SIXTEEN

Lila was knocking loudly and was not planning on stopping until the door opened and she could talk to Levi. She would never have come to his room, especially not early in the morning but she had no choice. The door opened slowly and he peeked his head out at her. "He..." he was cut off by her pushing the door and abraging in.

"Save the pleasantries," she said, pushing the phone in his face as she was standing on her tiptoes. He squinted his eyes at the phone and took it out of her hand when she was barely able to keep the phone steady. "What do you plan on doing?" she asked when his expression indicated that he finally understood what was going on.

"Well, I am sure it is just a random rumour, and it will be gone soon," he said. He knew it was not a random rumour; his face was clear in the image and no one could tell who it was that was sitting opposite him. Why was he in the city after they had boldly declared to the entire country that they were headed out for their honeymoon? He was sure that the question bugging most minds was who the woman he was with was.

"Just random rumour?" Lila had always known the Beaumont family to be one that did nothing about the situation of the news around them but now it was no longer about them alone. Her entire family name and prise were at stake too.

"Of course, you know the way the press is, they would find something more interesting soon and they would let us be," he said and she took a deep breath, trying to understand his reasons. This was not the kind of news you allowed to blow over; you had to do something about it or else it would boil over the top and spill everywhere, making everything messy for everyone.

"I do not know the way the press is and I have no intention of finding out; you have to take care of this and you have to do it fast; this would hurt my family as well as yours, the stock prices, people boycotting our products," she spelled out to him as if he knew what this kind of thing could cause for them.

"I know but..."

"No buts," she cut him off.

"Can you chill? I am sure it is not as serious as you think it is.

"Not as serious? My mom called me already; everyone everywhere has seen this and they are all spinning the kind of narrative they want on the image; this is dangerous and you know it."

"I know," he replied, groaning. Once their parents got to know and were involved, then this was no longer just a simple case they could handle themselves. It had become a family matter; that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"You know? You don't seem like you know; you seem like everything that is happening is happening just the way you planned it."

"Just the way I planned it? What the hell are you trying to say?"

"I mean, we were both doing fine until you suggested that we go out dressed in disguise and then we were caught on the streets parading like commoners with street food and a rumour to our names," she began pacing because all that was happening was not making sense to her at all.

"I only did that for you; you seemed like you were suffocating and I wanted you to get air," he said. He understood what she meant without her having to say more. She was accusing him of stagging the entire thing.

"But yet my family's name and honour are being dragged through the mud." Her voice came out hard and stern, as if she were scolding a toddler.

"And so is mine; even if I want to make your and your family suffer, why would I intentionally do the same to mine?" She stopped to think about it, and he was right; there was no reason why he would drag his family down just to take them down; it made good sense; at least no snae eprosn would think of doing it.

"So why do you seem so relaxed?" she asked. They did not have the time to be going back and forth with questions like that, but it seemed like that was the only thing he would listen to.

"Because there is nothing I can do about it now," he said with a shrug and handed her phone back to her. He wanted to say something but the ringing of his phone from the lamostand stopped him. He walked to it and checked the number.

"Who is it?" Lila asked when she saw the expression on his face.

"My dad"