Chapter 23: Soph

A knock on the suite door dragged me away from staring at a blank page. My blog had gained considerable traction over the last few months, and while I expected it to diminish with this latest scandal, if anything the number of collaboration requests in my inbox had doubled. Apparently any publicity was good publicity.

Mark stood on the other side of the door, wearing dark jeans and a grey knit pullover, but I couldn't even muster up the energy to appreciate his casual attire. Instead, I looked at him and saw a familiar figure who'd been a constant in my life over the past year. Even with his robotic ways, I found some source of comfort from his presence.

"He's not here," I said. "He's got a—"

"It's you I want to talk to."

Oh, shit. Should I invite him inside? No, that would be far too weird. I stepped out onto the landing and let the door click shut behind me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"It's a follow on from our chat the other day. When I said you're just as important as him, I meant it."

"Okay. I believe you."

I didn't want to rehash that conversation, but I suspected Mark had another reason for coming up here.

"I know things are tough right now, Sophia. Please don't misinterpret what I'm about to say."

My stomach flipped. When did Mark ever preface his words with a warning? Was I really so messed up that he needed to soften his stance? Or did he worry this would tip me over the edge?

"Okay..." I laced my fingers together to stop me from fidgeting.

"I want you to sign me as your protection officer."

"Is that not what... I mean, you already are, right?"

He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. Again, it was such an unusually casual thing for him to do. There had to be something else going on here.

"I'm Ed's protection officer. Currently, you're an extension of him. I want you to sign me separately."

"And why would I do that...?"

He pinned me with a heavy stare, one that seemed to will me to read his mind. No such luck. This whole conversation was baffling.

"Because then I'm legally obliged to protect you as your own entity. Not as an extension of Ed."

"Look, Mark..." I scraped a hand through my hair. "Your tact has been noted and appreciated. Please just give it to me straight like you normally would."

A tense silence hummed between us. Up here, on the small landing outside the suite, he didn't fill the space with his usual overwhelming presence. Maybe it was the casual clothes. Or the careful words. Or the way he leaned against the wall instead of standing tall at his usual six-foot-whatever.

The more I considered it, the faster the nerves swirled through my stomach. I clasped my hands together again, running the pad of my thumb along the band of turtles circling my finger.

Eventually, Mark straightened up.

"If you and Ed decide to go your separate ways, you'll be on your own. You're going to need protection. Sign me now, and it will seem like a cautionary step in light of your panic attack. I'll be under contract with you for a year. Nobody will be able to tell me to drop you as a client until that year is up. It guarantees your protection regardless of what happens."

I'd asked for it straight, and he'd given it to me. His emerald eyes never once left mine, but when his tall figure began to blur, I realised I lacked the same mental strength.

"Sorry." I cleared my throat and directed my gaze upwards to stop the humiliating tears from falling.

"Don't apologise. It's a difficult time. Emotions are high."

"I appreciate the offer, Mark, honestly. I'm not planning on leaving him—"

"I'm not suggesting you are. This isn't about you and Ed as a partnership or separated. It's about you protecting yourself, regardless of him. Whether together or not."

"I won't be able to afford you."

"You don't need to worry about that."

I didn't like how that sounded. Had Ed put him up to this? That would be so typical of him, and it didn't sit right with me. Why should his protection be compromised? Arguably he faced more threats than me. At least mine were restricted to stupid fan girls whose only weapons were words. Hurtful, heart-breaking words—but words all the same.

"Even if I could afford you," I said, choosing to bypass the money aspect for the time being, "I can't take you away from Ed."

"Jeremy will lead Ed's protection. I've taught him everything he knows. There's nobody better."

"Did he put you up to this?"

"No."

His poker face rivalled Ed's. I wasn't an idiot, though. Mark would not be up here, offering this to me, on his own.

"What did he ask for, then?"

A small sigh escaped through Mark's nose, the only crack in his armour.

"Nothing. I'm going to email you a contract. Get your lawyer friend to review it for peace of mind."

"Does Helen know about this?" I asked.

"I don't work for Helen."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

Mark reached to press for the lift, and the doors immediately parted. "We're colleagues. There's no hierarchy. Let me know if you have any questions once you've reviewed the agreement."

*

I was eating Chinese takeout when Ed breezed through the suite door later that evening. The bounce in his step, and the handsome grin on his face, almost fooled me into believing life was normal again.

"Guess what." He hopped over the sofa arm and stole a prawn cracker. "I'm going to collaborate with Michelle Lopez."

I frowned. "Who?"

His smile fell. "Seriously, Soph? The American TikTok star?"

"I don't have TikTok."

"You must have heard of her. Wait. Let me show you a photo."

While he tapped away on his phone, I stabbed a sweet and sour chicken ball. Just as I lifted it to my lips, Ed spun his screen to face me.

A stunning brunette, dressed in denim shorts and a neon pink crop top, sat on a park bench. One toned leg was crossed over the other as she beamed into the camera, her olive skin radiant, glowing. Wavy, dark hair brushed the tops of her shoulders and seemed to almost sparkle in the bright sunlight.

"Recognise her?" Ed asked when I said nothing.

I absolutely did not recognise this gorgeous bombshell that Ed was about to collaborate with. A hot flush spread across my chest and scorched my heart. I set down my cutlery and took a deep breath.

This wasn't good. Not the collaboration—that was great—but my gut reaction terrified me. Even Mark suspected we might break up. How would the world react to Ed cosying up to this beautiful girl? They'd love it. A replacement for me. Someone more in his league.

Anger simmered through my veins as the thought snowballed. This wasn't me. Jealous. Insecure. Why had they made me this way?

"Soph?" Ed's brow furrowed as he locked his phone and dropped it onto the sofa. "You okay? You look really pale."

"Sorry. I'm fine." I took a quick sip of orange juice. "I don't recognise her. I assume she's a singer?"

"Uh, yeah." He was still staring at me with a confused look on his face. "She's popular. Millions of followers. Very different brand to me. Explicit language, sexual lyrics, unapologetic attitude..."

Even amongst my other complicated feelings, the PR part of my brain whirred with excitement. Ed needed no help becoming more successful or famous, but collaborating with someone who represented the exact opposite of his own brand would be huge. The world would love it.

Plus, he'd been toying with the idea of moving away from his squeaky-clean image for a while now. This would be a way to test the waters, take a step away from his usual product, and see how he—and everyone else—liked it.

"How old is she?" I asked.

"Twenty-two. She's very green. I can probably teach her a lot. Not that she needs much help."

"You'd make a good mentor."

It was true. He'd make an excellent mentor.

"Hm. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I just had a weird visit from Mark, that's all."

"Mark? About what?"

"Oh, you know... offering me reassurances about my safety for when you and I inevitably end."

I kept my tone light and jokey, but the colour drained from Ed's face. I couldn't even convince myself. Saying it out loud made my eyes burn. I rose from the sofa and carried my half-eaten food over to the kitchen.

"Did he say that?" Ed followed me, his voice hard.

"Sort of. My fault. He tried to be tactful. I said I wanted it straight."

Leaning against the worktop, I cast my eyes over his body. He'd come home in such a good mood, and now I was going to ruin it. Not intentionally, but this dark cloud wouldn't shift, no matter how much positive news we received.

"He wants me to sign him separate to you or something. Then when we break up, I'll still have a legal right to protection."

Ed's jaw clenched. He scraped a hand through his hair and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"How'd you feel about that?" he asked.

I scoffed. "Like the whole fucking world expects us to break up."

"I don't," he said quietly. "That's not what I expect. Mark wouldn't expect that, either. I think he was probably trying to reassure you."

Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried to banish the negative thoughts. "Your news is great, Ed. Honestly."

He stepped forwards to wrap his arms around me. "Helen took some persuading, but I think this will be good for me. I need to get rid of this good guy brand so people stop putting me on a pedestal. Hopefully that will take the heat off you too."

"I don't want you to have to change for me."

"I'm not. I'm doing the opposite. This good guy brand... it's not me. Maybe parts of it are but I'm feeling more and more like two different people."

I leaned my head against his chest and inhaled his familiar scent. It calmed me, and almost made me believe that everything would be okay.

"Just for the record, I love both versions of you."

***

Thank you for reading :) xx

***

Would you accept Mark's offer if you were Soph?