I Fell In Love With The Devil

Chapter 9

I was bored beyond boredom. Levi had spent the majority of the show pinching my arm to keep me from dozing off on his shoulder. Scarlett, Matthew, David and Jake were seated on the opposite side of the catwalk from us, the latter two looked as bored as I was. During the interval, we snuck away again in an attempt to get X personnel to come after us but they still didn't. The second half of the show didn't go any faster either. I'm pretty sure I did fall asleep but was woken by the sound of a shrill scream. Naomi Harp emerged from the bathroom with rivers of inky black mascara running down her cheeks, whiter than a ghost and shaking uncontrollably. Lights immediately flickered to life, the music died and women flocked to Naomi's side. Levi ran to his mum's side; I tried my best to run but my dress wasn't exactly designed for physical activity. A group of women hustled into the bathroom to see what had caused Naomi to fall into this shocking state. More screams erupted and the women rushed out of the bathroom almost pushing me over in the process. I stumbled inside and stopped dead. Fuck. The large, once perfect mirror now had bright red lipstick scrawled across its surface: "KISS THE HARP GOODBYE". The message was aimed at me; there was no doubt about it. Naomi must've misinterpreted the message believing it was for her as she did marry into the Harp family. Shit, this was not good... not good at all. I barely registered the flashing of cameras behind me or the paparazzi and journalists that burst into the room knocking me to the floor, I was still in a trance. I could feel nausea building up inside me, I crawled to the closest toilet stall and heaved my guts up. I gulped down deep breaths in an effort to slow my racing heart. I slumped against the stall's wall and looked skywards. I quickly lurked forward and retched again then pinched myself to prevent myself from blacking out. It was then that I noticed the lid of a lipstick tube poking out from behind the toilet. Was it... no... surely not... I reached out with trembling hands and picked up the lid between my fingers. My mind flashed back through all the copper shows I'd watched over the years. "Never touch the evidence or you could frame yourself." I dropped the lipstick and scanned the bathroom for something I could pick it up with. Toilet paper seemed like the only option. Sighing, I ripped a few sheets from the roll and scooped up the lid. There was just enough space in my clutch for it to fit; I'd give it to Levi later.

My legs were shaking as I emerged from the jam-packed bathroom. I felt Levi's presence before I saw him. He grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the bathrooms and the crowd that had formed around his mum. 'What happened?' he urgently asked.

'Writing on the mirror,' I say in a terror-filled voice. 'Kiss the Harp goodbye.'

'Mum thought it was for her.' He buried his head in his hands.

'Yes.' I was still trying to comprehend it all. 'At least we got their attention.'

'Well, we did something right tonight. You ready to head home? You're not looking too good.'

'I'm peachy.' I sagged into the plastic chair. I couldn't believe I had just made a joke after my life had been threatened. Levi shook his head, 'Trust you to be sarcastic right now.' I was grateful for the steady hand he offered me. It was a wonder I could still walk in the heels Scarlett had made me wear for the evening without falling, it probably helped that Levi was almost carrying me. 'You need to look strong when we exit. They'll be watching to see if they scared you --which they obviously have-- but, don't let them see your weakness or they will use it against you again.' He kissed me gently on the forehead and I lifted my chin, determined to keep my face neutral. We strode out onto the red carpet and a million flashes of bright camera flashes almost blinded me. 'What happened?' some shouted at us.

'Why is everyone leaving?' The sound of sirens filled the air and an ambulance plus three police cars pulled up. The paparazzi turned their attention to the visitors and started yelling questions at them. I stared in shock as six police officers pushed past all the fleeing high-profile elites that were swarming out the front doors. Three paramedics weaved through the crowd with heavy first-aid bags. What X had done was supposed to be bad and a shock for me but their plan had escalated beyond control. 'Did you want to go back inside to your mum?' I asked as we progressed down the carpet.