Life Without You

Chapter 6 - The Press Conference

At the long table covered with red cloth on the stage, Ariel sat between Hiroshi and his father, billionaire magnate Ken Fujita as they faced the hoard of international photographers and reporters gathered before them in Tokyo.

The wall backdrop behind them showed a massive poster of her and Fujita sauces and Hinata restaurant, as well as life-size standees of her presented as the new face of Fujita sauces at the sides of the stage. Yet, they did not garner enough attention to Fujita's latest business venture, for the first questions that shot out were about Ariel's private life, not on Fujita sauces or Hinata.

"Ariel, why did you and Leon Waltz kiss when you knew he was still attached to Jasmine Ferne?"

"Will you and Leon be together again?"

"How did you end up at the hotel garden and not at the ballroom during that gala night?"

"Tell us what exactly happened on the fateful night that you got shot."

"Did you and Jasmine ever gotten into a fight over Leon?"

And on and on went the cacophony of absurd questions.

The night before while lying in bed, she rehearsed multiple times on how she should answer potential questions on both her private and professional life. Despite the best presentation training given to her, she was emotionally and mentally unprepared for the degree of disruptive monstrosity. It was much worse than the distress she experienced at high school when she was first made to present before her class.

The questions thrown at her have so incensed her. What business is that of anyone? Is it so life-threateningly important for the whole world to know what goes on in her life? Geez...don't they have anything better to do than such worthless gossip?

Yet, for Fujita's image sake, she forcefully masked her true feelings behind her tight smile as the glistening sea of flashlights shot through her like bullets into her core. Reporters ignored her attempts to divert the focus back onto Fujita's Sauces and their new Hinata restaurant until they get their scoop on what happened between her and Leon first.

"One question at a time, please," Hiroshi spoke through the microphone.

Ariel glanced at Mr Fujita, who gave her firm nod, a signal to her that she had to do what was required.

Wetting her lips, Ariel felt a rising tension in her throat. Her fingers fidgeted in knots behind the table as she desperately wished for a big hole to swallow her up on the spot.

"Ariel, how long were you and Leon romantically involved secretly?" asked an American reporter after his raised hand received a nod from Hiroshi.

She suddenly stammered in her microphone, forgetting momentarily all her presentation training basics. "This..erm...I erm...erm..." Her smile turned tremulous and her ankles intertwined in jittery.

Hiroshi leaned over towards her and whispered, "Are you ok?"

He could see from her expression that she was nervous and trauma-hit by the questions. His eyes drew to her fidgety hands.

"Relax, you don't have to give them every detail," Hiroshi patted his hand onto hers and pressed them firmly to stop their fidgeting. She glanced at him as he gave her an assuring nod. No one could see their physical gestures behind the cloth-draped table. The touch of his patting hand instantly reminded Ariel of how Leon calmed her down when he interlocked his fingers with hers behind the table during her first TV cooking presentation in Osaka.

Hiroshi's gesture was more reserved, but it could not keep her nerves calm like Leon could. She shut her eyes momentarily as she imagined his hand to be Leon's instead. Her muscles began to relax. When she opened her eyes, she drew a deep breath and finally opened her mouth to speak, "My relationship with Leon Waltz has always been professional, nothing more."