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5
Zara
"So let me get this right. Cesar Underwood’s car was caught speeding on camera, but he claims his car was stolen and it wasn’t him?"
Steve, my right-hand person nods. "We suspect it’s either because he was visiting someone he shouldn’t or because his car really was stolen."
It’s been three months since that dinner with Hunter. Two months in which I have seen Hunter’s growing profile in the media. Clearly, he’s being groomed by his party to take on the role of the next Prime Minister. The country will be going to the polls soon and rumor is the sitting Prime Minister is going to resign with Hunter tipped to take his place as the lead candidate. Keeping aside my personal issues with Hunter, I have to admit that he makes for a charismatic contestant.
His relative youth in comparison to his opponent, his presence, which the camera loves, the force of his personality, that comes through almost as strongly through any media platform as in real life, and the fact that when he speaks you are compelled to listen means his approval ratings in the polls have sky rocketed in the months since I met him. And all this time, there hasn’t been a call or a text from him. Not that I had expected it. Okay, maybe I had…
A little. A man doesn’t take you out to dinner then eye-fuck you the way Hunter did, only to back off because you turned him down. A man like that doesn’t take no for an answer. If anything, my declining his overtures will only push him to be challenged. To find a way to come back at me faster and harder than ever, and in a way that will take me by surprise. Which is the only reason I’ve been following his media coverage. It’s best to keep an eye on your opponent, track their every move, and not let them out of your sight. And trust me, I’ve been following his media appearances. Following his social media feeds, as well as the regular appearances he’s been making at various industry shindigs, each time with a different woman on his arm. Not sure who’s advising him, but that’s the only glitch I could spot in his otherwise constant media presence. He’s top-of-mind with the voters, all right, but not always for the right reasons. However, he doesn’t seem to be worried about it. Entitled asshole that he is, he probably doesn’t care how he comes across to the people. Or maybe he’s confident he can smooth over any perceived mistakes with that blindingly bright smile of his.
Either way, I’m not his PR manager so I didn’t need to worry about it. Right? Of course, given I am a crisis manager, a spin doctor, and a lawyer, all rolled into one, I’m the best in the business. The one sought after by celebrities, media personalities, and politicians in distress—like Cesar Underwood, who’s one of the hottest actors on both sides of the pond right now. Second only to Declan Beauchamp, who I also happen to know personally.
I fold my arms across my chest and glance around the table in the conference room of my office. "Anyone believe Cesar is telling the truth?"
The team shake their heads.
"Anyone believe he was having an affair and was en route to see his mistress?"
The looks on the faces of my team give them away.
I blow out a breath. "That’s what I thought."
"You’d think celebrities could, at least, try to be original when they come up with lies," Casey, my social media specialist murmurs without taking her gaze off of the device in her hand.
"I assume the media isn’t buying it, and neither is the rest of the internet."
"No surprises there." She winces.
"That bad, huh?"
"Worse." She finally tips up her chin. "He cheated on everyone’s sweetheart, who is pregnant at home with their first child. Her fans are baying for blood."
"He’s in an impossible situation." Kate, my senior associate and crisis media manager, drums her fingers on the table. "Who’d want to cheat on his pregnant wife who is one of the biggest Hollywood stars and girl next door, within the first year of their marriage?"
"Someone who clearly doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it." Casey rolls her eyes.
"Or someone who is running from something and didn’t give a damn about being caught," Steve interjects.
"He’s not that stupid." Kate sniffs.
"I don’t know. When men are in love and trapped, they can go to great lengths to get a semblance of freedom." Steve murmurs.
Kate blinks. "You mean, he’s feeling trapped by marriage to the kind of woman every man fantasizes about, which is why he’s running out on her?"
Steve raises a shoulder. "Or maybe he just needed space to breathe. A monster hit in Hollywood, followed by marriage to someone the fans adore, with a child on the way, and all in under one year."
"You just listed all the reasons for him not getting an ounce of sympathy from the media or the fans." Kate sniffs.
Steve raises his hands. "So many changes can be an emotional burden for anybody. Then, try living it out in glare of the spotlight where the public scrutinizes your every move, and it’s almost understandable why he jumped into his car and ran. If he hadn’t been caught by a speed camera, he’d be free, and none of us would be the wiser.”
"So why did he lie about it? Why not admit that it was him and pay the fine?" Kate raises her chin.
"Now, that’s the big question." Steve touches his fingertips together.
"It’s because he was under so much pressure that he decided to have an affair," Casey offers.
