X

‘Cause I wish you the best of all this could give

And I told you when you left me

There’s nothing to forgive

But I always thought you’d come back,

tell me all you found was heartbreak and misery

It’s hard for me to say, I’m jealous of the way

You’re happy without me.

- Jealous, Labrinth

***

“OMG! Why are there so many people?” Felice asked them nervously.

"What is this? (1)KathNiel’s* new movie red carpet premiere? There are also lots of reporters!” Pipay is also nervous when she sees the swamp of people.

They agreed to go together to The Journal's Awards Night. First, it's embarrassing to enter the venue if you're alone. But the main reason is to save money on fares.

"I didn't expect so many reporters to come. I think sir Patrick went overboard here." Robin was whispering while they were following the asher to enter the red carpet and the venue.

"Our platform has also become quite big. Online reading and writing have become popular. I am not surprised if the media is interested in covering and asking about the details of our work," Pipay explained.

"Come on! It was really the right decision to wear our best for the day! Look at this! There's a photo op on the red carpet with a gorgeous backdrop! I really wouldn't be surprised if Beyonce suddenly came out here!” Robin said, laughing as they noticed what was happening to their other co-workers who were ahead of them.

"Look at that! Sir Patrick went overboard! I really feel I am on the Oscar!”

They were whispering as they approached the red carpet.

What Robin said was true, it was a good thing that they actually thought about buying clothes to wear today. Even until last night, she debated whether to attend the event or not.

"Okay, center please." The asher told them.

There are so many camera flashes coming from the reporters. She's not used to this kind of thing, so she's a little shy, but when she looks back at her friends she asks herself if they are normal people.

Pipay is still holding her waist while weaving like a newly crowned Ms. Universe. Felice is a little bit shy, but smiling widely at the camera. And Robin is acting as if he is a good-looking, slender man in a black suit, but he is obviously bloated.

She is the only normal one among the four.

She's wearing a simple black Athena gown. She also wore her hair up, she didn't wear much makeup either. She just put on red lipstick. Infinity is about to leave when one of the press calls her. She is going to ignore it but the asher stops her.

"Why?" She asked the usher in surprise.

"The press wants to interview you and ask some questions.” The usher answered with a monotone voice.

"Me?" She pointed to herself. "Interview? Why m-me? I-I’m not informed that there is something like this.” She is complaining and reluctant to go where the reporters are, but the usher is firm in her decision to usher her toward the swarm of reporters.

"Hello, Ms. Infinity. What a nice and unique name.” She always got compliments regarding her name. She just thanked her.

"Hi Ms. Infinity, I'm Katrina from Morning Press. I just want to know straight from you, as one of the original writers of The Journal, how can you write such heartbreaking stories? That has come to the point where the staff and some of the readers of The Journal have labeled you the Tragic Writer.”

She was not new to this kind of question but she was still caught off guard. She didn't know there was such an interview. She was not prepared. Maybe after this event, she will ask Louise to beat up Sir Patrick for her revenge.

"Ahhhmm t-there is nothing unusual about my way of writing. I also didn't mean the outcome of my stories to be like that. It’s just that, I base my stories on the emotion I felt on the day I started writing the draft. From there, the whole story will follow. And I will stick to that story outline until the end.”

Suddenly someone asked.

"So you mean Infinity, you're always brokenhearted? Because almost all the themes of your story revolve there."

Everyone laughed, including her.

She just laughed and did not answer the question. Because maybe when she tells the story of her life to them, her books will never be compared to her own story.

“Kidding aside. I read almost all of your stories. I just want to know where you pulled all that from. As he said earlier, are you always brokenhearted to produce that intense story?”

"I just..." She stopped speaking for a moment, thinking of suitable words for what she wanted to say that best describes how she wrote her stories. "I just based my characters’ decisions on the way I created them. You know. Their characteristics, their principles. That's how I create or develop that kind of story and lines."

A reporter would ask a follow-up question when the entrance of the red carpet suddenly went haywire. In a snap, all the reporters that surrounded her a minute ago are on the red carpet again. Everyone wants to get good shots of the group of people who have recently arrived.

Louise had arrived in her sexy red gown, with, of course, Sir Patrick.

And Lyra in her white mini dress with her husband Sir Jhezz. Her tummy is still not visible but you can see the pregnancy glow on her face.

Sir Gerald, the Editor-In-Chief in training, is with Angelica. Which surprised her and all the people in the venue. And she is wearing a different gown! This is not what Angelica bought with them the other day.

That's why she retracted what she said that they would go with them, it turned out that Angelica was with someone else. And the last pair that appeared on the red carpet was none other than Sir Paolo, together with his rumored girlfriend, Grace Angeles.

The Angeles clan is well known around the country because of their political power. Right now, his cousin, Vice Mayor Clyde Angeles, is very popular. And Grace herself is a well-known fashion designer for celebrities and people who hold power in the government.

The power couple walks gracefully onto the red carpet. They walk as if they own the ramp. They look like a god and goddess went straight from Mt. Olympus. And of course, the reporters will not miss this kind of opportunity. One of the reporters asked questions immediately.

"Ms. Angeles. Is it true that you and Mr. Santos are dating?” She asks without preamble.

The elegant woman whose arms were tangled in an almost perfect man answered the question in polite and direct words.

"Yes, Katrina. We are.” That confirmation made the crowd cheer, the reporters also congratulated them.

"Thank you so much for your greetings! Paolo and I have been together since December last year. We just want to keep it private.” She elaborated.

After some questions regarding her clothing line, the reporters now asked Paolo.

"Sir, many people in the business world are wondering why you invested and bought a big percentage of shares from a publishing company. May we know why?"

"First, Patrick is my good friend. There is nothing wrong with investing in your friend's company. Second is that I was fascinated with writers. Because they're the martyrs of literature. They can hurt their feelings, their characters actually, that they made themselves. So they can give us stories that could give us life lessons or entertain us. That is the main reason why I decided to invest in The Journal.”

That garnered a variety of reactions. They can't believe that they heard it from Paolo Santos himself, one of the Philippines' top bachelor businessmen, who is now known as Mr. Hopless Romantic.

"We don't know that you're a hopeless romantic type of person, Mr. Santos,” A reporter said with a hint of teasing.

He just laughed it off while saying "I'm not like Jhezz, who is very serious. Between the three of us, Patrick, Jhezz, and I. I can say that I am a combination of the two. Sometimes I can be serious and playful.”

Almost everyone there laughed. They all knew that the three friends had different personalities. Patrick is the jolly one, Jhezz is the serious type and he is the combination of the two.

"You are very lucky to have him, Ms. Grace.” Another reporter said with envy.

The two couples smiled at the reporter before answering.

Grace sneaks her arms into his before answering: “No, darling. Both of us are lucky to have each other.”

NOTE:

KathNiel - A famous love team in the Philippines consisting of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.