Phoebe's POV
Ten minutes before The Emperor's Edict premiere began, invited fans and the film's cast started filtering into the VIP theater.
I clutched my smoothie cup while Harold's warm fingers intertwined with mine, his other hand balancing a bucket of popcorn as he guided me toward the prime seats in the center.
Even after settling into the plush chair and taking several long sips to steady my racing pulse, I still couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened. Somehow, I'd agreed to date the infamously cold Harold Bailey.
Maybe it was the way his voice had turned rough when he'd said, "Then let me chase you."
Or maybe it was that tender warmth in his dark eyes that made me foolishly believe I could feel safe with someone.
But I was still carrying the weight of finding my mother's killer and proving Buck's innocence. I couldn't pretend to live some fairy-tale romance like other girls my age.
