Chapter 14
“WHERE did you go yesterday?” As soon as Justin entered the dressing room on his first TV guesting after two years on a hiatus, Manager Archie asked him. “I told you that you have a meeting with a new brand endorsement. And, still, you disappeared without even telling me?”
Justin didn’t dare to speak. Instead, he plopped down on the chair and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing a white V-neck shirt topped with a black coat. His tousled hair was blow-dried to prevent falling on his face while on cam. He remembered again that the woman in the clinic thought he was a poser. Justin snorted at the thought.
“What’s so funny about my questions?” Archie asked, sounded offended. He stared at him with furrowed brows. “Justin, are you making fun of me?”
Justin knotted his forehead. He met his glare in the mirror. “Why would I do that? I just remembered something,” he said, then returned his mind to the crazy woman.
Archie narrowed his eyes at him. “Where have you been yesterday? And why you’re not answering our calls? We’re all worried about you—”
“You called Che, right? She was with me yesterday,” he cut off and leaned back on the reclining chair. He shut his eyes and pretended to have a nap.
“You went for a massage all day?” he asked. “You can’t fool me, Justin. I called the Finesse Clinic yesterday, and the receptionist told me that you did not check-in there—”
“I went to a rural massage spa,” he said with a sigh, “where nobody can recognize me as the famous singer that got accused of pedophilic acts two years ago.”
Archie fell silent with what he said. After a few moments, he heard him sighed. “Okay. So, you went out of town to breathe and detoxify. But why you didn’t tell me?!” He listened to his footsteps back and forth. “I’m your manager, Justin. You should inform me of all your plans, especially if it affected your current schedule.”
Justin lifted an eyelid to see his expression. Archie was so stressed and frustrated that he could see the lines have formed on his forehead. Justin sighed. He doesn’t want to make him suffer, but he also needs to protect Vince’s privacy.
“I’m your manager, Justin. If you’re nowhere in sight, all the people in this business will go to me and ask where you are. And, if I don’t know where you have been, how will I cover up for you?” Archie’s tone of voice went low, and he became concerned.
Justin opened his eyes and turned to his excellent manager. “I’m sorry, Arc. I won’t do that again. It’s just that… I wanted to breathe out. Maybe I already forgot how it feels like to be in the spotlight again.”
Archie made a ‘tss’ sound. “Whatever, Justin. Anyway, I talked to the makeup brand endorsement a while ago and asked them if they could reschedule the meeting,” he said. “You’re lucky that they’re determined to get you as their endorser because of your young adult charisma. So, they agreed to reschedule your meeting and contract to sign with them next week.”
Justin smiled at his new manager. Archie Mendez is one of the Starlight Agency’s best managers. He also knew Lea Angeles and was shocked to learn that Lea did that scandal just because he refused to marry her. They didn’t expect that his former manager was obsessed with him.
“I know you can fix it,” Justin told him. “Thanks, Arc. I owe my comeback to you.”
Archie scowled. “Yet, you’re still giving me headaches by sneaking out and going to that Orphanage.”
“You know that I can’t just disappear in Vince’s life,” he said with a sigh. “It will never be easy to cut ties with someone that has been a part of your life.”
“I know, Justin,” Archie agreed to him. “But I just don’t understand why you are so attached to the child that didn’t come from your own blood.”
Justin doesn’t know the answer too. He just felt it. When he first saw Vince at the corner of the playground alone and just watching the other kids enjoy the sunny day, Justin felt an indescribable feeling of happiness inside his heart. And it happened every time that he’s with the child.
His closeness towards Vince became the main reason why Lea, his former manager, got tired of him. She used his bond to Vince as grounds for her false accusations of him. Justin was lucky that his agency didn’t leave his side, and they didn’t abandon him during the issue. Instead, they seek the truth and clear his name.
But, for Justin, the trauma and the stain that it caused to his image will never go away.
“Okay, I won’t ask you about it again,” Archie said and tapped his shoulders. “Get ready. The TV show will start in thirty minutes.” He then gave him the script. “Do you want coffee?”
Justin laughed. “That’s not your job, Arc. Don’t try to kill me with kindness.”
“I’m serious. I’m going to get mine; if you want a coffee, I’ll get one for you too,” he explained and looked at his PA. “And besides, Cherry is quite busy gossiping with the makeup artists.”
Justin glanced at his PA, surrounded by new staff and personal assistants of other guest artists. He heard her mentioned a Korean name. “She found her Amigas,” he said with a shake of his head. “Don’t mind me. I’ll get my own coffee—” His phone suddenly rang on the table.
“Eccentric Key?” Archie read the name flashed on the screen. “Who’s that?”
Justin picked up his phone. “It’s the key duplication company. I asked them if they could duplicate keys like mine,” he lied and raised from his seat. “Excuse me, I’ll just take this call.”
When he stepped inside the comfort room and made sure nobody was inside, he quickly pressed the answer button. “Penelope, I’m glad you called. Have you made up your mind?”
***