Chapter 52 - 56
Kelsey POV
When it’s time to meet the director and the showrunner himself. Avara insists on my presence—a non-negotiable demand she wrangles into this high-profile interview. It wasn’t because she can’t handle the questions herself. Avara is like a diamond; she shines the brightest because she has undergone the most pressure and she had to do it with a pretty smile. But I guess, the comfort of having me nearby, a familiar anchor in the tense arena of media scrutiny, is something she couldn’t forgo.
The studio has stylists touch up our hair and makeup before we are heralded to the primary scene. The set is pristine, all clean lines and polished surfaces, the stage for what is bound to be a grilling by Reece Hartley, the hardliner news reporter renowned for dismantling even the most composed of public figures. Reece sits already poised in his chair, a sophisticated predator waiting to pounce. His presence dominates the room before he even speaks, his eyes cool and calculating, fixed on Avara with the kind of singularity that makes most people falter.
Avara’s chin lifts just slightly as she meets Reece’s gaze. She knows what is coming—the sharp, pointed questions, the relentless pursuit of a soundbite to stir controversy. Avara and I are positioned on the side behind the immaculate table. And Reece presides over the other, watching every miniscule movement.
Reece doesn’t say so much as a word to acknowledge us. The moment the cameras start rolling, he lights up an award-winning smile, and it’s like he’s greeting his old childhood friends.
"Avara Du Point, what an honor it is to have you on the show," he says, beaming through his plastic smile.
"It’s an honor to be here," Avara says with replicated cheer, cutting but veiled with jubilee.
"And catch this folk, our guest has a guest of her own—who is this exquisite young lady?"
"Kelsey Brown," Kelsey introduces.
"Your very own emotional support, human," he says with a humorous grin. "Where can I get one?"
Avara and I push out a laugh, drawn out and single-toned.
"So Kelsey, how is it like having such an accomplished friend—you guys are friends, right?"