Chapter 100: Chapter 100

“Come with me ma’am” Amanda had a wide smile on her face as she beckoned Emily but she was unwilling “We have to do your hair and make up also, we have to get started” Amanda didn’t wait for a response, she grabbed Emily by her arm and pulling her with her into the dressing room and when they got in, Emily pulled her hands away.

“You!” Emily pointed “I know you”

Amanda feigned surprise “You do?”

“Don’t mess with me, you were the reporter asking me questions about my family, it was you!”

Amanda stood dumbfounded but she led Emily towards the chair “I work in fashion, the reporter you’re talking about is my twin sister Amy and we’re not close at all so I absolutely have no idea what you’re talking about. So please sit so we can get started and I don’t lose my job” Amanda said, lying through her teeth she pushed Emily down on the chair oblivious to her complaints.

“You know this interview is going to be live” Amanda said, running her hands through Emily’s soft hair and she whipped around immediately.

“No one told me that, I’m not doing that” she fought to stand but Amanda held her back down

“You don’t have a choice now, you have to do it its’ the only way to exonerate yourself out of all the scandals – and yes everyone knows, everyone has seen the pictures and everyone is talking about is talking about it, how much of a whore you are”

Emily’s mouth fell open and Amanda nodded her head in response “So just still and let me do my job”

***

Jackson was dead drunk in the middle of the day, but it was the much needed thing to patch the pieces of his broken heart after those pictures of Emily. Why would she do that to him? Wasn’t he enough for her and she was pregnant with his child. His head kept replaying the pictures in motions over and over in his head till he nearly felt physically nauseous. He couldn’t bring himself to look at them again, to torture himself that way. He looked around the nearly empty exclusive bar he sat, hoping for some sort of distraction but the only other person seated there was a middle aged man nursing a glass of liquor probably with a broken heart like him when suddenly a girl slid into his booth, her spicy perfume drifting into his nose against his will and emerald green eyes piercing into his, she smiled.

“Who ever she is, she’s not worth it”

Jackson studied her “You don’t know that”

“She’s got you in here getting drunk and it’s not even 2pm yet, so she’s definitely not worth it”

Jackson stayed pensive, bringing his glass to his lips but only taking a tiny sip “I’ll save you your time and the heart break honey – ”

“What if I don’t want to be saved and I’m on a path of self destruction” she cut him short and for some reason Jackson was intrigued, she picked at his interest even in his very broken state with her upside down smile and the way she stared at him through the hood of her eyes in a way seemed to seduce but Jackson was distracted, his head clouded with thoughts of Emily he couldn’t get into the strikingly pretty girl before but she was persistent until the images flashing on the flat screen tv caught his eyes and he paused.

Oh hell no!

Jackson felt his heart begin to pound loudly behind his chest as he read the headlines :

Billionaire and wife announce pregnancy, debunk all rumors of illicit affairs and calls it a setup

Jackson read it again, and again and a thousand time over as he saw Emily and Ethan seated together, holding each other tightly with Ethan glancing lovingly at Emily. He extended his hands at intervals to rub on Emily’s belly and she didn’t stop, she was all smiles looking at the camera and admitting that indeed her baby belonged to Ethan. Jackson felt his chest constrict, nearly gripping it in pain but he downed the whole glass in one gulp instead, feeling his head swim in the sea of liquor. Then he looked at the girl seated before him.

“What did you say your name was?”

Now she smiled “I didn’t, but you can call me Avery”

“Avery” Jackson repeated with a deliciousness that  sounded flirtatious and indeed inviting as he reached for her hand.

“Now Avery, how about you show me what it is to be on a path of self destruction”

***

Meanwhile Emily had a bunch of nerves piling at the pit of her stomach as she stared at the interviewer with a curly fro and black silk gown even though she was nearly blind from the bright white lights directed at her but she managed not to squint her eyes, she tried to smile like Ethan who had all his teeth at but the nervousness ate at her, the wrongness of this interview kept piling. It wasn’t Ethan’s baby but Ethan was quick to admit that the pregnancy belonged to him.

“Jackson is aware of it, it’s just for publicity” he had assured her just before they sat down and their mics were put on. She missed Jackson, she wanted to call and let him know none of it true and that she still very much loved him but the questions kept throwing themselves at her.

Just then when everything seemed like it might’ve been over, she saw Amanda from the corner of her eyes walk up to the interviewer and whisper something in her ears, she saw her expression change from complacency to complete shock and Emily’s heart skipped a beat. Then she saw Amanda hand over something the curly haired woman, who now looked at them with anticipation in her eyes, her brows lifting in excitement as she faced them now.

“I have juicy information reaching me now” she looked at the cameras before fixing her eyes back on Emily.

“I have information reaching me that your baby actually belongs to Jackson Hatton, Ethan’s younger brother”

Emily stared in shock – unable to speak but Ethan was quick to anger and he thundered first.

“What!” he growled, but his eyes fixed on Amanda’s retreating figure just after she smirked at him. Ethan had one move left in arsenal if he wanted to save himself and he was going to use even if it meant throwing Emily under the bus.

He faced her now “Does the baby belong to my brother? How could you do this to me Emily?”

Emily stayed dumbfounded “What!”