Max & Me

Ch. 68-Stand Up

Ch. 68-Stand Up

Liam's POV

I left the message on Danielle's answering machine, my heart in extreme pain and my legs weak. I dropped my cell phone on the table, and put my head in my hands. "Good job." Said Simon, walking over to me from the kitchen, and slapping a hand down on my shoulder.

"This will give you an extra couple weeks with Sophia. Get some press out about your re-kindling relationship." Simon grinned, looking proud. I looked down at the floor of the hotel room. Simon told me I couldn't go home last night. He forced me to this hotel, with Sophia.

I choked back tears, and nodding along with Simon's good job voice. "You can't keep making him do all this stuff, Simon," Sophia's voice chimed in from the pullout sofa. I turned to where she sat. She was looking up from her turquoise and pink bejewelled cell-phone, extreme annoyance in her eyes.

She spoke, "I have a life too, Simon. I have friends, family. All I want to do is go home. You can't just keep making Liam and I stay here, together. There's a guy back home who I'm in love with. I'm not in love with Liam. Liam and I aren't in love. You can't force love."

"But I can force good-press." Simon chuckled at his 'clever' comeback. I rolled my eyes, and shook his hand off my shoulder. Sophia put her phone down on the couch, and joined my side. Two angry people are more affective than one. "Ah, you two are the perfect pair," Said Simon, making his hands into the shape of a camera and pretended to take our photo.

"He's in love with Danielle," Said Sophia, crossing her arms, "And- he's engaged. He loved Danielle enough to propose."

Simon didn't even flinch. Why doesn't he care? I thought we were friends. "He has two kids, Simon. Two adorable one-year-old kids who need their Father in their lives. How would you feel if you weren't aloud to see baby Eric or Lauren any more?" Sophia questioned. I nodded along with Sophia's bold statements. I'm too scared to stand up to Simon, so I'm glad Sophia's doing it for the both of us.

"This has nothing to do with Eric or Lauren," Simon snapped. I guess Sophia really hit a nerve, there. "This is about the press, you two. You're going to keep on fake-dating, until I say you can break-up. I'm the boss here. Liam really needs the good press right now, and you, Sophia, are the good press. So you two can suck it up and be pleasant. That's your only option."

"What if we don't?" I asked, deciding to be like Sophia and stand up to Simon. "Yeah?" Sophia added, staring Simon down. "Then Liam's little contract with One Direction might just disappear." My jaw fell open. "You can't just remove me from my own band," I gasped, quickly shaking my head at the crazy thought.

"I created that band," Simon countered, "I can't do whatever in the world I want to, with One Direction." My eyes watered over, and my confidence disappeared. "You can't do that," Sophia tried to fight back for me, voice cracking. "Would you like to bet?" Simon asked with a satisfied smirk, stepping closer to Sophia.

"I hate you, Simon," I said through gritted teeth, "I hate you with a frickin' passion."

Danielle's POV

Madison and I stayed outside in the pouring rain for the next ten minutes, while she cried into my shirt. "I miss Daddy," Madison sobbed, clutching my shirt with her tiny hands. "Let's go inside, baby," I whispered, not wanting to say anything that would make her cry more. "O-okay," She shivered, nodding.

I helped my daughter stand up, and together we re-entered our home. I took off my sopping wet housecoat, and dropped it onto the ground. I'm going to have to put that in the dryer. I picked up a random sweater of mine and draped it over Madison's shoulders so she wouldn't be cold. I'll have to get her dressed.