Life Without You

Chapter 7 - Why?

Leon drank from his beer can as his eyes focused intensely on the large TV screen.

The press conference in Tokyo was one of the most watched moments right now and Ariel's reappearance was a shock to the world.

There she was, seated in the middle at the long table and looking so radiant, stylish, and very pretty. The way she carried herself was so different from what he remembered her to be.

Still, he could tell from her eyes that she was uncomfortable at the questions thrown by the reporters despite her forced smile. There was a brief moment Hiroshi said something to her when she stumbled upon the first question. Did he touch her? He thought he saw his hand move behind the table towards her even though that part that was shown was brief, for the cameras were more interested in her expression than the entire scene.

Leon listened intently as his heart raced with every word she spoke, until finally...

Reporter: "How did you end up getting held hostage and shot? What did you leave the ballroom before all that happened?"

Ariel: "That..."

Reporter: "Are you still in love with Leon?"

Leon leaned closer as he anticipated for her answer....

But alas! Her only reply was her reaction to the pain she felt in her gunshot wound on her head.

It left him hanging and disappointed, yet at the same time visibly angry at the reporters who were insensitive with their stupid questions. How could they ask such things that would bring back trauma to her? Do they have any idea what it was like to almost get killed, with blood splattered everywhere? And why was Fujita making her go through this? There was obviously no concern for her welfare except to garner attention to their brand! How disgusting!

Still, he appreciated her careful answers that did not sell him away.

For the first time, headlines about Ariel were bigger than news about Leon. Reporters were hounding him on what he thought about his former chef who declined her million dollar win and who now replaced him as the new face of Fujita Sauces. But Leon was not interested to address any of them.

Worst of all, Avon Music was frustrated by his new-found heck-care attitude. They found themselves picking up his pieces than him doing anything constructive like paying attention to his upcoming album which would be launched in two weeks. But he managed to complete it on the edge despite his seemingly dwindling popularity.

"Get your act together!" scolded Arnold one day after he booked a radio interview with Billboard which agreed to play three songs from his new album. They were hoping that the new album would bounce him back up and get the cash rolling in once he was ready to perform at multiple event avenues.

Leon rolled his eyes at his manager and shrugged, then resumed his phone browsing. His only focus was on the girl in the news who now dominated most of his time.

—————

"I can't believe that girl hasn't called us since she reappeared, not once!" Beth threw her hands up and shook her head.

"Let's call Fujita to get in touch with her," suggested Camila.

"No! If she still considers us her friends, she should be the one getting in touch with us, not the other way round!"

"Beth," said Rita. "Remember, I mentioned how much Ariel changed since her coma? Well, she has."

"Apart from her gorgeous makeover, the only other thing I see changed is that she's happier in another country and not giving a hoot about us!"

"It's just an interview, Beth. She has to act that way for the cameras," explained Camila.

"The night when she told me that Leon fired her before she was fired by Devil Crews for real. Then her coma. Then Leon admitted to sleeping with that model with Ariel witnessing it - ugh!! Poor Ariel, broken-hearted again and forfeiting her money - she didn't care anymore at this point. I also think we pushed her too far as we tried so hard to get her together with Leon," Rita sighed with regret.

The girls went quiet as they pondered their last get-together before Ariel left.

"True that. She was so reluctant to the idea of getting together with Leon and she looked at us as if we've done something terribly wrong," added Beth as her anger slowly turned to remorse.

"But at least she needn't cut us off. She could have told us straight," Camila agonised.

"Try having a gun to your head, and then have it mentally pointed at you again when you are pressured by everyone to do something you don't wanna be rushed into," reasoned Rita.

"Then Fujita's really crazy," remarked Camila as she tapped into her first-hand knowledge of the celebrity life. "In the celebrity world, they do crazy things for publicity. Even a bad publicity is publicity. It's obvious Fujita was hiding her intentionally before revealing her again, in a different light. I hope she was not pressured into this."

"You think so?" Beth raised her eyebrows.

"I'm positive!"

"Then she better make it to my wedding," Beth muttered with a huge sigh. "She better get in touch with us again!"

"I'm sure she will," Rita consoled Beth. "At least it's good you gave her your wedding invitation before she left."