Chapter 107

Third Person POV

Skyla stood shell-shocked by Gavin’s words. Had she heard him correctly? Was he confirming his relationship with Judy? She only thought that it was a fling. Nothing that Irene had said indicated that her father was in a serious relationship. Her cheeks were burning with heat as the paparazzi captured this very embarrassing moment.

Before Skyla could reply, one of the paparazzi spoke first.

“Actually, we are talking about your relationship with Judy Montague.”

Gavin’s entire body froze, and his eyes glazed over for a moment. Skyla could tell he was confused but when he refocused his eyes, a flash of anger went through his gaze as he turned to face the paparazzi.

“What are you talking about?” Gavin asked through his teeth.

The paparazzi looked awkward as they stared at one another.

“Well, it’s all over the internet,” one of them said as he pulled out his phone to show Gavin the photo of him and Judy hugging intimately.

Skyla tried to peer over Gavin’s shoulder to also look at the photo and her heart fell into her stomach upon seeing them together. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step away from him. She now realized that hanging around him like this would be detrimental to her image. Everyone would label her as a homewrecker. It was obvious there was much more to their relationship than Irene let on and she suddenly felt incredibly stupid. She shouldn’t have blindly trusted that girl, but she wanted Gavin so badly she would have done anything to get him. Anything except break up his current relationship. She had an image to uphold, and she couldn’t be labeled as a homewrecker, or else her entire brand would be flushed down the toilet. Her agent would be so disappointed in her if she knew what had almost occurred.

“I want this photo taken down, now!” Gavin demanded, his fury evident.

The paparazzi all looked frazzled as the rest of them pulled out their phones to make some calls. On that note, Gavin turned to glare at Skyla who was just as baffled and confused as everyone else.

“Did you know about this?” He asked her, surprised her.

She shook her head without hesitation. She had no idea that photo even existed.

“No,” she answered, which was the honest truth. He must have seen that it was the truth on her face because he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I need to go,” he murmured and then he left without another word.

Chanse was nearby after Gavin left; he had a frown on his face as he stared at Skyla.

“Everything okay?” He asked, watching Gavin’s retreating back.

“Yeah,” Skyla sighed. “But I think I need to stop pursuing him. He’s obviously taken. I was lead astray…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Chanse said. “Maybe it’s for the best. Now you can just focus on this movie and nothing else.”

Skyla nodded and turned to face the director.

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s finish this filming already.”

They spent the next several hours wrapping up their filming. They were planning on leaving in a few days and honestly, Skyla was thankful for that. She couldn’t wait to return to her home and just rest for a little while as they made their final edits on the film.

“Where’s my father?” Irene asked later that night when Skyla was just about to get some rest. She froze just before she reached the stairs and frowned at Irene.

“How should I know?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Most likely with his girlfriend.”

Irene raised her brows.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

“As if you don’t know,” Skyla scoffed. “You used me as a pawn. I’m not sure what your problem is with Judy Montague, but my career is important. I can’t get mixed up in that kind of drama.”

“Judy?” Irene asked. “She’s not my father’s girlfriend. She’s a whore who’s only after one thing.”

“Oh, yeah? Because the news says otherwise,” Skyla said, pulling out her phone and showing it to Irene.

Irene’s face paled. She grabbed the phone and stared at it.

The article said that her father’s mystery lover was revealed! It was supposed to paint Judy as a mistress and whore, not his legitimate girlfriend.

Scrolling through the comments, Irene felt physically ill. Everybody loved the fact that Judy was his mystery woman, and they wanted to know more about her! It was making her look good when Irene was aiming to do the opposite. She was trying to get Judy away from her father, not push them together.

How could her friend get the article horribly wrong?

“I want no part of this,” Skyla said, grabbing her phone out of Irene’s hands. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Irene watched as Skyla walked up the stairs and towards the guest bedroom. Irene’s face was pale, and fury was bubbling up inside of her. It wasn’t fair. How could Judy get everything she wanted?! She was getting Ethan’s attention and her father’s attention. Well, two can play that game. She wants Gavin’s attention; well, she was going to fight for it. If there was one thing Irene knew about her father, it was that his kids meant everything to him, and he would always choose them over anyone else.

Judy was about to learn that the hard way.

……

Judy’s POV

Everybody was staring at me in school. I tried hard to keep a low profile, but it was difficult when literally everybody and their mother saw the news. I was supposedly in a committed relationship with Gavin Landry, or so the article implied.

He texted me this morning and told me that he was going to take care of it and not worry, but I knew the damage had already been done. Everybody saw it and everybody was talking about it.

I was so embarrassed. It was also extremely inaccurate; I wasn’t in a relationship with Gavin Landry. We were simply keeping things casual. It was nothing more than sex. But I knew it would make both me and Gavin look bad if I came clean to everybody, so I kept my mouth sealed shut.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” Nan said, wrapping an arm through mine. “Honestly. You’re going to be fine. They’ll forget all about it soon enough.”

I frowned at her, my stomach feeling unsettled.

“How do you know?” I asked, wrapping my arms around my body. “This is a nightmare. We were supposed to be lowkey.”

She shrugged and glanced around at everyone who was walking by; they kept sparing curious glances at me and whispering to one another. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“I’m sure something more interesting will happen soon enough and then they will forget all about you.”

I let out a sigh.

“I hope you’re right,” I breathed.

We went our separate ways, and I tried my best in each class, but it was hard when I felt like everyone was whispering about me behind my back. The only thing I truly had to look forward to was seeing Gavin after school. He will make things better no doubt; I just had to hold onto that hope and trust him.

I waited outside the school for Leroy; Nan had her after-school study session and couldn’t wait with me, so I stood outside the school grounds alone. I glanced at the time with a frown; it wasn’t like him to be late. Typically, he was here before I arrived, not the other way around. I sat on one of the nearby benches and put my elbows on my knees. My mind was whirling with the media; I couldn’t believe everybody was talking about my relationship with Gavin Landry. Even my professors seemed extra curious today.

A familiar car stopped in the street in front of me and when I lifted my gaze, my entire body froze. I knew it wasn’t Leroy, but my thoughts were confirmed when the door opened, and the driver stepped out of the car.

“Tell me it isn’t true,” Ethan said as he rounded the car and approached me.

“Ethan?” I asked, not believing my eyes. I wasn’t expecting him to just show up at my school like this. We were in public, and any outburst could make him look bad, not to mention ruin any chance he has to marry Irene. He’s already on thin ice with her. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw the news, Judy,” he said, shaking his head as he stopped inches from me. “Tell me it’s not true. Are you truly in a relationship with him?”

I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes at him.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your concern whether it’s true or not,” I told him simply.

He scowled at me, and I could see the pure anger on his face as his lip curled in disgust.

“Because he’s going to be my father-in-law!” He nearly hissed, spit flying from his mouth. “Don’t you see how fucked up that is! I can’t believe you are having a relationship with him!”

“You left me for another woman, Ethan. What I do isn’t your business anymore,” I told him, not willing to back down. “I don’t know why you are here trying to harass me, but it needs to stop.”

I tried to walk around him, not sure where I was going to go with Leroy not here yet, but I knew I couldn’t stay around Ethan any longer. However, he wasn’t going to back down without a fight. He grabbed my arm with force, spinning me around to face him.

“I won’t let you go back to him, Judy,” he said through his teeth. “You belong to me and I’m not letting you go that easily.”