The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Chapter 14

Serena's smoking scandal spread like wildfire, and Laurent's involvement only fueled the flames. The photos showing him lighting his cigarette from hers became the talk of the town. Within hours, social media was ablaze with speculation and commentary.

The day after the nigh-out with the film crew, Victor, called both Serena and Laurent into his office immediately to sort the issue out.

"I don't care if you smoke," he said, looking sternly at both of them. "Just don't do it in public where you can be photographed. It's not worth the hassle."

Laurent nodded, his usual nonchalant demeanor intact. "Understood."

Serena, however, was already formulating a plan. "I'm sorry about this, Mr. Gray. It was my fault. I'll handle this on my own," she said confidently. "We don't need the PR team to step in."

Mr. Gray raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Alright, Serena. I'll trust your judgment. But the PR team is on standby if things get out of hand."

Serena then stepped out of the office, leaving Laurent with his father. Laurent who wanted to follow Serena failed to stand up. He was waiting for Alen to fetch him since Alen was furious about the scandal, and he knew Alen needed to lecture him first before letting go of him. So without any choice, he agreed to be lectured by Alen to get it over with.

Meanwhile, what surprised Victor the most was seeing Laurent showing an interest in smoking. Well technically, he was for real smoking.

"I've known you for years, Laurent, and you've always hated smoking. This is completely out of character for you," Victor said to his son.

Laurent shrugged, trying to play it cool. "It's just something I wanted to try."

Victor frowned, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't like you. You're changing, Laurent. Is it because of Serena-?"

Laurent bristled at his father's words. "I'm not changing. It's just for the fame, Dad. I wanted to try new things, see what it's like. It's not a big deal."

Victor sighed, shaking his head. "Fame isn't everything, Laurent. Don't let others influence you to the point where you lose who you are."

Laurent leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms defensively. "I'm not losing myself. I'm just exploring different aspects of life. Besides, it was just one cigarette. It's not like I'm addicted."

Victor leaned forward, his expression softening slightly. "I just don't want to see you go down a path you'll regret. This industry can be ruthless, and people will take advantage of any perceived weakness."

Laurent frowned, "Didn't you say you're not against us smoking? Besides, this is a side of me that I didn't know I had. So let me explore it. And do not meddle with this type of shit. I'm fucking 26 years old, not a kid anymore."

"I'm not trying to lecture you as a father. I'm lecturing you as your boss."

Laurent let out a small laugh and sighed, "I can handle myself. I've gotten this far without any help from you anyway"

He stood up, signaling the end of their conversation, and he was ready to face Alen's inevitable lecture.

HOURS LATER

Serena, sitting on her chair staring at her laptop, watched the public go nuts about her and Laurent's smoking scandal. She found it amusing, so she turned on the TV and listened to more speculations about the scandal.

Why was she letting the public speculate about the scandal instead of doing something to stop it?

Serena had a different approach. Instead of addressing the scandal directly, she decided to remain silent and let the public handle the issue. She knew that in the age of social media, people loved to argue online, and she hoped that this debate would shift focus away from the smoking itself.