The nonprofit deal will fall through, and the media will have a field day."

I nodded, resigned. "I'll survive. People forget fast. In a few months, this will be old news. My brothers knew the nonprofit deal was a long shot. We'll just go back to the drawing board."

"For the love of God, please don't get caught with your pants down with another woman," she said. "And I mean it. No women. If you need to get laid, go out of the country. Use a fake identity and don't get seen."

"Wow, I didn't realize we were still in high school," I shot back, sarcasm heavy in my voice. "Working on fake identities now, are we? The ladies will love that."

Kate didn't laugh. Her gaze was sober and serious. She knew the game better than anyone else, had seen fortunes crumble overnight for far less than a man caught with his dick out.

"Trust me, Zayn," she said quietly, her tone lacking its usual edge. "No one is untouchable. You think you're different but you're not. You can't afford another scandal right now."

I shrugged nonchalantly, acknowledging her words. "I get it, Kate. I'll be careful. Let's focus on handling this breakup first."

I didn't tell her I had zero desire to hook up with another woman. I could only imagine touching one woman. And she was halfway across the country.

Kate nodded, her stern expression softening a little. "Alright, let's do it then," she said, picking up her tablet again and beginning to type furiously. "I'll write up a statement for you to review. Make sure it feels right. We want it to seem sincere."

"You know this is only temporary," I said.

"Doesn't make it any easier," she said.

She knew as well as I did that in our world, the news cycle moved quickly. Today's scandal would be tomorrow's forgotten headline. People had short memories. There was always another salacious headline on the horizon. The goal was to lay low and let it blow over.

"Alright," she said, gathering her things. "Run it by Marigold. Make sure she's okay with the statement before we go public."

I nodded. "I will."

As Kate left, Hayes stepped into the office, his expression serious. He shut the door behind him and sat down in the chair opposite my desk, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"How'd it go?" he asked, his tone careful.

I let out another sigh, running a hand through my hair. "We've got a plan. Kate will write the statement, and I'll get it to Marigold to approve. I'm not saying anything, yet. I'm waiting for Marigold to give the green light."

Hayes nodded, but I could see him looking at me, like he was trying to see through my outer layer. "How are you feeling about all this?"

I sat down and leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. How was I feeling? That was the million-dollar question. I felt empty. Like something important had just slipped through my fingers, and I hadn't even realized I was holding it until it was gone.

"I wish I'd talked to her sooner," I admitted, my voice low. "Really listened to her. I got so caught up in what this engagement would do for me—for us—that I didn't stop to think about what I was asking her to give up."

Hayes watched me carefully. "We're lucky things didn't go further. It could have been worse, Zayn."

"Yeah," I agreed, though it felt like cold comfort. "But it doesn't change the fact that I put her in an impossible position. I was selfish."

Hayes didn't argue with that. He knew me well enough to know when I was beating myself up, and he also knew better than to try and talk me out of it.

"Dad's going to be confused and disappointed," Hayes said after a moment, his tone measured. "Kathy too. She liked Marigold. Everyone did."

The mention of my family sent another wave of guilt crashing over me. I hadn't really thought about how this would affect them. I'd been so focused on figuring out how to manage the public fallout that I hadn't considered the personal one.

"I'll have to tell them before the news breaks," I said, my voice flat. "They deserve to hear it from me first."

Hayes nodded in agreement. "Sooner rather than later. Give everyone time to cool off before Christmas. The last thing we need is turmoil before the holidays."

He was right, of course. Kathy and Dad had just gotten engaged themselves, and they deserved to have a peaceful Christmas, wrapped in their blossoming love. The last few years had been hard enough on them without me adding to the drama.

"Before you head off to do that, let's make a game plan," Hayes said, leaning back in his chair. His gaze was sharp, all business now. "We need a solid response to the tabloids, something that doesn't suggest any blame on either side."

I nodded, chewing on the end of my pen. "Kate's statement will say I'm to blame. I got cold feet. Dad will certainly believe it."

We both knew it wasn't too farfetched.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know this isn't easy. You can claim it's not a big deal, but we both know better."

I looked at him, a lump forming in my throat. "It is a big deal," I admitted, my words barely audible. "I messed up big time, didn't I?"

"You thought you were doing what was best."

"Yeah." I scoffed, raking my hand through my hair again. "Look where that got me."

"Everyone messes up, Zayn," he said softly. "Maybe you can talk to her. Fix this thing."

"No," I said.

He nodded, clearly understanding I wasn't going to budge. "There's no shame in admitting you fell for her."

"I'm not ashamed of anything," I said. "I'm doing what's right for everyone. We'll go with the backup plan for the nonprofit. It will still work out."

He got to his feet. "Okay."

After he left my office, I took a minute to process it all. Once the statement was out, it was over. Marigold and I would be over. I doubted I would ever see her again.

That stung more than I cared to admit.

I picked up my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found my dad's number. "We need to talk," I texted him, my thumb hovering over the send button for a moment before I finally pressed it.

I set the phone down on my desk, feeling the weight of what was to come. I wasn't looking forward to that conversation, but it had to be done.

I needed to tell him before he saw the statement. Like Hayes said, I was giving them plenty of notice to be shocked, sad, and eventually accept it.

Now if I could just move on too, that would be great.