Millionaire Girlfriend

Chapter 68: Chapter 68 - the whole truth

The driver stepped out of the car and opened the rear door for his employer.

Clara stepped out of the luxurious black car, dressed in an elegant white designer suit with a matching handbag. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she adjusted her black sunglasses.

Several men in suits surrounded the car, forming a security barrier between her and the reporters waiting outside the building.

"Ms. Turner, is it true that you’re dating actress Ashley Gresham?"

"Did you know she’s also dating actress Esther Mendoza?"

"Have you seen the video of the two young women that was leaked a few days ago?"

"Do you have any comment on the situation?"

The reporters crowded around the security guards, trying to get close enough to get a response from Clara, but the guards kept them at a distance.

Clara briefly turned toward them. A small smile appeared on her lips before she turned away and walked into the large building that housed her company’s headquarters.

Inside, the employees watched her walk by.

Some had no idea what was going on and wondered why so many reporters had gathered outside. Others had already seen the latest news and whispered among themselves as Clara passed.

Clara, however, simply kept walking without slowing down, carrying herself with the calm confidence of a queen.

When she reached the elevator, she slipped inside just before the doors closed. The employees who had been about to take the same elevator stopped and waited for the next one, apparently preferring to avoid an awkward ride with their CEO.

Once she reached her office, Clara completely ignored the urgent files waiting on her desk and called Ashley.

"I hope you’re proud of yourself," Ashley said as soon as she answered.

"I have to admit, I am. You have no idea how much I wish I could’ve seen the look on your face," Clara replied with a laugh, showing no remorse.

"One day, you’re going to pay for everything you’ve done to me, Clara Turner!" Ashley shouted through the phone, making it clear just how furious she was.

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, babe. If you think about it, this is partly your fault too. You should’ve asked for my permission before agreeing to this fake relationship," Clara replied.

"You might have a point, but you could’ve found a simpler way to get revenge instead of making the entire Internet think I’m a cheater and an opportunist!" Ashley shot back.

"Okay, maybe I went a little too far," Clara admitted.

"Obviously. Now I have to figure out how to fix this mess," Ashley replied, sounding calmer now.

"Come on, Ashley. After all this time together, you should’ve learned something from me. It’s not what people know that matters. It’s what they think they know," Clara said confidently.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, finally calming down a little as she waited for Clara to explain how she planned to fix the mess she had caused.

"I mean that people have their own theories, but they don’t know the truth. All you have to do is give them a convincing enough story to turn this supposed betrayal into something that has nothing to do with cheating," Clara explained.

"I see," Ashley replied after a few seconds of thought.

"Good. Now that that’s settled, I’m calling for a ceasefire," Clara declared.

"What do you mean by a ceasefire? You already got your revenge. What more do you want?" Ashley asked, wondering what Clara really wanted beyond teaching her a lesson.

"What I really want is simple. I want us to get married soon," Clara admitted.

"Is that a marriage proposal?"

"And here I was thinking you’d plan some romantic surprise when you asked me to marry you. I’m a little disappointed," Ashley replied.

"Come on, babe. We already did all that the first time. This time, we’re trying something different," Clara replied.

After hanging up, Clara opened one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out a large engagement ring. She had every intention of giving it to Ashley.

After her conversation with Clara, Ashley eventually came up with a way to deal with the whole situation.

She called Esther and the studio to explain her idea and get their opinions. But the success of the plan depended mostly on Esther’s cooperation.

Since the video had been leaked, the public had already chosen their roles: Esther was the victim, while Ashley had been painted as the villain.

To change that perception, they needed to tell their own version of the story.

A few days later, Esther appeared on one of the most popular talk shows in the country.

The show had everything you would expect from a big TV production: a huge studio, an audience sitting in the stands, several cameras pointed at the guests, and a control room ready to broadcast the show live across the country.

Sitting across from Esther was Jeremy, a popular talk-show host in his forties. He was fairly short and dressed in an elegant black suit. Sitting behind his desk, he wore the usual smile of a man who was used to being on live television.

"Good morning, Esther! I’m really happy to finally have you on my show today," Jeremy said.

"Good morning, Jeremy. And good morning to everyone here in the audience and everyone watching from home," Esther replied as she took her seat.

The audience immediately applauded.

Several cameras were positioned around them, ready to capture every moment of the interview. Behind the cameras, the studio audience watched closely.

With the help of the film studio, Ashley and Esther had chosen one of the most-watched talk shows in the country, a program capable of reaching millions of viewers in a single broadcast. It was the perfect place for people to finally hear what had really happened.

"Esther, I’m really happy to finally have you here. I’ve been trying to get you on the show for months, but you must have been incredibly busy since your sudden rise to fame. You’ve become one of the most famous and talented actresses of your generation," Jeremy said.

"Thank you for having me, Jeremy. Yes, I’ve definitely been very busy lately, but I’m happy to be here," Esther replied.

"You’re currently filming one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Can you give your fans an update? They’re already looking forward to the movie and to seeing you back on the big screen."

For nearly thirty minutes, Jeremy and Esther talked about the movie, the filming, her experience on previous projects, and several other things about her career.

Then, as planned, Jeremy finally turned the conversation toward the real reason Esther was there.

"All right. Now, Esther, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk about something a little more sensitive. For those who may not know what I’m talking about, there was a video that circulated online after someone secretly installed a camera in Esther’s room," Jeremy said.

The audience reacted with surprise, even though most of them already knew the story.

Esther felt her heart begin to race. The moment she had been waiting for since the beginning of the interview had finally arrived.

"The video in question is quite explicit and features you and another actress from the movie. Esther... how do you feel about what happened?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, Jeremy, I feel uncomfortable knowing that my fans saw such a private video of me. I also feel hurt and sad knowing that someone could secretly record my private life and then post it online. We still don’t know who did it, but I hope the police find them soon and that they are held responsible for what they did," Esther replied, her voice full of emotion.

The studio fell silent.

"We also hope the person responsible is found and brought to justice," Jeremy said sympathetically.

He paused for a moment before moving on to the question everyone had been waiting for.

"Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk about your relationship with Ashley Gresham, the other actress in the video. After the video was leaked, we all assumed the two of you were officially dating. In fact, several pictures of you holding hands, having dinner together, or simply being close to each other have been circulating online."

Jeremy continued.

"But a few days ago, other videos revealed that Ashley was already in a relationship with someone else, a rather important person in the business world. So, was Ashley already in a relationship with this person? Or had they already broken up? Can you explain what’s really going on?"

Esther took a deep breath.

She remembered the answers they had prepared beforehand.

"First of all, to answer the question everyone’s been asking: yes, Ashley is already in a relationship with someone else. But is she cheating on her partner? No, she isn’t, because they’re in an open relationship. That means they’re both allowed to see other people," Esther explained.

An attentive silence filled the studio.

"Now, are Ashley and I actually dating? My answer is... it’s complicated. Before any of this happened, we were very close friends. Even before our relationship became something more, we were already very close and affectionate with each other."

Esther paused briefly before continuing.

"Finally, for those wondering why I would date her knowing she was already with someone else, or for those who think I deserve better... you don’t know her the way I do. I probably shouldn’t be sharing this, but she once saved my life when we barely even knew each other."

Esther then began telling the story of the night she had been drugged and nearly sexually assaulted.

However, she deliberately stayed vague about certain details, especially the identity of her attacker, so she wouldn’t reveal anything that could put her contract with the studio at risk.

She also explained that she had been the one to make the first move with Ashley, not the other way around.

"I’m really sorry to hear that you went through that," Jeremy said, handing her a tissue.

Esther took it and wiped the tears running down her cheeks.

She had no real memory of what had happened because of the drugs. She only knew that she had been drugged and that Ashley had arrived in time to save her.

So the tears were simply part of the performance.

They were meant to touch the audience and change the way they saw the story from that of a young woman caught up in a scandal to that of a young woman who had nearly been sexually assaulted and was saved by someone she would later fall in love with.

"Thank you, Jeremy," she replied, taking the tissue.

Jeremy then turned toward the cameras.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just heard Esther’s heartbreaking story. She was drugged and nearly sexually assaulted, but thankfully, Ashley was there to save her. And after that experience, Esther eventually fell in love with Ashley."

Jeremy had just summed up the whole story in the simplest and most emotional way possible, without getting into details that could make the situation even more complicated especially the fact that Ashley was officially involved with two people at the same time.

For the public, the story was now much easier to understand.

Esther was the victim.

Ashley was the woman who had saved her.

And their relationship was no longer a story about cheating. Instead, it was the story of a young, famous actress who had fallen in love with the woman who saved her.

In a matter of minutes, Ashley had gone from being seen as the villain to becoming something of a hero.

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