Femme Empire

Bad Press

At 6 am in the morning, I went for a 10 mile run. I needed the regularity of exercise to keep my mind off things. The mindlessness of physical exercise number stress. My housekeeper Stella delivered my dress and breakfast to the hospital. I freshened up in the bathroom in Josh's room. I took a warm bath to wash away the exhaustion of the night before and had some breakfast at the hospital cafeteria. By this time, the doctors and nurses had become used to the sight of me lingering around the hospital at odd hours. They knew I was Ethan's girlfriend. They greeted me warmly. The receptionist Lexie chatted me up and kept me company till it was time to leave for work.

I had a feeling that Ethan had asked them to help me through this. I smiled. My guardian angel. Always looking after me.

I left Josh to Beth's care after kissing him goodbye.

Time for some big decisions today.

I wore a grey suit today pairing it with classic black heels. The grey reflected my somber mood.

____________

The moment I stepped out of the car in front of Aslan-Lemaire, my breath was knocked out of me. I was surrounded on all sides with hundreds of news reporters shouting at me at the top of their voice. My driver quickly tried to shield me but it was nearly impossible to get near me through the sea of people.

Camera lenses flashed and blinded my eyes. Jesús!

I put my hand in front of my eyes to protect myself from the glares and started navigating my way into the building.

"Miss Bianchi, did you swindle funds out of the company? Was that why you were fired?"

"Jules Bianchi issued a statement that the change was necessary. Can you comment on that?"

"Is your son dying?"

I nearly punched the reporter for that one.

"Did you have a fallout with Jules Bianchi?"

"Did you.... "

"How many...."

"What...."

The voices mixed with each other and formed an overwhelming crescendo that defeaned me. A sense of clawing claustrophobia gripped me in the crowd a d hundreds of bodies tried to thrust me back into the crowd.

My breathing quickened. No panic. No panic. I repeated to my heart. I just had to walk a few steps more.

But I couldn't reach the other side.

Then, suddenly the reporters stilled at a cold clear voice. Emir Aslan stood at the revolving doors. His jacket had been abandoned and his tie was loosened. He had come down in a haste.

"That is enough!", he said, his voice chilly in command. " Let the lady come in."

The crowd parted. I breathed in a sigh of relief. I didn't break down or show fear.

I merely wore a mask of cold unfeeling clarity just like him.

"The decision to leave Boss Lady was entirely mutual. For ten years, I was heading the company, as one of the longest running female CEO's in the business circuit. It was the right time for a new adventure. Anyone who reports otherwise or spread malicious lies may be ready to have a defamation lawsuit filed against them. Thank you for your time."

"Ms.Bianchi is a new member of our team at Aslan-Lemaire. She will be joining us as the Head of Marketing and Strategy as of today.", Emir replied casually.

I nodded as if I already knew all of this. In reality, I was wheeling from this dramatic turn of events. The crowds dispersed after the guards came out to clear the area.