It is six thirty in the evening, and I am in a car, sitting beside Felix, whose focus is on the road. My hands are cold and sweaty. Felix has mentioned that tonight, my father will hold a press conference in regards to the issue that has been going around the internet and has been continuously passed from person to person. As we get closer to the main residence of the Yera family, my heart starts to beat twice as fast, which Felix seems to notice because I feel his hand squeezing mine. That gives me comfort and somehow makes me feel a little relaxed. It is really a good thing to have Felix here with me right now.
"Everything will be just fine," he whispers as the car comes to a stop. My head turns upward, and I can see the door to my old house. Inside of there, that damn big television is for sure running, awaiting the denial and well-written speech of my father. Felix is one of the few who decided to do this to clean up the mess he has made. Father may be one of their biggest artists, but he could still be a pain in the ass. Felix reaches the opposite side of the car and opens the door for me with a stiff smile. I linked my arm to his; my father's personal assistant welcomed the both of us inside.
"Taz," Mother's voice is soft and sweet; it sounds so relaxed as if she is not a little bit scared of what she might hear from Father's press conference tonight; her trust for him is truly admirable. Her loving arms wrap around my neck; one hand is stroking my head in comfort, and then her lips peck my temple. "You have nothing to worry about, alright? It'll be over soon." I nod my head. My tongue is rolled back to the very back of my mouth. Felix offers a chair for me to sit on, his hands gently squeezing my stiff shoulders. I lean my head against his arm. But the loud claps of the crowd from the television as my father's name was mentioned made me sit up straight. There he stands in front of a big crowd. Flashes of cameras are blinding his eyes, yet my father remained the professional artist he has always been— smiling and bowing to the public. Then Father sits down at the center. I have heard that Polly West refused to be interviewed regarding this scandal.
"Have you and Polly West been dating?" That was the first question that was thrown at him. I am pretty sure he had expected that to come since they were seen holding each other's hands in public. Although I admit that I have been wondering about that for a while now, hearing the answer from Bryan Yera himself could help relax my mind. "How long have you been seeing each other? Does your wife know about this affair?" My head turns towards my mother, who seems unbothered still.
"Your management has been unusually quiet about this issue. Is this one way of confirming your secret relationship with Polly West?"
"How about your daughter, Tazanna? How is she coping with this? Isn't she the fianceé of the CEO of your management, Mr. Felix Klaus? Can you tell us about how they are dealing with this scandal right now?" My father remained wordless, which is the best thing to do at this moment. The reporters in the media are bombarding him with questions, and it can be hard for him to come up with anything that could answer all of their queries. The men in black suits asked the crowd to tone down and let my father speak; he breathes in and out, and the air goes through his lips.
"As all of you people know, Polly West and I are going to star in a psychological drama called "To The Moon and Never Back". It is only natural for the two of us to be together as we are the lead couple. The photos that are now surfacing and going around the internet might have been from one of our scenes. There is clearly nothing going on between Polly West and I." His statement is fast and short, but it helped to calm the rapid beating of my heart. Felix's hands are on top of mine as I give him a sweet smile. My eyes landed on my mother's, and my feet quickly dragged me to her side to embrace her.
"What did I tell you? I can see that you have been deeply traumatized by the media, but I wish you put more trust in your father, Taz. He will never do anything that could hurt you or our family. I want you to remember that."
Later that night, Felix and I arrived at our home by ten. The heavy feeling that had been stuck in my chest since the rumor about my father arose has now been removed, and I can breathe easily again. We also had dinner at my old home and waited for my father to come home before we left. Father and I exchanged a few words, although I had only cried in relief the whole time he was in front of me. However, it was strange that Felix had been quiet for a while now. He had gotten in and out of the shower, yet he hadn't spoken a word since we left the main residence of the Yera family. I wonder if something has happened with him at work or anything. It could also be that he is tired from doing everything for my father's sake. I owe it all to him. If Felix were not the CEO of the company where my father is working, he could never clean out his name the same way he did tonight. I am eternally grateful to my fiancé. The phone that was resting on the coffee table lit up, and I realized that it was my own. I received a message from Vic; it seemed that he was concerned about a minor detail about the meeting we had earlier this morning. He was also asking me to treat him to coffee tomorrow since he had given me one cup that day, and my head was going to explode due to the scandal surrounding my father.
"You okay?" Felix appears behind me.
"Of course. Just something related to work. What about you?" Felix's eyebrows creased. "You haven't spoken a word since we left my home. Are you feeling okay? Are you tired?"
"Tired, maybe. But there's something that's weighing on my mind."
"What is it?" His eyes are hesitant, as if I will not like what I will hear from him. But I am too curious to just let it go now, so I shake up his whole body with a little laughter. "Tell me!"
"Alright, alright!" he shouts, running his long fingers through his damp black hair, and his eyes stare back up at me. "Do you really think that there is nothing going on between West and your father?" That is not what I was thinking. My arm slides off his shoulder, then I straighten my back.
"Of course." My voice came out slightly nervous. "I trust my father. You do too, right?"
"Yeah! Why would I not believe your father? I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's fine; I can understand why you're feeling this way. Can we just go to bed?"
"Yes, sure. I'll follow in a few minutes." I did not respond. My legs helped me stand up from the couch and run straight into the room I share with Felix. The lamp that was beside the bed was on, and I aggressively turned it off. Could that be what he has been thinking of since we left my old home? I have decided to trust my father now, and I want to believe his words from today's press conference. If there is nothing going on between him and that woman, I will believe that.