Transverse

Three

I woke up and I realized I was still on the floor. Damn, he didn't even put me on the bed. Well, at least he put a pillow under my head. I got up while massaging my back, sore from sleeping on the floor the whole night. I looked around the room, and he was gone again.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" I whispered to myself. I looked at the clock, 11:30 am. 11:30 am!?

I ran to the shower quickly and took a short bath. After that, I went to my closet and wore a checkered grey blazer dress and nude heels. I put light make-up on and blow-dried my hair. I grabbed my purse and a pair of sunglasses before heading out.

I arrived at the lobby and the paparazzi were still there. Wow, they sure put the 'd' in dedication, I just don't know which one. I went to the parking lot and they still followed me there.

I somehow managed to arrive at the press conference 10 minutes before it started. Maggie, my manager, greeted me with glaring eyes as I went inside the side door.

"Why are you late?! You were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago!" She whispered harshly to my ear.

"I woke up late, I'm sorry," I said flatly and came near to one of the staff, Maggie following me from behind. I can still feel her piercing eyes glaring at me but I just ignored her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, there was an emergency," I said to the staff with apologetic eyes.

She said it was okay and led me to the platform. A table was there, along with cardboard cut-outs of me.

We waited for a few minutes for the reporters and the brand managers to arrive. The venue was overflowing with people, the media, and the fans. Camera flashes and screams welcomed me but I was used to it.

The press conference started and I was asked simple questions. The majority of the questions were for the brand managers. I drank water, played with my fingers, basically, I did everything to keep myself entertained but boredom still prevailed.

"This question is for Ms. Elle. What can you say about the Plastic Surgery scandal?" The reporter asked.

I can't just avoid this question forever, I have to clear my name. But Maggie told me to just let it pass.

I don't know what to do!

I looked at Maggie, giving her a meaningful stare as if asking her for help. She gave me a nod, a sign that I can answer the question.

"It's just a rumor. All of these came from my family's genes. We'll just take the rumor as a compliment. Do I look too good to be true?" I answered, earning a laugh from the audience.

I don't have anything against plastic surgery nor anyone who had plastic surgery. But once and for all, I just wanna say that I've never had plastic surgery. Thank you."

 

"Then why did you avoid the rumors?" one reporter added.

 

"My manager and I thought that it was just a nonsense rumor so we just kept quiet and let it pass," I answered with a smile. I'm sure the news headlines later will be about me again.

After that, we wrapped up. The managers asked me out for lunch but I was quite tired so I declined. I talked to Maggie and went to get sushi for my lunch. After that, I went home.

I've been staying in this hotel for months now ever since some drunk guy tried to break into my apartment. My team, especially Maggie was worried about my safety so I'm staying here for now. But I think I might move to a new one since the paparazzi already know that I stay here.

After lunch, I tried to get back to sleep since I slept on the floor last night. Gosh, that man. Am I that heavy that he didn't even bring me to my bed?! Ugh. In the end, I didn't get any sleep since I was annoyed again. So, I just scrolled through social media with my phone and I was right. The majority of the article posts were about me.

'Elle Smith Denied Surgery Rumors'
'Elle Smith Speaks Up The Truth'
'The Truth About Elle Smith's Face'

I was even trending on Twitter!

'#ElleSmithisagoddess'

'Elle Smith Plastic Surgery Rumor'

'#Elle'sTrueface'

'#Elle'sNaturalbeauty'

I'm happy that my name is cleared once again. It was about evening when I just decided to go to the rooftop and swim for a bit. It was a little late, so no one was there. I took my bathrobe off, revealing my white one-piece swimsuit. I went down the pool stairs, the cold water hugging my feet.

It was refreshing and relaxing, something I longed for. I swam for a little bit more before going up.

I took my robe and covered my body, shivering because of the midnight breeze. I walked through the hallway when I heard footsteps behind me. I think someone was following me.

I looked behind but saw nothing so I just shrugged it off. I entered my room and planned to take a quick shower before going to bed.

"Okay, you have to stop doing this," I said, seeing the man back in my room again. "Do you only appear at night? What are you, a vampire? You came here to suck my blood?" I said and jokingly offered him my neck.

"What if I am?" He smirked and stepped closer.

"Well then, can you please stop coming back, Mr. Vampire?" I said, stepping back a little.

"It's Jonas. My name is Jonas, Soleil." He said. How did he know my real name? I use a stage name, I should be known with that name, not the real one? Is it all over google? Did someone tell him?

"Okay, how the hell do you know my name?" I said, my eyes widened.