Better Than Revenge (Special Edition)

Chapter 4: Christian

Chapter 4

Christian

"This will smooth over before you know it. For now, just focus on your work, and the media will forget this ever happened."

"Until it's convenient for them to remember it again," I said.

It had been just a couple days since my "Mystery Girl" ended my life on Hollywood Tonight, and that was the best advice Frank could give me as I tried to move forward. I figured he and my publicist would do some damage control, but their strategy was to sit back and let the story run its course.

One thing was for sure: I was done with live shows. I would stick to pre-recorded episodes from now on. At least that way, I would have a chance of stopping any potential train wrecks in their tracks before the episode aired.

On the bright side, the internet seemed more interested in tracking this girl down than in reliving my embarrassment. Alright, that might have been wishful thinking on my part. There was still a lot of emphasis on my very public roast, more than I would have liked.

While I normally loved seeing myself go viral, usually for the simplest of posts – seriously, I could post a picture of my water bottle after a workout, and someone would write about it – this wasn't the kind of attention I was going for.

I shifted in my seat, grimacing at the sound the black leather seat made every time I moved. I hated taking the limousine for random trips. For flashy events, sure, whatever, but for a trip to the recording studio to see the singer I was "dating"? That just made me come across as a douche, unless I had a big date planned for the two of us, which I didn't.

"Don't worry." Frank didn't even look up from his phone. That was how unpreoccupied he was with my struggles. "By then, you'll have done something even dumber to make them forget about it for good."

"Wow. Thanks for the support."

He didn't even bother with a response, although my sarcasm didn't really call for one. His fingers just kept typing away on his phone. I honestly wasn't sure what he did on a day-to-day basis, but whatever it was, it kept my workload to a minimum. Usually, all I had to do was show up to whatever he and my publicist had planned, smile, mingle, and go home.

I glanced out the tinted window as we arrived at Ocean Way Recording, pulling up behind a flashy car that looked like it was getting ready to leave.

"You coming with, or are you just gonna sit there and play with your phone?" I asked Frank when it became clear he had no intention of moving. I felt like my mother. She said the same thing to me when I visited her and didn't pay attention to her the entire time.

"I'll just be a minute," he said, still not looking up from his phone. I tried to get a peek at whatever he was doing, but he was holding his phone in a way that blocked my view. As much as I liked kicking back and letting other people do all of the work for me, Frank had the tendency of making moves on my behalf without telling me, and they weren't always good ones.

"Alright." I wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to decide to return to this realm. Whatever he was up to, it couldn't have been that bad. "I'll see you in a few."

Just as I grabbed the door handle, Frank said, "Wait. I've got her."

"Got who?"

"Her. Your mystery girl. Her name is Sophia Hastings. She's 18 years old, and she's from Indiana."

"Sophia Hastings." Her name easily flew off my tongue. Why did it sound familiar? I guess it wasn't the most unique name in the world. I'd probably heard it somewhere before. "How'd you find her?"