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"Y-You're not saying you're applying?!" a reporter gasped in shock. "I heard a woman needs to be amongst the chosen five individuals!"
"You're correct," I agreed and worked on taking my suit jacket off. Viktor was already at my side with his arm outstretched for the expensive attire. "Shall I introduce you all to the real Willow De Luca?"
"YES!" My fans went wild as I snapped my fingers, and gusts of wind flew through the crowd, lifting strands of hair and clothing. The intense gusts wrapped around me - giving me the brief cover I needed to switch.
The gust of wind left as fast as it came, and multiple gasps and shutters of cameras went off at the new, dazzling sight of me - Willow De Luca.
My long hair was up in a ponytail, the long strands dancing around as threads of wind still hung around me. It aided in the grand sparkle of my pink and gold dress that hugged every bit of my body, every rhinestone surely made of real diamonds that alternated from gold to pink. The shimmering corset of rhinestones then flowed into a transparent pink material that reminded me of a ballerina - the skirt lathered with golden sparkles and hints of turquoise blue that matched my eyes.
With custom Christian Louboutin’s of baby pink with gold shimmer and strings of rhinestones that replaced the sleeve portion of the dress to connect to the thick pink with gold rhinestone bracelets on my wrists, I looked like royalty, even with the absence of a crown.
My smile was priceless as I prepared to speak and once again, conjured absolute silence.
"This is me. Willow De Luca. Many of you over the years speculated that I carried some relation to Roberto and William. Obviously, I did, because I am the female version of my male counterpart," I explained. "I'm sure many of you, especially my fans, are wondering why I wasn't truthful about this. Why did I feel the urge to keep this a secret for twenty-five years?"
I took a deep breath but kept my smile as I let the air out of my nostrils.
"Back when I was a child, I knew nothing about the dangers this world carried or the enemies my father had because of his hard work and determination to be the only one at the top. This resulted in a man approaching me when he came to visit my father and spitting out nothing but insults. These harsh words were centered on one thing: the fact that I was a female," I revealed. "See, it was already night, so like any other day, I had switched from William to Willow, and was doing what my father asked of me when we welcomed guests into our beloved home. My father wasn't aware of this man's background and how women were deemed as worthless as animals, and the ultimate result...was me feeling like I didn't deserve to exist."
A few of my fans were already fighting tears, while others covered their mouths to muffle their vocal shock.
"So...I took a walk during the wintertime and decided I had to be such an abomination that I didn't deserve to live. However, at the sight of the cliff, I didn't have the guts to take the final step. Sadly, I didn't have to. This man took it upon himself to follow me and finish the deed."
No one said a word as I merely shrugged at the matter.
"The drop was enough to cause severe brain damage, and if it wasn't for the few individuals in my life back then and the added financial aid of my father, I would have perished. The recovery was long, and it required many areas of aid that included magic that helped ensure my body wouldn't stop being able to switch genders. That magic is why I can now easily switch to Willow in front of all of you. But that incident held more consequences than I acknowledged."
I swallowed the lump in my throat while fighting the feelings that threatened to spill.
"Since then, I’ve had this nagging urge that tells me I don't belong in this world. This tiny voice that says no matter how hard I work, or where I reach in this world of rank, money, and power, no one will ever accept me for who I am. Not the public. Not my loyal fans. Not my business partners. And certainly not anyone who ends up loving me and finding out the harsh truth of the matter. I allowed that man's words from way back then to continue to toy with my mental state, and convince me that because I'm not fully a male twenty-four-seven, that I don't deserve to live anymore. Whenever I feel that way, I write my suicide note and think that I'll finally end myself. However, each time I’ve tried, something gets in the way. My friends would come over, my father would call for me, or I’d have appointments or other things to deal with. I decided that maybe I could conquer this feeling by working and being active. I did various sports, kept my mind busy with learning about stocks and anything that could benefit the success of my father's company and overall business investments. I decided that my purpose would be to aid my father in obtaining his goals and trying to find happiness by being this 'thing'."
I gestured to myself and couldn't help but smile, though I was sure my expression was full of sadness. "As I grew in popularity, I realized that my hatred for Willow was beginning to seep into my hate for William. I was disgusted with myself because I had to live a double life and couldn't let all those who cheered me on every morning know who I truly am. I couldn't walk in public during the night with confidence and show that this was who I really am. As a public influencer, I want to be a role model to many who may be facing similar circumstances; people who don't feel comfortable in their bodies or may have been born one gender and wish to be another. With the status and power I carry in my grasp, I could be the perfect role model to prove that you could be someone, even if you aren't the same as everyone else. My predicament wasn't my own fault, but I was able to overcome those obstacles and become this person standing before you all. I desperately wished to come out and tell you all...but with the recent targeted attacks, I began to spiral into a dark place...and...well..." I trailed off and smiled. "I decided no amount of actions would allow me to be accepted into society."
Some people were holding back their tears, while others were already allowing the teardrops to run down their cheeks.
"Yesterday, I returned to that place where I was pushed off many years ago. Only this time, I was alone, in this very form, ready to perish by my own hands. I felt unworthy. Like each breath I was taking was an inconvenience to another. My decision had nothing to do with the weight this position delivers or the fact that I was resigning from my father's company to pursue an opportunity I could claim as my own. I don't want you all to think I didn't feel your immense love. That I didn't respect the effort many of you made to make sure I'm seen in the world, even if at times it may come out as negative. I was surrounded by love; do not ever think I wasn't. Those close to me, regardless if they were in my life for many, many years, or just a few short months, proved to me that I'm worthy of love. However, I didn't feel worthy of life...and I couldn't go one more day living a double life as William De Luca during the day and Willow De Luca during the night," I explained. "So...I finally had the courage to take that step and with it...I plunged into the waters that were going to be my ultimate resting place."
Lowering my head, I allowed my tears to fall before I returned to looking at the crowd that was barely hanging on to their own sobs of sorrow.
"Those individuals that showed me immense love...they're the ones who somehow managed to find me in time. I was rushed to a private hospital where my wounds were tended, and though I'm going against doctor's orders by being here, I figured it was of the utmost importance for me to be as truthful as I can and tell the world of what I've been enduring all this while before the news and those who wish nothing but the De Luca's downfall spin a narrative that's nothing but lies."
I gestured over to Elizabitch and shrugged. "As you can see, those who wish nothing but evil for myself and my family have already taken the opportunity to come and steal my identity in front of thousands. If I hadn't taken this chance to speak the truth, you all would have believed that Willow was on the birth certificate and watched a stranger who knows nothing of my father's hard work steal and spread the wealth of his struggle to the very individuals who've wished for nothing but our demise."
"That's...that's...she's just lying! She can't prove it! She doesn't have proof, and her father is dead! You're not falling for her bullshit, are you?!" Elizabitch snapped.
The crowd clearly was, or at least the police officers were, because they were already rushing over to the group and putting them in handcuffs. A second group of officers came out of the back of the crowd to assist.
"You don't have evidence!" Elizabitch screamed, but a reporter quickly spoke.
"Does this mean your father is well aware of your duality in gender, Willow?"
"Yes," I replied. "He was well aware. It only made sense to have my male counterpart as the dominant name on the birth certificate because all government corporations close by four. If I ever needed anything, it would obviously be with my male persona, so there was no need to add my female name. He was also worried about his enemies, so he does have a fake certificate in his desk drawer that has Willow De Luca on it. It was created so that if any of his rival competitors tried to rob or overtake his empire, they would be fooled into believing that his only son is actually a female and try to get an imposter to come forward and take the inherited assets."
"No way!" Elizabitch screeched in shock as she was now held by two officers.
"I'm sure you're all aware, but if not, that's the very reason that as of midnight, all assets were moved to my official name, William De Luca. Roberto was alerted of my suicide, and though I’ll recover, he feared foul play was involved and approved of the move of all of his assets to be in my name. It was the reason why he was still in the office in the wee hours of this morning. And whoever this group is working for, they decided to take advantage and break in."
"Are you saying, Willow, that this group is the one that killed your father?!"
