Chapter 55: The Feisty Stray Cat
Lariette might have been the first spark that led to my downfall, but the other celebrities who had wronged me only poured gasoline on the fire, making it burn out of control.
One by one, they spread rumors about me; that I was rude on set, too difficult to work with, and that I often looked at people with a cold, unfriendly stare.
Cold stare? Really? Some of the staff even joked that I was like a smiling machine!
But since those accusations came from top-tier celebrities, of course people chose to believe them instead of me.
Even the rumor that I was a homewrecker came from just a single photo—yes, only one—but that one piece of so-called evidence was blown up into something as big as a mountain.
It had all started when Lariette introduced me to a married film producer, saying he was interested in casting me in one of his movies someday.
Back then, I truly thought the meeting was nothing more than that, just a chance to discuss work. The producer even brought along his assistant, so I never once suspected anything improper.
But somehow, a paparazzi photo of us leaving the restaurant together spread like wildfire. In the picture, the angle made it look like he was leaning toward me, whispering something in my ear.
That picture also surfaced right after my so-called drug scandal, making people even more eager to burn me on the stage of shame and disgust.
It didn’t matter that the accusations were false, or that the so-called "evidence" was nothing but a lie. Once the label stuck, the public treated me like a criminal.
"Helcia," Marissa called again when I suddenly stopped in my tracks. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
I quickly put on a bright smile and nodded. "Thank you, Marissa!" I said. "I’ll tell you right away if anyone bothers me."
Now that I had a caring manager, it seemed I didn’t have to fight people off on my own anymore.
"That’s good," Marissa said with a firm nod. "Besides, I’m sure your husband would flip the whole table if he heard someone tried to harass you on set."
I let out a small laugh, waving my hands. "No way. He’d never do that. He’s way too polite and graceful to flip a table."
Marissa gave me a deadpan look. "Don’t be so sure. He did it all the time back in high school. Didn’t you know? He got into fights a lot. We even called him a feisty stray cat."
We started walking again toward the model’s lounge, and I blinked at her in surprise. "What? Really? We’ve only known each other for less than two weeks, so ... I don’t know much about him yet."
Marissa adjusted her glasses with a little sigh. "Right, I forgot. You two got married because of an arranged marriage."
She pushed the door open and let it close behind us, leaving the room quiet and private. "Honestly, I was really surprised when he reached out to me and asked me to look after his wife."
"At first, I thought he was joking or maybe he’d confused his AI girlfriend with a real one. But then I realized ... he actually does have a wife." Marissa laughed softly, catching me off guard because I didn’t expect her to become this comfortable with me so quickly. "He’s lucky, you know. Not everyone gets to marry someone as beautiful as you."
Her words made my cheeks heat up. Beautiful? I knew Helcia’s face was beautiful, but after hearing so many compliments about my looks, little by little, I started to believe this body really belonged to me now.
"I guess I’m lucky too ...," I murmured with a small smile. "He’s been kind to me, and he even gave me a huge bedroom." Then I shifted the topic back, curious about what Marissa had said earlier. "So ... he really used to fight a lot?"
Marissa guided me to the couch and handed me a lunch box that the staff had prepared. "I wouldn’t say he did it because he wanted to cause trouble," she explained gently. "But, as you know ... his family situation wasn’t the best."
From her words, I learned that Lando had a half-brother around his age, Maxwell Brixton. The two of them even went to the same school, from junior high all the way through high school.
"They were always compared to each other," Marissa explained. "Lando was the one with high achievements; top grades, hardworking, teachers loved him. Meanwhile, Maxwell ... he was the one who always struggled in school, and because of that, he carried a lot of bitterness."
I paused with my spoon halfway to my mouth, listening carefully. Somehow, I felt a little closer to Marissa now that she was calling Lando by his name instead of "Mr. Brixton."
"Maxwell hated being compared," Marissa continued. "So he took it out on Lando. Things like pouring water over his homework right before it was due, or letting dogs chew up his school bag. Petty things, but cruel enough to cause trouble for him."
"That’s why Lando had such bad anger issues," Marissa went on. "He would fight a lot whenever Maxwell tried to mess with him, and it wasn’t just Maxwell ... he often ended up brawling with Maxwell’s little gang too, every time they tried to pick a fight on his behalf."
I stayed quiet, gritting my teeth, suddenly losing my appetite because I felt so furious for him. No wonder he never wanted to hold back when he saw those videos of Madeline bullying Helcia, who was me now.
He knew too well what it felt like to be treated like trash, and ... honestly, so did I.
The only difference was, I went to an ordinary school. The kids there weren’t from powerful families like the Brixtons or the Davenports, so when I fought back, the consequences were never that serious.
At worst, I’d get suspended for a few weeks for throwing punches at a bully. But for Lando or for Helcia it was never that simple.
Their world was full of influence, power, and connections, which meant every move they made could lead to serious consequences.
"But the good thing is, Lando didn’t have to deal with Maxwell’s rotten behavior anymore because he got a scholarship abroad," she said. "And ... since he had the accident and can’t walk anymore, their family really stopped caring about him."
"That was unfortunate," Marissa went on in a softer voice, "but ... maybe in a way, it was also a little fortunate."