Verdict: she wasn’t.
I gave her a sheepish smile, cheeks burning like I’d swallowed a radiator.
I thought I’d been subtle.
Apparently not.
Octavia laughed, a silvery sound. ‘You thought Ash and I were a thing, didn’t you?’
I groaned. ‘Yeah... I might’ve read that whole situation completely wrong. Sorry, that was just being dumb.’
She grinned. ‘Don’t worry, you’re not the first woman to assu that. But trust —he’s all yours. Ash and I are related.’
‘You are?’ I tried to recollect if I’d detected any resemblance in their features, but ca up empty; after all, didn’t all beautiful people sort of look alike?
‘I’m a distant cousin on his mum’s side. We weren’t close growing up, only started reconnecting a few years ago.’
So Dominic Everett had been chatting shit?
Or maybe I’d ssed up the na?
Was there another actress he’d been gossiping about?
Before I could untangle that ss, Octavia continued, ‘It’s obvious he really likes you. I’m happy for him, honestly. Took him long enough to find soone he actually wants to marry.’
She gave this look—warm and kind and a little nostalgic. ‘Ashton was... difficult as a kid. Bit of a loner. For the longest ti, I didn’t think he’d ever settle down.’
She didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t press.
Didn’t seem right to dig into Ashton’s childhood when we were out here lying to half of Skyline City.
And as for her comnt about him liking ?
I had no bloody idea where she was getting that from.
Still, I pasted on my best bashful smile.
Octavia studied .
Then she leaned in across the table, eyes gleaming.
‘Co here. I’ve got a secret for you.’
I leaned in without thinking, totally hooked.
She cupped one hand around her mouth and whispered into my ear, ‘I’m actually married. Two kids. So you don’t have to worry about and your husband getting too cosy.’
My jaw dropped so fast it nearly cracked the floor.
I just stared at her, blinking like a malfunctioning android.
Octavia Grey—the goddess of screen, everyone’s favourite unattainable icon—wasn’t just taken.
She had kids. Plural.
She’d never gone around shouting about being single, but no one had ever ntioned a husband, let alone tiny humans she’d birthed.
The woman had been on every screen and billboard since I was fifteen.
When the hell did she have ti to grow humans?
She raised one finger to her lips like we were co-conspirators. ‘You’ve got to keep this between us, okay?’
‘Yeah... of course.’ I nodded like a dazed puppy, then blurted out, ‘Can I get your autograph?’
Smooth. Real smooth.
But Yvaine would’ve killed if I didn’t ask.
Octavia laughed. ‘How many do you want? I’ll sign ‘em all.’
***
Dinner wrapped, and I climbed into Ashton’s car for the ride back.
I was still halfway between impressed and scandalised about Octavia’s mum-life reveal.
The entertainnt industry was crawling with secrets, apparently.
On screen, she was the ice-queen CEO type.
In person?
Warm. Funny. Chill.
anwhile, Eliza Black, TV’s favourite cupcake in heels, was about as cuddly as a parking warden in rush hour.
Sowhere between red lights, I rembered what Octavia had said earlier—that Ashton liked .
I peeked sideways.
He was sitting to my right, silent, face unreadable as usual, eyes shadowed in the low lighting.
It almost looked as if he was napping, except his posture was anything but relaxed.
I dismissed Octavia’s words.
Ashton wasn’t in love.
At least not with .
He had a precious ex stashed sowhere in his chest like a vintage wine no one else was allowed to touch.
Still... even if he didn’t like , not really, he’d been good to .
That part I couldn’t deny.
He’d been careful. Attentive. Almost gentle, in his own terrifying way.
I sneaked another peek.
My gaze stalled on that jawline.
He looked intense even when he wasn’t supposed to be.
The man tackled everything with the sa laser-focused, maddeningly sincere attention.
No wonder he’d climbed to the top of the billionaire food chain at an age when most people were still figuring out how not to drown in student loans.
Take our fake marriage, for instance.
He hadn’t just planned it; he’d rehearsed it.
Scheduled sessions. Run-throughs. Bullet points.
At the ti, I’d thought it was overkill, a kind of neurotic control-freak move.
But apparently it worked.
Octavia, an actress trained to lie for a living, hadn’t suspected a thing.
Speaking of rehearsals...
There was still one scene we hadn’t nailed.
I stole another glance at him.
Despite the polite two inches of distance between us, I could feel the heat radiating off his thighs.
Sothing in my lower belly fluttered—hot, reckless, and impossible to ignore.
I reached over and pressed a button
The privacy screen between us and the driver slid up.
Ashton glanced at , eyebrows tugging together.
I twisted my upper body so I was facing him.
‘Thanks for bringing to et Octavia.’
Then I leaned in.
One quick kiss. Just a soft press of lips to his cheek.
A second later, I was turning back to face front like it hadn’t just happened.
The car was dark. Quiet.
But I could feel his stare.
When I dared look again, his eyes had gone low and dangerous, lit up with sothing wild and hungry.
‘That’s not the kind of kiss I want,’ he said.
‘W-what kind of—’
Didn’t finish the sentence.
Couldn’t.
Ashton lunged at .
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