Pride and Promises ✔

Chapter 13

"Ms. White, I think you should take a look at this." Leah came with a newspaper in one hand and her iPad in the other. 

It must have been another news or rather, another rumour about the ice cold CEO. I wondered what it was this time around. Other times, it was either my mysterious lover or my secret child. Once, there was a news about how I'd chosen fashion industry because my ex-boyfriend dumped me due to my bad sense of dressing. And they'd published a photo of my ex neighbour who worked at a thrift shop. That guy called me and thanked me a thousand times because apparently it was his dream to have his photo published in newspapers someday.

"What is it this time, Leah? You know I don't care about anything the tabloids have to say about me. As you can see, I'm busy right now. So please keep those things to yourself and keep the reporters away." I said, not bothering to see the news. They were always sprouting nonsense and I was fed up of the reporters trying to get information on topics about my life that even I was not aware of.

"But I think you might want to see this one, Ms. White." I raised my eyebrows. It must be something big for Leah to react this way. She knew better than to engage in gossips and insist me for something after I'd dismissed it. So curiously, I took the papers from Leah and saw the reason for the fuss.

There, in the front page, was the photo of me and Adrian from yesterday's restaurant. The photo just happened to be taken while Adrian had his hand on mine, when I'd told him about my childhood friend. Then there was the headline: 'Stone cold bachelor and Ice White beauty spotted warming up together' I rolled my eyes. Seriously? Stone cold and ice White? How creative of them.

Then there were more shots of us together in our celebratory party, in the parking lot of my office where he was handing me my phone, and there was also one of me and Adrian holding out our cards in front of the cashier in Maggs' restaurant last week. They really had a collection.

These articles described my secret relationship with Adrian Stone and how we were perfect for each other. Both are cold to the world but maybe they can help each other warm up? What were they looking at? A chick flick movie? Then they raved on about how I had trapped their favourite bachelor into partnership between our companies and voiced their doubt on my real feelings. They talked about how there was a high chance that I was in for money and status.

Then I looked at the iPad and saw the same photos plastered over every social media. The comments, however, were quite interesting. There were a lot of angry girls shooting colorful profanities at me. They even went as far as to accuse me of a bitch running after money and trying to pass my illegitimate child as his. I could literally imagine thousands of girls marching up to me with guns, knives, hammers, shovels and everything with evil smirks and determined to kill me and bury my body.

I mentally shuddered at the thought and immediately erased it. There were some happy comments as well. Their happiness was radiated by numerous exclamation marks and capital letters as they said we were the perfect couple. The most eligible bachelor and the most beautiful mystery together was their dreams come true. Their words, not mine. I wondered if they didn't have anything else to dream about that they were dreaming about us.

Just when I was beginning to think that the whole gossip column in the social media was populated by females only, I saw a bunch of comments from angry males.

It was like the operator of this thing sorts the comments out on the basis of their contents and gender. First their were angry females, then happy females and now angry males who thought that I deserved someone much much better than Adrian.