That Fateful Day
December 30th, 2017
[The following interaction is seen on a plasma television screen in a motel room. An interview is being conducted between Mox News Reporter Eileen Umerna and Crisis Manager Laurel Quinn. Eileen is interviewing Laurel on live television.]
Eileen: (smiles at the camera) “Hello and Good Morning San New! I am so excited to be joined today by Crisis Manager Laurel Quinn. (Turns to Laurel smiling) Thank you so much for joining us.”
Laurel: (smiles warmly at Eileen) “Thank you so much for having me here Eileen.”
Eileen: “Of course! (Faces the camera) The reason for Ms. Quinn joining us today is because of the shocking scandal that has taken place concerning teen heartthrob Justin Austin. For those of you who are unaware, Justin’s phone was hacked and intimate pictures as well as videos were leaked online. Because of this, the President of NBZ studios has decided to suspend Justin indefinitely from the show ‘2Hearts1Love’, which is the show he is currently starring in. (turns to Laurel) What are your thoughts on this scandal as well as NBZ’s decision?”
Laurel: “If I may be honest Eileen, that was an idiotic decision on their part. This actor is only eighteen years old and instead of the studio and President doing their best to support him during this difficult time, they choose to reprimand him for something he had no control over.”
Eileen: “So what you’re saying-and please correct me if I’m wrong- is that the Studio should have done everything in their power to defend Justin?”
Laurel: (nods her head slowly) “Absolutely. At the end of the day, Justin Austin is more than a marketing scheme. He’s more than dollar signs. He is a human being. A human that was thrown under the bus.”
Eileen: “That is interesting to hear. Many people especially the parents of the young girls who are his fans, disagree with the suspension decision of NBZ and they’re calling for the removal of Justin from the show.”
Laurel: “Which in my opinion is total bull (BLEEP!). I apologize for swearing, but the truth of the matter is; if this was an actress who had her nudes leaked the studio and fans would make a hashtag for her on Twitter saying something along the line as ‘#IStandWithJennifer’. But because Justin is an eighteen year old male they’re punishing him. It’s disgusting.”
Eileen: (nods listening carefully to her words) “How is Justin taking all of this? He hasn’t been active on any social media platforms speaking out on this situation.”
Laurel: “He is currently back home in Colorado spending time with his family and friends. What nobody thinks about when a scandal like this occurs is the fact the victim-because that’s what Justin is- ends up feeling fragile, exposed and victimized; meanwhile the people at NBZ aren’t making any of this easier.”
Eileen: “Do you believe this scandal will have a major negative impact on Justin’s career?”
Laurel: “Absolutely not! Because of this scandal, three major networks have expressed interests for him to take part in amazing projects and even Dr. Jill is interested in doing a segment on young men who are sexually victimized just like Justin was. Aside from that, he also met with eight time Academy Award writer Benjamin Jolie. While I cannot tell you what was discussed in the meeting I can say that this isn’t slowing him down, because he did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Eileen: “Do you believe sexting is something that should have harsh punishments to both the hacker as well as the (uses fingers to demonstrate air quotes) “victims” to prevent a scandal like this from ever happening again?”
Laurel: “Justin is an eighteen year old male who works seventy two hours a week sometimes even longer on set. He wasn’t out here scaling the Valley for some desperate easy fan girls looking to have a good time. Instead he decided to stay in and –let’s say the word Eileen because we are all adults here- he stood home and chose to masturbate.”
Eileen: (shifts uncomfortably in her chair) “Th-That’s the truth and I am not countering your claim Ms. Quinn, but as an actor who stars in a popular teen drama he should’ve known better because he has a reputation to uphold.”
Laurel: “Since when does starring in a highly successful show make you God? He wasn’t drinking and driving, he wasn’t doing drugs, he wasn’t smoking cigarettes and he wasn’t caught on a hot mic bragging about groping women.“
Eileen: “Not at all. It was just a mistake that cost him-“
Laurel: “Nope. (shakes head in disagreement) I refuse to label what he did as a mistake. He kept those videos on his phone where it was locked and he sent them not to any strange girl but to his girlfriend. What he did wasn’t a mistake, the only mistake in all of this was the hacker or hackers responsible for this attack. And believe you me- (faces camera) – the FBI is heavily investigating this and those responsible will be apprehended. You may have balls but mine are bigger. There’s nowhere to hide so know that I’m coming for you and I will not stop until I see blood.”
Laurel’s hazel eyes were filled with anger and she wasn’t backing down from any of her words that even scared Eileen. A person wearing a black hooded jacket threw a red and black mug at the television screen in frustration. The image of Laurel froze as the shattered pieces of the mug and television screen fell unto the dirty burgundy carpets. The person picked up a black duffle bag and stormed out of the motel room slamming shut the door. Not a few feet away from the motel bed was a body on the ground, faced down with a sharp knife in his back. The body was of Hollywood film director Mark Affleck, a man famously known for his Oscar award winning films and it wasn’t until two months ago he ventured into the career of directing music videos. He was excited to start his first day of Elizabeth Glitters’ new music video, tragically he waited in vain.
Two Hours Later:
Laurel entered her office and it was surprisingly quiet and empty. Everything that Jace discovered and told her about The Star Katchers remained in the back of her mind as she made her way through the city. She had no doubts they were also the culprits responsible for Justin’s photos being leaked and it made her wonder, just how powerful these people truly are and what they stood for.
The Crisis Manager placed her black designer purse on her desk and let out a sigh of relief as she kicked off her red and white stiletto shoes. Every time she did a live interview she made sure to look professional and most importantly to look more radiant. This wasn’t to get compliments or to boost her self-esteem but it was to attract her clients. Her poise demeanor, go getter attitude, determination and drive were enough to attract the attention of any client within the industry to hire her for whatever scandal they were currently being haunted by.
The outfit she went with was a white dress, wrapped with a black and red leather belt around her waist. It was an exclusive by Barelis that he couldn’t wait to unveil to the world. Her hair was pinned up in a bun that really bothered her head. She pulled a few bobby pins from the bottom of the bun and within seconds her Auburn shoulder length hair dropped to the back of her head. She placed the pins on her desk, combed her fingers through her hair and paused as she heard a Ding, coming from the entrance of the office.
‘I just want three minutes to myself is that so hard?’ Laurel thought to herself as she placed her feet back inside of the stiletto shoes. “I’ll be right out!” She called out trying not to topple over as she got her left foot in and then her right.
She gave Tony the day off so he could spend time with Jace and hopefully get their minds off of the T.S.K at least for a day. She could survive without an assistant so it wasn’t a problem for her that he wasn’t there.
Laurel took off her black short trench coat, threw it on her chair and walked out of her personal office and into the waiting area where she saw a tall, rugged and handsome man looking around the neatly decorated pink and black waiting area.
The man was no older than thirty five years old, he stood at 6ft and 2 inches tall, had dark brown eyes, short black hair and scruffy facial hair that was kept at a minimal length indicating to L
aurel that he grooms it.
The man’s attire consisted of a black leather jacket that was zipped up to his chest, blue jeans and black boots. He flashed her a sincere smile as she asked, “Hello, can I help you?”
“Hello yes. Are you Laurel Quinn?” He had somewhat of a Boston accent that she could pick up. Hearing authentic accents in San New was like searching for a straight man in a Lady Gage concert; difficult.
She gave him a slow nod trying to size him up and read his body language to determine why he was there. “Yes, Yes I am. Are you here for an emergency? I ask because I normally don’t take clients that are walk-ins, unless it’s an emergency.”
The man lowered his eyebrows at her words as if she had said something crazy. “Clients?” He looked again around the empty waiting area. “What is it that you do exactly?”
Laurel wasn’t sure if this man was clueless or stupid. She had seen her fair share of attractive men who had a lot to offer in the looks department but sadly their brains were fried due to their constant blow dried hair.
“I’m a Crisis Manager. Various people come to me when they have a crisis that needs fixing and I’m there to help make that scandal go away or just to alter their reputation from bad to good.” She paused. “Look, I would love to stand here and explain more about my job to you, but I am currently wiped out and I just want to go home and lay down. So if whatever you’re going through isn’t an emergency then please take my business card on your way out and call back to make an appointment.”
The tall man gave her a nod and he unzipped his black leather jacket to reveal his blue t-shirt, he lifted up the shirt not only revealing his black leather belt and a quick view of his abs covered with some body hair, but hanging on his right jean pocket was a gold police badge.
“My name is Detective Oliver Morales and I am with the Berger County Police. I’m here to ask you a couple of questions about your husband David Jimberman.”
Laurel felt her heart skip a beat and she felt as if the room was spinning around her. She knew then and there one thing was certain; she wasn’t going home anytime soon.
[END]