Turning to Stone (Heart of Stone: Book 2)

Chapter 33: Insecurities

I always gave him my blessing; that was part of our pre-agreed public date strategy, knowing we'd be interrupted and preparing a response that would portray us in the best light.

At first I'd watched him interact with fans and wondered if any of them were the same ones who'd sent messages. Although unlikely, I imagined it anyway: these nervous strangers creeping up to him with fear in their eyes before going home and sharing an explicit photo.

Despite his popularity on a romantic and sexual level, nobody was ever rude to me, and somehow I'd managed to stay in the tabloids' good graces, too. I wasn't naïve, though. At some point, I would be the subject of a scathing story—likely fictional—and I'd have to swallow it with the acceptance that it came as part of the job.

So, after my one-on-one PR briefing with Zola on Monday morning, I held back to ask if she had any old stories about girls associated with Ed. When her brow furrowed in confusion, I explained that I wanted to practise desensitising myself to negative press.

"You're his first public girlfriend. There's never been anyone else to write about."

"I know," I replied. "But surely something must have come into your inbox? Even if it's lies or speculation, I still want to start getting exposed to it."

"I'll write you an article." The offer came from Helen, who leaned in the doorway with a mug of coffee in one hand and her trusty notebook in the other. "Or rather, I'll find you some articles and substitute their names for yours. The internet has plenty to say about women dating famous men. It won't take me long."

An apprehensive chill trickled down my spine at her offer. Knowing Helen, she'd manage to dig out some horrendous stories.

I cleared my throat and straightened up, letting my shoulders drop down to dislodge the tension gathered there. If fake articles scared me, I definitely needed to work on desensitising.

"Thanks," I said. "That'd be perfect."

"My pleasure. Got a moment?" She tipped her head towards the corridor and then pushed off the door frame.

After thanking Zola, I followed Helen out and fell into stride beside her.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"We looked into Holly Weston," she said. "No red flags, but she does enjoy sliding into the DMs of actors, comedians, musicians..."

"How did you get access to her...?" I held up a hand to stop myself, briefly closing my eyes. "Never mind. Don't want to know." Then I reconsidered. "Actually... Has she ever messaged Ed?"

"Several times. Her most recent attempt was two days ago."

An icy blast of anger ricocheted through my body, freezing my feet to the carpet and grinding me to a halt in the middle of the corridor. When Helen noticed I'd stopped, she paused and turned back to face me.

"Does that surprise you?" she asked.

"She knows me! How fucking dare she—?"

"Sophia." Helen held up a finger to silence me, her eyebrows shooting upwards. "Need I remind you—?"

"Yeah." I heaved out a sigh. "I know. Don't worry, I'll be on my best behaviour when I see her. But she's still a fucking snake."

"Some people think celebrities are fair game. You'll need to get used to that."

Bullshit. Holly and I hadn't spoken in years, but she was close to Gabby, and Gabby was close to me, so surely that counted for something?

I tried to ignore the bubbling rage and refocused on the more important part of this discussion.