Save Me From Myself

Chapter 32-The Image

Mark's POV

"Glen come on...you have to get a hold of yourself. I know it's hard mate but you have to look okay for when we meet the image directors today."
"I don't give a shit...can't I grieve in peace? Why don't you and Dan go? I'll be okay..."
"Because there are other things Dan needs to discuss about and as much as I like you being around the kids and cooking and helping Tina and me around the house, you need to get some air. Clear your thoughts. It's been two months Glen and we have to sort out the details regarding the tour and the interviews and the press releases."
"Can't you two deal with that? Please Mark.", pleaded Glen.

I knew what he was going through. If I lost Tina I would've probably been going through the same things or worse. It's hard to lean back and forget about everything and try to focus on other stuff when you had a hole in your chest. But I wanted to give him a shock, something that would wake him up from the state he's been in the last month.

Dan didn't worry me too much, because I knew I could rely on Liv. Things weren't looking too good for him either. He and Liv were forced to spend all the time in Dan's apartment in London, or in her small apartment in Dublin. I didn't know which situation was worse. Everyone knew Liv. Her family was always in the public eyes, Dan was hunted by photographers all the time and their relationship was kept in complete secrecy.

I managed to rush Glen out the door and shove him in the car that was waiting outside my house for at least one hour. Dan was already talking to everyone, trying to stall everything. Usually it was the other way round. He was the one always late and we were trying to lie about him being late. My phone beeped in my pocket. It was the fifth text I got from Dan who was asking us where we were.

"We are on our way. Be there shortly.", I called to let him know.
"Will Dan talk to the board about the "situation"?, asked Glen.
"I don't know...I haven't the faintest idea.", I answered.

Dan was awfully chipper when we arrived to the meeting. In other words he was really pissed off. His fists were clenched as if he was prepared to punch someone in the face.

"Hiya, sorry we're late. Traffic...",said Glen, shaking hands with everyone.
"Well better now than never, we have a lot of things to discuss about.", said George.
"Okay, so the first points in this meeting are the tour dates.", said Dan.
"No. The first points of the meeting are the press releases, which will fall a little bit hard on your shoulders Dan, sorry about that. Again really sorry about your loss. Agnes will guide you through that so you don't have to worry."
"Wait, what did we miss? Who is Agnes?", I asked.
"That would be me Mark. Agnes Collins, head of your image staff. I will take care of the press releases, social network releases and tour dates from now on. Before anything goes into the papers it goes to me first.", said a tall woman wearing an Armani suit from the back of the room.

We didn't notice her as we walked in. She was blonde, tall, with her hair short and a rigid expression on her face. I assumed she was the reason for Dan's nervousness.

"Yes, she continued, everything will come to me first. Now before we move on to the other points of our discussion Dan, care to explain to us how and when did you start dating Olivia Van de Kamp?"

Dan looked at her in shock. He didn't expect for that to happen. We didn't either, to be honest. He retorted back to her.

"That's none of your damn business!"
"Well, Dan, it is my business. Especially since I don't want to see in the newspapers titles like <<Danny O'Donoghue New Girlfriend?>>, or <<The Ashes of Danny's Wife Not Cold Yet, Still New Love?>>, emphasis falling on dead wife. Now care to share with us?"
"It is called private life for a reason, deal with that!"
"And you are a public person for a reason. Dan I'm not your enemy here you must understand that, but if I found out about you two, don't you think the press would find out about you two?"
"We've done a good job at hiding so far.", he replied this time a bit calmer.

"Sorry to interrupt Agnes, but where do you wanna go with this? I mean, Olivia comes from a good family, a well known family, it's not like she is someone who he just picked out from the street.", I said.
"Have you seen today's papers? The Van de Kamp twins drunk on a beach in Rhodos? She is okay, but her family is somewhat similar to the sitcom "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and that wouldn't look good on the frail image that we still have. Dan being with her right now would look both bad on him, the image of the band and her family. And trust me her family has the best lawyers money can buy. And she is like Virgin Mary. Her parents wouldn't accept their youngest daughter to be dragged in a scandal."
"How do you know that there will be a scandal?", I asked.
"Dan and Alexis started the separation papers and the divorce papers almost five months ago. She dies and suddenly Olivia Van de Kamp gets into the picture. How does that look like, not for her, for Dan? It looks like he has been cheating on Alexis."
"But I didn't cheat on Alexis! For fuck's sake! I was almost paralysed, how could I fucking cheat on her?"
"Well, I know you didn't. But the press doesn't know that. And they would do anything to get you in the dirt. The fans wouldn't know that. And they will all be crushed, raging and disappointed. And there is nothing worse than a bunch of raging teenagers and desperate housewives who wait all day to get front row."
"Bad...", I replied.

I hated to admit but she had a valid point. And Dan knew that too. The amount of hate the two of them will get would be massive.

"So what do you suggest?", asked Glen.
"Well I suggest you three focus on your music. You have an album to release, you have to think of shooting a video, you have to choose a single from the album and basically Dan needs to end things with Olivia, at least for now."
"You cannot fucking tell me who I can and cannot date! You're not my mother!", shouted Dan.

She squinted her eyes and looked straight at Dan, letting her hands fall on the desk. It was a fight I knew Dan couldn't win. The words came out of her mouth even and the argument was decisive.

"If you want to still have a band and if you want to do what you love to do, you better stop acting like a kid. I know I am a lot younger than you, but I care about your image. I care enough for you to still have a band. And you should know damn well how things are supposed to work in this business. If something bad is said about her, her father and grandmother will make sure The Script won't exist. So for a while call it quits. Think of it as a test. Give it at least a year. If the two of you have feelings for each other a year wouldn't count. After all love doesn't die. It grows stronger right?",she replied with a grin.

The rest of the meeting was on point and finished shortly. We walked out of the office with sad looks upon our faces. You'd think three grown men in their thirties would be able to reduce to silence a woman who I think was freshly out of school. Wrong answer.

Dan kicked a can as we walked outside. He was raging.

"How can I explain this to Liv? That I can't see her for at least a year until everything cools down?"
"She will understand Dan, it's not the end of the world. You two can still see each other when it's all of us together. And there are means to communicate and stuff like that! And we will start touring and it will all be easier because we will be busy...", I tried sweetening the news.
"Easier said than done. She will think that I used her, that I played with her feelings...women are a lot sensitive than we think..."
"But Liv is a strong woman Dan, she knows how this business works. She will understand...", said Glen slowly.
"Who the fuck hired that girl?! I mean she isn't more than 24 for fuck's sake!", said Dan.
"Twenty four but she kinda is right about things...and I think you did...after George fucked up some things..."
"Oh God I'm such an idiot! Why am I such an idiot? Care to explain that Mark?"
"You're not an idiot. You're a man who puts the image of the band on top of anything. We all do."
"I hate Alexis for doing what she did right now!", retorted Dan.

I looked at Glen who stopped in the middle of the street when he heard her name. Oh God, I sometimes felt like the middle child. And now I was stuck between Dan who acted to an extent like a woman on her period and Glen who was grieving. Dan realised what he just said and turned to Glen.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it to sound like that..."
"You know you should respect her memory more...What she did doesn't give you any right to say those words. Just because you won't be able to see Liv as much as you want doesn't owe to her. After all if she was still alive you wouldn't have been able to see her that much anyway. So stop acting like a kid Dan and man up!"
"Okay you two, quit fighting. It's no one's fault and we have to deal with what we have...at least for now."