"Not when they have a juicy story. And unfortunately, this story is like prime rib to them." Jackson's voice got quieter. "I can't tell you how sorry I am about all this. But I'll fix it, I promise. I won't let you get hurt."
"It's not your fault," I murmured.
"It is my fault. I was too careless." Jackson sighed before continuing. "I'll contact you tomorrow to let you know what the next steps are."
After I ended the call with Jackson, I forced myself to scroll through all my messages, deleting most of them without listening to them. I had repeated missed calls from my mother and Trisha, and I reluctantly called them back, reassuring them that I was okay but refusing to give details about what was happening.
I was dreading work the next day and I contemplated calling in sick, but I decided I wasn't going to let myself be bullied into hiding. I tried to prepare myself for whatever was waiting for me outside my apartment building as I rode the elevator down, grateful that I at least had a doorman who was willing to run interference.
"Emma!" Harry exclaimed when he saw me exit the elevator. "How are you feeling?"
"I've had better days but I'll survive," I replied, smiling at Harry's concerned expression.
"Well, it was smart of you to hire a bodyguard. I think he's going to be a lot more effective at driving away those scumbags than I was. His arms are the size of my thighs!"
"A bodyguard?" I wrinkled my brow in confusion. "I didn't hire a bodyguard."
"Then who's that?" Harry pointed to a mountain of a man that was standing in the front of the lobby, right by the doors. He was well over six feet with muscles that looked like they were carved out of stone. He was an intimidating figure in a tight black t-shirt and black pants.
He stepped forward when he saw us watching him, holding out a hand. "Ms. Mills, I'm Craig. I'm here to make sure you get to work safely."
I shook his hand, my hand disappearing in his huge grasp. "I'm sorry, Craig, but I'm a little confused. I didn't hire anyone to escort me to work."
"Mr. Reynard told me to wait for you this morning. I'm supposed to escort you to work and anywhere else you need to go."
I couldn't suppress the surge of warmth that flooded my body when I realized that Jackson had sent someone to protect me, even though I had refused his offer last night. I decided to accept it since I didn't know what I was about to face.
I turned out to be extremely grateful for Craig. He shielded me from the bodies trying to push into me as we left my building, but I could still hear the questions that they yelled at me. They were much harsher than yesterday with a sickening virulence. I felt as if I were being stoned with words.
Craig ushered me into a black Mercedes SUV with tinted back windows that looked like it should be off-roading in a safari, not navigating the streets of New York. Craig slid into the driver's seat after making sure I was safely ensconced in the backseat, driving away so quickly the tires squealed. I saw him glance at me in the rearview mirror.
"Are you okay, Ms. Mills?"
I gave him a weak smile, not wanting to show how rattled I was. "Yes, although I'm wondering why anyone would want to be famous. I never realized how happy I was being a nobody."
We drove the rest of the way to work in silence as I prayed that there would be no press waiting for me outside my office. I was relieved when I saw that no one was milling around the front of my office building, but I still had to convince Craig that he didn't need to escort me inside.
"But Mr. Reynard said-"
"Craig, I'm grateful for your help, but you can see that there's nobody around. I just want everything to remain as normal as possible."
Craig relented when he saw that I wasn't going to be swayed, but he told me that he would be waiting for me outside after he made sure I programmed his number into my cell phone.
I tried to ignore all the stares as I took the elevator to my floor and made my way to my office. I could hear murmurings as I passed by, but I refused to pay attention to them. Marie jumped up when she saw me, looking harried and stressed out.
"Emma, the phone has been ringing non-stop. Every gossip rag seems to want a comment from you. I even got calls from a few legitimate news outlets. What should I do?"
"Just tell them all I have no comment." I couldn't believe how quickly my life had been turned upside down.
"Mr. Carver wants to see you as soon as possible."
I swallowed, a shaft of fear shooting through me. Larry Carver was my direct boss and vice president of account services. I rarely interacted with him and I had no doubt that he was requesting my presence to discuss the situation with Jackson.
I made my way to Larry's office after I dropped my things off in mine, trepidation growing with each step.
"Hi, Sandy," I greeted Larry Carver's assistant. "Marie told me Larry wanted to see me as soon as possible."
Sandy, an older woman with hair as black as night, nodded at me and picked up the phone. "Mr. Carver, Emma Mills is here to see you."
Sandy waved me into the office and I entered, trying to tamp down my nerves. My anxiety was almost choking me when Larry rose as I walked towards him, his eyes assessing me.
"Emma, thanks for coming by. Have a seat."
I perched on the edge of a chair opposite Larry's massive walnut desk, folding my hands on my lap as I watched him sit back down.
"No problem, Larry. What did you want to talk about?"
"It hasn't escaped my notice that there has been a bit of fervor about you in the press. We had to put extra security guards in our lobby and threaten to call the police before the press would leave this morning."
My stomach clenched, now understanding why there hadn't been anyone to harass me this morning when I had arrived.
"I'm sorry, Larry. All of this has been blown way out of proportion. It's not affecting my work, I promise."
Larry rested his elbows on his desk, steepling his hands. "I'm not in the habit of commenting on the personal lives of my employees. And I don't plan on starting now, but this is becoming a distraction at work.”
"I'm working on a solution to diffuse the situation." I didn't explain that the solution included telling the world about my past with Jackson. "I'll try to take care of this as quickly as possible."
Larry nodded, leaning back in his chair. "That's all I wanted to hear. You've been a great asset since you've started working here, Emma. I'd hate to have something so petty affect your future here at Forrester."
I nodded quickly, understanding that I was getting a warning. "I've been extremely satisfied working here as well. I promise that I have everything under control."