Sweet
"What the hell did you do?"
Dad approached me like a madman as soon as the entire production crew of the show Good Morning USA left. "You exposed the man; threw his face in the mud in front of the entire world."
"Nah, don't worry about it." I waved my hand, ignoring his wild reaction. "That man deserves it. After what he did to me, I couldn't just sit there and tell myself that it was fine. Because until now it wasn't. I felt disrespected. He had no respect for my time, my effort, or me as a person. I worked so hard for this career, and he just treated me like a joke. He's a douchebag who doesn't deserve respect from anyone."
"I understand, but you should have settled it differently. You're putting yourself into trouble. Sebastian Stavrakos is not an ordinary man. He's powerful. He's rich."
"So?" I shrugged, my lips twisting, uncaring of what Dad said. "I don't care if he has tons of money and thousands of connections. He should know that what he did was wrong. Otherwise, he'll keep on repeating it."
"You should have kept your opinion to yourself. He's a dangerous man to mess with. He could sue you for slander or moral damage."
I snickered, patting my dad's back. "That's not possible. I only told the truth. We may voice our opinions. It's a free country. Every human being has rights."
He looked heavenward and threw his arms in the air. "Did you hear me? The man is powerful! He could destroy you with just a snap of his fingers."
I shook my head. "That man has no balls to sue me in court."
"What makes you so sure?"
"First"—I touched my little finger—"it would only expose all his dirt and add more humiliation. He'd hate it when the media wouldn't stop digging into his past scandals. Second, he wouldn't jeopardize his family's reputation. That would be bad for the business. Third, people would turn against their family. No one would believe in their latest innovation projects—they would be doomed. Imagine, it costs billions, and almost all the rich people in the world are invested in it. And there are a thousand more reasons."
Dad sighed, clasping his arms together. "I hope you're right. I can't help but worry about the outcome."
"There's nothing to worry, dad. Just trust me on this." I tapped his back again, and he nodded.
Colton, who shouted from a distance while walking toward us, interrupted our emotional moment.
"Hey Sweet! You're so cool! You grilled the man. I saw the tweets. You're trending on Twitter with that Stavrakos guy. You're getting very famous now."
"Really? I haven't checked on it yet."
"Your followers are growing on all your social media accounts. Wow, that's amazing!" He grinned widely. "Can you sprinkle a little of your fame? Maybe you can help me grow my followers too."
"Yeah, if you really want your life to be exposed to the public, Colton."
"Hmm...I guess one in the family is enough," he answered.
"Colt, can you transfer those sacks of potatoes from the field to the storage room?" Dad instructed, and he followed without question.
Marie joined me right away when I was alone, holding her iPad. She was a very efficient personal assistant, editor and, most importantly, my best friend.
"You did so well! I'm so proud of you, my bestie. You looked so pretty on camera. White suits you better."
I wore a white pantsuit. The same suit that I wore during what was supposed to be my first meeting with Sebastian Stavrakos.
"Thanks. But Dad got upset that I grilled Sebastian on the show. Do you think I overdid it?"
"Never. You did just fine. In fact, you were so discreet. If I were in your shoes, I would have lashed out and said things that would make that man wish he was not born. That asshole deserves it," she muttered bitingly, her eyes growing in maddening anger.
Her assurance made me confident that I did the right thing and I had nothing to be concerned about.
"That was an unpleasant experience."
"It was. Good thing you did not agree to meet him when he asked. He would have done the same thing and left you hanging."
"Absolutely. I don't want to experience that again."
She took my phone and made me stand in front of our small garden. "Come on, I'll take some photos of you for social media."
Yeah, Sebastian Stavrakos was mega rich, influential, powerful, and all. Too bad he messed with the wrong girl. I could not just sit and watch him make a fool of everyone. I had to stand up and say something about it.
What he did was wrong, and he needed to learn how to act less like a spoiled brat and more like a civilized human being.
***
The following day, I received an email from my publisher. After seeing my daring interview exposing Sebastian, they wanted to bring me back to the negotiating table for my book deal. They thought my rising popularity could be of help, even if they still weren't making any promises about publishing.
No doubt, they still wanted the Sebastian Stavrakos exclusive interview.
My blog following increased as well as my brand partnerships and collaborations. My advertising earnings also skyrocketed.
On the flip side, Sebastian Stavrakos' name was trending all over social media for the wrong reasons. Tweets, posts, comments, articles, photos, and videos of him flooded my feed. There were even memes of him as the certified playboy with the doctor's degree.
The world learned too much information about him. As a kid, he locked his nanny in their basement. He broke their CCTV cameras and climbed out of their mansion gates. He put a live frog on a silver platter, ruining his family's Christmas dinner. He threw detergent soap in their fountain, burned their house down, and many others.
As he grew up, he was into different sports—car racing, mountain climbing, and skydiving. They'd linked him to different women all over the world. Celebrities, models, daughters of business tycoons and politicians, and even princesses.
Now, the paparazzi followed him everywhere. They pestered him, camping outside his penthouse and office just to take photos and get more information.
Well, he asked for it. That would surely teach him a lesson.
Many people rode the publicity, especially the women whom he dated and slept with. They said the same things.
He dumped me after our first date.
He never returned my calls.
He doesn't do relationships and girlfriends.
The man is afraid of commitment.
The name Sebastian Stavrakos was everywhere. He became super famous as the notorious playboy.
So yeah, I ruined his reputation, but I did not feel sorry for it. I knew I did the right thing, and he deserved it.
I guess he realized his mistakes. Though he never said a word or comment about the issue to the media. He didn't set up any interview either to defend himself. He was silent, and so was everyone in his camp.
It had been two weeks since my interview with Good Morning USA, and yet he never contacted me. Nothing. Not even a word from his executive assistant, James.
It was like nothing happened.
Sometimes I wondered if he was so callous that he didn't give a damn about what people said about him. Maybe he was used to it. He preferred to stay silent. That way, the issue would die down easily.
While I got the sympathy of the people.
Don't worry. We're here for you.
I hate these rich, selfish, spoiled men, who think the world revolves around them - that everyone would come running to attend to their needs.
Fucking rich man. So immature.
You did the right thing. Someone should tell him that what he did was wrong.
He's rebellious. Just like his mom.
It did concern me that some people dragged his mom into it when it was a battle between me and Sebastian Stavrakos only.
Elena Pallis Stavrakos was a smart, classy, powerful, and rich woman. I read her biography and learned about her struggles in life. From growing up so poorly, taking care of her mother with cancer, dealing with her ruthless grandfather and getting into an arranged marriage that changed her life. She was very admirable and a strong woman indeed.
Unfortunately, her son sucked!
What was weirdest were fandoms that sprung up of Sebastian and myself. Some had a crazy notion of us being together. They made some video clips online, making up stories of us meeting for the first time and falling in love.
There was plenty of fan art posted on different social media. Some claimed that we were secret lovers or had a thing in the past.
I couldn't understand why some people saw everything as a joke.
***
Everything was good until one night...
I got home late after attending an event I was invited to as a guest speaker. Dad was in the kitchen drinking beer.
"Mr. Andrews backed out in our partnership deal. He also won't buy our potatoes anymore," he told me abruptly.
"What?!" My heart stopped for a moment, hearing the news and seeing Dad's weary face. "Why?"
"He rejected our potatoes. and turned to another supplier." He sank into the wooden chair.
I was completely bewildered.
"He can't just reject us. We've been supplying them for years. We have excellent quality of potatoes, and now we produce more than ever. Isn't that what he wants?"
He nodded, sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes briefly. "He had to do it. He was sorry because he had no choice."
"What do you mean?"
"Stavrakos is the chief investor of the Andrews Food Manufacturing Company."
My heart sank. "Oh my God."
He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Sebastian Stavrakos threatened to pull out their investment if Andrews continued to get potatoes from us."
"That bastard!" I exclaimed, my hands balled into fists. "First, my book deal, and now, our potato buyer?"
So that's why that asshole Sebastian Stavrakos was silent. He was planning on something to get back at me!
"Mr. Andrews can't take the risk of losing the Stavrakos investments. It would put all his hard work into the drain." Dad looked so tired and old suddenly. "Besides, they started with the Stavrakos on their back. All their machinery, they got it from them..."
As Dad continued talking, I got blinded with fury.
"Don't worry dad, we still have other buyers."
"It won't be the same without the Andrews. These small-time buyers will only buy one fourth of the stock." He groaned. "What are we going to do with the rest? We are scheduled to harvest next week, and it will all just rot in the storage area."
"I'll find a way. Promise. I'll look for other buyers tomorrow," I assured him. "We'll surpass this trial."
***
The following day, I arrived home feeling exhausted.
Looking for a buyer was difficult. They all asked for recommendations from other buyers. They also asked why Andrews Food Processing pulled out, and I could not give them an honest answer. Other buyers were loyal to their suppliers and there was no way they would change suppliers.
"I failed," I told Erin. I was in her room, lying on her bed. She was the only person left in the house when I arrived home since everyone was on the farm.
Erin sat on the bed beside me. "At least you tried. Don't feel so bad, Sweet. You're doing a lot for our family already."
"I love you guys. You're my life. All I want is for us to be happy and live comfortably."
"Thanks, Sweet. You're always thinking of us."
"Of course." I sat up and turned to her. "It's my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut and not provoked that bastard."
"It happened already. We can't do anything about it anymore." She shrugged. "I heard dad said that he was going to return the machinery. He doesn't mind selling even at lower market value. It won't be of use if we plant less."
The thought broke my heart. Seeing my dad looking happy lately with our potato business growing gave me joy. Now, he looked like part of his world collapsed.
"No. I won't let him return all those machines. There's still a way."
She adjusted her glasses and asked, "How?"
I set my lips in a hard line. "I'm going to see Sebastian Stavrakos."