15. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Lila
Lila Wilde’s Agent Was Spotted Leaving Her House in Only a Blanket?
By Perez Adder
The world of Lila Wilde has been awash with drama lately. After looking uncomfortable at her most recent red carpet, people have been wondering if things are all roses with her and Blaze. Though sources have said things are happy, we all know those statements come from her agent, Mia Thorne, the daughter of the agent who discovered Lila.
Mia has done a lot for Lila and she wears many hats in the Wilde world of one the biggest pop stars. Now, we are wondering if this relationship is continuing.
Why would Mia be at Lila’s mansion dressed in only a blanket, much less a blanket with Lila’s and Blaze’s faces on it? Are Mia and Lila having a torrid affair? Or are Mia and Blaze?
5,682 Comments
Highvirtue: I hate gossip rags so much. There is no way this actually happened.
Lauraobviously: there’s photos . . .
Highvirtue: Photoshop exists.
Buttlicker6969: these photos are SO hot
Mmmfantasy: GUYS CHECK LILA’S INSATGRAM! NEW SONG?
Ciya: PR as usual . . .
“ S o, besides nervous, how do you feel?” Barry asked as he handed me tea, the same one Rose had seen him get. I took it from him, trying not to think about my alter ego as Lila’s life fell apart.
“Excited. I’m hoping maybe people will like this, but I’m terrified I’ll regret releasing it.”
“Why would you regret it?”
“Because . . . for once, I’m doing something for me.”
“Anyone who would be angry at you for doing something for you isn’t worth your time.”
I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure if I could. My entire life had been making others happy, and this was making no one happy but me.
And Barry.
“Come here,” he said, and I leaned into him. His arms came around me, pulling me to him tighter. He smelled like leather and patchouli, almost like home. I’d only hugged him once when I was saying goodbye, yet it had cemented in my mind as one of the most incredible hugs I’d ever received.
“I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”
His arms were so comfortable, but then I saw the time. “You need to be at the bar.”
“Yes, but—?”
“No buts. It’s important to you.”
He looked pained. “I can stay.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to. I should call my parents anyway. They should know.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Not at all, but you have a life and I don’t want to derail it more than I have. If I need you, I’ll call you.”
“You promise?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. A hug from you can heal almost anything.”
“I do need to be sure my team’s okay, but I’ll be back as soon as the bar closes.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
Barry’s lips pressed to my forehead before he left the apartment. The feeling of the simple action lingered and I had to take a moment to collect myself before I pulled out my phone.
It was time to call my parents.
While I knew Mom would always be angry with Dad, she was civil, and I needed to let them know what was happening. I didn’t do joint calls very often, but I couldn’t bear to tell them separately and repeat what happened more than once.
I texted them both and waited for their reply. Mom called and then Dad did. Once they were combined, I let out a sigh of relief. “There. Now we can all talk.”
“A joint call with your mom? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, dear,” Mom said as she came on the line. “I’m worried about you.”
“I don’t even know how to start this,” I muttered. “But I’m releasing a new song tonight.”
“Oh, good!” Dad said. “What’s it about?”
“Blaze and I . . .?” My breath quivered. “We’re over. I dumped him.”
“Really?” she asked. “I saw something had happened at your house, but I wasn’t sure if it was true.”
“What did you see?”
“That your agent was outside of your house in a blanket?”
I cringed. So someone had seen that. I bet Perez Adder was all over that, as he was with everything in my life. The comments on that were going to be wild .
“Yeah, that’s a part of it.”
“People are all up in arms about it.”
“Blaze was cheating on me with her.”
“What?”
“For how long?” Dad asked.
“For many years,” I added.
“Years?” Dad repeated. “I’m glad you dumped him or else I would do it for you.”
“I can’t believe he would cheat on you ,” Mom said, but then she sighed. “It’s going to be huge news, isn’t it?”
And there were the words I was thinking. The news would be big and I wondered if Lila would get any privacy. I’d have to stay away from Mom for the entire time. She hated it when my name, even my fake one, was everywhere.
“It’ll fade,” Dad said. “Don’t worry about it, Linda. Now, Rosie, is that why you were upset when I was in Nashville?”
“Kind of. I’d caught him with someone else that time. But this thing with Mia is . . . worse. I left right after.”
“I knew I never liked him.”
“Really?”
“All he cared about was fame,” Dad said. “He only approached you after Rick said you were the best there.”
“He didn’t—?” I began to say, but I stopped myself. Maybe he had always cared about the fame. Maybe he realized he couldn’t achieve it on his own and focused on me to get a foot in the door. And I’d been too blind to notice.
“But you seemed happy,” Mom said. “For a while.”
“Where are you now?” Dad asked. “Do you want to come stay with me, Rosie?”
“I’m in . . . Nashville.”
“Why are you there? You knew I left for Portland months ago.”
“Um,” I said, “I came back for Barry.”
“Who’s Barry?” Mom asked.
“Wait, I know the name,” Dad said.
“He was the bar owner. The one I had the eyes for.”
“Oh, really?” he asked. “Are you spending more time as Rose, then?”
“N-no. He knows Lila.”
“But I thought you liked him as Rose ?”
“I’ve met him mostly as Lila. But also as Rose.”
The line was silent.
“Is that a good idea?” Mom asked.
“I can’t switch now.”
“But you talked to him as Rose.”
“Yeah, but he likes Lila.”
“Okay,” Mom said slowly. “But what if you get the story mixed up?”
I closed my eyes, knowing that my secret identity kept her sane.
“I’ll be sure no one knows. Everything will be okay.” I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring her or myself.
“Rosie . . .?” Dad’s voice was soft in a way I hadn’t heard before. “You can’t be Lila forever.”
Couldn’t I? I’d been Lila for the last decade and more.
“A secret like this is worth millions,” Mom said. “Do you trust him?”
“He hasn’t told anyone he’s even met me.”
“Do you see yourself staying with him?” Dad asked. “I told you to follow your heart.”
“I could.”
“Is this the life he wants?” Mom asked. “To be tied to fame?”
And my heart crumbled at their questions. Mom wasn’t wrong and neither was Dad. Rose was supposed to be the real me, but he only knew the fake side.
The one who could ruin is life if people found out about him.
“Linda,” Dad started, “let her live her life, especially if she likes this guy.”
“I’m trying to be sure I can stay safe, Archie,” Mom said. “I can’t do this like you and Lila can.”
“I’ll be safe,” I promised. “No one will catch me.”
But even I knew I wasn’t always being safe. Not by a long shot.
Barry
“Um, Barry?” Audrey’s voice shook when she found me working in the back. “We’ve got a problem.”
I blinked. She could figure out almost everything by herself, so if she was coming to me, then it meant something big.
“What is it?”
“You should follow me.”
We went to the front door and all of the bouncers were gathered around one person. I took a second look, noticing that some of the security wasn’t even my own. Was this some major celebrity trying to get in?
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“Barry Murray.” One of the bodyguards moved out of the way and I saw a vaguely familiar woman. She had dark hair, blue eyes, and a sharp bob. “I’m here to get my star back. I believe you know who I am. The name is Mia.”
It dawned on me then. Mia was Lila’s agent, and judging by the look of this, my secrets were about to get blown out of the water.
“Let’s go to my office,” I said. “We can talk more there.”
Audrey and all of my security staff looked at me incredulously. I knew she wasn’t going to take this sitting down. There were going to be a lot of questions about what was happening.
But first, I needed to deal with the person who had hurt Lila. That was more important than anything else.
Mia and her entourage followed me to my office. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juno peeking around a corner, eyebrow raised. When she saw who was following me, her jaw dropped.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if Lila left my apartment within minutes. Juno was very protective and I couldn’t blame her.
“I hate to disappoint you,” I said as I shut my office door, “but she’s not—?”
“Can it,” Mia stated abruptly. “I am well aware that she was here writing her next album, considering you match the guy in her songs, and her phone was here almost every day. Once she disappeared, I knew she would come running to you. Now, talk some sense into her before she does something incredibly stupid.”
“Incredibly stupid? Or do you mean incredibly brave? Because the way I see it, she’s entirely justified to do exactly what she plans to do after what she witnessed tonight.”
“So, you admit that she’s here.”
“I admit that I know exactly what’s going on.”
“Oh, do you? Have you ever considered that she could be lying?”
“The only thing I’m considering is publicly kicking you out and making sure you never return. I won’t be telling you a damn thing about Lila, much less let you take her back to LA where she’s miserable.”
“I wouldn’t be making threats,” she said. “I’ve been making media statements for her for longer than you’ve owned this shitty bar and I can twist this into whatever I want.”
“And I’ve been dealing with manipulators like you for just as long. Listen carefully, Mia. I. Don’t. Care.”
Her eyes widened a fraction and I prepared for her next wave of bullshit. But the door to my office opened.
And Lila barged in.
“You have a lot of fucking nerve coming here.” Her voice was like ice.
“You have a lot of nerve firing me,” Mia retorted. “But thank you for coming out of hiding. That means I can more easily drag your ass back to a jet.” She grabbed Lila’s arm tightly. Rage tunneled my vision.
“Don’t fucking touch her.”
She turned to me, a cruel smile on her face. “Try to stop me.”
I was tempted to step in physically, but something in the back of my mind told me Mia was expecting that.
I wasn’t sure what to do for a moment, then I remembered what Ruth had done when her boss illegally fired her.
“You’re cool with me recording this, right?” I asked as I took out my phone.
Mia froze, and I hit the button to start filming.
“Cool. So, let’s continue. You were dragging Lila Wilde out of my office against her will?”
Lila wrenched her arm out of Mia’s. “Yes, she was.”
“Anything else to say?” I asked Mia.
She slowly turned, glowering at Lila. “You’re coming back to LA with me.”
“No. Not after what you did. I fired you for your inappropriate behavior. You shouldn’t be here.”
“You have a contract with me. I’m not fired.”
“I can break the contract.”
“Oh, you definitely can’t. I made that thing ironclad. You’re stuck with me.”
Lila blinked, mouth open. It was time for me to step in.
“A contract, huh?” I asked. “I think I know a few lawyers who can look at it.”
“Huh?” Lila said. “You have a lawyer?”
“Not me, but a celebrity in my family does. He’s pretty good, actually. He’s going against many powerful people. What’s one more?”
“You’re bluffing,” Mia said.
“Not really. I don’t know if you’ve looked up my family, but you should. My sister’s dating one of the smartest people on the planet. Behind her, of course. And my brother’s currently dethroning our father of a billion-dollar business through a very public legal process. Usually, I wouldn’t throw my family into it like this, but I would for her . Walk away. Now.”
“This all is out of nowhere. I didn’t do anything.” Mia’s eyes were on the camera as if she were pleading to a jury.
“Here’s the truth,” I began, “you fucked Blaze Matthews for years behind her back and used your dad’s name to become Lila’s PR agent, and then did more than you should have to control every aspect of her life. You forced her to produce empty pop albums for years and came here planning to take her against her will to a different city. Is that right?”
“It’s right from my perspective,” Lila said. “I don’t want to go with you.”
Her face went beet red and her nostrils flared. “You little bi —?”
“And remember, everything you say is on record.”
Her mouth snapped shut.
“I wonder what her fans would say about everything I just accused you of. It certainly would hurt your reputation.”
“I underestimated you.”
“And it’ll be the last time you ever do that. Now, get the fuck out of my bar.”