Is she manipulating the royal family for her title? Did she con Alpha Agnus into naming her as the successor? Why did she always wear a mask when she performed as “G?” Did Young Alpha Prince Luke Langhlam know he was having sex with his own sister? Was Jessica Langhlam responsible for the terrible breakup between the Young Alpha Prince Luke Langhlam and Elaine Powers?
Then, the accusations started. Princess Jessica Langhlam conned the royal family into adopting her. Sources from Territory Two state she was a horrible child, a monster. Quotes from artists who wish to remain anonymous claim “G” is difficult to work with. “G” is almost banned from the music industry for being eccentric. Princess Jessica Langhlam used the royal family’s money to buy businesses, and profits weren’t returned to the pack.
Reporters and news channels televised this information and more rumors and speculations of how I came to live with the royal family. Magazines, social media, bloggers, you name it, had a field day. Of course, most of it is fake news. No one does a good job at really digging into a story and finding the truth anymore. Opinions and gossip are misconstrued as fact. People who don’t know any better believe it all. If it’s on the news, it must be real. Right?
When I made the announcement I would be the next star ofA Game of Heart’s Desire, the media circus exploded. Gary, my PR guy, handles everything. As much as I dislike him and he dislikes me, I have to hand it to him. He is very good at his job. I also should give props to my lawyer, Reggie. I need to remember to give them both a raise before this is over.
“Yes, I learned over the years that people can be cruel. The media enjoys its own form of bullying. Sometimes, I don’t know which is worse—taking a beating or dealing with the aftermath of cruel words and false accusations. I knew when I signed up forthe show that I would face challenges. I just hope that those who really know me believe the truth, believe me. And I hope there are some good journalists out there who know how to search for real information.”
Carmen narrows her eyes.
I shake my head and chuckle at her expression. I admit she’s pretty good at reading people. “What? Did that sound too scripted? You can thank my PR guy. He wrote it. I’ve been spewing this shit for the past week. I figured you can use the clip somewhere in editing.”
“Can you just be real with me about this whole thing? Share your true feelings on all of this? It’s a lot, and it can weigh on a person’s emotions and mental wellness.”
How real does she want me to be? I glance at the camera. Christian was given the rest of the night off. My parents are busy with the background checks. It’s just me and Carmen.
I sigh. “You want to know what I really think about all of this media crap? The truth is I don’t think much about it. It really doesn’t bother me, not in the way you think it should.”
Her brows raise. “What does that mean?”
I cross my legs, fold my arms in front of me, and grin. “It doesn’t bother me because I’m the one who started the media frenzy.”
Her eyes widen, and she leans back in her chair. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Sure. Revealing myself as ‘G’ wasn’t accidental. It was planned. I gave Stancy Danton, the famous gossip journalist, front-row seats to the fashion show. I also gave her the exclusive backstory on Princess Jessica Langhlam. Where or how she found those pictures, I’m not sure. I don’t even have copies of those.”
Carmen blinks repeatedly, stunned. “You’re the anonymous source?” she asks.
I grin. “Yes, Stancy and I discussed at length how we would control the narrative before someone else spun it unfavorably. To get ahead of the gossip and bad press, we brought up old articles, gossip blogs, news clips, and reports. You can thank Beta DuPont for the inspiration to paint such a horrible picture of myself. I gave Stancy permission to spread some of the lies Beta DuPont was spewing. It all took off from there. Everyone loves a good story. Everyone loves gossip.”
She shakes her head. “You’re doing this all for the attention?”
“Yes and no. I want the attention, but not for the reasons you may think. I don’t need money or fame. I don’t need to portray myself as the victim, and I am sure as shit am not evil or manipulative—well, in most aspects of my life..”
“Why, then?”
I think for a moment before I answer. “I want the bastards who have been hunting me for most of my life, the ones who hunt magic wielders, use them for sex trafficking and medical experiments, and kill them for no other reason than their abilities to wield magic. I want the ones who forced the white wolf species to become nearly extinct and the survivors to go into hiding.” My voice cracks. I swallow my rage.
“Jessica, you’re putting a target on your back. You can’t do this alone. You’re trying to start a war—you’re just one person. This is dangerous. This is suicide.”
I clench my fist in my lap. “They started this war out of selfishness and greed. And they’ve gotten away with it for centuries.” The threat of tears burns behind my eyes. “They could have won if they only focused on killing me. But they didn’t. They killed my best friend! They attacked my family! I will not stop until I take down their leader, even if it means killing myself in the process.”
I hold Carmen’s gaze, unwilling to back down. If she decides to pack up and abandon ship, then so be it. I will find anotherway. I already planted the seeds outside of this show, and I’m not afraid of finding other avenues. She has no idea what I’ve been doing the past three years, no idea what I am truly capable of. No one knows, and I much prefer to keep it that way.
Recognizing the determination in my eyes, Carmen nods. “Okay. Okay.” She blows out a long breath and glances at her clipboard. “I think we should take five and probably resume your interview from where you left off with Christian.”
I wipe the tears from my face when I hear a click. Turning toward the noise, Carmen’s hand moves away from the camera.
“I had you figured all wrong. Didn’t I?”
I don’t answer her. She’s either on my side or she’s with them. I did my research on her, finding nothing significant, no glaring warnings.
She rests her elbows on the arms of the chair and steeples her hands in front of her mouth. “You’re either going to make or break my career. You know that?”
“Figured as much. It’s why I requested you. What I still don’t understand is why you chose a career in reality TV when you’ve won so many awards as an investigative journalist.”
She drops her hands away from her face. “I really did underestimate you.”
