Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

The familiar thrill that ran through Irena  as she stood next to fellow reporters and photographers at a press conference no longer had the same effect on her this time.

Still shocked that she hadn’t told Lindsay  about forcing her to leave, she crossed her arms over her chest. Her skirt is flying up and her heels are hugging her legs. It didn’t help that there were blisters  from the boots Sage  made her wear five days ago.

Furthermore, Lindsay  decided that a press conference sounded extremely interesting and chose to stay and stand right next to Irena  . This makes a hasty retreat almost impossible.

Lindsay  patted Irena  ‘s arm as she smiled at him. “You never told me how fun these things are,” she said as her eyes danced in amusement.

Irena  stared at her. “Probably because they don’t,” she said. What’s interesting is her bed and blanket. A place where she can hide and where the rest of the world doesn’t know about her. A place where Sage  Kennedy  doesn’t exist.

A, why can’t you stop thinking about him? Why didn’t he  leave her alone? He did everything but told her he was not interested. Why didn’t her heart receive the memo?

Her article has been out for two days  and she still hasn’t heard  from Sage . Her cheeks burned at the thought of the truths she had said there. She exposed herself and her feelings in a way she never did before.

His silence was like a slap. The worst kind of rejection. Although Peter  says it’s the best article she’s ever written, the only praise she craves is from Sage , and she’s given up hope that he’ll give it to her.

She sighed and looked around. Why are all these people gathered here? Lindsay  was puzzled as to why they were  here. She glanced  at her fellow reporters chatting among themselves. The word “survivor” caught her attention and made her  lean forward.

“I know, don’t I?” I can’t believe they held this press conference a few days after it was discovered,” said one reporter, playing with the tape recorder in his hand.

Found? What does it mean? She glanced  at Lindsay , who was staring at a particularly handsome photographer changing lenses. Oh no.

“Lindsay , why are we here?” What is this press conference for?

Lindsay  looked at her. Her eyes widened as if she had been caught. “It’s crazy, you have to understand that you won’t come if I tell you who it’s for.”

Irena  ‘s heart felt like it fell out of her body. Her cheeks heat up as the room fades around her. She’s here to watch Sage  Kennedy  hold a press conference. She wanted to cry and wanted to vomit at the same time. What did Linds do? She needs to leave.

When she turned to rush out, reporters and photographers all surrounded her. There was a commotion on the stage. She turned her back to the catwalk as she stared at the furthest exit, wishing  she could somehow get there.

A voice comes from the microphone. Irena  recognized it as a feminine voice with a business accent. Amanda .

“I want to thank all of you  for coming here today. I hope we can summarize this  as Mr Kennedy  is still recovering from the injury he suffered last week. I want to keep the questions to a minimum so  we can get out of here in time. With that  said, I will pass the time  to Mr. Sage  Kennedy  , CEO of Kennedy  Outdoors.”

Irena  closed her eyes when she heard noises in the background, then a clear clearing  into the microphone. She braced herself  to hear the soft voice that had become a constant in her life in those  fateful days.

“As you know, my late father, Sergio Kennedy  , was the subject of many stories of illegal poaching.”

Her heart beat to the rhythm of her familiar  voice. This caused tears to form on her eyelids. Why is she here? Why was Lindsay  torturing her like this?

“On behalf of everyone at Kennedy  Outdoors, I would like to sincerely apologize to all of the loyal customers and supporters of this company  over the years. What my father did was unacceptable and wrong. And I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that people will find the strength within themselves to forgive us.”

Irena  stopped. There was something in Sage ‘s voice that made her turn. She hesitated, then stared at the podium. Her heart missed a beat. Sage  stared at her. His black eyes were piercing and serious.

“We were wrong. Very bad. And while we don’t deserve to be forgiven for what we’ve done, we hope that in time, the world can forgive the Kennedy  s family. ”

Sage  never took his eyes off her face. Soon, reporters and photographers  standing around  turned to look at her. Irena  ‘s whole body heated up at the attention this caused.

Harsh whispers draw everyone’s attention  to the podium. Amanda  whispered things into Sage ‘s ear. Sage  turned to say something to her, and their conversation could be heard over the loudspeaker.

“Why didn’t you tell me she’d be here?”

Amanda  turned to the crowd and smiled. Then she leaned  toward Sage . “Gifts,” she whispered.

Sage  stared at her for a second then turned back  to the microphone. “Kennedy Outdoors has agreed to donate ten million dollars to protected areas in each country where my father poached illegally. While we know it can’t be fixed, we hope it can begin to heal the pain  caused by his actions.”

He glanced at Amanda , and she nodded. As if that was the relief he was looking for, he turned and ran down the stairs. Amanda  approached the microphone and nodded to the audience. Arms were raised and questions filled the air.

“Wow. Interesting,” Lindsay  said, glancing at Irena  .

“Why did you do that?” Irena  squealed as she tried to hold back her emotions.

Lindsay  put her arm around Irena  ‘s shoulder. “Honey, you need to move on. Either with him or without him. You need to see it. Begin the healing process.”

Irena  moved her lips to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she felt  the building getting closer to her. Wanting a breath of fresh air, Irena  just nodded and made her way through the crowd toward the exit. She lowered her head as she pushed open the metal door and stepped out onto the bustling sidewalk.

She collapsed on the brick building and buried her face in her hands. Is Sage  talking about them? Is he apologizing for what he did? Has he seen my post? Does he know how you feel?

It all made her  sick. There was peace in knowing that he hadn’t read her article. Knowing that the words she wrote down, even if she did not regret writing them down, she might not be seen by him. She has said that being trapped in the desert with him is the best adventure she has ever taken. That she would never go back and change what happened.

But now that  he could know every  detail of her heart that  she had written down, she wasn’t sure how. Now all she wants to do is crawl into a hole and disappear. For all times.

“Irena ?” Sage ‘s deep voice asked  behind her.

Her skin tingled as she became acutely aware of how close he was standing. He had to use all his strength to pull his hand away from his face and look. Sage  was beside her with his hands  in his front pockets and  shoulders drooping. Was he  as miserable without her as she was without him?

“Yes?” she whispered. She was afraid that if she raised her voice too loudly, it would scare him.

His forehead furrowed as he reached back. He came out with a  rolled up magazine. It’s La Revue. His article.

She sat up. This time she wouldn’t let him go  without telling him exactly what she was thinking. Sage  Kennedy  will listen to him, one way or another. Even if it means he can turn her down, she will say what she has to say. Only then can she really move on.