Chapter 4 Don''t Ever Mention this Person to Me Again

"Miss Holland."

Ivan was really struggling with the sudden change in how he was supposed to address her—he''d almost slipped up three times already. When Sunny heard someone calling her name, she pulled her hand away from where it had been shielding her head. Just as she lifted her face from Kevin''s protective embrace, she spotted Austin''s secretary somehow pushing through the crowd to reach them.

"Ivan, what''s wrong?"

Shoved around by the reporters, he couldn''t get his footing and stumbled awkwardly for a few seconds before finally steadying himself. "Miss Holland, Mr. Johnson wants to see you."

Hearing this, Sunny raised an eyebrow and glanced past Ivan toward the black sedan parked more than thirty feet away. The tinted windows made it impossible to see inside clearly, but she could feel someone watching her.

She smiled slightly. "Sorry, Ivan. Please tell Mr. Johnson that to avoid any... complications, it would be better if we treated each other as strangers from now on."

The reporters kept firing questions one after another. Kevin was worried things might get out of hand when the fans showed up, so he tugged at Sunny''s arm. "Get in the car first."

Sunny had nothing more to say anyway, so she nodded and let Kevin guide her into the vehicle. She''d barely gotten her seatbelt fastened when a massive crowd of Kevin''s fans came flooding out. The scene was absolutely chaotic. Sunny was grateful she''d already made it to safety—otherwise, Kevin''s female fans might have literally torn her apart on the spot.

The Maserati pulled into traffic, gradually leaving behind the fans and journalists who were still trying to keep up.

"Sunny, you okay? Did anyone hurt you?"

Sunny shot him a sideways look. "Maybe listen to Alicia a little less in the future." She''d thought this was supposed to be some kind of nice surprise, but instead she''d gotten this circus. The thought of becoming Kevin''s rumored girlfriend and having the internet dissect every detail made her head throb.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think it was a pretty smart move."

Sunny was exasperated. "You''ve been hanging around her too long—she''s corrupting you."

"Hey, don''t blame me for something I didn''t do. I just can''t stand watching you get pushed around, even if it is by Austin."

The light ahead turned red, and Kevin turned to look at her with a completely serious expression. Sunny felt something tug at her heart for a moment, then smiled. "Don''t worry about me. Nobody''s going to push me around anymore." She''d let the Johnson family walk all over her for years, naive enough to think Austin might actually love her someday. Now that she''d seen through all that, she wasn''t about to let those people treat her like dirt ever again.

Ivan watched the Maserati disappear before snapping back to reality. The reporters who''d been swarming him had all taken off after their main target. He stood there for a moment, glanced at the black car in the distance, and had no idea what he was going to tell Austin.

"Mr. Johnson."

Ivan got back in the car and glanced at Austin. "Miss Holland... didn''t want to come over."

Austin''s face darkened. "I''m not blind." He''d had a perfect view of Sunny getting into that car with the actor. Ivan hesitated for a moment.

"Miss Holland asked me to give you a message."

Austin''s expression seemed to brighten slightly when he heard this. "What did she say?" At least Sunny wasn''t completely heartless—she''d thought to send him a message through Ivan.

"Miss Holland said that to avoid any complications, you should treat each other as strangers when you meet in the future."

Austin''s face went black instantly and he let out a cold laugh. "Perfect. Don''t ever mention that woman to me again!"

"Yes, Mr. Johnson." Ivan replied quickly, not daring to say another word. After working for Austin for so many years, he could tell his boss was absolutely furious.

"Drive!"

The harsh command startled the driver, who immediately started apologizing. Austin said nothing, just stared out the window with a stormy expression at the crowd that still hadn''t completely dispersed.

The blue Maserati was parked in the only available spot. Sunny glanced out the window. "Did Alicia tell you to bring me here?"

Kevin unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at her with an innocent smile. "Alicia''s worried about you."

Looking at his bright grin, Sunny said, "Kevin, don''t push it. I just got divorced and you''re smiling at me like that—do you think I can resist your charm?"

Kevin clicked his tongue. "Sunny, if you can''t resist me, I''ll clean myself up and climb into your bed myself."

The two got out of the car and walked into the building. Phantom Entertainment had only been around for five years, but in the past two years, several of the hottest young stars had come from their roster. Kevin was one of them. Alicia had just wrapped a film last month and had some free time, so she was available to scheme.

Sunny rarely came to the company, and nobody there knew she was the big boss behind the scenes. But seeing Kevin personally escort her in, all the employees they passed were respectful. When they reached Alicia''s office, Kevin stopped. "Sunny, Alicia''s waiting for you inside. I''ll have someone bring you some food."

Sunny gave him a look. "What''s this? You were pretty brave when you were stirring up trouble, but now that it''s time to face the music, you''re scared? After that show they''d put on, how could she not be famous now?"

Kevin grinned and pushed the door open for her. "Hey, blame where blame is due—this was all Alicia''s plan."

Sunny laughed. "Fine, go get some rest. It''s rare you get a day off and you''re still out here working. The company''s not going to give you an employee of the month award."

"As long as you don''t blame me."

Kevin finished speaking and wisely walked away. Sunny entered the luxurious office, and when she rounded the corner, she saw Alicia sprawled on the couch. "Do your fans know you have terrible posture in private?"

Alicia ignored her teasing and waved her tablet excitedly. "Sunny, get over here! You''re trending!"

"Didn''t you arrange that?"

Alicia pulled her down to sit beside her. "Look at this trending topic! I''d like to see if those people still dare to laugh at you for being dumped by Austin!"

Alicia shoved the tablet into Sunny''s hands. "Don''t worry, I''ve got it all planned out. Today it''s Kevin, and when Louis gets back in a few days, it''ll be his turn!"

Sunny was speechless at Alicia''s words. But Alicia felt like it still wasn''t enough. She thought about how much Sunny had suffered in the Johnson family all these years, and now that she was finally free, she naturally wanted to help her hold her head high and give those people who''d badmouthed Sunny a serious reality check.

"Of course, since you got divorced from Austin today, a proper bachelorette celebration is absolutely mandatory! I''ve got everything arranged—the party''s going to be incredible, to show off my Sunny''s boss lady energy!"

"Are you paying for this party?"

The smile on Alicia''s face froze. "Well... it would seem kind of cheap if I paid for it!"

Sunny snorted. "Then why pretend to be rich if you don''t have money?"

"I don''t have money, but you do!"