บท 20: The Scandal
Everyone laughed with Crescent. Truth was in their office; the girl had always had that uncanny ability to find humor in the most mundane situations. Davina's fuming jealousy was of no exception. The laughter continued for a while and it even hit crescendo when the one of their comrades choked at his own laughter earning another round of guffaws. However, the jubilant atmosphere immediately ended when Crescent's subordinate Georgi gasped suddenly in front of her and pointed shaking toward the office television screen. In a second, all heads turned toward the source of the man's sudden distress.
The television, which had been intentionally muted all the time was now displaying a breaking news which shows the name of both Median telecommunications and one of its talents.
"Why is my name on the news?" Crescent's eyes grew big as their office's previous laughter transformed into a maelstrom of confusion and anxiety. While everyone was in the peak of their shock, Georgi managed to find the remote and unmute the television.
"Crescent Garza is said to be one of the talents of Median Telecommunications and is debuting on their newest news segment. It had been confirmed by our sources..." The news anchor's voice continued, rapidly disseminating information about Crescent, turning her into a sudden subject of public scrutiny. With each revelation, she felt like she was being exposed, her privacy stripped away before the eyes of the entire nation. Merely moments ago, she was an ordinary citizen in Sealtiel Country, and now she found herself thrust into the limelight for reasons she do not know yet but surely not for good ones.
The shock of the situation left her feeling disoriented, as if the ground had shifted beneath her feet. Questions swirled in her mind. How did the media get hold of her personal information? Who leaked details about her life to the public without her consent? The sudden and invasive spotlight on her life felt overwhelming, like a surreal nightmare unfolding in real time..
The news anchor's voice continued, dropping a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the entire department. "Crescent Garza is said to be the Montarini Prince's current woman," the words hung in the air, leaving everyone stunned. Gasps filled the room, and wide-eyed disbelief spread across the faces of those present.
Georgi, unable to comprehend what he had just heard, voiced the incredulity shared by many. "Did I hear it right?" he questioned; his disbelief palpable. The notion that Crescent could be romantically involved with the Montarini Prince seemed like an outlandish fabrication. After all, they had only met once; how could she suddenly be declared the Prince's woman "When they say woman, they meant girlfriend right? like a lover, or other half? Are they even serious?"
Nobody answered Georgi's question as it seemed everyone was still grasping the totality of the news. The revelation was met with thorough disbelief and astonishment as it seemed utterly impossible, and Crescent herself was taken aback by the absurdity of the news.
"The Prince had been seen visiting Miss Garza in her apartment, and some of the Montarini employees were confirmed to have visited Median Telecommunications the previous week," the anchor continued, each word adding fuel to the escalating controversy. Images of Montarini employees exiting their cars in the parking area of Median Telecommunications were flashed on the screen, intensifying the narrative. To Crescent's dismay, pictures of her apartment building were flashed next, all for the world to see.
"Boss, that's your apartment, right?" Georgi's appalled tone cut through the tension in the room. Crescent herself could not believe it—the news had not only exposed her personal life but had also recklessly revealed where lived exposing her to thorough danger.
How unethical for media to have revealed where she lived. Were they not aware how all of this would affect her? All the potential repercussions?
The Montarini Prince was regarded as one of this country's sought after bachelor and his popularity carried with it a legion of admirers and followers. All women from different parts of the country would do anything just to be his lover and with all these allegations about Crescent being his woman, she surely would be subject to all these women's jealousy and condemnation. Now that the news irresponsibly showed where she lived, her safety was at risk. Not to mention she lived on regular low class apartment building where amenities and security isn't that top-notch. Everyone can murder her without much effort.
"Isn't that Mr. Wandley?" one of their officemates exclaimed when the news flashed next an interview of the executive that Crescent just talked few minutes ago. For a moment, Crescent held onto the fact that Mr. Wandley would deny all these rumors and save her from all these false narratives yet her heart sank when the latter confirmed her supposed relationship with the prince.
"Yes, the Montarini corporate had been here a few days ago. Juan Long himself delivered some flowers and talked with Miss Garza privately. Montarini employees had been going in and out of our office delivering gifts and picking up Miss Garza all the time,"
Mr. Wandley's interview was very unexpected and it left everyone bewildered. Crescent watched as her boss continued to speak the fabricated accounts of her affair. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, so was everyone in the room. They all know nothing like that happened in the office and that Juan Long only visited Crescent once.
With all these chaos, something came to light however on Crescent's side. Now she finally suddenly understood everything.
'The segment' She thought. 'They gave it to me intentionally and make my debut known. Now that I'm in the limelight, they are using my relationship with the Montarini prince to make Median Telecommunications popular and lift its ratings. The scandal they set her up to was a strategic move to gain publicity for the company and pull their hopeless ratings. This was clearly staged drama all for the company's sake.
"This was their plan," Crescent's voiced as she felt her eyes warmed up. With all her might, she tried to suppress those threatening tears.
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