Chapter 18: Fake Fans
The crowd continued to push and argue and film me from every angle. The people here had already posted their version of the airport story to dozens of accounts, calling me disrespectful, scheming, undeserving. Passersby who had seen the confrontation were adding their own commentary. As far as the public knew right then, I was the villain and Amara was the wounded party.
I have had enough, I needed to be careful with the way I handled the situation
I removed my sunglasses and looked at the people surrounding me with complete composure.
"I need you all to step back," I said clearly. "I am claustrophobic. I have been claustrophobic my entire career. It is documented. It is something my actual fans have always known and have always respected." I looked directly at the girl who had been the loudest, clearly she was paid the highest that is why she gave her best performance. "So I want to ask you something genuinely. You who had been the most vocal. If you are truly my fans, how do you not know that about me? How do you not know that crowding me like this, from every direction, with no warning, is exactly the kind of situation I cannot handle?"
The group looked at each other. Nobody had an answer.
"We are new fans," the girl said defensively. "That does not mean we are not fans."
"I understand," I said, keeping my voice completely level. "And I am trying, very hard, to be kind to you right now. I want you to know that." I held up my phone so they could see the screen. "I have been recording this entire interaction from the moment it started. Not to hurt anyone. Just so there is an accurate record of what actually happened here." I looked around at the crowd that had gathered, the actual bystanders, the people who had simply been passing through the terminal and stopped. "You have all seen the stories trending about me today. I understand that. And I am still standing here trying to be respectful and calm because that is who I am, regardless of what anyone posts about me online."
I lowered my phone. "I am going to step outside now and call the police. I am asking you, genuinely and sincerely, please do not make this worse than it needs to be. Nobody needs to get hurt today."
The actual bystanders had been watching the whole exchange. The paid fans had pushed too hard and made it too obvious and the people who had no stake in any of it were beginning to see exactly what this was.
"Fine!" The girl shoved me anyway. "I am a fan of Amara’s and she deserves that contract, not you!"
I stumbled. Caspian’s bodyguards closed in immediately and had me in the next second. Nicole called the police and they arrived quickly, moving the crowd back with firm efficiency. Under their escort I made it through. I leaned toward one of the officers as we walked. "Please be careful with them," I said quietly. "Do not let anyone get hurt."
...
In the terminal Nicole checked her phone as we walked quickly toward the gate. "Amara has made the stolen contract story trend number one."
"Then drop the video," I said. " I have had enough of her stupidity"
Nicole was already dialing before I finished the sentence.
...
I was sitting beside Nicole at the terminal when I got a notification that Liam was on Instagram Live. I quickly opened it to see what he had to say and also to see his reaction when the evidence Nicole dropped started trending. Liam had gone on to address the situation directly, sitting at his desk with the particular confidence of a man who believed he still controlled the narrative. He was mid-sentence, calm and managing the story the way he always managed everything, when his phone started vibrating on the desk beside him. Then again. Then a third time.
He ignored it and kept talking.
The comments in his live began changing. Slowly at first, then all at once. People were posting links. Tagging him. Asking him to explain something. He frowned at the camera and kept going, but the comment section was moving too fast now, flooding with the same words over and over.
"Have you seen the video."
"Check your mentions."
"It’s over."
He picked up his phone mid-sentence and opened Instagram. The first thing he saw was a brand post. A company he had been in final negotiations with for weeks. Their official account. A clean, professional statement posted four minutes ago:
"Effective immediately, we are withdrawing from all planned partnerships with Xova Entertainment and its represented talent. We wish all parties well."
Then another brand. Then another.
The comment section of his live had completely overtaken whatever he had been saying. He looked back at the camera and his expression had changed entirely. He opened his search and typed his own name and the results loaded and he sat there in front of a hundred thousand live viewers and read what everyone else had already seen.
Not photographs this time.
A video.
Him and Amara. The hospital room. Intimate and extended and completely undeniable.
His face on camera went the color of paper. He looked directly into the lens for one long moment and then without a word he ended the live.
Every person who had been supporting her before started dropping mean comments.
"I cannot believe Amara was actually like this. We defended her. We organized for her. We went to that airport for her."
"I am done. We are done."
"Someone needs to go back and clear Valerie’s name. We set that up today. We have to say so publicly."
"She knew what we did to her at the airport. She still asked the police to be careful with us. I cannot."
"Good" Nicole said, smiling at the results of her hard work " let them feel the heat too"
Nicole and I boarded the flight and settled into our seats. Nicole was logged into Amara’s fan forum watching the self-destruction unfold in real time with an expression of deeply fulfilled satisfaction. She read thread after thread out loud under her breath, shaking her head, pressing her hand over her mouth to keep from making too much noise on a plane.
One post stopped her completely. Someone describing how they had heard me during the police escort, quietly asking the officers not to hurt anyone. The post had thousands of replies within minutes. Someone had already started a thread documenting the entire airport setup, how it had been organized, who had given the schedule, what the instructions had been. The public should know, the original poster wrote. We were wrong and we have to say so.
Nicole shoved her phone in front of my face. Then she wrapped both arms around me and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Valerie. I love you. You are an absolute genius."
"I do not love you back," I said, looking at her with amusement.
"Then who do you love? President Morrow?"
I thought of Caspian. I missed his kisses. A new habit that came with marriage. A very pleasant and quietly dangerous habit that I was not doing anything to stop.
