Chapter 241 - Prepare For Battle
Cage needed someone on his side to narrate his side of the story when Katherine and his relationship came out in the open. He had already enticed her by offering first scoop, so he could expect that she would behave when it came to him for a considerable amount of time.
Then he remembered what Stephen had told him earlier about the press. 'Never promise them an exclusive. You might forget but the journalist will never forget.' He had yet to know how dangerous a promise could be.
"Oh, star show host from Entertainment Tonight tweeted about this, as well. He says you are going on his show day after tomorrow?" Katherine sounded confused.
"Well, I didn't know that. Seems he is working hard to rate his viewership rate up. Didn't know he was getting this eager," he chuckled.
"Can he do that? It's like putting the blame on you if you don't show up to the show, right?" Her brows scrunched up as she tried to figure out what was going on.
"He is known to ensure guests come to the show using underhanded measures. Don't worry about it. It will be good promotion for Kevin Heart. I'll divert the situation from it. Heads up, though. He pays a lot of paparazzi members and they are good. You'll hear a lot of rumors floating around for the next couple of weeks." Cage had to sigh. He would deal with it himself.
"You sound so exasperated. I can imagine you taking him down in your anger." She meant to make light of the situation so that he wouldn't worry. Deep down, she felt responsible for his worries because she had asked questions. But as he said, she wasn't from the industry. Cage would rather she knew nothing about it.
"You bet I would take him down if he did something underhanded with me. He wouldn't stand a chance," he growled playfully, making Katherine drop into peals of laughter.
"Between Stephen and you, he would turn into mush. Don't get too mad. Their job demands they pull such antics." She wanted him to feel better but didn't know how she would achieve that.
"You don't regret that I mentioned you, right?" He sounded mildly worried by this and she had to suck in a breath before she answered.
"Don't overthink about this. I'm ecstatic that you want the world to know about me. We'll take them head on," she assured in a low and firm voice. He breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Beware. Stephen is very aggressive at times. You never know what he might do to protect me." Katherine was overjoyed when the teasing tone returned to his voice.
"Well, I'll relay the news to Angelina. Should I be worried that he will show his butt on camera or kiss you in public," she joked. There was silence from Cage's side. "No way..." she trailed off in horror.
"I can't promise it won't happen. I hope that he will keep my reputation out of it. It's his job, so..." He didn't think Stephen would do anything. He was extremely professional and Cage couldn't afford to act out either, so they would have to grit their teeth and face the music alone.
"You're okay, right?" Katherine asked after a pause. He didn't sound completely fine.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just preparing for battle!" It sounded so ominous. Yet, he was optimistic so she didn't pull him up for it.
"Angelina just showed me the picture, too. It's so weird seeing you on television now... especially seeing you on the headline and knowing I feature in it too." She was awed by this. "I miss being with you... our little bubble... the little tent in the living room and chatting all night long."
"Well, we could always run," he gave her that option.
"I won't run away, Cage. Ever. If things come out, we'll hold our chins high. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to accompany you to award ceremonies and have dinner out in public 'and' hold hands."
Cage smiled. It sounded romantic... it really did. And he wanted nothing more than to see her without restrictions. "Until they climb trees and trespass into your property to get pictures of us." Well, that was the truth, too.
"I forgot about that," she noted with distaste. "Well, as long as we are together. I'll rethink the offer on running away." She wouldn't think about it.
"That's all I want," Cage confirmed. It was a miracle that she hadn't run for the hills yet. Her words made him feel a million times better about the situation. Frankly, he was surprised that he was so on edge just by revealing her identity. He was almost jittery inside.
Then he understood why. This was the most important announcement in his life. The stakes were high and he couldn't afford to lose. "You're all I need," he said, longing in his voice.
Katherine laughed lightly. "Well, you have me."
- - - - -
It was an ungodly hour when Katherine's phone rang and woke her up. She checked the phone to see that she had five hours of sleep but it felt like a few minutes. She was beat. She wrestled with the annoying object and pulled it to her ear without knowing who was on the other side. Someone would get their ass handed to them early in the morning.
"Hello?" the voice from the other side asked timidly. It was an unfamiliar man. She blinked, trying to get rid of the hint of sleep in her system.
"Hi, who is this?" she asked gruffly, her voice still thick with sleep.
"This is Katherine Austen, right?" the person on the other side asked.
"Yes, she is me." She really wanted to know who this was before she went off on him. She got calls from unknown people all the time for work but not during these hours.
"Great. I thought I got the wrong number," the caller's light laughter was familiar. "I know it is very early, so I apologize. This is Laurence Mitch, by the way." Her mind went blank for a second as she tried to remember who that was. The name seemed familiar but she couldn't pinpoint how.
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