ACT LIKE YOU LOVE ME

Chapter 1 - A Tangled Web

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When first we practice to deceive."

(Walter Scott)

Camila stared at the screen with horror. She had met the guy once, he had a rap break featured on one of her recent singles, but he had recorded it and sent it to her producers who had inserted it, she had never spent time with him in the studio, and even with the music video he had filmed his separately as she was on the other side of the country at the time. She had performed it with him at one award ceremony and they had a photo taken together, literally a five minute thing, other than that she had only communicated with him via management. She thought it sounded great, she had done that sort of collab before, and she was happy with how it turned out, but now, here he was, on an Instagram Live interview "not wanting to talk out of school or nuttin', but we hit it off as soon as we met, I mean there was fy-errr there man, and no-one can resist Q-Top, not even Camila Cabello, know what I'm sayin'?"

"It's bad, I know, but seriously who is going to take any notice of it?" she laughed.

Roger tapped on the keyboard and turned the screen around again.

"HIP HOP STAR BLOSSOM X TELLS OF FINDING BOYFRIEND Q-TOP IN BED WITH CAMILA CABELLO". Beneath was a blurry photo of the naked rapper angrily holding a pillow in front of his crotch with his hand up at the camera and in the background, a small dark haired woman in the bed hiding her face. It could have been anyone, but they were both saying it was her.

"They're obviously in it for publicity, they have a new collaboration coming out and he's pissed that his rap on your song was widely criticised and he blames you."

"Why is this the first I have heard of that? I thought it was good."

Roger shrugged.

"Camila, listen to me, after you dated Chick Hanson last year, this doesn't look good."

"I went on two dates with him, he tried to force himself on me and I ended it. I thought he was nice, despite all the face tattoos and piercings, I didn't know he was going to come out and say I was a teasing bitch."

"Then there are the stories from the tell-all book by your ex-bandmate."

"She made up stories about everyone, there are injunctions and lawsuits all over her ass for that."

"Yeah, but one of the others came out in support of what she said about you. Those girls still blame you for the demise of the group, they're always going to come for you.  It all adds up to a troubling perception, and we have to do something quick. You have this image as a cheater and a bitch, and we need to turn it around now, before this story gathers traction. I had a look at where you were on the date he says this happened."

"And where was I?"

"You WERE in LA, but you went to a Taylor Swift concert that night. After that, as far as I know you just went home, alone. Your Mom was in Miami. It's not good."

"Oh, no, its not."

"Unless we spin that night differently, about why you were there, and where you went afterwards."

"I'm not lying about it. Lies have a way of coming back to bite you."

"You have said that about all these people, and look, none of them are paying for their lies, only you. I love you Camila, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but you are just too nice and people take advantage of you."

"So what is your plan?" She asked tiredly, rubbing her temples. There were some parts of the entertainment industry she just hated, and all this sort of thing was top of that list.