ALASAN SUAMIKU MENDUA

Head high…

Chin up

And…smile.

Lisa stared at her reflection in the large bathroom mirror while reciting her mantra in her head. She reapplied mascara on her long lashes and added an extra layer of red to her already red lips. The knock she had been expecting finally came on the door. She didn’t go out immediately; she did her breathing exercises before opening the door. Outside, Sally, her Personal Assistant was waiting for her.

  “The Press are ready for you, ma.” She reminded politely.

Lisa nodded and offered her a small smile before heading to the door that separated her from over hundred hungry news mongers that were ready to detect even the slightest fluctuation in her emotions and land her in nearly all front pages. She had chosen a not-too-in-the-face, one piece, white dress with green floral designs, matching it with a dark green pair of heels and her favorite Chanel bag. By the door, her husband stood, waiting for her. He wore a black Armani suit.

She approached him and adjusted his tie to hide the lipstick mark on his collar before linking his arms through his. He reeked of perfume that she found disgusting. It wasn’t his perfume. After living with him for two years now, she knew just how much he loved Dior perfumes and couldn’t do without them. The scent on his body wasn’t Dior perfumes. They weren’t hers either; neither was the faint red lipstick stain on his collar hers too.

The hall went into a frenzy on their arrival; Cameras snapped away furiously and Reporters pushed forth questions from all corners. Lisa forced the thought in her head behind her and waved to the crowd with a small smile. At the side, Raymond wrapped his arms around her in a protective and possessive stance, leading her to the stage. Of course, the little act of love didn’t go unnoticed by the horde of cameras. Lisa stood in front of the microphone while Raymond held her left her, showering it with silent kisses from time to time.

As she was about to speak, the noise in the hall died down completely. Every one of them was eager to capture the best news.

  “Friends of the Press, I am glad you honored our invitation.” She began, her voice calm and smooth as she spoke eloquently. “Recently, there is an unruly viral video spreading all over the internet. A video that is said to be a leaked sex tape of my beloved husband.”

She paused, looking at the man beside her with so much indulgence before turning to face the crowd. “My husband and I are a loving couple. It is sad that someone is trying to sabotage the beautiful love we share.” She paused and nodded at Sally who was standing backstage. She quickly came up and handed her an envelope. “With me here are evidence that the man in the video is not my husband. I hope after this, Ray and I will be left alone…”

An hour and thirty minutes was all it took to convince the hungry newscasters that Raymond North was the victim and not a cheating husband. The Press were already nodding in approval, some even apologizing as the duo left the stage through the door they had come in through. they were barely out of sight when Lisa quickly removed her hand from his, her gentle smile fading away.

  “I’m sorry, you have to do. I promise I’ll be careful next time. I didn’t know she would try to blackmail me.”

Lisa scoffed. Why was she surprised? It wasn’t like she was expecting him to agree to stop sleeping around with those cheap ladies that could barely match up to a toe of her foot. “If you are truly sorry, try not to show up for a press conference that was meant to clear your name with evidence that would give the Press something to talk about and reeking of a mixture of unpleasant perfumes.” She could barely wait. She walked away wile Sally followed her from a distance. She had always known better than stay around when the two were having one of their fights.

Lisa was led outside through the VIP passageway of the hotel they had hosted the interview in order to avoid running into random Reporters. On a large billboard a meter away, the scene of the interview played. Although she didn’t want to, Lisa still stopped to take a look before proceeding to board the black Aston Martin whose door had been opened by her chauffeur.

  “Hotel Presidential.” She said, leaning back on the fur seat and throwing her sunglasses on while hoping to catch some sleep. For the next coming weeks, she was sure the reporters would stay off her news; unless Raymond decides to mess around again. Sleep didn’t come as soon as she had expected it. Her eyes were wide awake. Having no other option, she looked out through the window, relishing the rays of the summer sun that kissed her porcelain skin. if anyone could see her at the moment, they wouldn’t believe the high and mighty CEO enjoyed sun kisses too. She laughed at the bad joke. Well, before she was CEO, she was human. Unfortunately, people would never see that.

When the car came to a halt in front of a very large hotel, she slipped out and made her way in, followed closely behind by Sally who seeing her Boss’s bad mood, tried not to infuriate her further.

They took the elevator and arrived at the third floor. She walked past a few doors before finally swiping the room card at the fourth door. Inside the room, was a girl—no, a lady. She was beautiful but one could tell from a glance that nearly all part of her body had gone under the knife. Her make-up was smudge, leaving purple and black lines across her face which Lisa considered ugly.

  “I have done what you have asked. You will let me go, right?” she stuttered on seeing Lisa.

Lisa smiled, settling comfortably on a chair beside the bed where the woman sat. She crossed her legs, looking as graceful as ever with her pigeon egg diamond ring shimmering in the sun. Her eyes lingered on it as if admiring it but before long, her eyes were back on the lady in front of her. “I must commend you for your help then.”

It was her. The lady in Raymond’s leaked sex tape. The one who tried to blackmail him with the video. She had gotten the lady to make a video of herself apologizing and admitting that the man in the video was not Raymond. She handled the rest herself; including getting a renowned designer to add some tweaks to the man in the video, as well as professionally edit a few pictures in her phone to prove that she and Raymond were home the same night when it happened.

  “I’m sorry.” The woman broke into tears. “My family needed money. I had no choice.”

Lisa smiled awkwardly. Perhaps, if things hadn’t gone the way they did, would she have been in this young lady’s shoe too? Trying not to lower herself before the woman, she opened her bag, brought out a cheque book and signed it. Tearing it off, she offered it to the whimpering lady. “Here is a cheque of fifty million dollars. I am sure it will go a long way for your family. I have also prepared a passport and visa for you. My men will take you to the airport. You can go anywhere you want. Just make sure I don’t ever set my eyes on you. Ever. I don’t care what excuse you have to give to your family but I hope this stays off the media. You wouldn’t like it if I found out you tried to do something funny, again.”

She dropped the cheque on the bed, alongside an international passport. Then got off the chair, heading for the door. After this, she would go home and have a long, long sleep. Just then, it occurred to her she still needed to be at the office to attend some meetings.

Behind her, the pale woman snickered. “You must be feeling smug.”

Lisa halted. She didn’t turn back. The woman’s words were akin to the last words of a dying man. She didn’t care less about what came out of her mouth knowing she was only trying to rile her.

Perhaps, it was because of the pent-up feelings she needed to let go, Lisa turned to look at the guard that had appeared by the door. “See Ms. Cornwell to the airport. I am sure she would not like to be late for her flight.

  “Why? Are you scared? That’s right. You are no better than me, Ms. High-and-Mighty.” She gave a wry smile, throwing all form of sanity to the wind. “It must be hard for you. Don’t you want to admit it?”

Again, Lisa halted.