10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Sage

" A re you sure you're okay ?" I glance at Sire's busted lip.

I called August to ask for his opinion on my outfit, but he brought up some fight they got into, so I called Sire to make sure he was okay. Not only does he look unharmed besides the lip, which he claims was a cheap shot, but he is relatively unfazed, so I know it's not serious. I'd normally scold them for fighting, especially in public, as such big public figures, and I don't condone violence, but they said this guy started it for no reason, which isn't cool.

"Yes, Sage. Finish your makeup."

I glance at Cara, and she tells me it's okay to keep talking, but I really should let her get back to work, so I tell Sire I love him before hanging up.

"Sorry about that." I put my phone down and turn back to Cara.

"It's okay." She gets her makeup pallet, and I close my eyes as she starts applying my eyeshadow. "I hope this isn't inappropriate, but your brothers are hot." She sort of whispers, and when I laugh, I sense her relaxing.

"It is inappropriate, but I want you guys to feel comfortable enough around me to make inappropriate jokes."

My team has been working with me for almost a year now, and I feel like they are comfortable around me, but they're too professional.

"We are," Annet voices. "Angie sort of traumatized all of us, and we would prefer not to end up like your last two teams, so we try to be on our best behavior."

I cringe at the reminder of my past teams. Annet has been here the longest as my personal hairstylist, so she knows how both catastrophes went. I was too nice, as Angie put it, and they got way too comfortable. A lot of them didn't even listen to me, and I'm not a demanding or bossy person, but I am sort of in charge, in this room at least, and it was just a nightmare.

Angie fired them because I felt too bad to do it, and when my new team came, she was strict with them. She eased off after a while, but it clearly took a while for them to warm up.

"That's fair, but Angie is my agent. I love you all and won't fire you because you called my brother hot, so please don't be afraid to talk to me like I'm your friend because I like to think we are… friends, I mean."

I still have my eyes closed, but when I feel Cara steps away, I open them and glance around the room.

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah."

"No, literally."

I laugh at how they all seem to suddenly breathe normally.

"On a serious note, your brothers are really hot," Lynn voices, and Annet agrees. I try not to cringe when they start fawning over them. "August has a girlfriend, right?"

I nod with a smile. "Yup, he's been with Hazel for a while now." August is so obsessed with that girl. They started dating in college and he told me about her the same day he met her. She is practically my sister-in-law at this point. I love her.

"But Sire…"

I glance at Lynn as she passes Cara a different brush.

"He's single, right?"

I shake my head no but don't elaborate. Sire is technically single, but the whole family is holding their breath on the chance that he'll get back with Vidia because they're meant to be, and no one can tell me otherwise.

Ever since he and Vidia broke up, the mention of her name alone would set him off, but she recently moved back to LA, and now I think their relationship isn't too bad. I'm honestly not sure where they stand, but if they don't get back together, then I refuse to believe in love.

A few of the girls look discouraged at the fact that they're both unavailable and I bite back a laugh.

Angie walks in a few minutes later with Mel.

"Hello, pretties."

They both smile at me, and Angie nods her head off to the side, indicating she wants to speak with me alone.

"You can speak freely in front of everyone here, Ang."

She glances around the room, and I remain seated, waiting for her to speak. I trust my team, plus they all signed an NDA, so I wish she trusted them like I do.

"Mr. Moore invited you to his event tomorrow tonight."

I turn in disbelief, and Ang smiles proudly at me.

"I didn't know he was having another runaway show?!" I eagerly grab my phone to look for a message I might have missed, and as soon as I open my email, I see a message from Vincent sent a few minutes ago.

I'm already reading it as Ang starts explaining. "It's not a runway show. It's going to be like the after party he had the night of the show, classy and calm."

I nod mindlessly as I read the rest of his email. "He wants me to wear one of his new pieces?" I look up at my agent, and she looks so excited, you'd think she was the one who got invited to another Moore event.

She picks up the bag in her hand, and I stand up, remembering to rise slowly since I only had a small breakfast today.

"When did he send this?!" I eagerlypeak into the bag, and my breath catches my throat when I see the material of the dress.

"Someone just dropped it off."

I pull out the dress, and every person audibly gasps. "Holy cow, this is–"

"Beautiful."

"Stunning."

"Wow."

I place the dress against me and turn in the mirror, and… wow . It's a perfect emerald green, practically matching my eyes. One side is strapless, while the other is covered in diamonds that crawl down to the chest. They shine so bright; I wouldn't be surprised if they're real. I lift the dress a bit higher and notice a slit, sure to reveal one of my legs.

My team crowds around me to admire the dress in the mirror and my face is starting to hurt with how much I'm smiling.

"Okay, let me put it back before it gets dirty." That would be a freaking nightmare. As soon as it's in the safety of the bag, I steal another glance at it and let out a small squeal. "Oh em gee!"

The room is filled with everyone's laughter, and I glance at Ang in the mirror as I sit back at my vanity. "What does Helena's dress look like?" My makeup team gets back to work, but in the mirror, I notice Angie's brows furrow.

"She didn't get invited."

Cara freezes in the middle of blending my foundation, and the rest of the room goes quiet.

"Are you sure?" I assumed Helena also got invited since we usually both get invited to things like this. Brand deals and designers, of course, want the biggest models in the industry, and Helena and I are head-to-head for a lot, which is why we do a lot of our photo shoots together.

Angie isn't her agent, but she knows everything about everything, so when she confirms with a head shake, I have no words.

Cara and Lynn swap as they do my makeup, and I'm quiet for a few minutes. I steal a glance at Mel, and she's already watching me. She shakes her head at my silent question, but it's understandable why she wasn't invited since she's still new here.

"Was Quinn invited?" She was getting a lot of publicity after Vincent's show but Angie shakes her head no. "Nin?"

No again.

I open my mouth to say another one of The Core Eight, but Angie beats me to it.

"Mr. Moore only invited you."

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, and I close it again.

What?

I'm shocked at first, but then I immediately feel horrible. All of the other girls were amazing at Vincent's show, yet I was the only one invited to his next event.

"Maybe it's just his way of saying thank you for modeling so many extra pieces."

"Or maybe he wants you to model for him."

"No way." I let out a nervous laugh, but I feel my excitement building up at the thought alone. Angie only shrugs with a smirk playing on her face, and when I glance at Mel, she raises her brows.

"You better not turn him down if he offers you to be a Moore Girl." Angie sends me a pointed look, but I didn't need the warning. I'd have to be insane to turn down anything he asked of me.

Cara and Lynn finish my makeup, and before I know it, I'm smiling at the camera for my new headshot pictures.

Since we took twice as long, I'm not done until an hour after what we were supposed to be, and that doesn't seem bad, but I was up until the sun rose because I was editing a video. I was able to post it on time, so I guess it was worth it.

I post a video twice a week on Famoura, and when I miss a video, my followers literally blow up my DM's. It's honestly sweet to see how much they love my content, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Like last night.

Helena came out to see my headshot pictures, and as we walk to my room, I can't stop myself from asking what I'm dying to know. "Did you get invited to the Moore event tomorrow night?" I know Angie said I was the only one with an invite, but maybe Helena also got an email and didn't tell–

"Nope."

My head snaps to her, but she keeps her eyes forward as we walk.

"I have a photo shoot anyway, so it's fine; I didn't want to have to cancel."

"Oh." I nod to myself. "Who's the photo shoot with?"

She only shrugs but doesn't say anything else. I know the rest of The Core Eight have two huge photo shoots tomorrow, but I thought Helena wasn't in it, either way, I don't question her.

"Vincent sent me the prettiest dress ever. Wanna see—"

"I'm running late for something."

I stop short when she suddenly pivots.

"Send me a pic, though."

"Oh, yeah, okay."

She walks off but turns to me. "Congrats, by the way." She sends me an air kiss, and I feel my smile growing.

I walk into my room, and as I grab my things, I get a Famoura notification.

L.Walker started following you.

I open the app, and when I click on Liam's account, a smile touches my lips when I notice he's only following one person. I follow him back, although he has no post, and a second later, I get a text from him.

Are you on that app 24 hours of the day?

Says the one on the app LMAO

Fair.

You free tonight?

I'm free now!

I'll meet you at your place.

I like his message before tucking my phone away.

This whole friends-with-benefits thing worked out perfectly for both of us, and I'm glad I was honest with him about not seeing this becoming more than what it is.

The drive to my house isn't too long, and as I park, I notice Liam driving up behind me.

By the time I'm out of my car, he has removed his helmet and climbed off his bike, closing the distance between us.

"Hey." I smile up at him, and to no one's surprise, he doesn't smile in return.

"What's up," he glances at my hair before his eyes meet mine again. "Your hair looks pretty. Did you just get it done?"

"Thank you! Yes, I just did it yesterday." I run a hand through my faux locs as we step into the building, and when he walks in front of me, I get a closer look at his helmet.

"How'd you get a KD helmet? That one just released and there were only two of them."

He looks down at his helmet, and when he looks over at me, he looks like I'm speaking a different language. "How do you know that?"

I laugh at his obvious shock as we step onto the elevator. "Because my brother has the other one and was just about ready to give his firstborn for it." That's not an exaggeration, August literally said he'd give up his firstborn child for that helmet and Hazel did not find that funny. They don't even have kids, and I don't think she wants any, but she hates that he even has a bike.

The boys used to street race, and August never really let that life go, but Hazel hates it, so he doesn't do it. He'd never give up his bike though, even if he barely rides it anymore.

Liam rolls his eyes at something before looking forward. "I'm acquainted with the designer."

My jaw drops. "You're friends with Kai Drew ?!"

"Acquaintances." He corrects me, but he says it like it's nothing.

"I think my brother would kill to be friends with you."

He lets out a scoff and turns to me. "I can bet this helmet he wouldn't." He's stepping out of the elevator before I can question him. Since my penthouse is the only one on this floor, he walks straight to my door.

"How come you don't follow anyone on Famoura?"

He shrugs as I unlock my door. "I don't like anyone enough to care about what they post."

"But you followed me?" I say with a laugh, and when I look over at him, his eyes are already on me, but he doesn't say anything and a smile creeps onto my face. "Is that you saying you like me?" I tease, and he rolls his eyes at me, but I swear I see him biting back a smile as he steps into my apartment.

"It's just social media."

"Hey, they're your words, not mine." I put a hand up in defense as I smile over at him. "Just admit it." I tilt my head to the side, and he shakes his head at me as he closes the distance between us.

"I followed you to see these pretty dimples." He kisses my cheek, and with him being so close, I steal a kiss on his lips.

"And because you like me," I add, and a smirk tugs at his lips.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, pretty girl."

I feel my brows furrow when I notice a bruise forming under his eyes, but he walks over to my couch, and I decide not to probe him about it.

"Do you want to watch a movie? I saw this video of a girl reciting Bling's and Cyrus's entire rap battle, so now I want to rewatch Let It Shine . Have you seen it before?"

He nods and takes a seat on my couch. I tell him I'm going to change out of this dress and rush off to my room. I think of putting on regular clothes, but I don't plan on going anywhere, so I throw on the pajamas I wore last night, and it's a little revealing, but it's nothing he hasn't seen. I walk into my kitchen and put some popcorn in the microwave before pulling out my phone to order some food.

I've been following Helena's meal plan, so I make sure I get something on her plan. I've still been hungry after every meal since her suggested portions are smaller than mine, but I don't mind. It's sort of like a diet.

When I walk to the couch, I notice Liam on the phone. "I told you I can't, and after last time, I don't want to."

My brows furrow as his voice morphs between concern and annoyance, it sounds as if he's having the same conversation from the studio.

I pick up the control and turn to the TV.

"I'll send her some flowers or something. Tell her it's from me." He definitely sounds annoyed now. I steal a glance at him, and he looks a bit worried again. "Fine, I'll go see her." It sounds like the other person is saying something, but Liam hangs up.

"Everything okay?" When he doesn't respond, I turn to him, and he's nodding as he types something into his phone. I have no idea who the she is that he was talking about, but she clearly made him upset, and I really, really hope he doesn't have a girlfriend, and if he does, I hope they only recently got together because I would feel so bad if he cheated on her with–

"Why are you making that face?"

I change my face as I turn to him. "Are you sure you don't have a girlfriend?" I blurt out, and he studies me for two whole seconds before looking back at his phone.

"I don't have a girlfriend. It's family."

I nod in return as he looks back at his phone, but it's clear something is upsetting him.

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask gently, and he shakes his head before turning his phone off and turning to me. "You look like you need a hug." I open my arms out to him, and he watches me with a confused look.

"You really are too good for this world, beloved." He almost sounds disappointed, but I don't respond and hug him instead. He feels tense at first, like he's never been hugged, and doesn't know what to do, but I squeeze him tighter, and his arms immediately come around me.