The New me

I went home starving, and, as soon as, I stepped inside the house, I ordered the kitchen staff to cook some food. They immediately cooked curry with rice and honey walnut shrimp, and both only took 20 minutes.

There were eyes focused on me while eating, so it was a bit difficult to swallow my food. I get that they might be curious about the truth but can't they do it a little more subtly?

Sigh.

"Ahem. Please make some desserts for me, too." I told the maid nearest from me then eyed the other maids who had been looking at me. They quickly gathered their senses and went to their respective posts. I finally had a decent meal with no interruptions, and I love every moment of it. Sadly, my peace ended shortly. After finishing my dessert and just as I was walking back to my room, my phone rang.

"Hello~" I greeted the caller.

"Is this a joke?" I heard Heather asked.

"What joke?"

"I'm asking about the articles! Where the hell did they get those pictures?"

I thought she was genuinely concerned about me but her next words were, "You look terrible! You look liked you suffered that day."

'Of course, I looked terrible. My feet hurt that day when I had lunch with Liam.'

"I at least look better than the waitress that day."

"Hmm. There was no picture for me to compare. I'm kind of sad."

"Believe me, dear."

"But… Even with the crappy quality photo they posted of you, I can easily spot your terrible face. What is there to believe?"

"Did you just call to roast me, Miss Wei?"

"Yeah! Sometimes all you need is a good friend like me to keep you entertained."

"I've got my fair share of entertainment already. No need to add onto it."

"So… what happened that day? Why were you with Liam? It's not like you're dating him, or are you?"

"Miss Wei, did you just doubt Mrs. Lin a.k.a my mother's statement?"

"I did not. But even with your mother refuting the tabloids claim, the news was still up there, and Gerbera's fans were fuming. You are also aware of how people on the internet act. They can say whatever they want as they hide their real identity with a random username. Even the meek can be courageous in the cyber world."

That statement was true, and I knew it even in my past life. It was no different from acting. You are creating a different persona aside from the real you. But acting requires face-to-face interaction whereas, over the internet, you can mask yourself with all the right things you want to lift up your satisfaction without others knowledge. Most of it includes dragging a person down to feel secure. To think that they are beneath you and you have the power to rule over those you deem inferior. People also tend to forget that humans made the cyber world and the news articles were also written by humans so it wasn't a perfect product.

If the writer wants to create a buzz, then he or she can overlook the real story and only write about a topic that gives them money. The truth is often twisted, and people still believe them. Even actual histories were rewritten, but there would still be people gullible enough to defend that it was the truth. And I was unfortunate to be linked in a celebrity's love story.

'Gerbera, oh, Gerbera… you need to get out and fix this.'

"I know. Don't worry about me as I can deal with this. Sit back, Heather, and let me handle it."

"Yeah, I believe you. Don't look up the mean comments and stay away from Liam and Gerbera starting today. They aren't worth your name. You are way above them."

Even with a serious topic, she can still joke with me. "Yes. I am a princess." *chuckles* "Thank you."

"Bye then. See you next time."

"Bye! Goodnight, Heather."

I looked at the time on my phone, and it was past nine in the evening. It wasn't late but also not that early to make a phone call. With determination, I hit that button and called Liam. He did not seem surprised as he apologized readily. He explained that it wasn't his intention to let me take all the blame while he and his girlfriend hid and kept quiet. He told me that he was about to call me when the news reached him but his work kept him busy, and the article was forgotten. Soon, he received a call from Gerbera asking him to believe in her and keep quiet as the rumors would eventually die down.

"Okay, but even if rumors die down by themselves by keeping quiet for a few days, only the both of you are saved," I told him. The h*** I was going with their plan. My profile is out, and the words 'third party' had smeared my name.

"No, no. Don't think like that. Did you not confirm your presence this upcoming Saturday? Gerbera will also provide some answers with me, and we can snap some pictures to show them that we're friends and confirm that Gerbera and I are still together."

He spoke some more before ending the call. In the end, I could not change his mind. I can only fend for myself. He was wrapped around his girlfriend's pinky fingers that he forgot logic.

With some money spent, I managed to suppress the smaller news outlets. Though I can't manage to do it to the bigger companies, the fewer outlets spreading the baseless rumors, the better. And just for insurance, I notified the odd-job guy Yucca to look for the source of the story, and he'll be rewarded handsomely according to his result.

Goodness, I was supposed to rest, yet I'm spending my time dealing with controversy and tomorrow I'm expecting it won't change much as the news was still fresh in the minds of Gerbera's fans. I do hope that Saturday comes by faster so I can speak to both Liam and her personally.