Chapter 3: Half Truth
Elena is sitting in her office in New York when the news comes in. Her assistant has turned in a report about Blake's former fiancee, Melissa who was seen leaving Lotus Palace, a famous hotel in Las Vegas just a few days before with another mysterious man. Blake's engagement to Melissa has not been revealed into the public and there was no press invited to the event. However, a very persistent paparazzi has managed to sneak into the function room and took a photo of Blake, holding onto a female's hand while sliding an engagement ring on her left ring finger. The lady was not identified due to the poor quality of the photograph and the lighting, as well as her long hair was covering her face. What is visible in the photo of her is her hand and her height. From a layman's perspective, that person could easily be anyone, not necessarily be Melissa.
Her fingers twirl a pen on the table impatiently as her computer screen beeps to show a call is transmitting out. A moment later, Blake's rugged appearance pops onto the screen, with his droopy eyes and messy hair indicating that he has just woken up.
"Do you know it's midnight in Australia?"
" There's no time for that. Look at the file i sent you."
Elena's charismatic voice orders Blake to open up the file on iMessage. He reluctantly follows and his eyes widen as soon as he sees the photograph.
"Who the f-"
"It does not matter who but Dad has already seen it."
"Shit. I thought I told them to make sure nobody knows about the engagement."
"My assistant fished this information out from the paparazzi himself, but unfortunately he has sold the photo to the morning celebrity news broadcast. People are talking, Blake."
Blake's gaze shifted from the phone screen to his sister.
"What am i gonna do? The Charity Night Gala is in 5 days and there's no way i'd make an appearance with Mel, considering what happened between us."
"Then find a substitute. Find someone who looks like Mel and mould her into Mel for this event. You CAN'T, mark my words, you CAN'T go to the gala by yourself. It's Dad's face and ours too."
"Where am I gonna find a girl like that?! Mel is a freaking super model and she's outta this world!"
"Believe me when I say, there's always gonna be someone better than her. You just gotta look hard enough."
"Easy for you to say...."
Elena lets out an exasperated sigh. At the same time, her assistant knocks on her door to let her know that her next appointment has arrived.
"I'll see you in Sydney soon." she hangs up her call and leaves her office, leaving a puzzled Blake deals with a mental breakdown at 1 in the morning.
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Elena's warning turns out to be true. That morning, people are watching the morning celebrity news and the photograph appears on TV. The same photograph also makes the front page of the local newspaper. Employees of Altheda start to speculate who the mystery lady is. Some netizens link Blake with top tier celebrities and actresses, some other think that he's dating a model. Melissa's name is not mentioned anywhere on the news and people don't really think it was possible for Blake to be dating Melissa, as she was involved in a bed-climbing scandal with another tycoon in the USA.
Blake neglects his usual grooming routine and opts for a simpler style - trackies (Australian for track pants) and a grey hoodie. He puts his sunnies on and pulls his hoodie to cover his head, as he runs to his car and drives away to find the only one he could run to for help. He drives recklessly to the city centre, where many people are enjoying their brunch in a warm Saturday morning. He spots Jacky's white Mercedes parked in front of an Italian brunch restaurant - La Piazza. Upon arriving at the front of the restaurant, he tosses his keys at the valet guy and dashes into the restaurant, looking for Jacky. At that time, Jacky is having a lovely conversation with Debby, who is laughing at his corny jokes. Blake's entrance causes an uproar in the restaurant as patrons stretch their neck to look at his handsome face. The commotion breaks Jacky's focus and he turns to see Blake approaching.
"J, I'm screwed. I'm fucking screwed."
"Jeez Blake, what the hell are you doing here?"
"There's no time, I need your help, J."
Debby drags an empty chair to their table and pats Blake to sit down.
"Calm down my dear, tell us what happen." Debby offers him her own glass of water.
Blake downs the water in one gulp and throws his phone on the table, the screen displays the problematic photograph and he sees Jacky's jaw dropped.
"Elena said I gotta find a fake Mel to act as my date in order to save our faces, especially Dad's. Look at it. The damn headline said I'm fucking engaged! What am i supposed to do?"
Jacky doesn't reply immediately. He appears to be digesting the information in his head as his forehead starts to wrinkle. Debby notices that, "You gotta stop thinking so hard, Jacky boy. Look at the wrinkles and you're not even 50 yet!"
Blake is impatient and desperate. He tries so hard to make himself as small as possible but he won't be able to fit his tall body under the table.
"Hang on..." suddenly Debby takes the phone and pulls it closer to her face. "I think I know someone who might look like her...."
The boys perk up at her words.
"If what you need- who- you need is a fake girlfriend, I think I know who matches the photo."
Debby returns the phone to Blake and leans back on her chair.
"Who?" Jacky asks.
"My roommate."
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When two luxury cars pull up in the driveway of the European style house, the whole neighbourhood seems to be quietly watching. They see a jet black Kawasaki Ninja 300 sport motorbike parked on the side carport. Debby hums a soft tune as she walks excitedly to the door. The boys have never been to this neighbourhood. It's not exactly where a Carson would live in. The place they currently at is located in one of the poorer and shadier suburb of Sydney. The property price is relatively low, but at the same time it's quite strategic to public schools and transportation. Blake looks around anxiously as he waits for Debby to let them inside.
The old house belongs to Debby's grandmother and she took possession of it after her death, as the will stated. She has two dogs - Schnauzer x Poodle , Schnoodles named Rufus and Kelly. She lives with a roommate too, who is currently mowing the back lawn next to the swimming pool. She has got her earphones in, thus she is oblivious of her surrounding and not responsive to Debby's calling. Blake follows Debby into the backyard and he stands there, dumbfounded at the sight of her.
She looks exactly like Mel, albeit a little bit..... curvier than Mel. At a glance, with the right make up and fashion, she could easily be mistaken as Mel's doppelganger. Her fair Asian skin glows under the sunlight. Her black hair is tied in a ponytail, revealing her beautiful round face.
Jacky gives Blake a slight nudge to bring him back into reality. She looks like the Asian version of Mel, who is of Spanish and Irish descent.
"Holy mother fuc-"
Debby's tap on her shoulder startles her and she blurts out some curse words out of shock. She stops the noisy lawn mower and takes her earphones off.
"Why are you back so early? Weren't you on a date?"
"Yep and I've brought some company."
She looks up and her gaze meets Blake's. He looks straight onto her dark brown eyes, can't help but notice a stray bead of sweat on her right eyebrow.
"Boys, meet Naomi."
Naomi looks puzzled as she gets bombarded with questions and information about the situation Blake's in. Debby is a very good storyteller, she takes the lead explaining everything to her. Meanwhile, Blake is silently weighing the pros and cons about going through with Elena's plan of hiring a fake girlfriend to make it through the gala. Jacky sits nonchalantly, his long fingers plays with his car keys.
"Absolutely, no. I don't wanna get involved in such a sticky situation with people I don't even know." she glances at Blake, "... be the lover of a well known playboy? Are you joking?"
"We won't be here with a lawyer if we are." Jacky speaks up.
"You guys are crazy!"
Naomi stands up to leave but Blake has a faster reaction. He grabs her hand and stands up tall next to her. He stands in silence for a couple of second, just realising how tall Naomi is, she's the perfect height for him despite not wearing any heels.
"Look, I just need you to stand and walk with me, you don't have to say anything much, I'd do all the talking. If anyone asks, I'll tell them that I'm dating someone ordinary-" he gulps as Naomi sends him a piercing gaze at the word 'ordinary'. "- someone who is not a celebrity and keeps a low profile. I would ask them to leave you alone, no further questions."
"And what's in it for me?" she is not afraid to confront Blake and twists her arm free of his grip.
"Anything. I'll give you anything."
Debby and Jacky exchange glances.
"Naomi." Jacky stands up. "I'm a lawyer and I know you've got rights. I can draft a contract out for our agreement and make sure we hold up our end."
"I know who you are. " Naomi replies coldly at Jacky. There is a subtle tension in her look when she talks to Jacky. "It's not the first time we met, Mr.Carson."
"Is it?" Jacky scrunches up his nose in surprise.
"But again, such an ordinary folk like me holds no value to you, let alone for you to notice and remember."
"Naomi!" Debby cuts her in.
Naomi returns her focus at Blake.
"I only have one wish. I'll act my best to be your girlfriend whenever is needed, but once it's over, you have no rights to meddle with my private matters. Deal?"
"As you wish, love."
Naomi shakes her hand with Blake, sealing the deal in from of Debby and Jacky. After that, she reaches into her short pocket and pulls out her phone.
"I need your number to strategise. Also, you gotta tell me about yourself so that I won't look like an idiot."
"I'll send you my resume." Blake smiles, "And my dating history."
"Fine by me. I've got 3 days to learn about you before the big game. Make it quick."
"We'll be in touch."
Naomi grabs her phone back from Blake and storms out of the room. She continues mowing the lawn with her earphones blasting loud music, trying to drown herself from the devilish contract she just got herself into.
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