Paparazzi

- Finally! What happened to your phone? We've called you over a thousand times, we've been trying to reach you for almost two hours, David! Jesus Christ! Did you talk to Alexia? Have you seen the websites, news, and everything that has been published about your adventures in Italy in the last few hours?

David's agent, Paul, gave him a tablet, where they passed stories and articles, links and news about David Nichols' secret escape in Italy, which had reverberated in absolutely all social networks...

At that moment Nina had gone to the bathroom. Hearing that, there wasn't a drop of blood left on her lips. She couldn't think of anything else but the possibility that they had photographed her. She thought of the attacks she would suffer, she thought of the rampant exposure, she thought of the millions of comments and judgments that anonymous people around the world would feel they had the right to make, using the telephone as a weapon of oppression. She was so nervous that she sat stunned on the toilet, and when she heard their conversation at the door, she almost panicked. David quickly came to check where she was, and saw that the bathroom door was closed. His agents kept talking non-stop:

"For God's sake, David!" Where were you thinking? The paparazzi have pictures of you from the first day you set foot here. I'm referring to every careless step you took! What's happening with you? Thank God we managed to hushed up the story of the fight in the club... David calmly replied:

“There was no fight in the club.

The other agent, Tony, kept talking:

"So many years of discipline thrown away like that for a pair of panties and bra?" Who is this woman? I hope you didn't catch her on the street, because you haven't been you for a few weeks. We no longer doubt anything!

At that time David felt his pride being insulted. He looked at them so seriously they could have sworn he was going to forget about his English upbringing:

— Paul. Listen. He arrives! Don't speak in that tone.

They chatted as they passed pictures of David and Nina at the club, getting into the car, pictures walking into the opera, all the steps the two had taken since day one. In all the photos, only Nina's silhouette appeared. Either she had her back turned, or the photos were blurry and out of focus.

“And there's more, David. — Paul said. They didn't get the footage from the spa's security cameras, we did, or Alexia would take the place down in a lawsuit. They relented. Do you know what was in the footage? Scandals! Ammunition for the media!

"...your barefoot mistress, holding glasses and wine in the street?" What kind of woman is this, who passed wet, half-naked wandering in a place like this, in every angle of the security camera? Holding clothes? You are not used to this kind of people. Where are your refined, discreet and sophisticated models?

"... He's always been surrounded by women, and he's never leaked anything to the press, other than the ones giving the information to the paparazzi themselves." How did this happen now? We have everything with us here for you to destroy…” The agents kept passing the photos…

"Pictures on the porch?" On the porch? - Paul asked.

— Private balconies! A private spa, restricted to patients. Not even a camera is allowed…” David replied.

"Don't you know that some local employees might not care about losing a job they probably hate if they've had a chance to get rich selling pictures like that?"

"Are you looking at these pictures well, David?" asked one of the agents.

- Yes…

“These photos here are amateurs. Still they must have been worth a note! They're all over the internet. All the positions seem very strategic, you standing, the woman with her head on your chest on the bedroom balcony, always hiding her face... always with her back turned, in this one you are helping her up in the restaurant here... The focus was your face! She sleeping on your shoulder in the car, face always turned away? Tony asked himself, continuing to flip through the photos.

"There's something there that doesn't fit!" They couldn't take pictures of this woman's face, her plan must have gone wrong, if it was fame she wanted, it backfired! It's obvious that some employee took these photos. - Paul completed. “Or else she made a deal with the paparazzi to split the money. Did you know they're blackmailing us? They want a lot of money not to reveal her face in somewhat sexy scenes with you. Why wouldn't they reveal? Think! She was the one passing all the times and places where you would be, it's obvious that she had an agreement with the paparazzi. They knew everything! A scammer! It would not be the first time. You know what the scandals some of your exes have already cost us. - Paul recalled.

David didn't hesitate to hear all those insults against Nina, especially since he knew she was listening, so he burst out screaming:

— Enough Paul! Tony arrives! Wow! Stop cursing at someone you don't even know! I understand your concern, but no matter what turned out wherever it is, it's not your fault! Is already done. It's my fault, not hers. After all, do they have pictures of her or not?

"Are you listening to yourself?" They are paparazzi… if they were watching you of course they have pictures of her! What has this woman done to you? You are taking advantage of your fragile moment to get fame and money! They are professionals! — Tony said.

“Whoever she is, she's freaking her out, she's got to be… And don't look at us like that… In all the years of your career you've always been the most careful. You have an image to take care of! Right now with the preview of so many things together… the culmination of your career, don't get involved in scandals! Remember what is happening with John and Amy, the couple with so little time together, ended up exposing the marital fights, violence, abuse and so many other accusations, which have now cost John his career! Tony said, trying to warn him against Nina.

“You were always the most correct, the most polite, the most professional. Whoever this person is, end it now, and come back with us wherever it is you need a few more weeks of vacation, but end it now! We're going to fix and reverse all this. I guarantee. — Paul said. And they continued to analyze what happened along with Paul and David. “You need to call Alexia before she takes a flight here.

“We already have a strategy for everything. I don't know what this woman is planning, the paparazzi are blackmailing us, they say they have pictures of you in very sexy scenes on the porch, making out with the same woman these last six days... poorly taken pictures, which means the paparazzi didn't know from the spa, or they would have infiltrated as clients and God only knows what they would have photographed. Everything indicates that it was an employee sent by her. “Every minute the agents had a new conclusion about how those photos were leaked to the press. — I'm already taking the necessary steps. Some bad photos taken in a park, a fair, a cinema, a theater and so on. Let's use heavy force to turn this to your advantage. You are already the darling of the ladies themselves, and after we use this to solidify your image as a poor thing,

— I can even see the titles of the stories: “David Nichols, people like us!” I'm going to use your adventures this week to get as many interviews as possible, and we're going to heavily publicize the new series and movies to come. Let's play all projects at once. And this scammer besides not getting any fame or money, will still help us! Do you believe it? No pictures of her face, always hiding her face, looking at the ground, it seemed like she already knew! Cap? Hood? Specific tours in public? Did she want mystery? I wanted the world to ask: "Who is this woman?" Well, you got it! All gossip vehicles keep asking this question. All set up, David! A strategist! We will not pay the amount the paparazzi are demanding not to publish the woman's photos. We will turn everything against her. If necessary, we will accuse her of having set everything up! You will be a hero! - Tony stated with the full support of the other agent, Paul.

- We'll pay what they want not to divulge her face! Dave declared.

David was so angry at those insults against Nina, at the same time he was stunned by all that news, he hadn't taken his eyes off the "tablet" since the agents entered the room, his head was spinning with the things he read and reread...

And meanwhile Nina was crying desperately in the bathroom at hearing such accusations. She had a towel over her mouth so she didn't make a sound as her tears continued to trickle down. The agents strafed him psychologically with their tricks and strategies, while he didn't know if he continued to hide Nina from the agents or if he would open the bathroom door and comfort her. He didn't want to fight with his team, who had always been by his side since the beginning of his acting career, but he couldn't let them offend Nina like that. He didn't want the agents to see her there, but he had no choice...

“This person is called Nina Dahl. And David walked to the bathroom door and knocked on the door, asking Nina to come out. She was terrified. She listened to the whole conversation and didn't know how she was going to face those people who had just called her anyone, a career wrecker, a scammer, and many other offenses.

“Nina. Please open it!

Nina didn't peep. The agents were stunned to learn that she was there with him.

“Please, Nina. It's me, David. I'm asking you. Open up!

He continued beating and beating passively. He put his hands on his head, the agents talking, Nina locked up, suddenly everything turned to him, all that mental exhaustion he'd felt on filming was coming back to the surface at that moment, the agony of hearing them talk, all that verbal poison, the pressure, the photos, the whole situation.

David put both arms raised with his hands closed on the door where Nina was, leaned his face against the door and already getting into a state of panic asked for the last time for her to come help him:

“Nina. I am not well. Open the door. Please help me!

And Nina rushed up from the bathroom floor and opened the door immediately. The two looked at each other with a sad and so pained look that they couldn't resist the hug. Nina was all red in the face and wet from crying, and he was sick. The two leaned against each other and sat on the edge of the bed. Nina wiped her tears, composed herself again and ran to her suitcase to get her first aid kit.

The two agents were standing there watching them.

- Are you a doctor? Paul asked, giving him a look of contempt.

- No sir. I'm a nurse.

Soon the agents tried to push her away and dominate the situation. They offered medical help, wanted to call an ambulance, or the trained staff at the spa's nursing home, but David refused. He asked the two of them to step aside and let Nina help him. Nina took every possible vital sign with her instruments and knelt in front of David, asking him to listen to his agents.

- Is there something wrong with me?

“Your measurements are outside normal parameters, blood pressure quite high, pulse rate, temperature. Please let a doctor examine you.

"Tell me what you think first."

“Maybe you're just having an anxiety or stress crisis, I say this due to the previous pictures, it must be an incidence due to all of this now, the shortness of breath, nervousness, a bit of mental confusion. But it could be something else...

At that time the two agents gave each other a slight smile.

"And your heart rate is racing." Your stress may be cumulative, it has been building up over time, or because of this sudden situation, you may be experiencing anxiety. These crises can have physical and psychic consequences. Nina was inducing David to lie down as she spoke, she was explaining the terms of his possible nervous breakdown to divert his attention away from the problem, so he would shift the focus, calming down. He closely followed her every move, staring into her face.

"Do you have medication?"

“It's against the rules, David. Even if I had, I can't medicate you without closer examination. You need expert service. Not to mention that you spent the night coughing (he looked at her with a frown) "Yeah, I heard, and I found you really hot a few minutes ago before this whole thing happened." You were sweating. - Nina explained, without even a moment looking at the two agents.

"Are you taking any medication from the clinic?" asked one of the agents.

“No. Just therapies and the rest you know.

"So, let's get this over with?" Let's make sure it's not a big deal, okay? We're going to the hospital by ambulance. Nina ordered.

"Only if you promise you'll stay with me." he pleaded in a desperate tone of voice.

— David…

Nina looked at him and saw that his face was trembling, his lips were trembling, and she didn't have the heart to bring up the subject that she would have to catch the plane soon.

“Promise, Nina. He didn't let go of her hand. The pupils were markedly dilated. She wasn't sure if that tremor was due to fever or if he was in a state of emotional delirium, she just knew he needed urgent help.

— Promise! Promise you won't fly to Norway today. David spoke quite altered. "Give me your word of honor." I know you don't lie. I know. Stay here. Promise!

'I promise, David, I promise. Calm. Help is already on the way.

- You come with me. I will protect you, no one will be rude to you, I swear. I won't let anyone hurt you. Nobody! Even if I have to stand against the world!

And within minutes, David was being seen by specialists at the best clinic in town. They had to sedate him. All possible tests were done to rule out the possibility of any disease. He would have to stay under observation at a hospital clinic until the results came out.