The Game (Wagered Hearts Series, #3)(46)

"How come? I thought we were past that?"

"You know how this town is. It's all politics and perception. They love to hand accolades to people who seem to be on an upward trajectory. With this scandal and the last one with Harry and Kelsey, you might be too much of a liability. People aren't going to go to bat for you," she explained.

"I don't believe that. I'll let my performance speak for itself," I said defiantly. Even though I knew Charlotte had been in this town long enough to know how it worked, I still didn't want to believe it. Maybe I was being naive or just stubborn, but I'd worked too hard to let something like this derail my hopes and dreams.

"I hope you're right, kid," she said, sounding weary and older than her 38 years.

"I am," I said, sounding more confident than I felt. "No one is going to care about the story. I'm not the first and I won't be the last person who entered into a fake relationship to boost up my career. In fact, I'll prove it to you. I'm going to the Black and White charity ball tonight and you'll see. No one is going to say shit to me."

"Listen, Emilia. Maybe you should lay low for a little bit until this all blows over. See what happens in the next few days or weeks. You don't want to be fodder for any more gossip," Charlotte suggested.

"You want me to hide out? Why? I'm not a criminal. I haven't committed a crime. Why should I be the one who hangs my head in shame when I didn't do anything wrong?" I said, getting heated again.

"All right, Emilia. If that's how you feel, I won't try to stop you, but don't say I didn't warn you. Because despite your tough as nails exterior, you're still a green kid and you haven't seen how cutthroat people can be just yet."

"I can handle it," I said firmly.

***

The car pulled up to the curb and I sat inside watching as the flashing lights went off, and I heard the muffled screams of the photographers and fans outside clamoring for attention. Arnie had come with me to the ball. I took some comfort in that. He would steer me away from the more troublesome situations, and handle any questions or interview requests I didn't want to deal with. All I had to do was look good, smile, make small talk, and go home. I would show everyone I wasn't afraid. I wasn't going to be shamed into hiding away in my house as if I'd done something bad.

I took a deep breath and tried to prepare myself for what was going to come next. I'd never felt so nervous going to a party before. Normally, I thrived in these situations. After all, any press was good press, or so I'd thought. I'd never really been the target of negative publicity before everything went down with Kelsey and her vicious lies. I'd been the golden child, the rising star; people had been tripping over their feet to meet me and interview me.




It was a different story today. For the first time, I didn't know what kind of a reaction I'd get from people. Charlotte's warning briefly went through my head, but I pushed it aside. There was no point dwelling on that. I was Emilia Holliday. I was a f**king movie star and no one could take that from me.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out into the glare of the bright lights. There was a collective gasp in the crowd as people realized who I was, and then it was like a free for all. Cameras started going off, flashes were blinding my eyes, and people were calling my name, trying to catch my attention. I plastered a big smile on my face and made my way down the red carpet.

Photographers were calling for me to turn this way and that, and I did the best I could. Arnie steered me away from several reporters wanting to interview me, which I was grateful for. Despite the smile on my face and my show of confidence, inside I was trembling. I could hear the whispers of people speculating on the rumors, and wished I could have shoved some ear plugs in my ears to drown them out. But I couldn't. I caught snippets of conversation as I passed, people wondering where Rob was, calling me a desperate bitch, a fake and a liar. Some didn't even bother to whisper. There were one or two who shouted questions and rude comments at me.

"Was this party not in your contract?" "Where's your engagement ring?"

I looked down at my empty ring finger and could have cursed myself. I'd made the decision to take off the ring before I came, but now it would only fuel speculation and more rumors. My heart thudded in my chest but my smile never wavered and somehow, miraculously, I made it to the end of the red carpet.

I walked into the lobby and snatched a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and downed it in one gulp. If ever I needed a drink it was now. I was regretting coming out. Charlotte was right. I wasn't ready for this. I should have laid low, but I had so wanted to prove her wrong. Or maybe it was to prove to myself that my career didn't hang in the balance over some rumors.

If it were anything else, I don't think I would have cared as much. But being out here with the world speculating on Rob and my relationship left me feeling vulnerable. If it were really a fake engagement, I could have brushed it off, acting like I didn't have a care in the world. Hell, I could have denied it and pretended like nothing was wrong. But it had been real to me--or as real as any relationship had been. Because of that, I couldn't pretend it didn't hurt when people began to snicker, or make rude and tasteless jokes at my expense.

"Fancy seeing you here?"

I turned my head and had to stifle the groan that threatened to escape my lips. Of all the people I could have run in tonight, it had to be Darla Lovitz. She stood staring at me with an insufferable smirk on her face.