Mr. Billionaire, I'm Back!

Chapter 42: Dealing With The Reporters Outside

After reading Sarah's recent Twitter post, her fans hated Joanna more than ever. Their idol seemed gracious and forgiving, but her stepsister hadn't even confessed her crimes or apologized. Thus, hateful statements directed at Joanna and supportive comments directed at Sarah continued to flood the comment section.

For example, User XYZ_SarhDevine_Fan wrote: "Sarah, you are so kind. That's why that b***h, Joanna, is doing this to you!"

User Ajax16 wrote: "Sarah, look at what Joanna did to you. She is not your sister!"

User MegaBucksMegaTrucks wrote: "Joanna, you're ugly and evil. Leave Sarah alone. She didn't do anything to you!"

Sarah felt a sense of satisfaction as she read the comments, and she took strength from them. It seemed like she had an army at her back, and as long as she could keep Julie and Austen in line, she believed that they would stay loyal to her. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to contact her co-stars, and that worried her.

Sarah had enough leverage in Hollywood that she could make or break a person's career. Thus, she was sure that she could make Austen and Julie see things her way. In the worst-case scenario, though, Joanna had already gotten to them, and if they came public with their own version of what happened, i.e., the truth, then she would be in very hot water indeed.

***

Brian was out of town for business when the video went viral, and immediately after watching it, he turned to Danny and said, "Book me a flight home. ASAP."

Danny had no idea what was happening to Joanna, so he was confused. "We just got here," he said with a frown on his face, "and we still have a business to conduct…" "

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Brian growled. "Who is your boss, anyway?"

"You are," Danny quickly replied. He apologized and said, "I will get right on it."

***

At the Green's villa - Ken frowned as he reread Sarah's most recent Twitter post. In this newest thread, she had called her Joanna a drug addict, and although he and Joanna had not been married for very long, he had never seen her do drugs. Nor had she acted in the manner that she was being accused of acting.

But why should I care? – he asked himself – We will be divorced soon. Even so, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he did care. Despite their differences and inability to get along, he knew that Joanna was a good person, and she didn't deserve to be treated the way she was being treated.

***

At the Devine HQ – Joanna sat in the staff room with her head on the table. Her phone was in her pocket, and it was off. Sarah had posted her number publicly, and she'd been receiving angry calls from haters non-stop. Her workday was over, but she felt too exhausted to move.

Steve walked in, and she sat up. "Journalists have surrounded the building," he said. "Do you need me to drive you home?"

Joanna noticed that he looked weird. She thought about how his wife had killed herself, and she said, "No, thanks." She'd rather face hundreds of reporters than be alone with Steve.

Steve shrugged and said, "Okay. Be careful."

After Steve left, Joanna got up to go, and as she walked to the elevator, she could overhear her co-workers gossiping about her, and she felt like crying. It hadn't been that long ago that they had all been on her side. Now, not only were they talking about her behind her back, but she suspected that they were intentionally doing it loud enough for her to hear. Just ignore them – she told herself. But it was impossible to do.

When Joanna exited the elevator, she was accosted by a group of reporters. One of them shouted, "Miss Joanna Devine! please tell us why you set your sister up?"

"No comment," Joanna replied.

"Miss Devine, what were you thinking when you put that video online?" another reporter asked.

"No comment," Joanna replied. The questions flooded in, and to each one, she said, "No comment." "Excuse me," she cried, and she tried to push her way past the reporters, but they held their ground and would not let her pass.

Suddenly, Joanna wished she'd accepted Steve's offer. She now realized how much easier it would have been to handle him than handle these reporters, but it was too late. The reporters were relentless, and they seemed to want to drive her crazy. She was surrounded, and she saw no way out. "Please get out of my way," she begged. "I'm tired, and I just want to go home!"

Finally, Joanna began to get angry, and she began to yell at the reporters. They took their pictures, but they still would not leave her alone. One of the reporters lifted his fist and tried to punch her, but she got out of the way at the last second.

Suddenly, a car drove into the parking lot at a dangerous speed. The driver was honking his horn, and when Joanna saw who'd arrived, tears of relief began to stream down her face. The car did not slow as it approached the building, and the reporters jumped out of the way to avoid being hit.

Brian slammed on the brakes just seconds before the car hit the curb, and it came to a stop a foot away from where Joanna was standing. And then he got out of the vehicle.

Now that the reporters were distracted, Joanna grabbed the nearest one - the man that had tried to hit her - and she threw him on the ground. There was a loud sound as the back of his head hit the cement, echoing throughout the parking lot. When the other reporters saw this, they began to step away from her nervously.

Brian strode towards Joanna, and this time, when he pulled her into his arms, she said nothing. And instead of fighting him, she buried her head in his chest and held him tightly. "My little fool," Brian said. "Everything will be alright now that I'm here."

Danny and three other bodyguards emerged from Brian's car. Brian looked at them and said, "Deal with these reporters. I want all the footage of what happened here destroyed. Like it never happened. Do you understand?"

Danny nodded and said, "Yes, boss."

Brian led Joanna to the car's passenger side, and he opened the door for her. Before she got in, though, she pointed to the man who'd tried to punch her and said. "I want the footage of that man trying to hit me."

Brian nodded and passed the order on to Danny. Then they both got into the car.

As they left the parking lot, Brian held the steering wheel with one hand and held Joanna's hand with the other. He smiled and said, "You can't go back to the Grace House tonight. Some people probably are waiting there, so I will take you to my villa where you will be safe. You will need to stay with me for a few days, at the very least."

Joanna nodded but said nothing.

When they arrived at Brian's villa, he kissed her on the hand, and as he carried her inside, she clung to him. Then, when they got into the house, she wouldn't let him put her down. Thus, he had to sit on the sofa and hold her in his lap. "Are you still afraid?" he asked. "Even here, in my home?"

"A little bit," Joanna admitted. Her little body was trembling.

"A little bit, mu tuckus." Brian smiled and ran his hands through her hair. "Don't worry," he said. "I will protect you." They sat like that for a long time, not saying anything. Eventually, though, Joanna's stomach began to grumble, and he asked her if she was hungry.