'Queen of the Screen's first scandal!? Mysterious Birth Behind the Eldest Daughter of the Castillos? Surrogacy? Truth or a smear campaign?'
Mother should be seething.
Keira casually browsed through the top articles. They were on their way to the boutique, giving her ample time to read the current gossip.
If it were her from a couple of weeks ago, she would have been panicking at the resurfacing of such gossip. After experiencing Selene's blatant betrayal, she no longer cared.
This affects Mother more than it does me.
How I wish I could see her expressions right now.
A small grin spread across her lips. This must be the work of Madame Hillary. How should I thank her?
Keira was reminded of her lunch with Madame Hillary. The older lady generously ordered a table full of food, mouth yapping about the current flow of gossip. This was how she came to know about the resurfacing of the scandal.
"It seems like Mother is in trouble." Keira handed the phone back to Rita. When they left the Castillo's mansion, Keira deliberately left her phone behind. She didn't want anything that belonged to them.
"About that…" Rita received her phone back with a complicated look on her face. She looked as if she was struggling with something.
"Mother has ways to deal with anything that would hurt her image. You shouldn't worry, Rita."
"I…yes, I won't worry…" Rita wanted to be truthful with the young lady about who was behind the resurfacing of the scandals. Seeing Keira's reassuring smile made her swallow her words. She didn't want her to know that she was behind them.
Keira turned away to watch the passing buildings. Her lips curled even more as she came to a realization.
So it wasn't just Madame Hillary.
"Do the articles bother you? Do you need to take a break?" Seeing Keira suddenly go quiet caused Rita to shift uncomfortably in her seat.
"Yes…but I can't be bothered by everything all the time, right?" She turned back to look at Rita with a gentle smile. Her eyes looked into Rita's briefly before looking down. "I can't change the truth…"
"Keira…" Rita felt heartbroken for the girl. Her nervous fingers were playing with the hems of her shirt, and her downward gaze and pitiful smile tickled Rita's pity points. "Once the world gets to know you, they will love you dearly. I can guarantee it."
"You're too good for me, Rita." Keira gazed at the warm hands that patted her own. She flashed a bright smile at Rita, returning her comfort with a soft squeeze.
"You two are the sweetest! I too! Can guarantee that everyone will fall for Miss Keira!" Gina couldn't help but feel her heart blooming with love at the two through the rear-view mirror. She had been observing them since the drive from the company. "We'll enter through the back."
"Perfect. Gina, please open the door for Keira." They had arrived at the boutique. Keira could see Gina glance at them once Rita had said that.
"Ah…yes, of course."
"I can open the door myself." Keira didn't mind getting out of the car by herself.
"No, we'll do everything like usual." Her hands that were about to pull the handle were grabbed by Rita. "You've never done it yourself, so you shouldn't have to do it now either."
Keira casually sneaked a glance at Gina's facial expressions. The surprised look lasted only briefly before an understanding one replaced it.
"My apologies, Miss! I forgot that you come from the Castillo household. You must certainly be a treasure." Keira wasn't sure if Gina was mocking her with that innocent tone or if she truly believed what she said.
Ever since she returned from the past, Keira realized that there were many things she had never done by herself.
Have I ever touched the car door handle before?
Every time she got into the car, there was someone who would hold it open. It was the same as when she had to get out of the car.
She watched as the door was opened by a smiling Gina. Keira got out with complicated feelings. The tip of her fingers felt cold as another realization dawned on her.
The door to the boutique was held open by Rita as she ushered Keira in first. Gina followed closely behind, opening a second set of doors into a private room. The greetings of the workers barely registered in Keira's mind.
Other than the time I use the bathrooms and that one time at home when my foot was hurt…
Have I ever opened a door before?
"Let's try on the first outfit, Young Miss. You would look absolutely stunning in this top with its flared sleeves!" She blankly stood there, allowing them to dress her as they pleased.
Her mind was in chaos, trying its best to remember what her life before her passing was like. She knew better than anyone what Sporadic Fatal Insomnia (sFI) could do to a person's mind. She couldn't trust her last six months. She wouldn't know which memory was reality or which ones were hallucinations, but she knew that she never left the dingy apartment without someone accompanying her.
It would be the same as now, right? Someone always dresses me and helps me with normal human tasks.
Keira knew that the Castillos would never leave her be. They might have abandoned her, but they would never let a living stain be without at least having a watchdog monitor them.
They should also have someone watching me now as well.
"What do you think, Miss? You suit the bright colors! It makes you look innocent and young, like a teenager in a fairytale!"
"I don't like bright and soft colors." Keira blurted this out without much thought. She felt the clenching of her heart the moment she glanced into the mirror.
Did they rob Selene's closet?
"I agree. Her debut image is a more mature look. Please dress her accordingly." Rita was the first to notice the sudden shift in Keira's mood. Her quick thinking led to the cover-up of Keira's displeased tone.
"Ah…understood. I have never heard of someone so young debuting with a mature look before. This will be exciting!" Although disappointed, the team quickly put the cute clothes away. They were then again fired up with excitement once Keira wore the first of many more mature styles. "Oh my! How can someone look so perfect in both the innocent and more mature styles?"
"I need to use the restroom."
"I'll accompany you." Gina got up from her seat, attempting to follow her.
"No, I'd like to go alone." At her insistence, Gina backed down and returned to her seat.
Keira had been to this boutique a few times in her past life before. It was a hub for celebrity gossip. She didn't need to be a mind reader to understand the questioning gazes sent her way as she approached the bathroom.
Keira allowed the warm water to fall on her hands, drenching them completely as she stared herself down in the mirror.
She wince slightly as her hands started to burn from the semi-warm water. How ridiculous…
The white cloth that covered her sight was slowly being lifted. She was beginning to see the reality of her own situation.
So this was how they controlled me. What an idiot, Keira.
She didn't dare look at the expression she was making in the mirror. Her gaze remained on her hands, slowly flicking away the water droplets on her red hands.
She wiped her hands clean and walked out of the room. As she walked past one of the fitting rooms, loud bickering entered her ears.
"Just pick a color. What are fussing over?" A familiar voice was laced with annoyance. His tone wasn't overly harsh, but it wasn't friendly either. What caused Keira to pause in her steps were the voices that came after.
"Jace, you asshole!" Angela's unique high-pitched voice nearly blew out Keira's ears.
"Come on you two. Why are we always arguing like this?" The sweet voice of her demons had come to haunt her yet again.
Why is she here? Am I cursed to meet her everywhere?
"Fuck! This is a waste of my time."
"It was the Headmaster's request and you're complaining!? Don't you know that every man would die to pair with Selene!?"
"Then go find those who want to die! The fuck are you bothering me for!?" She could hear him approaching her location. Jace seemed taken aback by Keira's presence outside of their room. "You can walk fine now?" His eyes immediately found her ankle, scrutinizing it closely.
"Come back here!" Angela stomped after him, stopping the moment she saw Keira as well. "K—Keira? Are you here for your graduation outfit fittings as well?" Angela felt awkward meeting Keira's questioning gaze. Her hands unconsciously rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"Right…it's already graduation." She nodded and attempted to leave them be. The more she interacted with these people, the more she felt unhappy.
"I was forced here." Seeing Keira's confused look, Jace shrugged and glanced behind him. "I just thought you might want to know that I wasn't a willing participant."
I didn't want to know.
"Why are you guys taking so long?" Selene was the last to arrive at the door. Once her eyes met Keira's, her whole body went stiff. "S—sister…"
Keira ignored her and walked away. She was tired from the sleepless night before, as well as the confrontation earlier this morning. She wasn't in the mood to play cat and mouse with Selene.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Angela's attempt to stop her went unnoticed by Keira.
Once her back was turned toward them, Keira could barely hold in her grin. She didn't miss how red and puffy Selene's eyes were. She didn't cry much this morning, which means she must have cried more at home.
She could feel their gaze burning holes in the back of her head, watching closely as she walked into one of the private VIP rooms.
"What's her problem?" Angela complained, pouting with annoyance at the current Keira. "And what's with her change in style?"
"She looks good. Like a human." Saying that Jace left the two girls standing dumbfounded alone. He was already annoyed at the unreasonable request his uncle made as the Headmaster of their school.
"How can he be so annoying!?" Angela complained to Selene. "Regardless, his good looks, good family background, and bright future are more than qualified to be your partner." She pulled the frozen Selene back into their fitting room.
The three had been planning this fitting since a week ago, unable to agree on which day worked best for them. It was either Selene being busy with filming or Jace not having time to accompany them.
Angela was the student representative for their graduating class, while Selene and Jace were the key figures that would be filmed for this year's graduation. The filming, whether video or pictures, would be used as promotional material for the school.
"What outfit will Keira be wearing? I tried texting and calling her, but she never answered. Is she deliberately ignoring me? That can't be, right?" Angela was so focused on sifting through the outfit choices that she failed to notice the expression on Selene's face.
"Keira left home. She won't talk to any of us…" The distorted anger on her face was quickly replaced with a sad one. Angela looked back and felt her heart drop at the pitiful appearance.
"Why? It can't be because of the Q&A on the live show. It's been so long, how can she still hold a grudge."
"She left for a…man…" Angela's mouth fell open, unable to process Selene's words. "We had an argument because she found out that I liked him. She doesn't want to talk to me anymore."
"Just arguing with you already sounds wrong…but because of a man? But I've never heard of Keira liking any man other than her idolization of Austin Pierce."
"I found out too late, that she was cast in a film with Austin Pierce. If I had known…I wouldn't—I'd never say that I liked him!" Selene let out a sob, covering her face with her hands as she cried into them. "Now he hates me because Keira was unhappy. What should I do, Angela?"
"Did she say that she likes him like that? Why would she sabotage your potential romance with Austin of all people? This is AWFUL!" Angela dropped the clothes in her hand, running over to comfort Selene.
"Mom and Dad tried to reason with Keira, but she lashed out and left us. I'm so heartbroken! I didn't mean for this to become such a big issue." Her voice shook, vocal cords thinned from all the crying. It cracked slightly, showing how distraught she was from the situation.
"I knew she was jealous of you, but I didn't think it was to this degree! She also wanted to be an actress just like you! Now she even manages to take a role you might have played is beyond me!"
If Keira had heard what Angela said, she would have wondered how her brain managed to twist the details to such a degree. But that was also a reality she lived and died from. Logic had always been twisted to please the narrative that Selene weaved.
"I'll deal with her on graduation day! Don't trouble yourself with such a problematic person!"
Angela was determined to set things right. Her heart ached at the sight of the school's princess sobbing pitifully. Just you wait, Keira!