Alpha Billionaire Series
Hot Mess Chapter 30

NICK

"Hey, Nick. Nick!" Isaac grabbed my foot and shook me awake.

I rolled over and looked at my watch. "I don't have to get up for another hour. Go away."

"Get up, Nick. You aren't going to like this."

I sat up and glared at Isaac as he held out his phone to me.

I took it from him. "Fuck."

I kept repeating, "fuck," as I scrolled through the news feed. I was trending. I did not want to be trending, and definitely not for this.

The photos I had found at Kayla's house- I would probably always think of it as her house- had been leaked to the entertainment press. Her bare breasts and my groping hands were the front blog posts on every gossip outlet. There were two different shots that had to have been taken seconds apart.

"Fuck. I ran my hand over my face. Do I have time for a shower?"

"We have hot coffee in the kitchen. I've been on the phone all morning with your agent and their PR team for damage control. Come on down when you're ready."

I grunted. I didn't think I would ever be ready for this.

I was supposed to be headed back to the shoot this morning. A day and a half ago I had just found out that Kayla had been getting blackmailed. The note with the pictures mentioned that she owed them more money or the pictures would be released. She knew how to contact them.

But she never got the latest messages. How long had this been going on?

I took a quick shower and got dressed before heading downstairs to Isaac's office. He was on the phone, so I took a seat. It was a serious call; I could tell because he didn't have it casually on speaker phone.

"Oh, hey, Nick is here. Can I put you on speaker?"

"Lori, I have Nick here. He's been made aware of the situation," Isaac in way of introductions.

"Hi, what's your role in all of this?" I asked.

"Hi Nick. Sorry to meet you under these circumstances. I'm part of the PR team that Barbara May put on this. We would like it if you would make a statement. Our initial thoughts were a simple online statement would suffice, but when Isaac informed us that you had an investigator on retainer and there was a legal issue regarding a blackmail threat, well, we've had to change gears."

"You don't want me to make a statement?"

"We want you to hold a press conference. The team is crafting an opening statement, but we feel that an open and honest Q and A will stop the rumor mill in its tracks. We are in the process of getting the image pulled. But the internet is forever, and screenshots and downloads are beyond our reach."

"Okay." I ran my hand through my hair. "Fine, let's do it. When?"

"We can have something set up by this afternoon. Can we get the young lady from the photos to sit in?"

I stared at Isaac as he took notes. He leaned forward, as if the few extra inches would make her able to hear him better. "Unfortunately, we can't do that."

Lori made loud breathing noises through the phone. "Okay, I'll see what we can do. Can we get a-"

"She is unavailable," I interrupted.

"Okay, okay. I will get everything pulled together on my end. Isaac, I will have the details forwarded to you as soon as we have a location."

"Thanks, Lori." Isaac ended the call. He crossed his arms as he looked at me.

"I've already been in contact with that Pl you hired. I hope he's good. And I hope we can roast whoever did this to Kayla."

I nodded. I did too. "Do you think this is why she wouldn't call me back at first? I mean..." I closed my eyes and tilted my head back with a groan. This was all so f****d up and I didn't have answers and -

"F**k."

"What?"

"Kayla! Oh God, she's alone wherever she is and the pictures are out."

"She probably went home."

I stared at Isaac. "What?"

"She probably went home. Where else is she going to go? She was always talking about her mother."

"Yeah." He was right. "Her cousins are out here, but she didn't seem to like them much. I want the plane ready to go as soon as this press conference is over. I need to call Steve and let him know I won't be returning to the set today. That's going to go over really well with Jeff." This whole situation was just compounding into more and more problems with each passing minute.

"On it." The speaker was ringing.

"Steve," I said the second I heard it connect. "It's Nick."

"You are a person of interest around here this morning."

I let out a heavy breath. "I guess you've seen the news?"

Steve barked out a laugh. "You could say that. Jeff is pitching a fit, he wants you back on set, and I'm not even going to mention May. I'll let you see her social media. Jeff is probably more apoplectic over her right now than you. Did you replace your Kayla? How is she doing in all of this?"

I had to chuckle. Expecting to be the badly behaving cast member, it was a relief to discover I was not. It was also very kind of Steve to be concerned about Kayla.

"Not yet. I think I know where she is. I've got a mess to clean up here and then I'm going to go get her."

"She is welcome back on set at any time. And you know I don't say that often."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

Isaac ended the call. We stared at each other like the idiots we were.

"Why don't you go work out? There's nothing to be done here. I'll let you know the second I hear anything. And stay off the socials. I'll see what nonsense May has posted."

I did my best to distract myself until it was time to make my public statement. I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the hotel my agent's PR team booked. There weren't a lot of reporters. But the way social media worked, I didn't need a lot. I just needed the right ones. Grace gave me a phone consultation and suggested that I wear a blue suit with a silk t-shirt. Business but casual enough to show that I was focused on getting work done.

I could recite lines and perform choreographed fight routines. I had no problems smiling and answering innocuous questions on the red carpet, but this was different. This was important. My gut clenched with unanticipated nerves.

I stepped up to a cheap podium that had seen better days, that the hotel typically covered in color-theme matching drapes and hung some branding sign off the front. Today it was just battered. I read the written statement from the page. I didn't bother trying to act my way through this. The people there got my raw reaction to the situation. They saw my rage, and my fear.

"This morning an unknown source released photos of an incident that happened at a private event. I'm sure by now you have seen the photos. I will not go into details of what was shown. Yes, I am in those photos. I'm not going to deny that. The other person is not a public figure, and these images were not taken at a public event. The party where this incident occurred was at a private home, and neither the public nor the press were invited. These images are a clear violation of privacy. Legal action is being pursued. The images are being pulled from sites as I speak, and I ask that any website, or social media feed to remove the image."

I scanned the crowd before returning to reading the statement.

"In addition..." I looked at the words. I couldn't do this. I crumpled up the paper in my fist.

"Look, whoever took those pictures and released them, you will be found. And I will pursue all legal action against you. You have embarrassed someone I care very deeply for by exploiting an accident that resulted in what you all saw. I failed at protecting someone properly, that's on me. I can only hope the damage you have done can be repaired." I let out a heavy breath.

"I'm supposed to take questions now."

At first, I couldn't focus on the questions as everyone started barking out.

"Hey, hey, one at a time."

Isaac stepped up and pointed at the first reporter.

"Can you tell us who the woman is?"

"She is..." I paused. I didn't want anyone going after Kayla. "For now, we are trying to keep her identity quiet. However, I can tell you she is my fiancée."

The room erupted in noise. I gestured at everyone to quiet down.

"Yes, I am engaged. Only a few people knew. This is not how I had wanted to introduce my future wife. But it seems pertinent so you can understand my anger. I will tell you she is a very private person, and we all need to respect that, especially in light of this situation." "How did you meet her?" Someone called out.

"I won't be answering any questions in regard to my relationship with the victim. But I will answer your other questions."

Isaac began pointing at the reporters with their hands raised.

"Aren't you concerned about your career?"

"What about Captain Wonder?"

I shook my head. "My career will survive this. Regarding Captain Wonder, the studio and their teams are allowed to take their time to review before making a decision. I will stand by whatever they deem appropriate."

"Have you seen May Rogers's Instagram?"

"No, and I have no intention of seeing it. I'm sure she will feel the need to share when I return to set."

"When did you replace out about the photos?"

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "I was made aware of the photos about thirty-six hours prior to their release. At that point lawyers and investigators were brought in and made aware of the situation. I was angry when I learned of their existence. So, you can imagine how I felt when I woke up this morning to the news they were released to the press."

"Why are you so angry about this?"

I glared at the reporter. "You tell me how you would feel if you found out someone was blackmailing your fiancée, and then went ahead and released the pictures anyway?"

Everyone started talking at once. There were more questions about Kayla: was she really my fiancée, where was she, how did she feel about all of this?

"She's upset and embarrassed. And yes, I'm in love with her. Now if you will excuse me I have to catch a plane."