Betrayed By My Fiancé, I Married His Most Powerful Enemy

Chapter 34: Send Amara Instead

At nine that morning, everyone gathered in Xova’s conference room for a briefing on the Secret Magazine shoot. Liam sat at the head of the table with Amara and me on either side of him, and the seating alone said everything nobody wanted to say out loud. Amara had officially graduated from mistress to favorite, and she wasn’t shy about it, trading warm, lingering looks with Liam right there in front of everyone. I watched the discomfort settle over most of the faces in the room.

Quinn glanced at me sideways more than once. I sat directly under the projector light, expression giving nothing away. She told me afterward that she could tell I’d mentally checked Liam and Amara out of the room entirely, like they simply weren’t there. It was something she said she respected about me. No matter how deep the hurt actually ran, I never let it show on my face, and I never handed anyone the opening to humiliate me.

Liam passed around information sheets and started the briefing. "Secret launched twenty years ago and was enormously influential in the US market. Their reach has slipped some in recent years, but they still carry real weight. They’re looking for Asian models right now to tap into the Oriental Wave and rebuild their presence in the Eastern market. This shoot matters." He paused. "As far as fashion direction goes, Amara has more experience with this kind of shoot. Valerie, I’d ask that you take her lead on this one."

The room went quiet. Everyone understood exactly what was being said. Liam was maneuvering me into the background so Amara could shine.

Nicole’s jaw tightened. Amara looked unbearably pleased with herself.

"Liam, don’t worry. I won’t disappoint you," she said, smooth as anything.

I didn’t say a word. I stood up, looked at Quinn and Nicole, and said, "Let’s go."

"Valerie, what do you think you’re doing?" Liam’s voice sharpened behind me.

I turned back, calm. "Liam, did you really think my patience was infinite? Amara’s reputation right now is that of a mistress. She couldn’t book work on her own right now if she tried. You want to borrow my name and my popularity, then ask me to step aside so she can have the spotlight? Tell me honestly. Is she actually worth that?"

"Valerie!" Amara shot up out of her chair. "Say that again."

"If you’ve got what it takes, do the shoot without me," I said, and turned toward the door with Quinn and Nicole behind me.

Liam swallowed his pride fast enough to catch me before I reached it. "Wait. If something’s bothering you, we can talk about it."

I stopped, but didn’t turn around right away. "I used to be too agreeable. That’s exactly how I ended up getting walked over by a jerk and a woman with no shame. You know how big this shoot is, Liam. Act composed all you want, but if I walk away from it, we both know exactly who’ll be scrambling. Whether this shoot happens at all is entirely up to you. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve frozen my career. Send Amara instead."

Nicole nearly lost the fight to keep from applauding out loud. Quinn turned away a beat too fast to hide her smile.

They’d both still been operating like they could push me around. Long past time somebody corrected that.

"And whether Amara’s fashion sense actually beats mine is still up for debate," I added. "Don’t forget, whatever my status is right now, I’m still the only one at Xova who’s actually been in a film. Are you sure you want to send a non advancing B grade model to lead in the States? A B grade model who needs a translator, no less."

"Valerie, I will rip your mouth off!" Amara slammed both hands on the table, glaring at me with real fire in her eyes.

"Amara, what she said isn’t wrong." Liam’s voice came out tight with restrained anger, but he swallowed it down for the bigger picture. I could tell exactly what he was thinking, that he’d deal with putting me back in line once Xova had its comeback secured. I let him think it.

"I don’t want to," Amara snapped.

"It’s decided. You don’t get a say."

I let one corner of my mouth curve up, angled just enough for the room to catch it. I felt Liam’s eyes linger on me a second too long, and I knew without looking straight at him that something had shifted in his head. I wasn’t the Valerie he used to know anymore. I was clear, steady, and none of what I did revolved around him now. Whatever that did to him, I no longer cared.

By the time the room cleared, I was already gone. I could only picture what happened after the door shut behind me. Amara’s voice would have carried through the walls easily enough. Liam, I’ve had enough. Why do I have to listen to her? Wasn’t this shoot supposed to be for me?

I imagined Liam finally running out of patience with her. When are you going to understand how this works? If Valerie skips this shoot, you can forget about the Top Ten Model Award entirely. Think carefully.

That probably would have stunned her into silence, right before she did what she always did when words failed her and clutched her stomach, tears already starting. Liam, remember I’m still carrying your child.

I pictured his answer landing cold. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t need to personally fly out to the States for this. Everything I’m doing right now is for you. Why can’t you control your temper? You keep making this harder than it needs to be. And then he’d have walked out, leaving her assistant to clean up whatever was left.

On the ride home, Nicole could barely sit still. "Amara’s probably still throwing a fit in that room, pointing fingers at Liam for not letting her be the main lead." She kept doing an exaggerated impression of Amara’s face, and I watched her from the corner of my eye, quietly entertained. "But Valerie, you’re developing a real temper lately. What you said back there was refreshing."

Quinn laughed and shook her head. "I never expected you had that much firepower in you."

I looked out the window before answering. "I got into this industry at seventeen and made Paris’s Top Model list by twenty three. Nine years. There isn’t much left in this business I don’t understand." I let that sit for a second. "I used to think having someone to love, getting married, was something I could actually lean on. Now I know the only person I can really rely on is myself." Caspian was the one exception to that, but I kept that thought to myself.

"Goes to show," Nicole added, "some people spend their whole careers in this industry and still learn nothing."

"That’s because they’ve never actually been hurt and stabbed in the back," I said quietly. I was speaking from experience, and they both knew exactly what I meant. I let the silence hold for a moment before straightening up.

"Either way, go home and pack. We fly out tomorrow."