CH 2

It was the scheduled day for the press conference and Azure Entertainment’s conference hall was beginning to fill with reporters as the appointed time drew near. 

The crowd was abuzz as they speculated on what the young actress would announce during this time. Some expected Crystal to issue a public apology and gracefully fade from the spotlight. Others think the agency will deny the allegations and claim that the photos have been expertly photoshopped.

Regardless of what she or her agency had planned to say, everyone was sure about one thing: Crystal James has reached the end of her career.

The scandal in question was a number of nude photos released online via a gossip website with the headline: “The Promiscuous Crystal James: The Truth Behind Her Rise to Stardom”, which revealed that the celebrity allegedly performed sexual favors in exchange for better roles and other opportunities.

Upstairs in one of Azure Entertainment’s many makeup rooms, Crystal sat calmly as her makeup artist prepared her for the press conference. Her calm and stoic expression hid the turbulent storm in her heart.

“Nervous?” A rich voice emerged from behind her.

The mirror reflected a tall, elegant woman wearing a white powersuit. Crystal surmised that her cousin would make it big as a model if she would ever decide to enter that career path. Her long, slender legs, and slim physique would fit well with any kind of clothing.

Crystal shook her head in reply.

“Good,” Lia said. “You shouldn’t be. Just remember what we talked about.”

“Where are you going?”

Lia gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Kent and I will be monitoring the press con in another room.”

When the time for the press conference came near, Crystal was guided by her manager downstairs to the hall’s side entrance. She was bombarded by an incessant barrage of flashing lights as soon as the door opened.

“You need to look as fresh and as gorgeous as ever. The press will pay a lot of attention to how you look so we need to make it seem as if you were unaffected by this issue. Everything hinges on how you will look and your reactions so you must stay calm at all times.”

With Lia’s voice playing in her mind, Crystal calmly stepped into the room and walked towards the stage set up for them where she immediately sat on the chair assigned to her behind a long table. Grace, her manager, sat beside her.

“Good afternoon,” Grace began as she leaned close to the microphone prepared in front of them. “I would like to thank everyone who came here today to cover our very important announcement.”

A murmur bubbled from the crowd. An important announcement?

“You are the selected few who Miss James chose to be with her in one of her most important career decisions.”

The crowd became even more restless.

Career decision? What is going on? 

Everyone was raising hands but Grace calmly continued.

“You were all witnesses to her humble beginning as a child star and now, as tribute to showbiz’ most enduring tradition of metamorphosis, we present to you the new Crystal James. Everyone here shall receive her all-new all-exclusive set of promotional photos in her arrival to adulthood. We thank everyone for helping create the buzz she needed. The recent publicity gimmick is part of the collection of photos that she prepared to show that she is ready to face this new chapter in her life.”

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Lia smiled as she watched the events unfold at the press conference on a large-screen TV. Crystal was able to handle the press magnificently and things are going exactly how she predicted it.

She turned to her assistant, Kent, who was watching alongside her. “Are the preparations in order?”

“Yes, as you said, Miss Christine Lee wasn't able to say ‘no’ when I told her that you were the one asking for her and immediately agreed to take time off her schedule to do the shoot.”

“Great! Christine owes me huge favor, after all. She’s known for her classy aesthetics so she would be the best one for this job. Make sure the photoshoot gets done by tomorrow and rushed to our layout team ASAP. I want the photos presented as dignified, elegant, and sophisticated.”

“Our layout team has also been informed and has agreed to fast track the processing of her photos. Promotions are already working on their strategy for dissemination.” 

Lia nodded approvingly at her assistant. Kent was the fifth assistant assigned to her in the span of two years. The first four were barely able to last three months under her tutelage before either resigning or begging Human Resources to have them transferred to a different department.

“Good job.” She patted Kent on the shoulder. “I’ll leave Crystal to you, then.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Lia checked her wrist watch as she exited the building. One hour before her dinner date with her grandmother. She had just enough time to drive to the restaurant. 

A notification appeared on her phone. It was a message from Marissa telling her that she will bring her hired boyfriend and meet her at the restaurant in 30 minutes.

She smiled. So far so good. Things were going along as planned.

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Rush hour was a bit heavier than usual and Lia arrived at La Rue de Cuisson, a bit later than she expected. The restaurant was famous for its French cuisine and reservations are hard to come by but her grandmother had always loved dining in this restaurant whenever she came to the city.

She had just given the valet parking attendant the keys to her car when she heard someone calling her.

She turned around to see Marissa waving at her. But what caught her eye was not her beautiful best friend, but the tall, gorgeous man in a suit standing beside her. No wonder women pay a lot at host clubs!

“Sorry I’m late,” Lia apologized. “There was a car collision on 5th street so traffic was a bottleneck there.”

“It’s fine,” Marissa said, pulling the man forward. “I want you to meet Sage Wilson.”

“Hi, I’m Lia Ryan,” she offered her hand and the man shook it firmly.

Lia couldn’t help but notice that his hands were big.

“Great! Grandma will be here soon so we better get inside now,” she said, pulling the man along. “Remember, we need to look intimate for the entire dinner.”

“Lia, wait,” Marissa interrupted.

Lia was only able to take a couple of steps before she noticed that the man she was pulling wasn’t budging. She turned around and looked at him questioningly.

“Lia,” Marissa repeated. “Sage is -”

Her words were cut off as the man suddenly took two strides to Lia’s side.

Lia’s eyes went wide at the sight of him standing so close to her. She felt an abrupt sense of panic as she looked into his stern brown eyes.

He quietly took her hand from his wrist and placed it around his arm. “Shall we?”

Lia smiled approvingly before glancing over to her best friend. “We’ll see you later,” she winked before they proceeded to enter the restaurant, leaving a stunned Marissa alone at the reception area.