Chapter 3
I dragged my feet over and stopped about three feet away from Alex.
"Alex, is there something you want me to do?" I asked.
Alex turned around, holding an apron in his hand.
"Could you help me tie this?" he said.
I was stunned for a second.
"Can't you do it yourself?" I asked.
"My hands are dirty," Alex replied.
He held up his hands. They were spotless, not even a smudge in sight.
I gritted my teeth and took the apron from him.
Anything for the paycheck.
I stood on my tiptoes and slipped the apron over his head.
The distance between us vanished in an instant.
His masculine scent completely surrounded me.
My heart started pounding in my chest before I could stop it.
As I moved behind him to tie the apron, my fingers accidentally brushed against his waist.
Through the thin fabric of his shirt, I could feel his muscles suddenly tense up.
"Kathy," he said.
His voice came from above, carrying a hint of roughness that was barely noticeable.
"What's with the shaky hands?" he asked.
"I... I'm afraid I'll mess it up," I stammered.
I fumbled with the strings, ended up tying a clumsy knot, then hopped away.
"All done!" I blurted out.
Alex turned around, glanced at the lopsided knot, and raised an eyebrow.
He didn't say a word, just turned back and started chopping vegetables.
His knife skills were impressive, and the sound of his knife hitting the cutting board had a rhythmic cadence.
I stood there watching. It was kind of mesmerizing.
Just then, Lynsey came barging in.
"Oh, Alex, I'm out of salt. Can I borrow some?" she cooed.
As she spoke, she leaned in close to Alex on purpose.
Alex was busy slicing meat, not even bothering to look up.
"It's over there. Help yourself," he said, his tone flat.
Lynsey, not getting the reaction she wanted, clearly wasn't ready to back down yet.
Lynsey's eyes flickered slyly, spotting the pan full of heated oil sitting on the counter.
"Oh!" she suddenly squealed. She faked a stumble and lunged right toward Alex.
Her empty bowl just so happened to knock toward the pan, which fell toward me.
"Watch out!" Alex shouted.
Before I could react, he pulled me tightly into his arms with a sudden, forceful motion.
I heard him let out a muffled grunt.
Droplets of scalding oil splattered out but not a single drop landed on me.
Every drop landed on Alex's arm as he shielded me.
"Alex!" I screamed.
My mind went completely blank.
Lynsey was frozen in shock. She fell to the floor, her face pale as a sheet.
"I... I swear I didn't do it on purpose," she stammered.
Alex's brows were tightly knit, his face so dark it was almost scary.
He glanced down at me to make sure I was alright, then turned his icy glare on Lynsey.
"Get lost," he snapped.
Those two words turned the kitchen ice-cold.
The livestream chat blew up instantly.
[Oh my god. Alex is hurt!]
[What is Lynsey doing? Is she trying to kill him or something?]
[Wait, wasn't it Kathy who pushed her? From the way it happened, it totally looked like Kathy shoved Lynsey.]
[It's definitely Kathy. She's a walking disaster. She totally got Alex hurt.]
I stared at the angry red swelling spreading across Alex's arm, my eyes red with tears.
"Alex, are you nuts? That was hot oil," I blurted out.
He looked totally unfazed, shooting me a quick glance.
"Just shut up," Alex said coolly. "Go grab the first aid kit."
When the medics rushed in to treat his wound, Alex didn't flinch at all.
I stood off to the side, feeling like a kid who'd gotten caught doing something wrong, totally at a loss for what to do.
Outside, Lynsey was crying dramatically, putting on a pitiful act for the cameras as she kept apologizing nonstop.
"I'm really sorry. I just wanted to borrow some salt," she whimpered. "It was Kathy! She bumped into me suddenly. That's why I couldn't keep my balance."
With that, she threw me under the bus in front of everyone.
I snapped my head up, glaring at her.
"What are you saying? I was at least six feet away from you," I shot back.
Lynsey started crying even harder, sobbing as she pointed right at me.
She wailed, "Kathy, I know you're jealous that I get to talk to Alex, but you can't just mess around and hurt Alex.
"Everyone saw it! We were the only ones in there. Who else could it be but you?"
I was shaking with rage.
This was showbiz. No one cared about what was real.
As long as one got money and fans, one could do anything one wanted.
I turned to look at John.
He deliberately avoided my eyes, pretending to be absorbed in the monitor.
It was clear he was siding with Lynsey's version of events.
After all, sacrificing a nobody like me to protect the show and Lynsey's image was a deal too good to pass up.
The livestream chat was already launching a witch hunt for me.