Billion Dollar Boyfriend (Celebrity Love)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Shelby burst on to the veranda and made a beeline for Aiden, who was still sitting where she had left him. He took one look at her and was on his feet.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, hurrying to her side.

"I don't know." She handed him her phone. "Emily just sent this to me. She got a text from Wally Hood."

"The celebrity gossip blogger?" Aiden took the phone from her.

"They're friends. She wrote a fashion column for his blog for a little while. I know him, too, since he came to our apartment a few times to meet with Em."

Aiden scanned Emily's text, and then the message from Wally.

Is Shelby in London? I saw this in a chat group for entertainment journalists I'm part of and the photo looks like her. The reporter who posted it is kind of shady and has burned me and some others in the industry before, so I haven't said anything. If there's a story here, you know I want the scoop.

Below that was a screen capture of a post written by Seraphine O'Dell. It included a photo of Shelby outside the courthouse, which Seraphine must have snapped before she'd walked up to her.

Looking for a source I met yesterday in London, Seraphine's post read. I had her contact details but my phone had a meltdown and I lost everything. We agreed to speak for a story I'm working on and it's vital I track her down. Her name is Shelby, she's American, and she said she's media but I didn't catch what outlet she's with. Her last name has also slipped my mind, unfortunately. Has anyone here worked with her or do you recognize her? Grateful for info or if you can put me in touch.

"I can't believe she's still looking for me, or that she's flat-out lying and telling people she had my contact info." Shelby's voice rose to a higher pitch than normal as she spoke.

"I can," Aiden muttered. "She must have figured out you aren't at the hotel anymore."

"This is bad."

"It might not be," he disagreed.

Shelby stared at him. "You read the entire thing, right? She's using other tabloid reporters to hunt me down."

"I think it's okay. It doesn't sound like Wally plans to say anything to Seraphine. If you don't know any other reporters in that chat group, chances are good no one can identify you. I'm just thankful we got you away from the hotel and she isn't stalking you around London right now."

"Me too." She rubbed her arm, feeling the goosebumps on her skin. "I should talk to Emily. She'll have to reply with something to Wally, or he'll get suspicious that there actually is a story here."

"There's a phone in the kitchen, or I can connect your phone to WiFi if you want to use that to call her."

"Thanks. I'll video chat from my phone."

Once her phone was connected to WiFi, Shelby went inside to call Emily.

"Hi!" Emily's concerned face appeared on her screen. From the heavier-than-normal makeup she wore and her carefully-styled hair, Shelby guessed her best friend was on set for the Poppy Azure shoot.

"I got your text," Shelby told her.

"I wasn't sure if your phone was off so I just tried calling the hotel number you gave me, but the front desk said you'd checked out. Where are you?"

"I'm with Aiden. We're at the house where he's staying."

"Does that mean everything is okay with you guys?" Emily squinted at the screen. "Actually, never mind. You're glowing right now, so I think that's my answer."