Breaking news

"The truth that survives is simply the lie that is pleasantest to believe."- Mary Catherine

- - -

"Celine!... Celine! Where are you?!"

She recognized that voice instantly. It was her best friend, Aurora who had no sense of boundaries or manners.

Why was Aurora here? Isn't she supposed to be enjoying her honeymoon with her new husband now?

And why was she screaming like a banshee?

Hoping to calm down her friend and get rid of her as soon as possible, Celine got up from her seat and walked towards the door.

As soon as she opened the door, the sight of Aurora still wearing her sexy crimson pajamas that barely covered anything and her Burgendy messy hair that was tied in a messy bun, made Celine gasp in shock.

Aurora's face was flushed and her sapphire eyes were wide with excitement as she noticed Celine's figure.

"Celine! My love!" when Aurora saw Celine approaching her, she can't help but to run and throw herself on her, looking like a baby who saw her mama.

Since Celine was unable to hold Aurora's heavy weight, they both fell to the floor. Good one! She just made her more mortified!

"Aurora, get off me, please. I can't breathe," said Celine, who is used like an airbag. (And baby's beloved mama, of course.)

They both went somewhere safe to have a 'word'...

"Now, speak. Why are you here?" Arms folded at her chest, and one brow up (that she suffered to do that), Celine looks like a professional detective. "Most of all, embarrassing me at my working place."

"Celine Stop making it look like you don't know! I feel so betrayed!" Aurora continued. "How could you hide this from me?! Uh?! You bad little Girl! Now tell me! Did you sleep with him already?! Ah! When did you even meet him?!"

"Aurora? Are you drunk?" That's all she managed to ask.

"I thought I was drunk too when I heard the news, duh! If only you knew how much you are shaking the world right now!"

Now, she started to freak out. "What the hell are you saying?" said Celine who is at the very edge of punching this lady.

"Oh, look at you still acting as if nothing happened."

"I swear to God I have no idea what the heck you are blabbering about and why you are here in the middle of your honeymoon." As expected from her antisocial media friend, looks like Celine never heard about it.

"Okay then, let me show you something. And I owe you an explanation after that." Aurora opened her phone to show her the most shocking thing that Celine never thought it could happen.

***

BREAKING NEWS: GABRIEL DAVIS'S SECRET ROMANCE WITH A COMMENER EXPOSED

  'Gabriel Davis, the dazzling star of the film industry and the heartthrob of millions, has been hiding a shocking secret from the world. He has been dating an ordinary woman named Celine Saint, who works for a small company. The two have been in a whirlwind romance for the past few months and are planning to get married soon...'

He couldn't read more of this bullshit... his vision blurred as his vessels tightened until they were visible. He could feel his body tremble out of rage that is about to burst any minute soon.

'Secret romance'?! 'Planning to marry her soon'?! Who dared to play with him? sure whoever did this, may experience a sweet painful death...

The eye-catching article was also decorated with photos of him and her, a woman he never knew existed. Just who the hell did this?!

"Look, Gabriel. I know it's hard to digest." Asher tried to calm him down.

"Who did this?" Gabriel can't help but ask through his gritted teeth. He should control his anger before he did something ominous... But his anger was the beast in him that could not be under control.

"Who the fuck did this?!" His loud voice rumbled through the empty corridor, screaming danger and outrage.

He threw the phone (Asher's) on the floor and watched it shatter into pieces as he imagined the person who broadcasted this article crumble under his feet... Gabriel never felt like this before.

"I don't know. But whoever did this, must be more powerful than us... Than the Davis family are." Asher pointed scratching his chin.

Yeah, that's true. No one ever dared to mess with him like this! He is GABRIEL DAVIS (For your reminder).

"What about Mom?" His unwell mother crossed his mind. She must be in pain because of him.

Maybe this fucking article triggered her pain.

"She heard about it, too." The word he never wanted to listen, came out of his cousin's mouth. Now, how is he going to face her after being accused of a lover whom he never met?

"Gabriel, it's too late now. The news is everywhere, every soul heard about it. Shutting it up maybe hard even if we are that powerful."

The door cracked open as he entered the dimly lit room where his mother lay sleeping. His heart pounded with a mixture of fear and determination. He took a deep breath, reminding himself of the courage he gathered from his cousin, Asher.

"Mom? Are you alright?" His voice shook as he gazed at her tear-streaked face, a lump forming in his throat. Was she crying because of him?

Before he could ponder any further, her fragile but warm body embraced his big body tightly... fat tears storming out of her hazel lifeless eyes.

"My baby boy... sniff... I am so proud of you." Her voice quivered as she held him closer.

Gabriel couldn't tell if she was genuinely happy...

"I am finally happy! Thanks to you ... Now, I won't regret dying in peace after seeing you getting married to that angelic lady." Her words sliced through him like a knife.

Staring at her frail form, he was determined to protect her from any pain or disappointment.. but the question is, should he be glad to finally see his mother cheerful? Or pathetic because it's all a LIE? What would happen if he told her the truth?

But looking at her condition, he planned not to say a word about the news, which was rigorously fake. Not before she was done thanking God for giving her only son (Who is the world's number one player), the woman he loves.

Surely, he will make his one and only mother happy. Forever. Even if it costs his life! and he is willing to lie if it makes her merry and live longer.

You guessed it true, he is planning to do that.

'Ah! That damned article!' Still, his inside was burning with anger and curse.

"Mom, don't say that." He spoke softly, ignoring the knot of sorrow that clenched his heart.

"Well, it's the truth. The doctor told me there is still no hope. My days are numbered..." Her eyes widened as if she remembered something noteworthy. "Oh! And I want to hug my grandchildren very soon!"

'Grandchildren?!'

Gabriel's mind couldn't wrap around the fact his mother was already thinking about grandchildren.

How could she be full of so much joy just thinking about grandchildren?... He felt a pang of guilt surge within him.

"I want to meet that ravishing woman. Please tell her that I am longing to see her. I'm already in love with her." She was bouncing like a little kid who was talking about the things she loved. He never saw his mother this happy...

A confused look appeared on her face. "How could hide this from your mom this whole time, Gabriel? You think I will detest your girlfriend because she is not on our grade?"

'Because none of this is true!' he wanted to yell but stopped himself from doing so.

"No, Mom. I will tell you another time, now rest." He covered her with the blanket.

"Son, promise me you will let me meet her." Her voice refilled with speculation, Gabriel never had the gut to refuse.

"Okay, I promise. Now sleep and get better." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before exiting the room.

Asher followed him from behind and stared at Gabriel with a dubious expression on his face as they exited.

"What was that?" Asher asked in disbelief. It was unlike him. Knowing Gabriel, even if he was intoxicated, he wouldn't swear to his mom to introduce the lady he never met or saw, as his 'beloved fiancée'. It doesn't make sense...

"I had to do it, Asher. I can't just make her joy banish when she is this sick. It's not reasonable." The weight of his deception was heavy on him.

"So... what did you plan to do now? Continue lying to her? Falsify everything?" The question hung in the air, leaving him paralyzed.

"Asher, go search the girl's whereabouts. I need to see her."

"Why so suddenly? Don't tell me you are planning to introduce her to your mom right now?" Asher was unable to understand this stupid actor.

"No," Gabriel knew the thing he is about to do wasn't very pleasant. "I am thinking of a contract."

With a heavy heart, he marched forward, determined to keep his ill mother happy at any cost. He knew this was a dangerous path, one that could lead to unforeseen consequences, but he was willing to take that risk.

After all, what else was he supposed to do? His mother was his only gam...

***

"Celine, you're the talk of the town! It's all over the tabloids!" Aurora exclaimed, thrusting her phone in Celine's face. "You and that hot actor caught red-handed!"

Celine froze as she had seen the headline on the news app: "Breaking: Celine Saint, the secret girlfriend of actor Gabriel Davis." The article was accompanied by various photos of her.

'What in the fucking world is happening?!' was the only thing that echoed in Celine's head. She wished someone to wake her from this nightmare.

Her eyes read through the headline again and again and again as if it will going to switch any minute soon.. just what is the meaning of this? Who the hell published this?

"Spill the beans. How did you manage to snag the king of the universe?! I left you just for a month and you got yourself a boyfriend without a word! I am utterly hurt, Celine!" Aurora leaned forward eagerly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

She couldn't believe that her best friend, who was clueless about everything, had somehow seduced the most powerful and handsome man in the galaxy.

"I don't know what is happening." A whisper escaped Celine's trembling lips.

Her eyes glanced around nervously, noticing her colleagues and everyone else was staring at her.

Some looked shocked, some looked envious, and some looked amused... now she knew that this news was the reason for the raucous morning.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aurora asked, confused by Celine's reaction.

"Aurora, did everyone see it?" Of fucking course, they did!

"Wait, Celine. You are not making any sense."

"I swear this is a lie! A-All of it is a lie! I don't even know him! I-I never met him! How could this happen?!" Celine cried out, feeling tears well up in her big chocolate eyes.

She was just a poor girl who worked hard to improve her life. Why would someone do this to her?

"What? You mean this is all a made-up bullshit?" Aurora asked, incredulous.

"Of course, it is not true! Do y-you think I would date him?" Celine snapped, grabbing her head as if she had gone crazy. "What am I going to do?"

She paced back and forth, mumbling to herself. "What am I going to do now? What should I do-"

"Hey, hey, calm down, Celine. No need to panic over a fake article." Aurora said soothingly, trying to comfort her friend.

She now realized that this was a fabricated story, probably by some malicious paparazzi or rival. It was obvious anyway. There was no way that Celine and Gabriel would be a match. It was like 'hello kitty' dating 'Captain America'... utterly ridiculous!

"How can I calm down?" Celine whispered feeling hopeless.

"Look, this place must be suffocating. Let's go outside for a bit. Get some fresh air... it will help you clear your mind." Aurora suggested, taking her friend by the hand and leading her out.

They walked along the usually empty sidewalk, away from the crowd and the noise. The wind blew gently on her face making her long hair fluttering behind her. Celine closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down.

"Feeling better?" Aurora asked softly, looking at her friend with concern.

"Yes, thank you." Smiled weakly, grateful for her support. "You are such a good friend."

"Oh, come on! No need to thank me." Aurora looked proud of herself. Now, let's figure out what to do about this news!"

"By the way, how was your honeymoon?"

"It was great." Aurora looked uneasy as she responded.

"I was hurt when you told me you got married out of the blue and went on your honeymoon without introducing us to your husband or inviting us to your wedding ceremony."

Sweat budded her forehead, "H-Huh? Well... you will meet him o-one day. Now, enough about me. Let's do something about you, Celine." She nervously succeeded to change the topic.

"Why do you sound so excited about it?" Celine asked suspiciously, noticing the gleam in her eyes.

"Well obviously because I've seen these kinds of things happen in my favorite movie," Aurora said excitedly, launching into a plot summary. "Let me narrate it for you... you know there's this girl who's poor and too naive. And there is this guy who's rich, famous, and mouthwateringly handsome. One day, there's fake news about them dating-"

"Wait a minute. Are you that I'm that poor character?" Celine interrupted her, feeling offended.

"Of course, who else could it be? Now stop interrupting me and let me finish." Aurora continued the story. "So the girl gets kidnapped one day by some bad guys who want to blackmail the guy. And then-"

"Ring... Ring..." A phone call cut off her speech. "Oh geez." Aurora rolled her eyes as she checked who was calling. "I need to take this. It's my bitch ass boss. Give me a minute and wait for me right here, got it?" She walked and answered the call.

Celine watched her go and sighed deeply. She thought about her parents and how they would react to the news. Knowing them, they would be over the moon and start planning for a wedding. They were so gullible and naive when it came to these things.

She shook her head and tried to distract herself from the mess she was in. She looked around and saw a luxurious black car speeding towards her from across the street.

She frowned and wondered who it belonged to. But before she could move out of the way, a hand reached out from the opened car portico and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside the car roughly.

... It all happened in a flash.

"Yes, yeah absolutely... Of course you are right, boss." Clueless Aurora was still talking on the phone. "I wouldn't dare. Yeah. Okay, bye."

"Sigh, just die." Cursing at her boss through gritted jaws, she hung up the phone and walked back to where she had left Celine

... But she was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished without a trace.

"Celine?" Aurora called out, scanning the street for any sign of her... yet she saw nothing.