The Grand Mistress

"Then Miss Han, how can you explain all this?" Someone stepped in holding a phone in her hand. On that phone was the article of Hawk Monsanto enjoying a night with another woman and together with it were pictures of them. 

Seeing it, Feather's knees shook. Although the woman's face was a bit blurred because obviously it was taken from afar, her shining copper hair made the ballerina realize she was the same woman from the engagement party. Did Hawk and that woman really met and even dated at her back?

Feather then was confused. Growing up, she had envied Hawk's devotion to the Han's heiress even  when she was not aware that the boy in the remote village nicknamed Spin was a Monsanto. That boy had always been true to his words and had exceeded all their expectations especially when after many years,  he emerged powerful and rich yet his affection for the girl he met in the Somerset village remained the same. So how in the whole wide world, would a person who was deeply devoted to someone cheat just like that? Was his devotion to the Han's heiress not true after all?

"I don't think these pictures are real," Feather shook her head miserably and although she didn't want to break loose in front of everyone, her expressions simply couldn't be contained. She was hurt, shocked and all the more devastated at what she had seen. How could Hawk Monsano do this to the woman he swore to marry?

"Right!" Ami defended Feather amidst the chaos. She too had seen how her face suddenly went pale and it wouldn't be long before Feather would storm out the door and make her day miserable than it already was. She and Feather's manager, Rose Feng, spent so much effort for this photoshoot for the last several days and for it to be ruined by a certain rumor going around the city was the last thing they wished would happen. "You have no proof that these pictures are legit,"

"Well then there's another way to find out if Miss Han was really telling the truth," Another of the staff stepped  in. Actually they all hated Feather and so they all used this opportunity to at least get back at her a little. The ballerina was sure as bitch as hell and she had fired out many of their colleagues for petty reasons and yet they could do nothing because she was a pride in this country when it comes to ballet and right now, people had a high regard for her as she was Hawk Monsanto's woman. So no matter how the staff bleed and get insulted by Feather on set they all just let it pass as they don't want to go against the M Conglomerate's president.

"If President Hawk did really give you the mariposa verde, then perhaps you can show it to us?" the staff suggested. There was a picture of Hawk giving the mariposa verde to that mystery woman and so they all wondered whether Feather was really telling the truth or had been denying it all.

"It's not here with me," Feather reasoned. "And besides, why the hell would I bring such precious jewelry everywhere?"

"Then you can post when you are at home? It's not that hard I guess," 

Feather's face fell at that. Of course she doesn't have the mariposa verde and she can't just go and look for something identical to it because surely the Verde Jewelry Incorporated will be able to tell the difference. Besides, it is a crime to imitate one and she wouldn't risk being  persecuted because of her rising career and the reputation she was trying so hard to protect.

"Now that you said it I won't be posting anything then!" Feather was enraged. The hotness of her red angry face immediately sent droplets of sweat in her head.  "That gift was very precious to me and I don't want to share it with anyone!"

Meanwhile, a few buildings away from where Feather was being bombarded by the studio's staff, a woman was staring at an anonymous online article. Her copper hair was on a tight clean bun and on her face hanging was her thick reading glasses.  She was sitting on her office desk very stressed out from all the deadlines and her boss demands. In fact it was only a minute ago when she had managed to sit and take her break after hours of running and hurrying around. 

Right then she was staring at the article online about Hawk Monsanto dating another girl behind his fiancee's back. Seeing it her head suddenly ached. Is this Lucy's doing?

Last night she asked Lucy what would be their next move to get on with their Feather project and that devious queen only smiled. 

"You'll see" She could hear Lucilla laughing at her mind as she was planning to pull a bomb the very next day. And alas! The bomb was already out as an anonymous article had been circling online about Hawk Monsanto's infidelity and his outrageous expenses for his mistress. Good thing Lucy didn't miss to blur her face or everyone of Feather's fans will go and hunt her.

"God Lucilla, you are soo like Lucifer!" Simione cursed the singer a million times but of course she couldn't deny it was such a good move. What's the purpose of having an intimate night with Hawk Monsanto after all if Feather will now know about it. Seeing thousands of comments and shares on that article, surely it had reached Feather's knowledge then. She wondered then how many vases Feather would break at the Han's Mansion with her anger over such news. The thought sponsored a satisfying smile on her face.

"Whoaah! Simione! You smiled today!" Gertrude, one of her officemates, noticed it. He flushed a surprise face comically in front of Simione mockering her for smiling for the first time that day. Curious, he took a glance at what Simione was doting on and found her reading the news about Hawk Monsanto. Immediately he shook his head in disgust, "My God Simione, while everyone in the country was disheartened with the news about President Hawk's infidelity over Miss Han, here you are, weirdly, smiling so happily at it!"

"Really?" Another secretary but in. "How heartless you are Simione!"

Simione was working in a law firm as one of the secretaries of a famous lawyer. Getrude and the other girl who just teased her were her colleagues and so were the rest in that department. Although their law firm had good benefits, their direct boss, Mr Wanglin, who was the head of the secretariat department was a very strict and taunting man that no employees would simply stay long under his care. Simione for example dreaded the man soo much, however her company was the one paying her fees in law school which she will never ever be able to afford and her salary there, which was higher than what she can get from other law firms made her stick through all of Mr. Wanglin's emotional torture. As far she was concerned about her emotional well being, she needed the money to support her family which at the moment was under a great predicament.

Simione just rolled an eye at their dramas and put her phone down. With sigh, she opened her laptop and started opening some files.

"Reviewing again are we?" Gertrude didn't give her a break. "If Mr. Wanglin sees you reviewing again, he'll send you to hell!"

"If you are that concerned then please just cover for me," Simione grimaced at the mention of their boss name. "I wasn't able to review last night and I don't want to end up standing the whole four hours if I fail again to answer the recitations. Besides I had finished everything he demanded,"

"Goodness Simione, as if Mr. Wanglin's tortue isn't enough, you dare to enroll in law school and subject yourself to more stress!" Trini, the one who just joined Getrude in teasing Simione earlier, commented. "No wonder your smiles are very expensive. You simply had no time to be delighted in small things because of the amount of stress you intentionally drown yourself into."

"I'm already in my third year," Simione answered, eyes fixed on her computer. "Don't you think your concern was a bit late already? You should have told me that before I entered law school,"

"Excuse me, I tried to convince you to drop out from law school when I and Gertrude did," Trini reminded her. Every secretary in that law firm had been offered full scholarships in law school and yet most of them dropped out after a semester. Statistically speaking, only one percent of the employee's population in their law firm survived through law school and Simione was one of them.

"Hussh!" Simione dismissed her off as her eyes had started rummaging around a case file that she was reading. She needed her focus and Trini's words were just stressing her all the more. "Just warn me if Mr. Wanglin drops by,"

"Right," Trini just shook her head as she abandoned her earlier statements. She was aware that Simione was already in study mode and so her words all just went through the girl's ears without any meaning.