BEYOND THE HEADLINES || LINGORM

CHAPTER 1

The arrival of Lingling Kwong at Grandview Hospital was a showstopper. Heads turned, conversations ceased, and the buzz around the lobby died down for a moment when she entered through the sliding glass doors. It was pretty clear why: her face was plastered on every news feed and social media platform, alongside that of a dazzling rising star in Orm Kornnaphat.

Lingling stood firm, an oasis in a storm of whispers and staring. Effortlessly, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button of her office floor with fingers barely touching the panel. A few of the nurses inside cast nervous glances before moving on to murmur their greeting heads bowed. Lingling nodded, even that smile as warm and distant as a view miles away.

As the elevator doors shut, the familiar weight settled back onto her shoulders. She had known it was coming; still, the sheer tide of it left her breathless.

The moment she'd woken up that morning, her phone hummed relentlessly with notifications, screaming headlines about her surprise involvement with Orm. Outside, a pack of reporters had assembled, but her security team had done its job well, dispersing them so that she could slip anonymously to her office.

She swung the elevator door open and stepped out, her heels clicking across the highly polished floor with deliberate precision. Walking through the brightly lit hallway, ideas from the media circus flashed through her mind. She opened the door to her office, where Yaya and Junji, her best friends, sat and waited like they always were-eager for action.

Their eyes sparkled full of curiosity, and a certain tension in the room was palpable. Thick, Lingling sensed in their exchange of glances as they silently gauged each other's reaction. Finally, Junji made the silence break by pulling out her phone and waving it in a gesture of surrender.

"You're all over the internet," she said, trying to suppress a grin.

"I know," replied Ling, matter-of-fact words, smooth as silk.

Yaya leaned forward, curiosity overflowing. "So... care to explain? How did you get tied up with that celebrity?"

Ling paused, her mind drifting back to the night that had changed everything. She sank into her swivel chair, crossing her legs elegantly while her fingers absentmindedly traced her lower lip. The memories played out like movie reels, but whether or not to share them was a dilemma.

"It's not a big deal," she said, her voice proclaiming indifference. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your company?" she added, raising an eyebrow at both women.

"Don't even try to shift the topic, Sirilak Kwong," Junji said with the slightest note of mischief.

The CEO wrinkled her nose, full of curiosity. "What's so interesting about the news?" she asked, all her interest revealed in an expression.

"Oh yeah, it's just because you're a part of it!" Junji declared with zeal. "Moreover, honestly, I mean, do not be mean; you know that woman is my celebrity crush!"

Yaya just chuckled, leaning forward as an eager glint sparked in her eye. "C'mon, babe. Just spill the tea," she urged.

Lingling glanced at her friends, and the eager faces were such that she had no choice but to give in. "You're not going to let this go until I say something, are you?" she asked, letting out a sigh from under her carefully constructed mask.

They nodded in unison, grinning like schoolkids at the prospect of scandalous gossip.

"Fine," she said finally, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning over to the table. "It's up to you if you're going to believe me or not," she began. "Well... we've been friends since kids, and yeah, we're neighbors."

Silence prevailed in the office. Her friends, Junji and Yaya, look at her in surprise. "You're telling the truth, right?" Yaya questioned, her eyes narrowed at the CEO, scanning her face to see if she's telling the truth.

Lingling shrugged indifferently. "If you're not believing me, go and ask my mom."

Junji suddenly squeeled. "This is too much to take, oh my ghad! You didn't even say that before; you know that she's my celebrity crush!"

Lingling rolled her eyes at her. "What's the point of telling? We're not that close as before."

"Even so!" Junji exclaimed, earning a chuckle from Yaya.

"But how did you end up going to the party when you two are not that close anymore?" Yaya asked. "How did you know that she's there?" she added. Suspicion is evident in her tone.

Instead of answering the question, Ling picked up her phone and opened her contacts, then showed them the call she received from Orm.

"You can call her mother, at least?" Junji says.

"Junji, you can see what time that is, right? It's 2 at midnight," Ling stated. "Plus, I just left from the hospital when I got that call."

Junji and Yaya look at each other, not buying their friends excuses.

Lingling crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "I'm done explaining my side," she declared, a strange smile twitching at the corner of her lips as she summarily dismissed them from her office. "I have a lot of work to do; you can leave my office now."

Junji and Yaya exchanged silly grins and stood up from the chairs. The CEO watched as they walked out of her office, lifting her brow as if concentrating on something. Behind their door, Lingling sighed and released the breath that had escaped her mouth since she saw Junji and Yaya inside her office.