BEAUTY SCARS

SCOOP YOU

The phone buzzed. Dominque let it slide until it fell off the nightstand to continue its jiggle on the floor.

The man had a hard time finding sleep. For once, his eyes closed on their own; he wished to dream. Perhaps she would be in it with her freckles and oversized jumpsuits. The insomniac state wasn't unfamiliar for Dominique, who just switched its cause.

Now Kaede was the ghost haunting the walls of his heart. The phone stopped vibrating, and Dominque guessed the message went on voice mail when the home phone went off without interruption. His phone began to buzz again, too, driving the man up the wall. Dominque couldn't ignore the calls anymore.

He picked up, "hello."

"Mr. Miguens, how long have you and Han Hye Ju been an item?"

Dominique looked at the screen. It was an unknown number he hung up. His phone displayed no less than thirty calls, with five from Dyan. The voice messages were from different tabloids Magazines. Only Dyan's message told him to go on Hye Ju's official Instagram page.

Seven in a morning seemed like an ungodly hour to go on social media yet the man executed. The newest post, which was only eight hours old, already cumulated 100K views. It was a snippet of an interview Hye Ju gave Scoops a French tabloid.

In the video, Hye Ju explained how raising to fame; she had no other choice than to hide the fact she had a child. Hye Ju was Google's highest-rated trending topic. What almost gave the man a heart attack were the photos taken without his consent of Siwon and him playing football at a park. And of him carrying Siwon while Hye Ju walked alongside him.

Dominque grabbed his phone and dialed.

"Hello."

"Hye Ju, where are you?" Dominque asked as he paced back and forth in his living room.

"Dom, calm down. It's nothing."

"Nothing? Are you out of your mind? How could you, Hye Ju? How can you sell your story and exploit your son this way? How dare you use me."

"Dominque, it's not what you think. The papers caught on. Either I did this interview, or they threw out the story their way. Please try to understand. I've got this. Let me deal with it."

"Understand, I can't, Hye Ju. How much did you get for this? Tell me, was it worth it?"

"Dom, listen."

Dominque hung up; he was too furious to speak. If the woman was in front of him, the man didn't know what he would have done. Even though he was angry about being in the picture, what blew his mind was how Hye Ju allowed the paparazzi to catch Siwon on camera.

What type of mother did that? Thought the man.

Was Hye Ju that desperate? She was already famous. What else did she want?

He needed answers. Dominque got dressed and went to the door that he closed immediately after dozens of camera flashes shot him.

The man grasped his head as he realized he was a prisoner of his home. He peeped through the curtains; there were at least six vans along his street.

How long would they stay?

Dominque grabbed his phone, "Dyan."

"Dom, I was so worried. I almost broke my water when I saw this. I told you, Dom, the woman is vicious."

Dominque grasped and pulled on his hair, "Dyan, I'm stuck. There's paparazzi everywhere. I can't take a step outside."

Another thought crept into Dominque's mind, one that made his heart pulse 80-95bpm.

Kaede.

Did she see the news?

Dominque hoped she would not. He didn't need her to hate him more than she already did.

Hye Ju's interview came crushing the man's options. Until now, Dominque still had a vague hope of renewing ties with Kaede. He imagined her hiding behind the walls she built; no one could attain her. This process of hers meant no other man would try their luck, giving Dominque an opportunity without competition or pressure. He could win her back. In theory, the plan was bulletproof. Now Dominque could only admit defeat as the woman would blacklist him for good with such a scandal tailing him.

The social-media-free woman was virtually unaware of the situation. All eyes were on Kaede as she stepped into the store. Most were concerned or apologetic stares as if Kaede's pet cat or dog had died. The weird ambiance pushed Kaede to hurry and find Iman to fill her in on the awkwardness, "hi, what's going on here?"

Iman grabbed her by the arms and pulled Kaede aside, "Kaede, you and Dominque aren't dating anymore, right?"

"No, why?"

"Have you been on Instagram lately?"

Kaede gave Iman a deadpan stare, "you know I can't. I don't have an account. Why?"

"Were you aware Hye Ju and Dominque knew each other?"

Kaede sighed, "Iman, stop with the precautions; just spit it out already."

"Last night Hye Ju posted a teaser of her interview with Scoops. She revealed she was the mother of a four-year-old, but also she said it was the fruit of her love with a former Junior league football player."

Kaede rolled her eyes," is that it?"

"No, Kaede, no," Iman added for the full dramatic effect, "just a few seconds after she posted photos of Dominque and their son began to pop up everywhere on the internet."

If Iman's words fell in a bottomless well at first, Kaede now felt like she had woken from a coma, and the world had flipped. Still, she kept her composure, nodded, and went to her office. She hanged her coat and went to sit behind her desk, "Iman, have all the props arrived for the Air Max Nike x Supreme launch on Tuesday?"

It took Iman a few seconds to register Kaede's reaction, "eh, yeah."

"Good, I want this to pop. Get Steph on it; he has the eye for showcasing."

Kaede wasn't feigning. She just thought it was none of her business. Dominque made a choice that he had to assume. She had a lot of work and was late on her schedule. He had his issues, and she had her matters.

Iman watched Kaede switch on her Apple screen and begin to type. The married woman who wasn't a gossip girl initially found herself warped into her boss's romantic life, which she followed religiously like a prime time sitcom.

Despite the gut feeling that told her to shut up, Iman tried to get more from Kaede, "eh, aren't you a little-."

"Aren't I what, Iman, sad, angry, frustrated? I don't know, but I'll tell you what I am, though. I'm swamped; I have a store to run, euros to make, collections to install. I don't have time for no gossip or Instagramarama, okay."

Kaede's stern stare made Iman take a few steps back, turn and leave her office.

The woman didn't front. She wanted peace, and Kaede had it when Dominque's name remained unpronounced. What annoyed the Ex was that she would spend the day trying to eject the man from her thoughts when she was okay before becoming aware of their scoop. Curiosity beckoned Kaede to click on one of the photos of the only person who merited any of her pity.

"Poor child."