Chapter 54 Part 4 Becky is going on TV-4

Discuss financial issues By 11:25 a.m., I was waiting in a brown easy chair in the green room.I was wearing a dark blue Jasper Conran suit, pantyhose, and suede heels.With makeup on and newly styled hair, I have never been this energetic in my entire life.But, I can't appreciate my physical appearance; I just can't.My mind was full of: In 15 minutes, I'd have to sit on the couch with Luke Brandon and discuss financial matters, and it would all be live. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry out loud, or laugh like crazy! I mean, this is a sick joke, Luke? Brandon to me! Luke with a genius IQ and a camera memory ?Brandon is going to argue with me! He's going to knock me out of my mouth and I'm going to lose my head.

"Honey, have some croissants!" Elizabeth Plav was sitting across from me, munching on a piece of chocolate bread. "The taste is amazing. Every bite is like the golden sunshine of Provence." "No, thank you," I replied, "I... I'm really not hungry yet." I don't understand how she can still eat it.To be honest, I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment.How do people who have to be on TV every day do? How does Fiona Phillips get by? No wonder they're all so skinny. "Go!" Rory's voice came from the TV monitor in the corner of the room, and we all turned our heads to look at the screen, which showed the beach in the afterglow of the setting sun. "What is it like to live with a villain and then risk your life to betray him? Our next guest has written an explosive novel based on his own private and dangerous experiences..."

"...we'll have a series of follow-ups after that," Emma said.The TV picture turned into piles of pounds raining down from the sky, and my heart beat so fast. "'Morning Coffee' focuses on a financial scandal and invites two financial experts to face-to-face for a debate." Was she talking about me? God, I don't want to be a financial expert.All I want to do now is go home and have a good cup of tea. "But first let's look at Scott Robertson, who's got everything ready in the kitchen," said Rory cheerfully. The picture suddenly changed to a man wearing a chef's hat, dancing a big spoon and grinning at the audience.I stared at him for a moment, then dropped my head again and clasped my hands on my knees.I really can't believe it will be me on the TV screen soon! Me, sitting on the couch, racking my brain for what to say.

To distract myself, for the thousandth time, I unfolded the crumpled A4 sheet of paper and skimmed through the pitiful interview summaries.Maybe things aren't that bad, and looking at the same few lines over and over again, I found myself thinking hopefully that maybe my worries were unfounded... probably just a casual chat and the atmosphere would be simpler And friendly, after all... "Good morning, Rebecca," said a voice from the door.I slowly raised my head and my heart sank.It was Luke Brandon standing at the door.He was wearing an impeccable black suit, his hair was shiny and his face was bronzed with makeup.His lips were tightly shut, his eyes were hard and cruel, and there was no expression of friendliness on his face.He didn't even blink when he met my gaze.

For a while, we just looked at each other without speaking.I can clearly hear the sound of my heart beating, and I can clearly feel that my face is hot, despite the thick makeup.Then, with all my strength, I forced myself to answer calmly, "Hello, Luke." When he entered the room, everyone looked at him with interest, and the room was silent.Even Elizabeth Plavf seemed attracted to him. "I recognize the face." She leaned forward. "I recognize you. You're a Shakespeare actor, aren't you? I saw you in King Lear three years ago." performance." "I don't think so," Luke replied curtly.

"Oh, that's right!" Elizabeth patted the table, "It's "Hamlet", not "King Lear"! I remember very clearly the pain of despair, the sense of guilt, and the strong sense of tragedy... She shook her head gravely, and added, "I'll never forget your voice. Every word you say is like a dagger." "I'm sorry to hear that," Luke finally said, and looked at me. "Rebecca..." "Luke, here are the final counts." Alicia interrupted him.She hurried in from the outside and handed him a piece of paper. "Hi, Rebecca," she said, giving me a contemptuous look, "are you all set?"

"Yes." I crumpled the paper up in my hands and placed it on my lap. "Extremely well prepared." "I'm glad to hear you say that." Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Then, this will be a very interesting debate." "Yes," I said sharply, "very interesting debate." God, she is so nasty! "I just got a call from John Flagsteve Insurance," Alicia said to Luke, lowering her voice, "and he'd really like you to mention the company's new forward-looking savings line on the show. Of course, I told him..." "The focus now is on mitigating the impact, not advertising the new plan. He's lucky to get through this..." Luke said succinctly.He gave me a look and I turned my head away as if I wasn't interested at all in what he had to say.I casually glanced at my watch, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the time. 10 minutes, 10 minutes have passed.

"Okay," said Zelda, entering the room, "Elizabeth, it's your turn." "Great," Elizabeth said, taking a final bite of chocolate bread. "Now, I look good, don't I?" She stood up, crumbs falling from her skirt. "There's still a little bit of bread in my hair." Zelda said, reaching out to help her brush the bit of bread, "other than this—what else can I say?" Her eyes met mine, and I almost I couldn't help laughing out loud. "Luke!" said the baby-faced young man rushing in with a cell phone in hand, "John Bateson wants to speak to you, and those postal packages have arrived..."

"Thank you, Tim." Alicia took the package and tore it open.She took out a stack of papers and scanned them quickly, making marks with a pencil now and then.Meanwhile, Tim sat down, opened a laptop, and began typing. "Yes, John, I see what you mean," Luke said in a low voice, "but if you would have listened to me sooner..." "Tim," Alicia said, looking up, "could you do a quick lookup for me on the last three, five and ten months of dividends for Flagstaff Insurance?" "Of course." Tim said, typing on the keyboard. "Tim," Luke said as he put the phone down, "can you get me a printout of Flagstaff Insurance's forward-looking investment flyer ASAP? Thanks!"

I couldn't believe what I saw.They actually set up an office in this green room on Good Morning Coffee.The guys at Brandon Communications plus computers, modems and cellphones...to compete with me and the crumpled A4 in my hands! As I watched Tim's computer efficiently print out document after document and Alicia handed them to Luke, a chill ran through my body.Let's face it, how could I beat fate? I have no chance of winning, so I might as well give up now.Just say I'm sick or something, and run home and get under the covers. "Is everyone ready?" Zelda asked, turning her head to scan the room. "Seven minutes to play."

"Okay," Luke said. "No problem," I echoed in a trembling voice. "Oh, by the way, Rebecca, there's a package for you." Zelda walked into the room and handed me a big boxy box. "Thank you, Zelda." I was a little surprised, then my spirits lifted and I began to tear the package open.I don't know what's in it or who gave it to me.But something in there must help, no? Maybe a last-minute special from Eric Foreman.A chart, or a series of data, so that I can come in handy at a critical moment; or maybe a secret file that Luke doesn't know about. Out of the corner of my eye I saw all the staff at Brandon's stop what they were doing, trying to see what the hell was going on.Well, let's see, they're not the only ones who got the package, and they're not the only ones who have backup.I finally peeled off the sticky tape and opened the box inside. In full view, a huge red helium balloon rose to the ceiling, with the words "good luck" prominently written on it.There was a card tied to the rope that tied the balloon, and I opened the card without looking at anyone else. But as soon as I opened it, I regretted it. "Good luck, good luck, no matter what you are going to do, good luck!" A soft electronic music sounded. I slammed the card shut and felt my face flush.God, what an embarrassment! Someone was snickering quietly across the room, and I looked up to see Alicia.She whispered to Luke for a while, and Luke had a look of amusement on his face. He was laughing at me and they were all laughing at Rebecca Bloomwood and her singing balloon.For a while I was too embarrassed to move.My face was burning, my throat was suffocating, and I had never felt less like a financial expert. Then I heard Alicia murmuring something vicious again across the room, laughing contemptuously—something in me broke.Curse them, I thought suddenly.Curse them all.Either way, they're most likely just jealous.They hope they can also receive balloons. I resolutely opened the card again to see what was written on it. "Whether it's lightning, thunder, or sunshine, we know you'll be safe." Electronic music sang softly again. "Keep your head up, hold your head high, if you try, you succeed." "To dear Becky..." I read, "we are always grateful for your help. We are proud to have known you. Your friends Janice and Martin." I stared at the card and read it over and over again, my eyes slowly getting moist.Martin and Janice have been good friends of mine all these years—even though their son is a wimp.Even when my poor advice cost them so much, they still loved me.I should thank them and never let them down. I blinked, took a deep breath, and looked up to see Luke Brandon staring at me blankly with black eyes. "Friends," I said calmly, "sent their best wishes." Carefully placing the card on the coffee table, making sure it was open so the music would stay on, I hooked the balloon from the ceiling and tied it to the back of the chair. "Okay." Zelda's voice came from outside the door, "Luke and Rebecca, are you ready?" "It couldn't be better," I replied calmly, and walked past Luke toward the door.