Chapter 94

Before I could make it to the door, Kai stepped out and wrapped his arms around me.

"Why don't you come for drinks?" he asked, quietly enough that only I would hear.

"No," I replied. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm pretty sure Jack never wants to see me again after I botched that interview so badly."

"That's not true. He still loves you, Juno. I swear he does."

"And I still feel for him, but I think it's too late now."

Kai exhaled and finally let me go. There was a sadness in his eyes but he didn't try to stop me as I walked away. I said goodbye to the others, meeting Jack's eyes only briefly, and hurried away. It was all I could do to keep walking and not throw up. It was too much.

I tried to get the elevator to take me back down, but it seemed busted, and I could feel the tears welling up. Hearing footsteps behind me and dreading that it might be Jack, I kept walking. The corridor turned back the way we'd come, ending in a closed door I didn't dare go through, but it gave me some privacy for a moment.

Drying my eyes, I tried to calm myself down again. The whole situation with Jack had been one huge screw-up after another, but he was so under my skin every time I was close to him that I wanted to offer myself up to him on a platter. My heart ached as I thought about what I'd thrown away. I wanted to go find him and hurl myself at his feet, but I didn't move.

"So, what else put you in a bad mood this evening?" Liam asked, his voice making me stiffen as several sets of feet strode closer. "You were pissed off before we even began the interview."

Fear at being found filled me, but they stopped just around the corner.

"It's nothing, really. Just can't seem to find the invoice that I need to pay. It's the really big one for the company that came in and did all the structural repairs, and I just want to get it paid and stop worrying about it before we head there on Wednesday."

There was silence as no one responded for a moment.

"What?" Jack suddenly said. "Kai. You've got that look on your face. Have you gone and fucking paid it for me? I asked you not to?—"

"It wasn't me," Kai said, sounding more amused than annoyed that his friend was yelling at him. "But yeah, it's already paid."

"No. You didn't… I told you I didn't want anyone paying it for me. I might not be getting any royalties from the song because I trusted a gold digger, but that doesn't mean you guys?—"

"Jack, I didn't pay for it," Kai interrupted him. "Someone else did, so just drop it, accept that someone wanted to do something kind, and let's go have some drinks and relax."

"If this elevator ever actually arrives," Liam added, his voice quieter. It was followed by the click-clack of someone pressing the button repeatedly.

"Then who did pay for it? You clearly know," Jack replied, not letting it go.

"They didn't want me to say."

"I want you to say."

Kai let out a loud sigh.

"It was Juno."

There was a stunned silence, and I froze, not even daring to breathe. Kai had told him.

"Juno?" Jack eventually asked, his voice quieter. "I don't?—"

"When I had my interview with her a few days ago, we talked about the song and what all the terms meant, and she made it clear she'd never wanted the money, only to have the song credited to her name. She had absolutely no idea that one was tied to the other, thanks to the unions and the song going through her agent."

"So she paid for my repairs. Her idea or yours?"

"Hers, when I also told her you'd given up your share so none of the rest of us would lose out. She was mortified, Jack. Couldn't rest until she'd thought of a way to help put it right. I was more than happy to help her."

There was a bing as the elevator arrived, and the three men stopped speaking. I almost rushed out after them, half-finished sentences coming into my mind, but my feet didn't move. Before long, I heard the elevator doors shut, and the men were whisked away.

I couldn't think. All this time, Jack thought I only wanted his money. No wonder he was so angry at me, but did knowing I hadn't intended to take it all change anything?

There was no way to know, but my heart continued to race, and for the first time since I'd walked away from Jack and his island, I wondered if there might be a chance I could go back. Could I give myself to him completely?

Lost in a thousand thoughts and desperate to get back to my hotel room so I could think and figure out exactly how I felt, I finally exited the corridor I'd hidden in and rode the spare elevator back to the ground floor.

I kept replaying the conversation I'd overheard in my head as a taxi took me back to the hotel, and then I hurried inside and up to my room.

After ordering room service, I lay back on the bed and tried to calm myself. It was an almost impossible task, my pulse picking up every time I thought of Jack and how he'd sung the song earlier that day. The emotion he'd put into it and the way he'd made me feel.

Several times, I cried. Sad for everything I'd put him through, everything he'd thought was true, and for how much it hurt that it was all my fault.

Eventually, I managed to dry my eyes and begin thinking about what I actually wanted to do. I knew I had to do something. I had to try and get Jack to see that I loved him if there was even a small chance he'd take me back. And there was only one way I could think to do it. I had to give myself over to Jack completely.

If Jack still loved me, I had to make it clear I didn't just want to be his but that I trusted him and was willing to let him have control in every way possible. I had to show him that I wanted nothing from him but his love in return.

With shaking hands, I reached for my phone and finally pulled out the piece of paper Alma had written her number on. Would she help me? Would she know if Jack was likely to take me back?

It took me another half an hour to write a message I was happy with, but eventually, I sent it, hoping she understood what I was asking and didn't mind that my first message to her in a month was to ask for her help.

Admittedly, I started it by telling her I was a total idiot, and I hoped she could forgive me and help me apologize to Jack in a way that would let him know I was completely sincere.

As soon as it was sent, I got up and had to pace the room, nerves filling my body with adrenaline as I waited for a reply. I had no way of knowing if what I was trying to do was a good idea or not, but I had to try something, and I was going to need some help.

When my phone buzzed to let me know I had a reply, I couldn't get to it fast enough, my whole body a bundle of nerves and tension as I read it.

Of course I'll help you! He still loves you. I know it. And you know Kai told me what you did for him with the money. You've got a good heart.

I exhaled and sank onto the edge of the bed. Someone didn't think I was crazy, but I still had to make the rest work out, and I was going to need Alma's help getting everything in place and picking the right time.