Page 15 of Fallen Heir

I paced my office, my chest tightening with every step. My fingertips tingled, throat dry, as if the oxygen in the room had been sucked out. Panic clawed its way up my throat like wildfire.

Millie didn’t know the truth—she couldn’t. And Jaxson? He didn’t ask questions, just offered a deal I was too stunned to decline.

But that was before I’d actually thought it through. Before the weight of what I’d agreed to came crashing down like bricks on my chest.

I grabbed my phone.

Me:Millie. I need to talk. Now.

I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes, forcing down the rising panic. I couldn’t tell Jaxson the truth. I couldn’t even tell Millie. But I could do one thing.

Get out of this.

Within seconds, Millie was in my office, her heels clicking with purpose. She barely got the door shut before I blurted it out.

“I can’t do this.”

Her brows shot up. “Do what?”

“This. The arrangement. The whole pretend-girlfriend thing.”

I was pacing now, hands flying as the words tumbled out faster than I could stop them. “He asked me to be his plus-one to every event, and I said yes—God, why did I say yes?” I spun back around to face her, practically winded.

“I can’t be in public like that, Millie. I can’t have my face plastered all over social media or tabloids or red-carpet galleries. I can’t have people asking questions, wondering who I am or where I—” I choked on the words.Where I’m from.

Just a few syllablesaway from setting my whole world on fire. My voice cracked, and I threw my hands in the air, exasperated.

“I can’t do this. I cannot do this.”

I stopped pacing just long enough to meet her eyes, desperation tightening around my ribs like a vice. “Please… I need you to take over the account. I’ll handle any other client.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Millie held up both hands, eyebrows knitting together as she stepped in front of me. “Savannah. Breathe.”

I snapped my mouth shut, chest heaving.

I probably looked insane—wild-eyed and rambling like a woman on the edge. My blazer had slipped off one shoulder, my hair was half-frenzied, and my voice had jumped an octave I didn’t know I had. If Millie wasn’t already convinced I was losing it, the pacing probably sealed the deal.

But I couldn’t stop. Not when every word I didn’t say was clawing its way up my throat, demanding to be let out.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Start from the top. What happened? What arrangement? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I took a shaky breath, pacing a little more calmly behind my desk.

“Okay. So—he has this problem. His reputation. Which you, by the way, apparently don’t help. The media paints him like some serial womanizer, which he swears isn’t even true, but honestly, I don’t know what to believe. He shows up to events with a different woman every time, and the press eats it up.”

I stopped and threw a hand in the air.

“And I—I just… blurted it out. I said the only way to fix that is to give them something stable. Consistent. One woman. A fake relationship.”

Millie leaned back slightly, her expression shifting as I spoke.

“So yeah. I said it. Out loud. In front of him. Like an idiot. And then he just looked at me like I’d handed him the Holy Grail.And before I could walk it back, he asked me to be the one.Me.I didn’t even think—I just said yes.”

I stopped pacing, my hands on my hips. “I can’t be that woman, Millie. I can’t have my face out there like that. It’s not just a bad idea, it’s impossible. I need you to take over. Please.”

Millie tilted her head, eyes scanning mine like she was trying to read between the lines. Her brows drew together for the briefest second—then she laughed.

She actually freaking laughed.