by C. J. Anaya
Now they were in his kitchen, sitting at a round table and snacking on cold cuts, cheddar cheese, and grapes. Midge found near-death experiences made one hungry. The familiarity of the white cupboards, aged tile flooring, and marble counter tops gave her a sense of peace and tranquility, a sense of finally coming home.
“Well, now I feel kind of sorry for punching him in the face,” her father said, bringing her out of her reverie.
Midge gaped at him in horror. “You punched Brody?”
He lifted his chin and folded his arms defensively. “I warned him right from the beginning that I would make his life a living hell if he hurt you.”
“When did this conversation take place?”
“When he told me he’d joined the show to get close to you.”
Feeling a little bowled over by that news she said, “You knew why he was really there? The whole Cinderella story wasn’t just an angle for your show?”
“Of course it was an angle for the show, but it also benefited you in the process, so I figured there wasn’t any harm in taking full advantage of the situation.”
Lisa let out an amused chuckled. “Your dad’s an opportunist. Can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
“That’s because you’re cut from the same cloth. I’ve decided that TV producers are every bit as criminal as computer hackers,” Midge said.
Knightly’s eyes gleamed with interest as he really took Lisa in for the first time. “You’re a professional hacker?”
Lisa shrugged. “I can neither confirm nor deny such accusations at this time, especially in front of someone who makes a living filming people.”
“Well, these skills you may or may not possess might be helpful in getting to the bottom of what Brody was given,” he said.
Lisa slapped her forehead and turned to Midge. “Of course! I should have considered it much sooner. Let me grab my laptop from my bag and we’ll take a look at Brody’s computer.”
“Do you really think you can find that information?” Stacey asked, bouncing again in her excitement. Midge was beginning to wonder if her three cups of coffee had been a mistake. Her energy rivaled that of Charlene’s at the moment
“If Brody downloaded the video on his computer or if he even watched it, then I should be able to access the information.”
The group waited anxiously for Lisa to grab her laptop, fire it up, and begin the process of hacking into Brody’s computer. After a few minutes, Midge had to stand up and pace since her nervous energy made sitting an impossibility.
“I’m in,” Lisa shouted.
“This is so exciting. I’m participating in criminal activities,” Stacey giggled as she reached for the coffee pot in the middle of the table. Midge quickly stayed her hand and shook her head.
“I’m cuttin’ you off Stacey. You’re so wired right now your hair follicles are twitching.”
Stacey gave a morose glance toward the coffee pot but must have noticed her shaking hand because she nodded in agreement and reached for a couple of grapes instead. They never managed to make it into her mouth. It was like watching a basketball player with Parkinson’s Disease.
“Found it. Brody emailed it to his assistant—Gregg, I think—and had him verify that the video hadn’t been edited to misrepresent what you were saying.”
Lisa pushed play and the very beginning of Midge’s awful conversation with Felicia played back at the group.
“I tell Brody I don’t love him and I never did, and in return you give me back my manuscript?”
“I’ll mail it to your home address the day you leave the mansion,” Felicia said.
“But I don’t love him, Felicia. I’ll admit that he’s extremely likable, but for you to think that I’m still here due to any interest in Brody Prescott is simply ludicrous. I can’t leave the show until Brody eliminates me; otherwise, no trust fund.”
As the video progressed, Midge’s heart sank even further. No wonder Brody felt so hurt and betrayed. He didn’t realize that she had been bluffing in an attempt to outmaneuver Felicia. The video stopped right after her emphatic denial of her love for Brody and her interest in his money.
“Harsh, Midge,” Lisa said after the video finished.
“I was bluffing. I didn’t mean any of that. There was far more to that conversation than what Brody was allowed access to.”
“And you say Brody mentioned Charlene’s involvement in this? How would she have had access to that video, and why would she sabotage you? I thought you two were friends?”
“There’s no such thing as a friend in show business, especially when an eligible billionaire is on the line,” Knightly said, adding his own jaded yet accurate assessment of the situation.
“If Charlene had access to that video footage it stands to reason she was a lot closer with Felicia than she let on. Which leads me to the sad conclusion that Charlene might have been Felicia’s accomplice,” Lisa said.
Midge shook her head at the treachery. “She seemed so kind. I find it hard to believe she didn’t just stumble upon the edited copy and then try to warn Brody of the heartbreak she thought he was headed for.”
Lisa and Stacey exchanged skeptical glances while Midge’s father let out a short huff of laughter that managed to convey how naive he found Midge’s comment to be.
“Well, we can settle this right now by snooping around the contents of her computer. Like I wasn’t going to do that anyway.” Lisa got back to work while Stacey suddenly decided she needed to jog around the outside pool for a bit. Knightly hovered over Lisa’s shoulder to observe her work.
After a few moments he asked, “You wouldn’t be interested in coming to work for me, would you?”
“Pay me in cash, off the books, and I set my own hours.”
“Done.”
Midge gave her father a stern glare. “What on earth do you need a hacker for?”
“I work in Hollywood. When would I not need a hacker? Having access to secrets in this business is like having your own brand of currency.”
She lifted her hand to prevent him from explaining further.
“The less I know about that the better.”
“I’m inclined to agree.”
“This Charlene chick is definitely not who she says she is. Charlene isn’t even her real name.” Lisa said.
“What?” Midge asked. She circled around the table to hover over Lisa’s other shoulder.
“Your friend’s real name is Elizabeth Jude Ramsey. Does that last name ring any bells?”
Midge stared in shock at Lisa’s screen.
“Didn’t Elizabeth Ramsey die in that fire along with her brother and her father?”
“That’s what we all assumed, but what if she hadn’t been there at all and the police simply believed she had?”
“Why didn’t she come forward? Why didn’t she point the finger at Felicia?”
“Maybe she didn’t have the proof she needed and felt it best to remain dead for the time being,” Knightly said. “Maybe she was the one who leaked all of that information to the press.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why be her accomplice in any of this if she hated Felicia?” Midge wondered.
“Keep your enemies close, Midge girl. She must have pretended to be someone else to get close to Felicia in order to take her down.”
“That’s an elaborate agenda. There was no way for her to know if she would be a contestant on the show.”
“You know, I can’t even remember how she became a contestant on the show.” Knightly looked truly puzzled. “I actually don’t remember approving her.”
“She probably approved herself,” Lisa said. “She knows her way around a computer. A lot of these files are encrypted. It might take me some time to find the footage we’re looking for…no, wait.” Lisa turned to Midge and smiled. “She didn’t even bother to hide the footage. She couldn’t have made it any easier to find than if she’d embedded a flashing red arrow above it.”
Lisa played the footag
e which went well beyond the version she had given Brody.
“She cut it off before Brody could see that you were bluffing. It definitely sent him the wrong message.”
“That doesn’t excuse his failure to communicate with my daughter,” Knightly said, still attempting to justify the damage he must have done to Brody’s face.
“I agree he should have come to me and asked me about the video, but in all fairness, I also received the wrong impression about his intentions and failed to communicate or give him the benefit of the doubt. I can hardly condemn him for his actions afterward when I spent quite a bit of time refusing to place any of my faith or trust in him.”
“Have we figured out if the wench is a witch?” Stacey asked, suddenly bursting into the kitchen looking severely wind-blown and disheveled.
“I thought you were going for a run. Did you have a fight with a tree?” Lisa asked, pointing to some leaves and a few twigs sticking haphazardly out of Stacey’s long mane of hair.
“Of course not. I just felt like climbing one.”
“At two-thirty in the morning?”
Her swift nod implied she didn’t understand what was so wrong with that.
“Yeah. No more coffee for you, Stacey,” Midge said as she motioned for her to sit down.
“Can you make a copy of this, Lisa?” Knightly asked.
“What are you thinking, Dad?”
Her father gave her a mischievous grin. “I’m thinking the Tell All episode is going to get extremely interesting.”
“You want to clear things up with Brody by televising this huge misunderstanding and the hurt his rejection caused me?”
“She could just take this copy to Brody in private and show him what really passed between her and Felicia,” Stacey suggested.
Knightly and Lisa gave Stacey a withering glare which she failed to notice due to the fact that she was once again jumping up and running out the back door, most likely headed for another round of tree climbing.
“You have to do it on TV, Midge!” Lisa said. “So many viewers were upset and confused when you left the show. It would be the perfect ending to this fairy tale that your dad so expertly wove for the series.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Lisa. I’ve decided to include health benefits in your employee package.”
“Could you possibly add in a gym membership and one spa day a month?”
“Done.”
“I am so working for you.” Lisa turned to Midge with a smile and jerked a thumb toward Knightly. “Why is this the first time I’ve ever met your father?”
“Come on, Midge girl. I know you hate the idea of your private life being aired on TV, but your story with Brody isn’t finished, and everyone who was rooting for a fairy tale ending is still reeling from the shock of Brody choosing Charlene over you. We have to make this right and finish the story. Surely from a director’s point of view you can see why this would make for great television.”
Midge shook her head, getting ready to turn her back on the idea of collaborating with her father just as she had six years ago, but the pleading look and hopeful smile stopped her long enough to consider how much she missed working with him on anything let alone one of his projects.
Though Corbin Knightly had kept his distance over the last six years he had done an admirable job of working on their relationship over the past two weeks. He even left his assistants to film the rest of the season so he could be there for her after what he dubbed an “emotionally and morally debilitating debacle” courtesy of Brody Prescott. For him to hand the reins over to someone else in the middle of a project was huge, and he’d done it just for her. She knew it was her turn to make a gesture here.
In this instance, her gesture would help not only her father, but hopefully Brody as well. If she put herself out there on television to let the whole world know how she truly felt about him then maybe he would actually believe she genuinely loved him. He went on the show just for her. She could handle the spotlight and allow herself some vulnerability on TV for his sake.
“Okay,” she finally agreed, meeting her father’s eyes and giving him a warm smile. “Let’s do it your way.”
Knightly rubbed his hands together in anticipation. It made him look like a diabolical scientist ready for some sick lab experiments. Lisa stood up and did a funky little happy dance.
“This is gonna be epic. I’ve already got the whole thing mapped out in my head,” he said.
Midge didn’t doubt that for a second.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Midge’s stomach twisted as she battled her anxiety, wishing she could simply run away from this entire ordeal…or pop a few Xanax like they were candy if she were being honest here. Each contestant sat in their very own limo, waiting in line to be dropped off at the entrance of the live filming for the Tell All episode. It was the proverbial red carpet event where she’d have to face down photographers and reporters. Midge likened it to a pathway filled with burning coals where she’d have to paste a smile on her face and pretend the burning sensation was completely manageable.
Who doesn’t like smoldering footwear?
She reminded herself that she was facing down her own fears and insecurities for Brody. He hadn’t rejected her due to any indifference on his part. He’d simply protected himself from being rejected. She hoped he would still care for her once she had the chance to explain her side of the story.
She studied her gown of burnished gold. The color reminded her of Bell’s ball gown from Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, though her skirt wasn’t quite as full as Belle’s had been.
Her wild mane of red hair had been straightened and tamed into an elegant forties styled wave, brushing just below her shoulders. Outwardly she was ready to hit the red carpet. Inwardly she squashed down her trepidation as her limo pulled up to the curb and an attendant opened the door for her. She lifted her hand and allowed herself to be assisted from the limo. The moment she stepped onto the carpet a wall of noise accosted her. It took her a few disorienting moments to realize that the people along the sidelines were cheering for her at a deafening level.
Her forced grin soon morphed into a genuine smile as she saw a few teenagers pushing past reporters and photographers to get a good look at her. Midge began what she hoped was an elegant glide down the carpet, but couldn’t resist stopping to take one of the teens outstretched hands, allowing herself to be pulled into a hug by the young girl.
“We don’t understand what happened. We wanted you to be Brody’s future wife. You guys are so perfect together!” one of the girls said in her ear.
Midge pulled back to give her an encouraging smile.
“It’s not over yet, ladies,” she said.
The girls squealed in delight, their youthful enthusiasm becoming too much for Midge to resist. She continued down the carpet, buoyed by their words and attitude, smiling and posing for photographers just like her mother had taught her all those years ago.
It was a relief to make it into the building, but her inordinately good mood was shattered when she was ushered backstage and ran smack dab into Charlene and Brody.
Cheese and crackers!
She hadn’t thought she’d come face to face with him until the cameras were rolling.
The surprise on Brody’s face was swiftly wiped away by an angry scowl. Charlene gave Midge an enthusiastic hug. It was all Midge could do to not rip the she-devil’s eyes out after discovering the part she’d played in this debacle.
“So good to see you again, Charlene,” Midge said.
“Oh, isn’t this little reunion just wonderful,” Charlene gushed. “I just can’t wait for everyone to rehash the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
“Oh, it’s definitely going to get ugly.”
“What was that, dear?”
“I’d rather not relive the bugs again.” Midge assembled a serene look to cover her near blunder, and then her eyes swiveled to Brody. “You look really wonderful, Brody. It’s nice to see y
ou.”
Brody swallowed with some difficulty, appearing to use that time to muster some kind of comment void of emotion.
“You always look nice, Midge. See you on set.” He grabbed Charlene’s hand and swiftly stole away from her.
Midge frowned in dismay.
He’s so eager to get away from me he may as well be running.
Not an auspicious start to the evening. Midge briefly wondered if he would still reject her once she got a chance to level the playing field. She shook such traitorous thoughts from her mind. Losing her nerve was pointless. The events ready to unfold couldn’t be reversed. Her father wouldn’t allow it.
She had no more time to worry about Brody’s reaction to her plan because more make-up and hair personnel began primping and adding finishing touches here and there. Cambria sidled up next to her in the midst of this, giving her a friendly smile.
“I’m glad to see you, Midge,” she said. “I’m kind of relieved you actually came. After the way things ended with you and Brody, I wasn’t sure you would even want to attend the taping.”
“Well, I guess I figured Brody and I have some unfinished business we need to deal with.”
“Oh, I’m so happy to hear you say that. I’ve been wondering along with everyone else what the heck happened between you two.” She looked nervous for a second and then continued, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Charlene is nice and all, but you and Brody had this chemistry that sizzled whenever you were together. He isn’t the same with Charlene. Seems a bit forced.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see what happens. Maybe I can make him change his mind.”
Cambria’s eyes widened in hungry anticipation. “Sounds like some fun entertainment to me. I’ll be sure to sit next to you when the party starts.”
Midge squeezed her shoulder. “Great idea.”
Soon Midge and the other contestants were ushered to their seats. They faced the audience and a comfortable looking couch in the middle of the stage where Les Lassiter sat in his own interview chair like a king awaiting the arrival of his court. Midge couldn’t help but grin at the way he soaked in the audience’s applause when he announced the show would start in one minute.