The Fallen King | ✓

Chapter 15

~Chapter 15~

"Do I have to go?" I whined to my agent over the phone the next day.

I wasn't having the best day. I woke up feeling anxious again for some reason and the day's events weren't making me feel any better.

I could imagine the agitated look on her face and the hands on her hips. She treated me like a child sometimes but I couldn't blame her for it because, in all fairness, I was acting like one.

It was only because I loathed interviews with a passion. It was invasive question after invasive question and I was sick of it but there was nothing I could do. For the good of my career, I had to make appearances. Unfortunately, I couldn't just go MIA for months on end as it was very easy to lose your spotlight and that was something I couldn't afford to happen if I wanted to carry on living in New York City.

Otherwise, I'd be forced to go and live back home again and there was no way in hell that I could do that. Mother and I living under the same roof never went particularly smoothly. Trust me when I say it's something I'd never want to relive.

After just over an hour and a lot of coercing from my agent — I should honestly give her a larger percentage for what she puts up with — I was sitting next to Caroline Bennet, one of the most popular gossip channel owners around.

She was known for her probing and sometimes uncomfortable questions which is why I had kicked up such a fuss about doing the interview but, unfortunately, she was the lady people watched and listened to; there was no way out of speaking with her no matter how much I wished it.

She had a smirk on her face as she asked me questions, one that made my skin crawl. She was out for all the blood she could bathe in; she wanted absolutely everything on me and was determined to get it. I could feel the uneasiness in my bones as she spoke.

Interviews never usually made me feel like this. This woman, however, made my confident front vanish and it was almost impossible to build it back up after each question. Each of her words a piercing arrow attacking my walls.

Stay calm, Harper. You can do this.

"So, Harper," she said, her voice sharp and demanding. "I know you're good friends with the well-known fashion designer Winter Fallow."

I nodded, worried about where she was taking this. Trying to spin a story about me was one thing but involving my friends was a whole new ballgame.

Her icy eyes pinned me to the spot as she spoke and I internally vowed to never do an interview with her again regardless of the cost on my career. This kind of unease and panic wasn't worth any price. "Does her newfound success bother you in any way? I mean, you mustn't be the centre of attention at the moment."

I felt my eyes flash in anger at the insinuation. How dare she suggest such a thing. However, I played off my bitterness with a soft shrug. "Not in the slightest," I said honestly. "Winter deserves this recognition more than anyone and I'm over the moon for her at the praise she's receiving."

Caroline looked mift at my clearly truthful answer but was quick to hide it, jumping straight onto her next question. "No dents in any of her other relationships? Not even with her boyfriend?"

I had to pretend she hadn't taken me by surprise. I had no idea if what she said was based on knowledge she had or a hopeful shot in the dark; she was a hard woman to read. "Not from what I can tell," I said vaguely. "But these are questions you should ask Winter not me. It's not my place to disclose anything about her personal life. Friends don't do that."

My sharp response startled her, clearly she wasn't used to people calling her out. "Right, well," she began, trying to take control of the situation again. "Moving back to you, what have you been up to since July?"