If Olivia thought yesterday's interview was a disaster, she had no idea what awaited her this morning.
The moment she stepped into the office an upscale suite in Liam's management agency.
Ethan was already pacing the room, his phone glued to his ear, while Liam sat lazily on the couch, flipping through a magazine like he hadn't just set the internet on fire.
Olivia barely had time to set her bag down before Ethan turned to her, eyes blazing. "Do you have any idea what's happening right now?"
She blinked. "Uh, good morning to you too?"
Ethan exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to his temple. "The interview. It's everywhere."
He turned his phone screen toward her, and sure enough, every tabloid and entertainment blog had Liam's face plastered across their front page.
"Liam Hayes Declares Hollywood 'Exhausting' , Is His Career Over?"
"Liam Hayes Admits to Being a Playboy, Will He Ever Settle Down?"
"Liam Hayes' Mystery Assistant, Who is She?"
Olivia groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Oh, I wish I was." Ethan tossed his phone onto the table. "The studio execs are furious. The internet is eating this up, and you", he jabbed a finger toward Liam "are acting like you don't have a care in the world!"
Liam finally looked up from his magazine, completely unfazed. "Relax, old man. It's just the usual media nonsense. By next week, they'll have another scandal to talk about."
Olivia could practically see the steam coming out of Ethan's ears. "Next week?! You don't have next week! You have a contract with Apex Studios, and they're already reconsidering if they want to keep you."
That caught Liam's attention. He sat up straighter. "Wait… Apex? You mean the studio for Crimson Reign?"
"Yes!" Ethan snapped. "The movie that could relaunch your career? That Apex Studios! And if you don't fix this PR nightmare, they'll drop you."
Liam leaned back, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "Huh. Didn't think they'd be that sensitive."
Olivia gaped at him. "Sensitive?! Liam, you basically called Hollywood fake and shallow on
live TV while confirming every bad thing they already believe about you."
Liam smirked. "Well, aren't they?"
She threw her hands up. "Oh my God, you're impossible."
Ethan sighed, clearly at his breaking point. "I don't care how you do it, but you need to clean
up this mess. And Olivia…." He turned to her with a look that made her stomach drop.
"You're his assistant. Which means you are in charge of making sure this doesn't spiral any
further."
Olivia felt a headache coming on. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Ethan gave her a pointed look. "By making sure Liam doesn't do anything stupid in the next
48 hours."
She slowly turned to Liam. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Oh, I don't know," she said dryly. "Maybe the fact that you do stupid things every five
minutes?"
Liam grinned. "Flattering, sweetheart."
She gritted her teeth. "Stop calling me that."
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Focus, people. We need damage control." He turned
back to Liam. "A carefully crafted social media apology should do it. Something heartfelt,
taking responsibility"
Liam groaned. "Ugh, not the apology speech."
Ethan's glare could have set him on fire. "Yes, the apology speech. And you're going to do
it."
Liam leaned back against the couch, arms crossed. "Nope."
Ethan's face twitched. "Excuse me?"
"I said nope," Liam repeated, unfazed. "I'm not writing some fake, overly scripted apology
just because Hollywood's feelings are hurt."
Olivia rubbed her temples. "You really don't make this easy, do you?"
He smirked. "Where's the fun in easy?"
Ethan groaned and turned to Olivia. "Fix this. Somehow." And with that, he stormed out, leaving her alone with Liam.
She took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten. "Liam."
"Olivia."
"I need you to take this seriously."
He tilted his head. "Why?"
She clenched her fists. "Because your career is on the line, that's why!"
Liam studied her for a moment before a slow smirk spread across his lips. "You're actually
worried about me, aren't you?"
She scoffed. "I'm worried about not losing my job when you ruin yours."
He chuckled. "Right. Sure."
She exhaled sharply. "Look, if you won't do a written apology, we need another approach.
Something that humanizes you."
Liam tapped his chin. "What, like a charity event?"
She snapped her fingers. "Actually, yes! That's a great idea."
His smirk faded. "Wait, I was kidding"
"Nope! Too late." She grabbed her phone and started typing. "We need something public, something where people can see you actually being a decent human being. Maybe a fundraiser, or...."
Liam groaned. "I hate fundraisers."
She ignored him. "Or maybe a community event. Something real. Something that reminds people you're more than just a spoiled, egotistical playboy."
"I am a spoiled, egotistical playboy."
Olivia shot him a glare. "At least pretend you aren't."
Liam sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if I have to suffer through this, you owe me."
She crossed her arms. "I owe you? You are the reason we're in this mess."
He grinned. "Still, I think you should make it up to me."
She rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable.
Liam leaned closer, his voice dropping to a teasing murmur. "You know, I like it when you
boss me around."
She flushed. "Shut up."
He chuckled. "Make me."
She turned away before he could see her face heat up. "I'm going to set up the event. You?
Just… try not to get into another scandal before then."
Liam watched her go, his smirk fading just slightly. He didn't care much about Hollywood's
opinions, but Olivia's reactions? Those were starting to get interesting.
And for the first time in a long time, Liam found himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, damage control wouldn't be so bad after all.