Billion Dollar Boyfriend (Celebrity Love)

Chapter Eighteen

It took Shelby a full minute to pull herself back to her surroundings after reading Aiden's text. As the chatter of people who brushed past her and the roar of engines from vehicles passing by faded back into her awareness, she blinked hard and gulped in a breath. Then she chanced a glance over her shoulder at the courthouse.

Seraphine still stood where she had left her, and she was looking at Shelby. That wasn't good. Instead of waiting for the next light to cross the street, Shelby ambled straight ahead, not sure where her feet would take her.

Aiden was right. She shouldn't be here.

It was pretty clear her relationship with a guy she didn't even know was all but over. On top of that, she'd possibly exposed Aiden's dual identity to the public and had gotten herself on the radar of a British reporter.

How much damage have I done? The question repeated itself in Shelby's mind as she rounded a corner and trudged up the street. She had no idea where she was going, but it was a relief to escape Seraphine's prying eyes.

"Okay, think," she muttered under her breath. Seraphine had heard her say Aiden's name, and she knew her name was Shelby. This could be bad, but maybe not. There were lots of people out there with the first names Aiden and Shelby, and she hadn't given away their last names. And yes, Seraphine had guessed she was American, but Shelby hadn't confirmed where she currently lived. She had only said she was here on assignment.

Even if Seraphine was digging around, trying to expose the life of Tristan Thornbury, she didn't have much to go by. Not that Shelby knew why it mattered anymore. She was keeping the secrets of a stranger who no longer wanted anything to do with her.

Alone in her apartment in Los Angeles, hopping a trans-Atlantic flight to solve the riddle of someone she'd been calling her boyfriend had seemed urgent. Now, wandering aimlessly along the streets of London and surrounded by a city in motion, it only struck her as foolish and a waste of her time.

I'm here, though, she thought. While this was far from the outcome she had wanted, after hours spent crammed into an airplane seat, she wasn't about to head right back to Heathrow and exchange her ticket for the next flight home. And she definitely hadn't traveled this far to spend the day moping around her hotel room. She would have to make the most of being here and find something to do to get her mind off of a guy who had just shown her he wasn't worth her time.

But where to go, and how to get there? Shelby dared another glance at her phone. She hadn't cleared Aiden's text from the screen and she mentally braced herself to see it again when she hit the button to turn the screen on.

Nothing happened. She pressed the button again, but the phone's screen remained dark.

Battery's dead, she realized. The roaming connection must have drained the remaining battery life she'd still had left this morning. She was going to have to navigate London another way today.

Shelby scanned the street, and her eyes landed on a sign for a tube station. She didn't know where she could get to from here, but she was sure there would be maps in the station where she could find some ideas. With her chin raised high, she headed for the stairs that led to the underground platform.

* * *

Dusk was settling over the city when Shelby returned to the street her hotel was on after a day spent shopping on Oxford Street. Her growling stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten anything since the room service oatmeal and fruit bowl she'd ordered before leaving for the courthouse this morning, but then, she hadn't had much of an appetite since her encounter with Aiden.

There was a deli a block away from her hotel and she headed there now, her shopping bags in tow. It was that or room service again, since any energy she'd started the day with was now as depleted as her phone battery after the events of the morning and the hours she had spent browsing stores in a failed attempt to get her mind off of Aiden. Eating dinner alone at a restaurant would only be a painful reminder of how sideways her trip had gone.

Shelby entered the deli and took her place at the back of a line. She scanned the menu posted behind the counter while she waited, settling on a sandwich and side of potato salad to go.

"Well, isn't this funny? Imagine running into you again."

The female voice was familiar, and it made goose bumps appear on Shelby's arms. She turned her head to see Seraphine standing in line behind her.

"Funny" wasn't the word Shelby would have chosen to describe encountering the reporter for a second time.

"Hi," she said, then stopped speaking. She prayed for the line to move faster.

"Found time to do some shopping after your assignment today, I see?" Seraphine nudged her chin at the bags in Shelby's hands.

"Yep." Shelby pursed her lips and turned to face the counter again. The man ahead of her finished paying for his order and stepped to the side. She hurried to the open spot in front of the cashier before Seraphine could say anything else.

After ordering and paying for her food, Shelby moved as far to the side as she could. She kept her eyes glued to the deli worker preparing her sandwich, willing for him to finish putting her order together before Seraphine was done with the cashier.

No such luck. Seraphine sidled over to her a moment later.

"Care to sit and chat while we eat?" she asked. "Unless you're meeting someone here, of course."

Shelby fought back the bile she felt rising in her throat. Something about Seraphine showing up at the same deli within moments of her own arrival and her continued attempts to engage her in conversation seemed suspicious.

"That's a kind offer, but I'm actually getting this to go. I have to meet up with someone in a bit."

Seraphine studied her. "Are you seeing Aiden?"

"Am I seeing Aiden?" Shelby repeated. She willed her voice to remain steady. "Why would you ask that?"

Seraphine shrugged. "You were looking for someone named Aiden this morning and said he was a colleague. I just assumed that's who you're meeting up with since you're in London on assignment and probably don't know that many people around here."

The deli worker called out Shelby's order number. She ripped her gaze away from Seraphine and snatched the bag from the counter.

"I'm not seeing Aiden," Shelby said, taking a step back. "I have plans with an old friend who lives here, and I need to get going. Good to see you again."

Shelby didn't wait for Seraphine to reply. She pushed open the door and made a hasty exit to the sidewalk.

Even though she was tired, she nearly sprinted the block to her hotel. Once she was safely inside her room with the door closed behind her, she set her deli bag on the room's desk and let her shopping bags fall to the floor.

That wasn't a coincidence, she thought. Had Seraphine or someone else been tailing her since she'd left the courthouse? She hadn't noticed anyone hovering close by while taking the tube or wandering around Oxford Street, but then, her mind had been on Aiden for a lot of the day.

Her food forgotten, Shelby walked over to the window and peered down at the street below. She searched for Seraphine's red hair but didn't see her among the people milling around the hotel. She pressed closer to the glass, trying to see further up the block.

A soft knock on the door made her jump.

Did she find my room? Shelby held her breath and waited.

There was another knock, louder this time. She tiptoed across the carpet to the door and chanced a glance through the peephole.

"Shelby?" A muffled voice asked.

"One sec," she croaked.

Her limbs felt like molasses as she unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open, coming face to face with Aiden.