l thing, pressing down on my chest every morning I

as a whispered mix of fear and awe, and I was his p

needs, deflecting his notorious temper, tr

pushed me here, into the

he outer office thick enough to hear my ow

er, a caricature

ight lipstick and a cloud of perfu

new junior something-or-ot

ily lashed, scanned me from he

she announced, her voice

d, not offer

riking a pose that probably

ear, I'm the leading

it yet, but our stor

anifest

sure how to r

ne is in

ved a dismissive han

l only have mee

oice dropping to a consp

background char

et in the way

ansion, a place he'd insisted I move into for "efficie

, being surrounded b

star pendant Marcus had given me after I'd successfully naviga

, a rare, almost accidental gest

the hallway leading

us his morning elixir of love," which I knew was hi

nagged on

ned, then

ed, pointing a perfectly m

aid, my hand instincti

necklace, idiot

did you

ou ste

ve it to me,"

ared, her

ad back and laughed,

hat's

iving you

t be del

lt sorry for yo

ans no

ading lady actual je

r eyes glittering with a

larly wrong – something involving a "surprise" serenade in the studio parking lot that

voice was dangerously so

he studio's ancient, dusty archive room, a job us

is as Marcus wanting her close,

n the breakroom, fuming, when

ou know," she said,

l part of t

s tests the her

landed on me,

sed, "you're tryin

ow yo

k of files I'd left on a nearby table – resea

he floor, pages sca

id, not soundi

msy

r voice

out about your lit

ll see you for the pat

things

ackwood Pictures, the one no o

could ruin him

od ran

arcus's most guarded secr

f she was unstable eno

my voice even, "you shouldn't talk

rmation is

ust l

s for you

it's le

see how val

the scattered pape

ional, she was a liab

g, Tiffany was

I was actively tryin

s main office, a concession he'd made after the guest w

p to me, a steami

c blend, I could smell the

she declared, gesturing

horne needs to be

ffee, and scalding liquid splas

y hand back, the bu

any said, her voice drip

so clums

s in t

smir

to fetching things, like

apestry woven from bad rom-coms an

she was the plucky, misunderstood heroine desti

e, that she'd "written the script" for their love st

ave" him from his lonely, workaholic life, a plot

t as the "mean girl" obstacle, the

n funny if it was