The Mayor's Star

CHAPTER THREE

"Please do not open your social media for the meantime, okay?" Max reminded Jonard for the nth time as they walked.

After the meeting, Jonard and Max went out of the building. Jonard will be temporarily staying in one of the agency's apartments while Max works on drafting Jonard's statement.

"Jo, I know you got this," Max said. Jonard avoided his gaze as he nodded his head. Max couldn't help but let out a sigh. He's worried about Jonard as his manager and friend.

"You can go now," Max said and closed the door. The company driver nodded and drove away while Jonard closed his eyes.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Sparkle Stars' apartment. He thanked the driver and went inside the house he would be living in until the news about his s*x video dies out.

Jonard roamed around the apartment, trying to memorize every detail. The place was quiet. Sparkle Stars' sure knows how to keep the nosy reporters away.

Jonard sat on the couch and took his phone out. Despite Max's reminder for him not to open his account, he couldn't help it. He opened his fakebook account and saw the video of him and Carlo circulating. Jonard breathed deeply as his trembling hands scrolled through the comments section.

"Oh my goodness! This is f*cking sick; I almost puke!"

"I knew it! I knew there was something wrong with you! Sick faggot."

"Please get this f@ggot out of the entertainment industry! I don't want my favorite actors to be associated with a homosexual lifestyle!

"F*cking disgusting."

"Ewww, go die."

The hate comments were just too many that Jonard immediately closed his phone and put it next to him. He bit his lower lip as he began to cry, sobbing his eyes out. What did he do? He loved Carlo with all his heart, yet he chose to betray him, and for what? What did Carlo gain aside from the money he stole from him?

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock.

Jonard looked at the screen and saw his mother's number. He was hesitant to answer it, but he did anyway.

"What is it, Angelica?" he coldly said, masking his helplessness.

"So, the day has finally arrived? That karma will get you because you chose to be gay," Angelica spat.

"Your name sounded so pure, yet your actions and attitude spoke otherwise. Mother, is this really how you would greet your son?" Jonard said, clasping his phone tightly. Tears silently fell from his eyes.

"I don't have a son who is gay," Angelica replied. "I wanted to see your downfall," she added and ended the call.

Jonard was taken aback by his mother's words; he couldn't move, and his tears just fell like waterfalls from his eyes. They were okay, a normal family, but it changed when Jonard happily confessed that he was gay and in love with the football captain. Jonard couldn't forget the look on his mother's face that day; it was purely disgust.

The day after Jonard confessed his true gender preference, his mother brought a priest to their home. She claimed he was possessed and acting abnormally. Her words felt like thousands of knives stabbing his heart. He had believed his mother would accept him, but instead, she was the first to criticize him.

Jonard left home, but he couldn’t bring himself to completely cut ties with his mother, who had raised him alone after his father passed away. Sometime later, he met Max at a gay club. Max introduced him to the world of acting and eventually became his manager. Despite their strained relationship, Jonard still had his mother’s number saved in his phone contacts; hence the call he received.

Jonard lay on the couch and closed his eyes, hoping that everything that had happened was just a dream and none of it was true, but it was the reality—his reality. Max arrived at his apartment, carrying the company's approved printed statement. The press conference will be tomorrow.

"Jo, you read the comments when I specifically told you not to?" Max asked, his forehead creased. Jonard bowed his head.

"I'm sorry," he replied. Max heaved a sigh and patted Jonard's back. When Max looked at Jonard, he noticed that his eyes were swollen from constant crying.

"Jo, I'm doing this for you. Never read the comments, alright? Those people... don't understand us." Max said. He too was judged for being gay, but Max did not listen to what people were dictating to him.

"Have you...have they found out where Carlo was? He's the only one who can clear my name," Jonard whispered.

"No, but we will still press charges. That son of a b*tch planned this and disappeared," Max said. Jonard felt hopeless; it also means that he will never get back his hard-earned money.

Max let out a sigh and presented him with a card bearing his name. Jonard looked at him, a little confused.

"What's this?" Jonard asked.

"You forgot your card? You gave it to me three years ago," Max said. "The one Carlo got wasn't the only money you have," he added. As Max cared for Jonard's well-being, he deposited twenty percent of Jonard's salary, a deposit that Jonard probably doesn't remember now. Jonard embraced Max.

"I really could kiss you right now," Jonard said, but Max made a face.

"You're not my type, Jo. Besides, we're both bottoms," Max said, making Jonard chuckle. "Well, I'm glad that made you smile," he added.

"Thank you, Max," Jonard said.

"You're welcome, Jo," Max said.

Standing in front of the reporters, Jonard gulped nervously. Despite his desire to flee, his feet remained firmly planted on the ground. The bright flashes from the cameras almost blinded him, but thankfully, Max had reminded him to wear his glasses.

"Jonard! Tell us the truth—what really happened?" one reporter shouted.

"Are you saying you only pretended to date the actress Gwen Mendez to hide your true preferences?" another asked, their tone sharp and prying.

The questions were coming fast, and Jonard could feel the weight of the stares and cameras pressing on him, demanding answers. He breathed deeply, and just like what the statement said, he started talking.

"I’ll start by saying this: that video was taken without my knowledge or permission. It was a violation of my privacy, and I will not be silent about that."

"Yes, my preferences and gender may not fit what some people expect, but that doesn’t make me less human. I didn’t hurt anyone by being myself—I just made the mistake of trusting the wrong person. The individual in that video betrayed me in the worst way, and their actions speak volumes about their character, not mine," he said, fighting his tears back.

"As for Gwen, let me set the record straight. She has nothing to do with this scandal. Gwen is a colleague, a talented actress, and a kindhearted person. We are working together on a drama series, and the rumors linking her to this are both false and disrespectful. To drag her name and any of my colleagues into this situation is unfair and completely uncalled for."

"I won’t deny that this has been a painful experience, but I refuse to let it define me. I’ll own my truth and stand up for myself because no one deserves to be shamed for who they are or for being betrayed by someone they trusted," Jonard said, ending his statement. His voice was firm, his gaze unwavering, as he faced the reporters with a mixture of bravery, fear, and dignity. The room fell into silence.

"Thank you," Jonard said, ending his statement. The reporters scrambled to ask their questions, their voices overlapping in a chaotic frenzy, but Max pulled Jonard inside the building, guards standing at the door preventing the reporters from running after them. With a pat on Jonard's back, Max looked at him proudly.

"You did great."