CHAPTER 19

I WAS IN THE HOTEL ROOM AND ON MY PHONE. I called Adam and Lauren as I had something to tell them. While waiting, I decided to go on twitter and what I saw was nerve wrecking.

The incident had already gone viral and Natalia's fans and mine were having a battle.

I followed Natalia's account and it already had one hundred thousand more followers. I randomly opened the comment section and it was full of malicious insults and hurtful words like she had murdered someone. I kept scrolling down after I noticed I was also mentioned in some comments.

'Just a single slap and this is what she does?'

'I know right? She's so cheap...such things are normal...'

'normal!? is violence normal to you? Natalia deserves to die...'

'Geez! Do you have a crush on Eleanor? sorry she's taken. Dating Adam but trading beds with Drake ..'

'She has no shame...there's no way drake would do that on a silver platter....'

'I also heard her director was hitting on her ..'

'Shuuutt uppp!!!'

'It's the truth...they shamelessly made out in the presence of everyone... on the shoot...'

'I always thought Eleanor was different....'

'Hell yeah.... different seductress. I pity Adam....'

'So will Natalia walk free?'

I immediately went to the official tweet of Rustom and it had already been overpowered by fans. Many of the comments were against me because I apparently had the movie production stalled. Humans had really lost their taste. A person was being humiliated and embarrassed but it didn't matter to them. They didn't care about me or what would happen to me. They only wanted someone to blame for the loss and I was made the scale goat. No one saw that I was the victim. Natalia was roaming free when she was the devil behind it all but why was I being mistreated?

"This was is so unfair....." I threw my phone on the bed and stuffed a pillow in my face. I tried not to cry but I couldn't do anything about it.

Tears streamed down my face and all my excitement went down the drain.

I was going to tell Adam and Lauren about the private agency Drake was going to establish for me but all this ruined it.

If I turn his offer down, it might be a loss to me and if I take it, the comments would get worst and worst.

What would I do?

"Eleanor??? are you there???" a loud thud woke me up and I realised there was someone at the door. I sat up and wiped my tears. I rushed to my dressing table, fixed my make up and went to open the door.

It was Adam.

I smiled at him and he smiled back as he got in.

"I brought you some freshly smoked salmon aka lox...."

"So much for living in San Diego....." I smiled.

"Pretty good deal if you ask me..." he winked and I followed him to the lounge.

We sat down and he opened the meal box. He brought two plates with him and I picked my lips immediately. The aroma got my mouth watering and I couldn't wait to eat.

I didn't have much to eat on lunch with Drake Anderson. I just took a take away and gave it to Aaron when I got home.

I planned to have him order something for me while waiting for Lauren and Adam but I canceled it after I read all the awful comments online.

Some of them were really gruesome.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked after he noticed I went dim.

"Umm...nothing much...am just hungry...." I smiled and tucked in. I ate the fish like nobody's business. I let out all my anger on it and wherever it's soul was, it appreciated I wasn't a food water.

"Whoa...slow down ma'am...no one's going to take your food away from you....." Adam consoled me but I acted like I didn't hear him. I ate my bowl and drank the sauce along with it. Looking at my empty plate, I looked at Adams and he shook his head.

"Don't even think about it...." he motioned and I stepped back with my hands lifted in surrender.

"I won't....I give you my word...." I laughed and decided to sit by him and watched him eat.

There was another knock on my door and before I could even ask who it is, it sprung open and what seemed to be a horrified Lauren walked in.

"Have you been on twitter??" she asked and I looked at Adam who looked back at me with half his mouth full. His cheek popped out and some of the juice was leaking from the corner of his mouth.

I picked a serviette and wiped it for him.

"Why do you ask???" I asked her and she shut the door behind her and sat down next to me.

"Whatever you do....don't go on twitter....." she warned and I worried about her.

She treated me like a baby and pampered me too much.

I didn't care about what people said anymore. It was of the least concern to me.

Natalia was the dark shadow in my life and for once I had the chance to let myself loose and flee from her.

"Umm....I got an offer....." I changed the subject. I didn't want us talking about things that didn't matter. I had a pressing issue in my mind and I rather desired to talk about it unlike the noise people were letting out on social media.

"What offer??" Adam asked chewing his food.

"Drake Anderson made a proposal to me. His father's company is willing to set up an agency just for me....." I started.

I Looked at them simultaneously and they did the same. An awful silence filled the room and I looked around to see if a ghost had walked past.

"...on what condition?" Lauren asked. She gave me a rather suspicious look and I narrowed my eyebrows at her.

"On no condition. He said since there's been a delay on the movies broadcast then I can sign a contract with him in the meantime...."

"While you what? Wait for the rebroadcast of the movie? That's insane. You will not be signing a contract with him...."

"Lauren....let's not be hasty....weigh the pros and cons.. ..first ..." Adam jumped in and I quietly listened.

"There's no time for that...."

"What do you mean there's no time for that?" I asked.

"Drake Anderson is the son of a business tycoon and heir to his father's enterprise. He's someone who apart from his father's money, has his own. He's like the Stuart Yates of our time. He lands on a jackpot and finds his way into the acting industry. He stars in a lot of movies and has how own production company....Damn! He was even billed as one of the highest paying actors if all times.....what does he lack???" she explained and I gave Adam a quizzical look.

"And your point is???" Adam asked. I nodded in agreement to him and looked at Lauren.

"Why would he all of a sudden get tangled in this scandal with Natalia...all for Eleanor?" she asked again and I scratched my chin.

I looked at Adam who gave me the same look. I moved close to him and we whispered among ourselves for about two minutes and together we looked back at Lauren.

"I think we missed your point...."