A blue sport car drove towards a tall building crowded with reporters all waiting patiently with their cameras on standby, ready for action. The sun was out, but it was still brutally cold and that didn't stop the reporters from waiting as they had an important story to cover that morning and can't miss a chance.
The car stopped, and the driver glanced at the lady at the back seat and then looked at the patience reporters waiting at the entrance for them. He rubbed his neck and pulled his eyebrows together not sure of what to do at that moment, so he looked at the lady for the second time but she seemed less concerned about the reporters as she was using her phone with a relaxed face.
"Should we go back?"
"No." she replied flatly with her eyes still glued to her phone scrolling through the comments on the post made about her. The comments were filled criticisms and hate, but she never showed a hint of them hurting her as she was getting used to it now. It's been a week since the videos about her were released, but why care about it when it was meant to be anyway? "I can't miss my meeting because of some noisy reporters." she sighed.
"But ma'am..." he was cut off by the clicking of her finger.
"Just go. I am late." she said a bit annoyed and dropped her phone beside her, focusing her eyes on the tall building they were approaching. Whatever she was going in there to do will definitely bring a lot of regrets, but she was ready to face it. The driver nodded and drove further.
A reporter saw the car driving towards the building and informed the other reporters who wasted no time in picking up their cameras and running to the moving car, surrounding it and trying to get a good picture of the lady at the back seat.
Marie did a little touch up on her face and smiled in satisfaction, she wasn't going to give them the expression that she was affected by their presence. Marie does it her way and never show any weakness to anyone.
"Now I look better." she said admiring herself in the mirror. "The world should know that I am always the prettiest. Right?"
"Right ma'am."
She smiled, wore her sunglass and picked up her bag. "I will meet you outside." she said and came out of the car.
The reporters did not give her a chance, as they all tried to push their way to get closer to her and ask her the questions they all had in mind.
She looked up at the sky and sighed, "The weather is nice for a good picture, right?" she looked at them, "Make sure you take a good picture of me. I should look good."
"You haven't said anything about the leaked videos..." one reporter asked.
"What will happen to your career?" another asked.
"Will you quit?"
"What plans do you have for your boyfriend?" They asked all at once.
Marie let out a long sigh and removed her sunglass and raised the corner of her lips, amazed at the questions asked by the reporters.
"I thought it was all about me, but you just have to mention the jerk name... Well, since it's so obvious this little show you are all deplaying here is not for me, I will leave then." she said and was helped out from there midst by her driver and the securities at the entrance.
Marie opened the door to an office and walked in, tiredly staring at the man before her tying on his computer not paying attention to her presence. She rolled her eyes and removed her glasses as she was already used to it.
"Those lousy reporters are everywhere can't just keep themselves off my business." she complained and sat down.
The middle-aged man stared away from his computer and picked up a file from the table and handed it to her, "Go through it and sign where necessary."
Marie glanced at the file she was holding and looked at him with a raised brow, "What is this?" she asked but got no reply from him. Instead he stood up and began to pace through and from with his hands clasped behind him. He was trying his best not to make an outburst out of anger but that didn't go unnoticed by Marie who suddenly laughed at his restlessness and crossed at legs on the table.
"This is quite amusing." she said and that angered him. He stopped pacing abruptly and looked at her with knotted brows, "Amusing?" he asked in a low refrained voice.
"Yeah." she replied amusingly. "It is hilarious. I say what I see."
He pinched his forehead. "That..... is..... your..... downfall....." he said, emphasizing on each word.
She frowned, "You mean your downfall. My hard work is all yours not mine."
He slammed his hands on the table and looked at her, "It is all for you. It is for your future. I didn't want you to end up like your mom, but you ruined everything and threw them to the dust. You are just like your cursed mother." he said in a serious tone.
"It's not all my fault you know, you are to blame for it too." She raised her voice, glaring at him with much hostility. Her infidel father was calling her mother cursed? If there is someone who is cursed then that is him. "You told me to date Chris, and I did that. And now that he ruined me, you are blaming me?"
"I only asked you to date him, not to sleep with him and get your sex tape to the internet." he raised his voice at her. "You have to set this right or all you worked for will go to the drain."
Marie stood up and looked at her father. "All I worked for? Dad, is that all you care about?" she sighed. "It's not all I have achieved, it's all you have achieved through me.... To hell with all this." she said, picked up her bag and left, ignoring her father calling her back.
She came out of the building and headed for her car with her driver trailing behind her. She stopped and stretched her hand, "The key."
"But ma'am...." she cut him off when she glared at her, forcing him to bring out the key and place it on her hand. She entered her car and drove off.
Her life have been a total mess and all her father cares about was his business and not her.
She has no one to turn to as she was betrayed by her best friend and the one person who she ever loved.
Marie never had the love of a mother ever since her parent got separated. They got divorced when she was eight, and she was forced to stay with her imposing dad. Her mom never came for her and never cared for her, leaving her to her dad who has been the one dictating her life, not minding what she wants.
She was forced to date Chris, she ended up falling in love with him. But he betrayed her with her best friend. She had no one again and have decided to remain like that with no one messing up with her again. She was going to start up a new life again, away from everyone who knew her and her past generally.