Press charges
1093 Words
ALISA'S POV
The walk from the Uber to Mabel’s apartment felt like crossing a battlefield. I was halfway to the front door when a swarm of people suddenly appeared from around the corner. They weren't hitmen or soldiers—they were worse.
They were reporters, armed with blinding camera flashes and thrusting microphones into my face.
"Alisa Jacobs! Why have you been hiding if you’re not guilty?" one woman shrieked, her camera lens inches from my eyes.
"Is it true you were the lookout for the murder of Tristan Geraldine?" another voice barked.
I backed away until my spine hit the cold brick wall of the building. I was trapped. Panic rose in my throat, hot and choking. I looked around for a way out, but they were circling me like vultures.
"I... I haven't been hiding," I stammered, trying to shield my face from the light.
"Then explain the photos! Explain why you were in that alleyway!"
I knew I was seconds away from breaking. If I didn't say something, they would tear my reputation apart right here on live television. In a moment of pure, desperate instinct, I stood up straight and looked directly into the nearest lens.
"I’m not hiding because I’m not guilty of anything," I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the shaking in my hands. "I was with my fiancé that night. Caden Williams."
The crowd went dead silent for a heartbeat before erupting into even more chaos.
"Fiancé? Since when?"
"Where’s your ring, Alisa? If you're engaged to a billionaire, where is the diamond?" a reporter asked, pointing his camera at my bare, trembling fingers.
My heart stopped. I almost broke character, my mind racing for a lie. "Our... our engagement has been a private affair," I said, forcing a coldness into my tone I didn't know I had. "It’s unfortunate that it’s all out now. I just decided to step out for a walk... that’s why I’m not wearing my ring."
The questions kept coming, faster and louder. I felt small and exposed, wondering how long I could keep up this act before they realized I was a fraud.
Suddenly, a sleek, black SUV roared up to the curb, forcing the reporters to scatter.
A massive man in a dark suit stepped out, his presence immediately commanding the sidewalk. He looked like he was carved out of granite.
"Mrs. Alisa, I’m sorry for the delay," he said, his voice deep and formal.
I was more than petrified. Who was he, and how did he know my name? Was he from the Geraldines? Was I about to be kidnapped in front of the world?
I think he saw the uncertainty in my face because he leaned down to my height and whispered, "I'm from Mr. Caden."
"Caden," I muttered.
I was so grateful I could have cried. "It's fine," I breathed, moving toward him.
The man shooed the press away with a single, warning look, using his large frame to protect me from the hands reaching out to touch my clothes. He opened the back door and shielded my head as I scrambled inside.
The door clicked shut, sealing out the noise of the crowd. I slumped against the leather seat, gasping for air. But when I turned my head, my breath caught again.
Caden was sitting there, leaning back with his legs crossed, watching me with a look that was impossible to read. He was holding a tablet, and on the screen was the live news feed of me standing against that wall.
"A private affair?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "And you just forgot your ring?"
"You were watching?" I whispered, my face heating up with a mix of shame and relief.
"We were driving past when I saw the live broadcast," he said, tapping the screen before turning it off. "You have a natural talent for lying, Alisa. It’s a good thing I decided to stop and play along."
He leaned closer, his scent filling the small space of the car. "But remember... you just told the whole world you belong to me. There’s no taking that back now.”
At Mabel's Apartment
"Well, I thought you were at least going to tell me your decision before announcing it to the whole world," Mabel said, handing me a glass of orange juice.
"You've seen the news, haven't you?" I asked, collapsing onto her couch.
"Well… you’re the top trending topic, so it wasn't hard for the news to spread," she said, taking a seat next to me.
"Of course it wasn't." I sighed, closing my eyes. I wished this was just one big, weird nightmare. "I’m so sick of this, Mabel. I basically just signed the contract without even picking up a pen."
"Well, if I’ve seen the news, I’m pretty sure Caden has too," she said.
"You’re damn right he has. He was the one who dropped me off here," I said, sitting up and staring at the brown envelope on the table. I was already so close to the apartment before they found me, so I guess he protected me.
"Caden? He brought you here? How did he even know you were outside?"
"He actually saved me from the press," I explained. "They were surrounding me, asking every horrible question they could think of. I was helpless... and I just blurted out that I was Caden’s fiancée."
"I saw that part," Mabel said softly, reaching over to move a strand of hair from my forehead.
"So, what’s it going to be?" she asked, picking up the envelope.
"I might as well just sign the papers," I said. I felt my heart completely shattering as I said the words.
"It’s going to be alright," Mabel promised. She pulled me closer and rubbed my shoulder as I rested my head on her.
"He told me to meet him at his office tomorrow morning," I said, wiping away the tears I didn't realize were falling.
"Alright then. You’ll go meet him and hear what he has to say."
"My life as I know it is over," I whispered, looking through the documents.
"What about Mrs. Gabel? What did she say?" Mabel asked.
"She… she fired me," I said.
"What! Why?"
"Apparently, she can't have a 'murder suspect' working for her."
"Oh, honey…" Mabel said, pulling me into a tighter hug.
We sat in silence for a long time. I went through the documents again and again until we were certain we had checked every rule and every clause. My fate was sealed.
- Writer
