What could she do? Bryan had asked her to let him handle it, and she didn’t want to have another fight with him over making a decision on her own. Should she tell him what was going on? Perhaps she should, and maybe they could put their heads together to find a solution.
Just as she headed for the door to join the others, her phone started ringing again, and she paused when she saw that the call was from her editor this time. She had been surprised when she didn’t receive a call from him the previous day.
Sonia took in a deep breath before receiving the call. She knew that whatever he was going to say to her wasn’t going to be pleasant, “Hi!”
“Is it true?” Her editor asked in a tight voice without bothering to exchange pleasantries with her.
“Is what true?” Sonia asked cautiously, and she could imagine him closing his eyes when she heard him breathe in and out.
“Is it true that you approached Bryan Delgado to engage you so that you would get the public’s attention and generate more sales for your books?” He asked angrily, making Sonia’s heart skip a beat.
“Where did you hear that?” Sonia asked in surprise. She had only just discussed it with Mr. Williams, how come her editor was asking about it?
“That doesn’t answer my question!” He snapped at her in annoyance.
“Did you deceive me and everyone else about being engaged to Bryan Delgado just so you can become famous? You were riding on his coattail?” He asked in annoyance since he could still remember how he suggested to her that they invite Bryan to their book signing event, and she had turned him down saying she didn’t want to use him, yet she had been using him the whole time.
Before she could think of what to say, the bedroom door opened almost immediately and Bryan walked in, “What is taking so long, babe?” Bryan asked, and then one look at her face he could tell that something was wrong. He further confirmed it when he noticed the slight tremble of her hands.
“What is wrong? Who are you speaking with?” He asked as he approached her.
Sonia swallowed past the lump in her throat as she looked back at him. Of course, she could take any blame for him. She cared about him that much. But she wasn’t going to do that if it was going to cost her their relationship.
Seeing how she was staring at him, Bryan plucked the phone from her hand and checked to see who she was speaking with. He raised a brow when he saw that it was her editor, and he raised the phone to his ear, “Is there a problem?” He asked curiously.
“Mr. Delgado?” Sonia’s editor asked in confusion.
“Yes, this is Bryan. Is there a problem? What did you say to upset her?” Bryan asked with displeasure.
“I thought you both ended things… Didn’t she call off the engagement?” The editor asked in confusion since he had watched the clip.
“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Bryan pointed out, sounding slightly irritated now.
The editor had a frown on his face as he didn’t understand what was going on, “Maybe you should check the internet. Your agency just released a press statement regarding your relationship with Sonia. Let her know I will call her back some other time,” the editor said, and hung up the call Immediately.
Once the call dropped, Bryan glanced at Sonia who was now seated on the bed, staring at him with a blank expression on her face, before going to search for the statement that his agency had released.
He scanned through the article which talked about how Sonia had approached Bryan and had pleaded with him to help her become famous by being in a relationship with her. And it went on to say how Bryan had fallen in love with Sonia in the process, yet she dumped him after she became famous, going from having just about four thousand followers on Instagram, to having over four million followers because of her relationship with Bryan.
“This is bullshit,” Bryan hissed angrily as he threw the phone on the bed, “I’m going to call them right now to take this shit down,” Bryan said as he turned to leave so he could go get his phone.
“Don’t! This will turn the public’s opinion in your favor. It is better…”
“Please, shut up!” Bryan cut in angrily as he turned to look at her.
“What do you mean by that? Do I look like a coward who would let his woman take the fall for something he did? I walked up to you and proposed to you, and you accepted me. It is no damn person’s business how long I’ve known you before proposing to you. I’m in love with you and I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks or has to say about it.. And you had better get any funny ideas you’re having out of your head!” Bryan snapped at her before walking away.
“What is going on? Are you both fighting again?” Celsie who had been on the phone with Lucas, asked Sonia as she returned to the room to see Bryan storming out.
“No. It’s not me he is mad at,” Sonia assured Celsie with a slight frown as they both walked out of the bedroom following Bryan.
“I don’t think you should give them a call,” Alicia said the moment Bryan walked into the living room, making it clear to him that his voice had been loud and they had all heard what he said.
“I don’t remember asking you what you think,” Bryan hissed at her, his eyes flashing angrily as he picked up his phone from the table and switched it on. Once the phone came on, he received several text message notifications from both his parents, Jade, Matt, Mia, Jeff, the CEO, and some of his colleagues and friends.
Alicia ignored his comment and went on as though he had not just dismissed her opinion, “I think if you really want to deal with this issue, it will be best if you both make a live video together. People would believe you only when they hear from you directly,” Alicia suggested as both Celsie and Sonia joined them.
“You must be a very nosy person,” Bryan observed with annoyance as he scrolled through the contents of texts, most of which were expressing concerns over his scandal with Sonia, while his mom, Jade, and Matt asked him to give them a call the moment he sees their text.
“It comes with the occupation,” Alicia responded with a smile.
“I think she has a point. We both know that Paul won’t listen to you. He only wants what’s best for your career. He’s not interested in your personal life,” Benne pointed out.
“Still, I need to give him a piece of my mind!” Bryan said as he dialed the CEO’s line, and walked away from them once the call connected.
“Good Lord, Bryan! I’ve been trying to reach you. Where are you?”
“What the fuck did you do that for?” Bryan snapped at the CEO.
“Do what for? Calling Sonia or releasing a press statement to salvage the situation?” The CEO asked.
“You even called her?” Bryan yelled angrily.
“Calm down, Bryan. If you’ve seen the news all over the internet, then by now you should know that it’s a mess and I needed to act fast, especially since I couldn’t reach you,” The CEO explained.
“Act fast? By coming up with such preposterous lies, and putting all the blame on Sonia? Do you want to ruin her career? Do you know how much damage your thoughtless action would cause her?” Bryan yelled at him, unable to control his rage.
“What else could I have done? All the companies are on our neck asking for refunds and compensations. How many of them do you think we can compensate?” The CEO asked, beginning to get angry at Bryan for being unreasonable.
“That should be for me to worry about! It wasn’t in your place to drag Sonia into any of this! I am the one who proposed to her for crying out loud!”
“And she dumped you in front of everyone! She couldn’t even wait for the show to end before she did that! She used you, and after getting the fame she wanted she walked away without caring about the effect her action would have on you. How can you defen…”
“Shut your fucking ignorant mouth! You know nothing about her or my relationship with her, so do not utter such useless words! Take down that press statement this moment or this will be the last time I talk to you as an actor under golden star agency!” Bryan threatened, and hung up the call before the CEO could say anything else.
Even after making the call he still felt very upset, and he threw his phone on the bed and combed his fingers through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” Sonia murmured from the doorway, making him turn to look at her. He hadn’t realized that she was at the door.
“What for?” He asked with a slight frown.
“I don’t know. I just feel bad that you’re in this mood,” she said, and Bryan forced a smile as he walked over to where she was standing.
“You do understand that I’m not mad at you, right?” He asked as he stopped in front of her, and she gave him a nod.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then you don’t have to be sorry. I’m used to being involved in scandals, but you’re not. I’m the one who dragged you into my mess,” Bryan said apologetically.
“I’m the crazy one who accepted your proposal and refused to return the ring,” Sonia pointed out, wanting to share the blame with him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.