Silence Reveals Hidden Answers’ by Michael Anderson novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jennifer Marie.

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“Thank. You.” He says it slow, and I blink, catching a glint in his eyes that looks like I’ve just handed him a dare.

“Also, we might have to pretend a kiss every now and then-”

“Do not push it, Harvey.” My voice jumps an octave. “I will leave you to put on your clothes.”

I turn around and practically escape, because if I look at his golden chest or those tattoos wrapping around his body for one more second, I might… I might actually faint. Because this is not the Harvey I grew up with. This is not the scrawny boy who used to explain business graphs to me while eating pizza.

This dangerous–looking, sun–warm, tattoo–covered man is….every bit of my type.

God.

That’s the whole problem.

He’s saying the same insane things he said yesterday, and I’m starting to think… he’s serious. Serious. My best friend is serious about being with me. Does he even know what that means? Me and Harvey… I can’t even picture us together and doing… the thing. I have never, not once in my entire life, imagined it.

And I swear I’m trying not but I’ve failed.

When I escape his fitting room, I spot the rest of the team huddled around a buffet table, whispering like crazy. I duck under their circle and stick my head right in the middle of them.

“What are we talking about?”

They jump!

“Shit!” Flora gaps, as they all break the circle.

“You, duh.” Max says.

“What about me?” I look around.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now-”

“You’re dating Harvey Prescott.” Flora shoves her phone in my face. It’s the same photos I saw earlier of the paparazzi shots outside the reunion. Me in Harvey’s arms. Harvey glaring at the camera like he could kill someone.

“That’s why our team got this job, right?” Alexa asks.

“Shit, I knew you were always going to end up with some big shot.” Max teasingly bumping my shoulder. “But a Prescott? Girl. That’s a big big shot.”

I force a smile, because honestly, what other reaction am I supposed to have? Laugh? Cry? Run away? Fake my own death?

“Is it true? You guys were classmates?”

“Yeah. We were. Um-”

“I’m so jealous of you!” Flora clings to me like a koala.

I fake chuckle, because if only she knew there’s nothing to be jealous of. In two weeks, all of this will be erased like it never

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Chapter 4

happened.

“We’re going to get so much publicity from this,” Alexa says, fanning herself. “Thousands of people are going to know we worked with the Prescotts. Imagine the freakin‘ headlines. The industry clout! And in Italy?” Alexa opens her mouth in excitement but no actual words come out.

“Any idea when we’re leaving?” Brooke asks. She’s the only one not exploding with joy. She’s our makeup artist, and we have this… silent beef. Not real beef, More like cold fries. She started it on my first week, and I’ve been pretending I don’t notice.

“Um. in three days.” Our head stylist Alexa replies.

Flora suddenly pinches my arm so hard my soul leaves my body for a second.

“Ow–what?!” I whisper–shout.

She points.

And oh. Oh god.

Harvey walks out of his fitting room wearing the outfit I picked for him.

Tailored Swarovski–encrusted pants with skull emblems at the belt line. A white silk shirt, unbuttoned enough to show that golden chest and tattoos. Hair slightly messy. He looks like V from BTS if V decided to become a mafia prince.

My heart drops straight into my stomach. And then it keeps going. Possibly into the floor.

But his collar isn’t sitting right.

At first, I refuse to move. If I walk over there to fix it in front of my team, they’ll get ideas.

“Go help him. He just went to the other floor.” Flora pushes me away from the buffet table like I’m a sacrifice being offered to the gods.

With zero options left, I follow Harvey to the upper floor.

“Wait–your collar.”

He stops walking and faces me. I avoid eye contact and fixing the collar.

That’s when I hear the soft clapping behind us.

“Shit.” I look up at Harvey’s face. He barely reacts but his eyes flick toward the sound.

“It’s my grandmother. Beatrice.” he murmurs. “I think Emily just told the whole family you’re here.”

“The whole family?”

“Just act norinal.”

“I am normal-”

“Jen.” That one quiet warning from him somehow melts my entire personality.

“I hope we’re not interrupting anything here…” a gentle voice says.

I turn around to see a warm–looking elderly woman. She is elegant with curls like champagne gold. She is wearing white and black for the photoshoot with fur trims, fluffy collars… definitely Alexa’s styling.

She is nothing like the evil–rich–grandmother stereotype who offers you a check to disappear to stay away from her

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Chapter 4

grandson. She is more like the kind of grandma who bakes cookies and threatens billionaires with a slipper.

“Hello, ma’am.” I say.

“She is very beautiful, son,” she says to Harvey.

Then to me: “You are Jennifer Marie, right?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.” I shoot a quick glance at Harvey before looking back at her.

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“Now why didn’t you tell us your girlfriend was going to be here? She should have joined us for breakfast so you could. introduce us properly.”

“She was running late.” Harvey clears his throat.

“You must be Beatrice.” I say quickly.

Her golden curls bounce as she gasps. “You know my name?”

“Yeah. Harvey talks about you all the time.”

“Come here, darling, give me a hug.”

I open my arms and she pulls me into soft hug.

As we separate, I notice another woman approaching.

Where Beatrice is a golden retriever, this woman is absolutely a black cat. Sharp cheekbones, fierce outfit, definitely styled by Brooke. Her eyes goes over me from head to toe in a critical manner like she’s deciding whether I’m a threat.

“Look at her, Winny. Isn’t she the most adorable?”

“Not as adorable as my soon–to–be daughter–in–law. I had to come here and see if he really has a girlfriend, since Harvey mostly scares people away.”

Winny is Baxter’s mother. I’m guessing the disdain in her voice comes from the whole Harvey’s–mom–was–a–mistress

situation.

When I look at Harvey, he looks… timid. Like this isn’t the first time her words have marked him.

“Scares people?” I go to his side, straighten the front of his shirt, and look into his eyes possessively. “I like my man a little scary. Harvey fits that perfectly.”

“Whoa.” Grandma smiles at us, but Winny’s gaze sharpens on where my hand is holding Harvey’s arm.

“Ma’am, the shoot has started.” a staff says so she walks off.

I let go of Harvey’s arm and he mutters “thanks.”

The rest of the team joins us to the shooting floor in case any touch–ups are needed during the photos.

“That’s their dad?” Flora whispers.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Francis Prescott. Harvey and Baxter’s father. I remember seeing him come to our high school once to take a picture trophy for a football award Baxter won. How was he perfectly fine letting the world know Baxter was his son but not Harvey?

Baxter’s fiancée walks in. I think he called her Nisha last night, and if I’m not mistaken, I heard something about friends with.

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Chapter 4

benefits and contract.

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Oh–wait! If she’s the bride… then she’s the client whose wedding dress I’ve been designing for the past eight months. My stomach drops. Seriously, what the hell is happening? Is my brain just catching up now?

Don’t tell me I’m going to have to be in the fitting room with her for the next two weeks.

It’s just a job. It’s just a job. It doesn’t matter what Baxter has going on. I’m just going to do my job and close this chapter.

Then Baxter walks onto the set, and our eyes lock for a split second before I look away.

After a series of shots, the family takes a break. Baxter is all over Nisha. Her hand is on his neck as he giggles something into her ear while Alexa tries to fix something on her dress.

The problem is she’s making eye contact with me the entire time? Oh. Oh. I look for Harvey in the scene and spot him ora call.

“Jennifer. Some pins.” Alexa whispers.

I turn immediately to the work table, grab a few, and return.

When I get back, Baxter is no longer wrapped around Nisha and she hands me her drink. I don’t take it. Because, first of all, I’m not a butler.

“Hold.”

Alexa chuckles nervously. “Just help her, Jen.”

I reach for the glass but before I take it, she suddenly drops it. Straight onto the white Chanel dress she’s wearing.

“What the hell? I said hold it.”

“1-”

“You what?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. We’ll get the stain out.” Alexa jumps in quickly.

“It’s a Chanel dress!” Nisha growls, like she wants the whole family to hear her. Unfortunately for her, they’re all on the balcony doing solo shots. “You spill wine all over my dress and your grand plan is to just… stand there? Staring? An apology would be the bare minimum for a decent human being, but I guess that’s asking too much.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Harvey end his call. But Baxter gets there first.

“It’s just a dress, Nisha. I can buy you ten more. Don’t get so worked up.” Baxter says then turns to me, with a softened voice. “Are you okay?”

Everyone turns to me in shock. Including his contract fiancée.

“Ye–yeah.”

“I’m leaving.” Harvey snarls. He’s off his call now. He does not look at me, not Baxter, nor Nisha. Like what just happened between is enough reason for him to walk out.

Is he that jealous?