"What is with the big sigh?" a voice asked from the doorway. Her door was still ajar, and she had been so lost in thoughts that she had not heard the footsteps of the person.
Isabella closed the email app and placed the phone on the table. She looked up at the man who stood in her doorway but did not answer the question. The man was used to this, so he asked a different question,
"So, are you going to tell me who gave you 'the tip' for today's show?" the manly voice preceded the footsteps of her producer, Theo, as he fully walked into her office and closed the door behind him.
Isabella chuckled and got up from her seat. She walked towards him barefooted, still with the glass of bourbon in her hands.
"You only get one answer or 'activity' per day, so which one do you want?" Isabella purred at him.
Only one question was asked, but Theo perfectly understood what Isabella meant.
"I know you never talk about your sources, but this one was just too much. I am sure that this news about the Trimshaw's was a heavily guarded secret, so your source must be high up the ladder." Theo paused and moved closer to her. Encircling her waist with his arms, he whispered to her, "You know my answer, so why do you ask?"
Isabella hummed in response. She sidestepped his embrace and chunked down the rest of the contents of the glass.
But Theo was sorely disappointed with her following statement. She tiptoed and placed a peck on his rough jaw, "I know what you want, Theo, but not today, and my sources trust me that much because they know that I will always protect their identity."
Theo rubbed his hands over his tired eyes and left the room reluctantly and in a sour mood. He had somewhat expected this, however. It was not new, and he had been chasing Isabella for as long as he could remember, but the lady was a tough nut to crack. 'At least, he had had a successful show that evening. That should keep his euphoria up for a bit,' he thought.
Isabella watched his retreating solemn back. She returned to her chair after placing the glass on the table. Leaning back in the chair, she closed her eyes briefly to shut out the world, as she usually did after a 'long' day… 'The best is yet to come,' she thought.
***
The audience from the show dispersed right after the Reveal program ended. They just had a lot to do after such a bombshell had been dropped on them! Bloggers were hard at work; individuals also posted first-hand narratives with pictures from the studio, amongst other media personalities.
Some people felt a little regret, as they had turned down the invitation to this episode of the show. One should know that Reveal was not your average program, and the guests were hand-picked based on specific criteria. In past episodes, they had never featured anything about the Trimshaws on the live show. The Reveal staff had conveniently kept that episode's topic of discussion a secret as well this time.
This was part of what had shocked almost all of Milas and Hiddenburg because the Trimshaws' influence and reach could not be underestimated.
Simply put, it was a media field day with Reveal at its helm.
It could be noted that many people were shocked about this sudden marriage bombshell, but in one particular household, the mood could not even be described at all.
This house was a relatively large one and considered one of the influential households in Hiddenburg, even though they could not be compared to the Trimshaws in any way. It was the primary residence of the Wanky's.
Their influence was more tailored towards their city but not in Milas as they were based in a different city, even though they did have some connections in the big city of Milas. Their home was in the second most influential town, which had lost its name, 'Graya' in time and instead became known as 2ndMilas by the masses.
An hour prior, a young man had sat in front of the big seventy-inch TV to watch his favourite program. He was a 'good-for-nothing' sort of man who relied heavily on the reputation and funds of his family. He already had a pot belly at forty years old but spent most of his days sprawled up on their couch in front of the TV or gambling among other questionable hobbies.
Closely looking at him, he was a pretty handsome man with dark hair curled around his face and equally matching dark eyes, just like his mother, as some would attest to. The room Richard Wanky sat in was huge and had hanging lights in the middle. There were a couple of long L-shaped sofas in the room. One faced the TV, and the other was adjacent to it. A couple of maids busied themselves in an adjourning room, setting up for dinner.
Richard beckoned one of them, "Get me a glass of whiskey!" The maid bowed and scrambled to get it as fast as her legs could carry her, for a slight delay could get her a good beating from Richard, if he were in one of his foul moods, or a reprimand if he was in a better mood.
The maid served the drink and hurried away to finish her task just as the host appeared on the screen.
Richard Wanky just loved the host, Isabella, and she was the reason that he always watched this show. He licked his lips just as she appeared in her fabulous red outfit on the screen. Richard nodded to himself with a broad smile on his face, "Isabella, my baby! Looking as beautiful as always!" he exclaimed to himself as he grabbed the drink and settled comfortably on the sofa for what he assumed would be a euphoric hour however in the next moment, the camera moved from Isabella to her first guest.
The glass of whiskey fell from Richard's hands with a loud clang. His face grew pale in seconds as he stared blankly at the girl on the screen.
"Wha-t w-hat i-s … I mean, what is she doing there? Am I seeing things?" he asked himself.
The breaking of the glass had alerted some of the people in the house; however, all their faces eventually echoed that of their son, as soon as they saw the same young woman on the Reveal show. Their worst fears turned true as Isabella introduced her, Thalia Mirabel Thebes!
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