Ruwon #2
“Excuse me,” our driver said, and I saw the paparazzi outside the home we were renting.
“Take us to a hotel,” my agent snapped.
“No! Leave me here. There is a side door and a back entrance,” I said, as the driver stopped.
“No, too risky. The less they see you, the more damage control we can do,” he said. “Hotel now.”
“If she comes back, she’s going to be bombarded, and that’s going to look bad,” I snapped.
“I don’t care about her, I care about you,” he snarled. “Hotel, now.”
I watched as the house disappeared, grabbing my phone to call her to give her a heads-up.
“Don’t even think about it.” He grabbed my phone and threw it in the front seat.
“What the fuck was that?” I yelled. “She needs to be warned.”
“No, you need to sit and stay still while I fix this mess you’ve made.” He typed on his phone quickly.
My phone rang in the front seat. The driver leaned over to grab it and gave it to me.
“Ruwon, if you want me to continue being your agent, I suggest you put that phone down,” he said, glaring at me. “I haven’t worked so hard to have you throw your entire career down the drain.”
“Being a decent human being will not ruin my career,” I snapped, opening my phone to see a call from Levi and Matteo.
The car came to a stop abruptly as I saw another car cut us off.
A photographer was hanging out the window taking pictures of us.
Fuck. I looked down at my phone and then at my agent who was yelling at our driver.
What the hell had I gotten myself into? There was no way that Vi would do this, right?
Violeta
The Acropolis was stunning. It was a humbling experience, and I felt like a blip in our existence. I couldn’t believe we still had structures like this, it was a glimpse into the past. It mesmerized me.
It was hot as heck outside as I walked the grounds between the Acropolis and the Parthenon. I was used to Texas heat, but this Grecian heat had me rethinking what hot was. I would never take refrigerated air for granted again I thought as I took a drink of water.
The tour guide was happily chatting with an older couple while the rest of us took a break.
I looked around wondering if I had enough time to visit another archeological site today.
There was so much to see here and I wanted to see it all.
My phone rang as I pulled it out. Mario's name popped up while I tried to figure out what time it was over there.
“Dude, are the kids keeping you up again?” I chuckled.
“Violeta, have you seen the news yet?” he asked quickly.
“Uh, no. What happened? Is dad ok?” I reached for my Airpods so I could talk to him and search the internet.
“Dad’s fine, but Violeta—” His silence gave me chills.
“What is it? Is it Lorenzo?” I popped an Airpod into one ear as a young girl walked up to me.
“Oh my god, are you Moon Ruwon's girlfriend?”
“Excuse me?” My body froze.
“You’re all over the internet, girl,” she said, showing me her phone.
There was a photo of me between Ruwon and Levi in Mykonos, except I was the only one who the camera was focusing on. Ruwon and Levi were blurry and I knew it was them because of their outfits. Why the hell was I the only person they had focused on?
“That’s not me,” I said, hoping my lack of makeup threw her off. “I wish I was dating him.”
She looked between the phone and me like she was comparing.
“Violeta, get somewhere safe,” Mario yelled in my ear.
“Lucky girl,” I said walking away from her, searching my bag for glasses and my baseball cap.
“How bad is it, Mario?” I said, walking away from the girl quickly.
“They have lots of photos of you, but it's hard to see who the guys are, and there are a lot of speculations,” he said, as I heard his mouse clicking. “Moon Ruwon, Choi Minsung and Alfonso Vida. There is also a growing list on who it could be, but most people say it's Moon Ruwon or Choi Minsung.”
“Shit,” I said, walking away from the crowds.
This is the last thing Ruwon needed.
“I don’t want to make you panic more, but if I've seen it, then Lorenzo might have too,” he said.
My stomach dropped. Would he come for me? I needed to leave now because if Mario said Lorenzo hadn’t given up looking for me, then he would get on a plane and come to Greece. What are the chances he could find me?
“Maybe it’s time you came home? All we need is to wait for the next big story for this to go away,” Mario said softly.
“Yeah, maybe I could go—”
“Oh my god, are you sure it’s her?,” I heard someone say as I picked up my speed.
“Violeta, please find somewhere safe to stay and call me as soon as you—”
I didn’t hear what he said as I tumbled down the stairs. This was the last thing I needed as a sharp pain shot up my ankle and I cried out. So much for a quiet day touring Athens.
“Ma’am, are you ok?” A man knelt in front of me.
“No, I think I hurt my ankle,” I cried.
“Ok, you think you can walk on it?” he asked, inspecting my ankle and it looked like it was swelling.
“Maybe,” I said, as he helped me up.
A crowd was already forming around us. I winced as pain shot up my ankle.
“I don’t think I can walk,” I said, my lips quivering.
“It’s ok, Violeta. I got you.”
I looked up to see the last person I wanted to see.