Larissa's POV
I stared at my phone, stunned by his unexpected offer. "You'd really do that for me?"
"Absolutely," Carson's voice came through clear and certain. "A few strategic calls, that's all it takes. Consider it handled."
My chest tightened with an unfamiliar warmth. "I don't know what to say. That's incredibly generous."
"Don't mention it." His tone shifted, becoming gentler than I'd ever heard it. "How are you managing through all this?"
The simple question hit me harder than I expected. My throat constricted as emotions I'd been holding back threatened to surface. "I'm hanging in there. Scared, mostly. But there's something else we need to discuss."
"I'm listening."
"My family spotted those tabloid photos. They know about us now."
Silence stretched between us for several heartbeats. "I understand. How did you handle it?"
