Chapter 18 – We Broke The Internet

We had broken the internet.

It had been three days since my brothers’ revelations, and I’d taken up the role of PR Manager for Mordecai. It hadn’t been easy, but when you know the right people, then everything sort of comes together when you need it to.

I started by ‘leaking’ the correct information about the accident and Mordecai’s health to one of the most popular talk show hosts, Tia Remington. She’d been a secret patient of mine when she’d gotten a lung operation about a year ago, and she had told me that if I ever needed her help, I should call her.

Which is what I did.

We met up for lunch and I explained everything to her – well at least everything in regards to the accident. The Judith/Blaire thing wasn’t something we were making public as yet. Tia was in shock and appalled that someone would take it upon themselves to try and ruin someone in that way.

She agreed to do the expose, and Mordecai agreed to appear for an interview.

That was about three hours ago.

She’d shared the breaking news with the world, and she’d interviewed Mordecai, who was sincere with all his words. He admitted to his mistakes, and even Charlie appeared to explain that he’d been feeding Mordecai things that weren’t drugs.

When they decided to open up the lines, they went haywire. A whole lot of people had questions for Mordecai, which he answered honestly. Nellie, being the absolute dork she is, called in and asked about Mordecai’s love life.

And that’s how I ended up on national TV.

Instead of answering, Mordecai got up and walked over to me, where I was standing beside the crew, and gave me one hell of a head spinning kiss. That was pretty much his response, and it set even more questions firing all over the internet.

Especially since just the day before, the world thought Mordecai was in a relationship with Mendel Gold.

That’s right!

Judith/Blaire went ahead with her bullshit story, even after telling me to handle this.

At first Mordecai was furious, so I was forced to share my plan with him to calm him down. His impromptu kiss was merely him catching everyone off guard.

The responses on the internet, across social media, were more positive than negative, and it relieved me more than I was willing to admit. There were some sceptics, but most of the people, especially Mordecai’s fans, were happy that he’s healing, that he wasn’t to blame for the accident, that he’s rehabilitating from his excessive lifestyle, and that he has a new girlfriend.

Thank the Gods I’d let Nellie coax me into shopping.

I at least looked the part of ‘Mordecai Hart’s Girlfriend’ since I was wearing labels I would’ve never thought I would own. I was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a light leopard print top with some pink spots, and a pair of heels that matched the pink spots. Nellie accessorized with a matching bag, coat and accessories. She did my makeup and styled my hair for me.

All in all, I looked pretty good.

Mordecai was dressed in all black, dressed from head to toe in Armani. He’d gotten a personalized walking cane with a freaky handle thing that was shaped like my face (supposedly). While there was still strain on his leg, he pulled it off and he looked better than I’d ever seen him. I’d gone and Googled his images from before the accident, and he truly looked shitfaced for most of the time.

He had definitely come a long way.

I smiled to myself when I felt his arms go around me. I was standing in the bathroom, looking out the magnificent view. I was giving myself time to just take everything in. People didn’t really know who I was, since he just kissed me, but didn’t mention my name. It drove them absolutely insane.

“What are you doing all the way up here?” he murmured onto my neck.

“Waiting,” I replied.

“What for?” he asked.

“Judith or Blaire – whatever the hell you want to call her,” I shrugged.

I really was waiting for her. We hadn’t shared plans of the expose with her, so she was probably as shocked as everyone. We had all switched off our phones because we were forcing her to come to the house to talk to us.

“Let’s go with Satan, and she’s here,” he informed.

“Downstairs?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yep!”

I turned in his embrace to look at him. “Are you ready for her?”

“As long as I’ve got you, I can face anything,” he smiled before kissing me softly.

We left the room and headed downstairs. I could already hear Judith/Blaire losing her mind. She was shouting when we entered the living room, and I was honestly taken aback to find Mendel there crying. Zebedee, Geronimo, Nellie, Charlie, Angel and my brothers looked very uninterested by the whole situation.

Nellie and Mordecai’s mother was absent, but only because she was still out of town.

Judith/Blaire glared at us when she noticed us. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Hello Judith! How are you on this fine afternoon?” Mordecai said. We both sat on the free couch, with him taking my hand in his while I settled into his side.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?” she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. “Cleared the story up with my boyfriend’s life like you told me to?”

“Where did you even get the false information from? He could go to jail for the shit stunt you pulled,” she huffed.

“The information was all true. He has nothing to worry about,” Jacob spoke up.

She scowled. “And who the hell are you?”

“Beverly’s brother,” he replied.

“Tell her Judith! Tell her how she ruined my life!” Mendel sniffed.

“Your little stunt has turned people against poor Mendel because now they think she’s delusional and pretty much imagined her relationship with Mordecai,” Judith/Blaire informed.

We all looked at her in concern, with Mordecai speaking. “Because she pretty much did.”

“You were supposed to go with it!” she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. “So, telling you that I wanted nothing to do with that plan, was just not enough for you?”

“I’m the one who has your best interests at heart Mordecai! You’d do well to remember that. This stunt is going to drown you. When the world finds out you’re fucking your nurse, it will be over for you,” she said.

“Is that a threat Judith?” I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you getting at?”

“It’s a simple question,” I replied.

“Are you insinuating that I don’t know what I’m talking about?” she asked.

“Do you?” I challenged. Fury blazed in her eyes.

“You think you’re so high and mighty? Like you know everything? Well, you don’t! You’ve ruined Mendel’s career, and you’re going to ruin Mordecai’s as well,” she sneered.

“No Judith, you ruined Mendel’s career. And, I’d rather have Bev than have the fame,” Mordecai jumped in.

She gasped. “What?”

“I’d choose Beverly over everything in the blink of an eye,” he replied.

She turned to me. “What have you done to him?”

“She’s made me a better person,” Mordecai was the one to reply.

“You’re going to regret this,” she warned.

“I’ll take my chances,” he shot back.

“You know what? I’m going to do damage control since unlike this woman, I care about you and your career,” she said, doing a complete one eighty on us.

“There is no damage,” I pointed out.

“That’s a strong matter of opinion,” she said before picking up her bag and heading for the foyer.

“Wait! That’s it?” Mendel asked, her tears suddenly gone.

“What did you expect? That he would fall on his knees and beg you not to hate him?” Judith/Blaire asked. Mendel looked at her in shock as she walked out the house.

She turned to me. “You bitch!”

“Get out,” I told her.

“This isn’t your house! You ruined my fucking life!” she spat.

I glared at her. “Actually, it is my house, and if you don’t leave in the next twenty seconds, I’ll fucking make you.”

Being the coward she is, fear was all over her face before she huffed and walked out of the house. I could finally breathe again, and I wasn’t the only one. We all looked at each other before we started laughing.

“By the way Angel, these are my brothers Jacob and Jackson. Guys, this is Angel, my biological sister,” I told them. Unlike Dr and Mrs Dickson, the two of them don’t know about my past, except about my mother.

“Your sister?” they both said wide-eyed.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you both. I’ve heard so much about you,” Angel smiled.

“It’s all lies!” they said in unison.

I scowled. “Again? You ungrateful fuckers!”

“We’re kidding sis. It’s an honour to meet you Angel,” Jackson smiled.

“Guys, I’m afraid to switch on my phone,” Nellie whined.

“You’re not the only one,” Mordecai added.

“You should probably switch yours on though,” I realized.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you name has been cleared,” I pointed out.

“Which means that people will want to do business with you again,” Charlie finished off.

Mordecai shrugged. “Well, as long as I don’t have to answer it, then I’m good.”

“I’ll be your P.A for the day,” Angel offered.

“Thanks,” Mordecai chuckled.

“So, who’s hungry?” Geronimo asked.

We all agreed that eating was a good idea. Geronimo made us some fancy but delicious tasting beef and chicken burgers with potato wedges. We were all just spending time together with no stress. When we were done, Mordecai switched on his phone, and it wouldn’t stop vibrating for at least thirty minutes.

“So many messages and notifications,” he groaned.

“I say we divide and tackle,” Nellie suggested.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Kai can read his own texts. Angel can answer his calls. The rest of us can handle his other social media platforms,” she explained.

It was a brilliant idea honestly. We all grabbed our devices and got to it. Mordecai gave us his passwords and the numbers he last had when he went online the day before. We needed to have those numbers to be able to make the comparisons.

Mordecai read his texts, Angel answered his phone every time it rang, Nellie handled his blog, Jacob handled his Facebook page, Geronimo handled his private Facebook profile, Zebedee handled his emails, Charlie handled his Twitter, Jackson handled his Instagram page, and I was left with handling his website.

“This is absolutely insane,” Jacob chuckled.

Zebedee shook his head with a smile. “You’re telling us!”

“Just today alone, you’ve gained six thousand followers on Instagram,” Jackson informed.

“Thirteen thousand on Twitter,” Charlie commented.

“Twenty two thousand more likes on your Facebook page,” Jacob stated.

“You have a couple of movie offers here,” Zebedee added.

“You website has had more visitors today than ever before and the people want pictures,” I informed.

“Yeah, that seems to be the same situation with the blog,” Nellie replied.

“How am I going to handle everything at once?” Mordecai groaned.

I squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered.”

I got up and went to make a call to the people I knew could help me with what I needed to accomplish. When I told them what I needed from them, they were more than happy to help, and soon enough, they had arrived. They were with one girl I’d never met before.

“So, now we know who the guy was! Shame on you for not telling us such major news!” Shawna said as I opened the door. She was with Deloris, Gina, Tasha and the other girl I don’t know.

I sighed as I let them in. “Hey guys! It’s a long story, but I really need your help right now.”

“I can’t believe I’m in THEE Mordecai Hart’s house! Like oh em freakin gee!” the girl squealed.

“Bev, this is Whitney Smith. She goes to the private school down the road from ours. She is probably Mordecai’s number one fan, or something along those lines. She’s got more than a million followers on Twitter and her blog on Mordecai. She’s the person most people turn to on news about Mordecai because she always has the most reliable information,” Shawna explained.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I smiled. She grabbed me and took a photo of us before I even had time to react.

“You’re Mordecai’s new girlfriend! I’m freaking out!” she said breathlessly.

“I’m afraid to come into the room,” Mordecai said from the door.

“MORDECAI!” Whitney screamed before fainting.

Deloris scowled, looking at the passed out girl. “Bitch cray cray!”

“Well that was unexpected,” Mordecai commented as he walked in.

“You’re telling us. Baby, these are my friends Shawna, Deloris, Gina and Tasha. The girl who just passed out is Whitney,” I introduced.

“It’s great to meet you guys,” Mordecai flashed them a smile.

“You too,” they replied.

“So, what’s the deal with Whitney?” he asked.

“You see, our Twitter fan bases are very versatile and when Bev called, asking for our help, we knew that only one person could truly help her. Whitney here is one of your biggest fans. You probably even know her now that I think about it,” Shawna noted. She turned Whitney over just as the girl was getting up.

“Whitney Smith?” Mordecai asked.

“You know my name,” Whitney whispered, eyes wide.

“Yeah! You’re one of my biggest supporters in the world,” Mordecai smiled.

Wow, I didn’t think he’d know something like that.

“You are my life!” she beamed as she stood up.

“Glad to hear it! Are you ok?” he asked in concern.

“Yeah! It’s been my lifelong dream to meet you and I just got a little overwhelmed. I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you,” she blushed.

“I’m sorry it’s taken so long. I’ve honestly wanted to meet you for the longest time now, but circumstances couldn’t let that happen,” Mordecai told her.

AKA Judith/Blaire I’m sure.

“It’s ok! I understand you need my help. I only have one solution for you that will really work,” Whitney said.

“We’re all for anything at this point really,” Mordecai sighed as we walked to the lounge. Everyone was still busy on Mordecai’s accounts and phone.

“Guys, these are my friends Shawna, Deloris, Tanya, Gina and Whitney. They are going to help us with handling Kai’s image. Guys, these are our family members and friends. That’s Mordecai’s brother Zebedee, his sister and my best friend Nellie, his best friends Charlie and Geronimo, my brothers Jacob and Jackson and my sister Angel,” I introduced.

“Zebedee Hart, world renowned chef Geronimo Solomon and one of the most successful CEO’s Charlie Maxwell – I’m in heaven,” Whitney whispered.

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Big fan?”

“One of my biggest in the world,” Mordecai said with pride.

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” Geronimo smiled.

“Wait! You said Mordecai’s sister? Mordecai doesn’t have a sister. I would know this,” Whitney said matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t want to be in the spotlight, but I’m ok with you guys knowing. I think I’m actually ok with everyone finally knowing,” Nellie replied.

“Ok wow, this is a lot to take in, but it’s actually brilliant for what I have in mind,” Whitney said thoughtfully.

“Before we get to that, you guys grab a seat. Is there anything you’d like to drink?” I asked them.

They placed their orders and I headed to the kitchen to get the drinks with Geronimo. Of course the ever so demanding chef had to make their glasses look all appealing. They were impressed when I delivered them, and Whitney was more than happy to be drinking a ‘Chef Solomon’ original drink.

“Ok, so as I was saying – since my blog reaches so many of Mordecai’s fans, they would all obviously kill for him to answer their questions and so on, so how about we have a live stream?” she suggested.

“You mean give them a platform to ask him questions?” Angel asked.

“Pretty much, but not just that. This has been a dark three months for Mordecai’s fans, and while people like me never gave up on him, I won’t lie and say that the fans didn’t have their doubts. This would really be a platform for them to learn more about Mordecai, especially after this morning’s events. Now that Nellie is ready to go public as his sister, that’s something that could also be thrown in there, but obviously the bigger story would have to be about you. I just realized that I know everyone’s name here except yours,” Whitney said to me.

“Beverly Rhymes,” I provided.

“You’re a nurse,” she beamed.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“You treated my uncle Tobias Carter after his accident a few months back. He couldn’t stop talking about his awesome nurse,” she giggled.

I shook my head with an amused smile on my face. “Toby! Boy I will never forget him.”

“Wait, so were you Mordecai’s nurse and then you guys fell for each other from there?” she asked.

“She hated me at first, and she wasn’t initially my nurse, but it’s something like that,” Mordecai smirked.

“That will definitely go down well with the fans, and the people who generally thought that you look down on people below you. Your manager didn’t always paint you in a good light. To find out that you are dating someone common will prove that you’re not as stuck up as most people believe,” Whitney smiled.

“I think I’ve generally been blind to how Judith has handled my career,” Mordecai admitted with a scowl.

“Ok, so how are we going to work with this stream?” I asked, diverting attention from Mordecai’s statement.

“I’m going to send a tweet and post a Facebook post now to say that I’ll be doing a live stream with Mordecai himself to get the hype going. Everyone in the room has to spread the word as well. It would actually be preferred if Mordecai retweets the tweet, and re-shares the Facebook post. We also need a snapshot of the tweet for Instagram. We’ll give it two hours to give people time to prepare themselves and send in their questions. Once we’ve reached the time deadline, we’ll compile the most important questions, and then we’ll start the stream an hour from the deadline,” Whitney replied.

Wow, she went from fan girl to PR manager real quick!

“And how will we work with the live stream?” Jacob asked.

“I need a camera first, and then we can set the whole thing up. I’ll start by introducing the stream, and then we’ll get to knowing more about Mordecai. I mean as his fans we already know him, but this is more about getting to know the clearly new Mordecai. We’ll then introduce Nellie and Zebedee since they’re family, then we’ll introduce Charlie and Geronimo since everyone knows that they’re his best friends. Lastly, we’ll introduce Beverly. You guys will share details of your relationship, and then we’ll get to Mordecai answering the questions people want the answers to. This stream will be the longest I’ve ever had, but also the most important. It will be about two and a half hours long minimum, and we must all be committed to helping,” Whitney said sternly.

I think the surprise was shared by everyone in the room. We could definitely see the passion she has for Mordecai in her eyes. She would go to the ends of the earth for him, and I suddenly understood why so many people follow her, despite their shared love for Mordecai.

She’s a fantastic cheerleader.

“Are you sure this will work?” Mordecai asked her.

“Trust me on this! By tomorrow, everyone will know who you are, and you will most definitely be in the good light. I’m one of your biggest fans and I know for a fact that you were forever shitfaced and didn’t have the best of reputations, but even now, just sitting here looking at you, you radiate happiness, and you look good. It’s a good look and this whole live stream will actually put you in a great light,” Whitney answered.

“Excuse me,” I said before heading to the kitchen. I just needed a glass of water.

“This is overwhelming you,” Mordecai said behind me. I jumped from not expecting him there.

“It’s not that. It’s just...” I trailed off as I turned to face him.

“A lot to take in?” he asked amusedly.

“I guess I am overwhelmed,” I blushed.

“Gorgeous, I’ll only do what you’re comfortable with. You’ve already done so much for me, but if you don’t agree with anything, then we’re not doing it. You’re the one with the truest and best intentions for me,” he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You really trust me that much?” I asked.

“I guess I do,” he said, frowning at the revelation.

“I just, I worry that maybe Satan is right in that I don’t know what I’m doing. She may be a fake, but she knows a lot more than I do about this,” I pointed out.

He burst out laughing. “You called her Satan.”

“No, you called her Satan,” I reminded with a giggle.

“True, but I didn’t expect it to stick. Look gorgeous, none of us know what we’re doing, but I can tell you that it’s much more than Satan has done for me since my accident. Please trust in that and in yourself. You’re amazing,” he smiled.

“Ok, ok, I get it,” I resigned.

“Are you ready for me to share you with the world?” he asked.

“Didn’t know you were that generous Mr Hart,” I teased.

“Not like that!” he said with a horrified look on his face.

“I know! It was worth it seeing the look on your face though,” I laughed.

“Evil woman,” he muttered.

“Let’s go so that you can whore me out to the world,” I laughed harder as I took his hand in mine.

“Bev,” he groaned.

He’s just too adorable.