THE HELL OF IT WAS, IT WAS HER BEST FRIEND.
Martha gaped at her phone screen, unable to believe the words she was reading. Disbelief made her look twice to ensure her eyes hadn't gone as crazy as her clamorous thoughts. She scrolled up, down, read and reread the headlines until her vision turned blurry. She wasn't crazy, she hadn't gone mad. What was written in the headlines was just as she had read;
" 'NO FAKE LOVE SINGER GETS BACK WITH EX, BARELY A MONTH AFTER BREAKING OFF ENGAGEMENT WITH EX-FIANCÉ - TNA REPORTS' "
Her vision clouded with tears, and her lips quivered but she kept the threatening tears at bay. The iOS 12 she was holding dangled from her limp hand and she sank back into her chair, devastated and distraught.
How could she? How dare she do that to her?
"Martha? Are you okay?"
Martha looked up at her makeup team who had been applying makeup and fixing her hair. The six of them had stopped what they were doing and were looking at her with concern. Then she looked at her junior assistant, Krystal who had posed the question. The concern in Krystal's voice was crystal clear.
She didn't know what to tell her. Was she okay? Of course, she wasn't. Who would be? What sane person would be? One would think that by now she would be used to rumors as a celebrity, given the kind of scrutiny celebrities were subjected to, both on social media and in their everyday life. And she was used to rumors and fake news about her, just that this one hit her slam-dunk in the face.
"Take that phone from her!"
Martha leaned into her chair and sighed as her senior assistant, Corey hurried into the room. He got close to her and yanked the phone from her grasp.
"You shouldn't have let her see the news." He snapped at Krystal, then turned to the makeup team. "Please excuse us." He took Martha's hand and led her into an adjoining room.
"What's the point? I would have seen it anyway." Martha said sitting, hoping to avoid a conflict between her two assistants, one older than the other not only in age but because he was hired first.
"I still think Krystal should have done something to hide the news from you, for a little while at least."
Krystal barked a snide laughter. "Hide something that's shutting down the internet? It's as if you're telling me to mute the sound of a cannon blast with a cup."
"You should have at least tried." He said through gritted teeth.
"I did." She replied, also gritting her teeth to match his hostility.
"Obviously whatever you did was lame and unproductive."
Krystal responded with an irritated snort. "Well then Mr. Perfectionist, why weren't you here to avert it yourself? Where were you?" She placed her index finger on her lips and frowned as if in thought, then snapped her fingers. "That's right! You were out kissing a woman's ass and cradling a bottle of wine you sniveling snout."
"Stop it both of you."
Corey scoffed and rolled up his sleeves. "I think the best answer is to ignore you. You're still what, twenty-five? Yeah, that pretty much explains it."
"For the last time, cut it off." Martha directed a warning look at Corey and then at Krystal to cut off the clap back that was brewing hot in her.
Corey drew up a chair and sat facing Martha. "I'm so sorry you had to see that news. You didn't deserve any of it."
"How could Tasha do this to me?" She asked for the umpty-umpth time to no one in particular.
Tasha was her so-called best friend of three years who was the proud owner of a thriving news blog, Tasha News Agency while Tasha was her best friend, Martha had always told herself to be careful of what she confided in her. Tasha had proved her worth over the years and had published only what she was allowed to when it involved Martha and so Martha trusted her completely.
This was what made it so heartbreaking.
Martha turned to look at the transparent wall that overlooked the twelve-foot-foot swimming pool and vast garden and sighed. The last thing she needed was another Reed drama. And that was why she would take the slide with her worries and keep doing what she knew how to do best - work.
"What's my schedule?"
Krystal, surprised, asked, "Are you sure you want to be working?"
"Yes." She said definitively, putting an end to the argument.
Krystal looked at Corey for help and he groaned. "I was afraid you were going to say that. Last chance to change your mind?"
"Don't hold your breath."
"Okay then," He brought out a tab and started scrolling through. "We have a photoshoot session with Vogue, your fitting for the Wattys while your interview with Ellen comes later in the evening."
"All of which can be postponed or canceled." Krystal offered.
Martha sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She smiled apologetically at the stylist who was standing in the next room. She had probably ruined something he had been working on. "We can't cancel Ellen."
"Yes, we can. The topic is sure to come up."
"I agree," Martha said getting to her feet and then moving to the makeup room. "But I'm not going to let anything affect me, not a ruined hair or a scandal. Go get the car ready, as soon as we're finished, we move."
"Very well then," Krystal clapped. "hair, make-up, get to work. Wardrobe." She pointed at a dark-haired lad and frowned. "Dude, Martha suffered social media drag because of the clothes she put on two nights ago. Now more than ever we need to give her the best dress."
"I'm on it." He replied.
In fifteen minutes, Martha was ready for her photoshoot. What she was presently putting on wasn't what she was going to use for the shoot, but stepping into the streets, regardless of how brief, would put her in the public eye and under scrutiny, now more than ever, so she had to look perfect.
As they made their way down her twenty-five million dollar house, two of her security guards jogged toward her.
"We can't go through the front door, ma'am."
"Paparazzi?" Corey asked.
He nodded.
Martha's heart skipped beats before slowly starting to beat again. She couldn't bear another scandal. She was tired of the public using her shame and failures to sell their newspaper and make money. Soon, she would become a meme and a laughing stock. She was tired.
"Those beasts," Krystal muttered, annoyed.
They steered her towards the back entrance of her house and led her to a heavily tinted car. The moment she stepped into the street, a commotion erupted from behind the car. When she turned around, she was mortified to find reporters with cameras running after her as if their lives depended on it.
But then, it did. Most of them lived off of what they could garner from taking snapshots of celebrities and comments from them. It was ironic, that while the subjects of scandal made a slow degradation like radioactive decay, the reporters thrived off of them.
They were able to escape the press and make it in time to the studio. But, it was a waste of time as the photoshoot was canceled.
They didn't use that word exactly, they said due to "unforeseen circumstances," the editor had decided to postpone the photo shoot and the interview for the July issue till further notice.
Martha had been disappointed but had tried not to show it. The editor who had been hem-hawing and drooling over her so much that one could swim in her spit hadn't even had the guts to break the news to her. She had hidden like a coward and had sent her assistant to meet with her.
"Thank you very much. We'll take our leave now." Corey had stepped in when Martha hadn't been able to come up with a plausible reply. He lowered his voice down a notch and said through gritted teeth, "And I assure you, we won't be back."
The assistant editor-in-chief had been visibly offended but he was cool. If not for his nose that was flaring multiple times, and the veins showing on his forehead, no one would have guessed the short man was flustered.
"We appreciate the warning." He replied grimly.
Martha wasn't disappointed. She wouldn't let anything affect her this time. She had to be strong and fight for herself. She was not going to let a measly scandal pull the rug from under her feet. She had sixteen million followers on Instagram and eight million on Twitter for heavens sakes. She had won multiple awards, Grammys, Emmys, Academy Awards, Golden globe - you name it. She was a strong woman and was in control. She would survive this. Or so she thought.
"At least we have free time on our hands," Krystal said enthusiastically.
"Do we?"
She sighed. "Not exactly. We still have that fitting with Alexander Wang."
"Hopefully he won't kick us out due to unforeseen circumstances." Chipped in Corey.
Krystal snorted. "Honey he traveled down from West Chelsea to Palm Springs to personally see to her fitting. He's in love with her."
Martha couldn't help but laugh. She had met Alexander in New York fashion week six years ago and had been close friends with him since then. Apart from his friendly and jovial nature, he was sweet and very intelligent. He was also great at his fashion and she couldn't help but be in awe of him. At such a young age, he was already making waves in the fashion industry.
The moment their car stopped at the entrance of the house, blinding lights swirled and surrounded her. Martha groaned inwardly. How had they known she was going to be here?
"Turn around," Corey instructed the driver.
"No. Park. We're going in."
"But -"
"I know." She said to Krystal who had voiced her concerns. "We can't keep on hiding because of a bunch of humans with a camera and a speaker. I can't place my whole life on hold because of them either."
"And if they throw questions at you?"
"I'll be fine."
Martha was convinced that when she told Corey that she would be fine she had meant it. She had also told herself that she was in control of her emotions but the moment she stepped from the van, she almost fainted. They all rushed her like a pack of wolves. She was surprised that her security was able to fend them off. She felt nauseous too, but the tricky part was, that the blinding lights didn't make her nauseous, and nor did the sound of the camera shutters. The questions did.
"Martha, what do you have to say about the ongoing crisis?"
"Martha, do you think you will be uninvited from the Wattys?"
"Marta do you regret this?"
"Martha, why did you lead Duncan on for months only to go back to your ex-boyfriend?"
"Martha, are you going to return the ring or pawn it?"
As she had promised, she looked right through all questions and walked, head high into the building. All she needed to do, all that was required of her, was to walk, chain jutted, oozing confidence and unmatchable level-headedness. Proud and strong. Like the boss that she was.
The get-up she was in was especially sexy and beautiful today. It was a black leather jumpsuit by Versace that molded her figure like a second skin. She was wearing bright-pink leather boots and Gucci sunglasses to go with them. Her hair was let down, long, silky, straight, and smooth. She was the perfect replica of a goddess, as she was fondly called, so nothing could shake her.
But something did. Something shook her so hard that it almost turned the earth into a rug that was yanked from under her feet, plowing her deep into depression. It was a question, one thrown randomly at her and one she replied like the rest by ignoring it and plodding on, head still raised, chin jutted, and all. But the question kept ringing in her head, casting a gloom over her excitement to see her fashion idol, throughout the fitting and even hours after she had gone to bed.
"Martha, do you think the Queen will ever forgive you for yet another Reed scandal?"
=
OMG!!! I am literary jumping in excitement. I am so happy that I have started this book. You all are in for some excitement😄😄 Thank you so much for reading, please vote, comment your thoughts, add to your library and reading lists, and share. Thank you❤