Chapter 17 Part 3 Losing the Bank of London - 3

"They sound scary," I said, and a small smile crossed Luke's face. "They're not scary. They're just very conservative, old-fashioned investors--insecure. I don't know what's making them nervous." He let out a long breath. "I've got to put them at ease. Come on. I gotta get on with it." His voice trembled slightly, and my eyes fell on his hand, and I saw that he was holding the wine glass tightly.Honestly, I've never seen Luke like this.He is usually poised and full of confidence. "Luke, I think you should relax tonight. You don't have a date tonight, do you?"

"No," Luke said, looking up at me, "but I have other papers to prepare. I have an important meeting tomorrow, and all the investors are coming. I have to get ready." "You're well prepared!" I replied. "What you need now is to relax. If you're still working all night, you're going to be worn out, nervous, and restless." I walked over to him , took the glass from him and rubbed his shoulders with both hands, "Listen to me, Luke. You really need to relax for the night. I bet Michael would say the same, huh?" "He's been telling me to cheer up," Luke finally said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, cheer up! Come on, relax, it won't hurt to play for a few hours. Let's change, go somewhere to play, dance and have a cocktail." He kissed lightly, "I said, since you're in New York, why don't you go outside and have fun?" Luke didn't say a word—in the guts of my heart during that harrowing moment, I was worried that Luke would say he wasn't available.But suddenly, he turned around - thank God, I saw a smile across his face. "You're right," he said. "All right. Let's hang out." I had a great time this evening, I can say that I have never had such a good time.I changed into a Vera Wang evening gown, Luke wore a very stylish outfit, and we went to a very fancy restaurant with lobster and an old-fashioned jazz band, like in the movie The situation is average.Luke ordered Italian wine, and we toasted each other.Luke relaxed a lot and told me a little bit about his plan.In fact, he had a lot of inner thoughts to me that night that he hadn't had before.

"This city," he said, shaking his head, "is a brutal place. It's like . "What if you don't make a mistake?" "Then you win," Luke said. "You win big." "You'll win," I said confidently. "You'll impress them all tomorrow." "You'll impress them all at your audition, too," Luke said, as the waiter walked up to our table and brought us our first course—a seafood delicacy, cooked like a The sculptures are so-so, which is really amazing.The waiter poured us wine, and Luke raised his glass to wish.

"I wish you great success, Becky." "No, to wish you great success," I replied, with a warm feeling of joy flowing through me, "and great success to both of us." Maybe the wine was at work, the drink was working on the brain, but right away I felt like I was in the excitement of shopping at Barney's again.I'm not the Becky I used to be -- I'm a reborn, radiant celebrity.I stole a glance at my own image in a nearby mirror and felt a surge of joy.I mean, look at my current image! I'm elegant, well dressed, sitting in a fancy restaurant in New York, wearing a thousand dollar evening gown, surrounded by an enviable and promising boyfriend - tomorrow Also auditioning for US TV!

I was a little bit drunk and giddy.I am walking head-on into this fascinating and dizzying world.Limousines, flowers and applause; beauty and fitness, designer clothes; business card holders filled with the business cards of the top TV figures.I feel like a fish in water among them, this is where I can display my talents.My past life had become so distant, a speck on the horizon.Mum, Dad and Suzie...my messy cottage on Fulham Street...the common people in the East End, fed on pizza...I mean, let's face it.That person from the past isn't really me, is it? We hung out for hours at the restaurant, dancing to jazz, eating egg sorbet, and talking about everything but work.When we got back to the hotel, still laughing from time to time, we stumbled along, Luke's hand in my clothes familiarly.

"Are you Miss Bloomwood?" asked the clerk on duty in the lobby as we passed the registration desk. A phone call. Leave a message saying that no matter how late you come back, I must tell you, it seems that the matter is urgent." "Oh my God," I said, rubbing my eyes again. "She called again to ask how much I spent on clothes. 'How much is it? Oh Bex, you shouldn't be doing that'..." "This is a beautiful dress," Luke said, running his hands over my evening gown as if admiring it. "This dress is too baggy, it should be smaller here...and here..."

"Do you want a call back number?" asked the attendant on duty, who held out his hand and handed me a note. "No thanks," I said, shaking my hand again. "I'll call her tomorrow." "Please," Luke added, "don't put the phone in our room unless we let you in." "Yes," said the attendant on duty, smiling, "good night, sir. Good night, ma'am." We took the elevator upstairs, giggling at our own reflection in the elevator mirror.When I got back to my room, I felt really drunk.My only relief is that Luke also looked totally drunk.

"Tonight," I said after the door had closed, "had a great time. It was so good." "That's all," said Luke, coming up to me, and looking at me with a wink and a smile, "I've got to thank you very much, Miss Lublumwood, for having a good eye for our fun. You are right. All work and no play..." He gently took off the shoulder straps of the Vera Wang evening dress from my shoulders, "Smart kids can..." His lips pressed against my shoulder, muttering Murmured, "Being stupid..." We both rolled over on the bed, his mouth against mine, my head spinning, drunk and excited.He took off his shirt, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, looking at myself drunk and smug, and heard myself say: Remember this moment forever.Remember this moment, Becky, because it's one of the happiest moments of your life.

Then there was a bit of drunkenness accompanied by a bit of intoxication, in a daze, drifting as one wished.The last shot I remember is Luke kissing my eyelids, putting me to sleep and telling me he loves me.This is the last scene I remember of that night. After that, like a violent crash, disaster begins. At first, I didn't know that such a big thing happened.When I woke up the next morning, my eyes were just blurry, and I vaguely saw Luke handing me a cup of tea. "You need to check your messages," he said, kissing me lightly, before heading to the bathroom to shower.I took a few sips of tea slowly, picked up the receiver of the phone beside the bed, and pressed the asterisk button.

"You have 23 messages," said the recorded voice on the phone -- and my eyes widened in surprise. 23? Might be all about making me a job offer! That's my first thought.It could be someone in Hollywood calling! Oh my God, it must be! I hit the listen button in a panic and listened to the first message.It wasn't a job offer -- it was Suzie calling, and her voice sounded anxious. "Bex, please call me back as soon as you hear the message. It's urgent. Goodbye." A beep on the phone asked me if I wanted to move on to the next message—I hesitated.But Suzie's voice sounded anxious - I remembered with a little guilt that she had called last night.I called Suzie's number, but to my surprise, the call went through to a recorded message. "Hi, it's me!" I said as soon as Suzy finished speaking on the auto-recorder, "Suzy, you're not home? No matter what happened, I hope I-" "Bex!" Suzie's voice burst into my ears. "Oh my God, Bex, where have you been?" "I went out once," I said confusedly, "and went to bed when I got back. Suzie, what the hell--" "Bex, I didn't say those things!" she interrupted me eagerly, her tone still concerned, "You've got to believe me! I never said anything like that. They made it up. I'm sorry Your mother said it too, I didn't think--" "Mom?" I said, feeling even more bewildered. "Susie, take your time. What are you talking about?" There was no answer on the phone. "Oh my God," Suzie finally said, "Bex, you haven't seen that yet?" "what did you see?" "The Daily World," said Susie, "I... I thought you had every British newspaper there." "Yes," I said, while gently rubbing my dry cheeks with my palm, "I haven't brought it in yet, it's on the ground outside the door. Is there... any news about me?" "No," said Susie, as if rushing to answer, "no. I mean...a tiny bit. But it's not worth watching. I don't take it seriously at all. In fact-- Just throw away the Sun World newspaper. Throw it...into the wastebasket, don't even open it." "What's the bad news, right?" I asked a bit apprehensively, "Are my legs looking too fat from the screen, or something?" "Nothing!" said Suzy. "Nothing! So, you've been to Rockefeller Center? It must be spectacular! Or the famous New York Schwartz toy store? And..." "Shut up, Suzy," I interrupted, "I'm going to get the paper right now, and I'll call you later." "Okay, Bex, but remember," said Susie hastily, "that almost no one reads the Daily World. You see, it's three people. It's the kind of paper that's used every other day." Potato chip wrapping paper. Everyone knows it's full of lies..." "Okay," I said, trying to keep the tension out of my voice, "I'll remember. Don't worry, Suzie. I won't be bothered by those nasty little things!" I put down the receiver, my hands still trembling slightly.What did these people say about me? I walked quickly to the door, grabbed a large stack of newspapers stacked by the door, and threw them on the bed.I dug out "Daily World" from the pile of newspapers, eagerly looking through the pages.Page after page...but found nothing.I went back to the front page and rummaged through the pages more carefully, including the little bits of articles in the corners and edges of the page—but still not a single word about me.I leaned against the pillow at the end of the bed, and couldn't help laughing.What's going on with Suzie, what is she doing- At this time, I saw the continuous page in the middle of the newspaper.It was a newspaper folded separately, lying quietly beside the bed. It must have fallen out when I was eagerly flipping through the newspaper.Slowly, I reached for the folded newspaper and opened it.At that moment, it was as if someone punched me hard in the soft stomach! There is a picture of me in the newspaper.It's a picture I haven't seen -- it doesn't look very pretty.It should have been photographed while I was walking on some street.It was on the streets of New York, and I couldn't help being startled.In the photo, I was carrying shopping bags, big and small.There is also a photo of Luke, specially circled.There's also a small photo of Suzie.The headline in the newspaper was... Oh my God.I really can't say it.I really can't say what the paper said.It's just... really scary. It was a large piece of paper, occupying the entire page across the fold.As I read what was said in the paper, my heart was pounding; my head was hot and cold.This is so vicious.This is so... really personal attack.I read halfway through and couldn't stand it.I closed the newspaper and stared blankly ahead, feeling dizzy, as if I was about to vomit. But I immediately opened the newspaper tremblingly.I need to see what the paper says.I had to read every horrible, humiliating line. After reading it, I just feel dizzy.It's almost unbelievable that such a thing can happen.The paper has been printed and sold in the millions, and it is impossible to stop it.It was printed in England, and I suddenly realized that was hours ago.My parents must have read it.People I know must have read it too.There was nothing I could do, nothing to do. The phone rang suddenly and screamed, and I jumped up.Screaming again after a brief pause, I stare at the phone in horror.I couldn't answer the phone, I couldn't talk to anyone, not even Suzie. The phone rang a fourth time, and Luke strode out of the bathroom in nothing but a terry bathrobe, his hair slicked back. "Why don't you answer the phone?" he said hastily, then grabbed the receiver. "Hello, yes, I'm Luke Braden." I felt a wave of fear set in.Wrap the eiderdown comforter on the bed tightly around you. "Okay," Luke said. "Fine. See you later." He put the receiver down and scribbled something on a pad. "Who's calling?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. "A secretary at Jetty Slade," he said, laying down his pen, "changed the place of the meeting." He began to dress, and I was silent.I still have the words and photos from that page of The Daily World in my mind.I want to get the newspaper out for him to read...but I don't want him to.I don't want him to read those slanderous attacks on me.But I know he might see this article from someone else as well. Oh my god, I can't just sit there and say nothing.I closed my eyes -- took another deep breath, and said, "Luke, there's an article in the paper about me." "Okay," said Luke absently, putting on his tie, "I've been thinking you should be in the paper, too. What paper?" "It's... I didn't say anything good," I said, licking my dry lips with my tongue, "the words are a bit ugly." Luke took a serious look at me and saw the expression on my face. "Oh, Becky," he said, "it can't be that terrible. Now, let me see. What was it said?" He held out his hand, but I still didn't move. "It's... really scary. And there's a big picture--" "You didn't do your hair well?" Luke teased me, reaching for his top and putting it on. "Becky, no report is ever going to be 100 percent perfect. There's always going to be something wrong with it, whether it's your haircut, or what you say..." "Luke!" I said desperately, "not that kind of trifle. Look...read." I slowly spread the newspaper and handed it to Luke.He took the newspaper carefully -- he glanced at it, and the smile slowly faded from his face. "Damn it - is this me?" He gave me a quick glance, and I swallowed, not daring to say anything.He read the article quickly, and I watched him nervously. "Is it true?" he asked at last. "Is it true what is said in this article?" "No, no!" I stammered, "At least... no... not all of it. Some places..." "Are you in debt?" I looked up and saw his eyes, only to feel a flush on my cheeks. "There's... a little bit. But I mean, it's not like the paper says... I mean, I don't know what a summons is..." "Wednesday afternoon!" he said, patting the newspaper. "My God, you went to the Guggenheim Museum. Find the stub of the ticket, we can prove that you went to the museum that day, and ask to revoke--" "I...actually, Luke..." He looked up at me, and I felt a panic I had never felt before. "I didn't go to the Guggenheim that day. I...I went shopping." "You go..." He looked at me dully--then he read the newspaper again in silence. After he finished reading the newspaper, he stared blankly ahead. "I don't believe this shit," he said, but so quietly I could barely hear what he was saying. He looked very ugly and I was in a mess - for the first time this morning I started to feel tears welling up in my eyes. "I know," I said tremblingly, "this is terrible. They must be following me, spying on me, spying on me..." I expected him to say something, but he Still just staring ahead. "Luke, don't you have anything to say? Did you know--" "And do you know, Becky?" he interrupted me.He turned and faced me, and seeing the expression on his face, it really made me think blood was running down his cheeks. "Do you know how bad this must be for me?" "I'm so sorry," I said through a sob, "I know you don't like reporting..." "It's a bloody--" he stopped, and then said in a calm tone, "Becky, you probably don't think about it, what people will think of me like this? Especially in the bloody day?" "I... I didn't think..." I whispered. “I had to go to a meeting in an hour to convince a hard-nosed New York investment bank that I was doing well in every aspect of my business and my personal life. And now they see this. I have become a fool!" "But you're well organized!" I said in horror. "Luke, they're sure to know . . . they're sure not to--" "Listen," Luke said, turning around, "do you know what people in this city are starting to think of me? Some people here are starting to think -- for some obscure reason -- that I'm starting to lose Take control of the situation.” "Losing control of the situation?" I repeated his words in fear. "That's what I heard." Luke took a deep breath, "I've been trying my best these days to convince those people that their thinking is wrong, and I'm still firmly in control of the situation; I Been wary of the media. But now..." He jerks the paper with his hand, and I flinch back. "It's also possible... maybe they won't see the paper." "Becky, in this city, everybody sees everything," Luke said. "That's their job. That's—" The phone rang, and Luke stopped talking.After a short wait, he picked up the receiver. "Hi, Michael. Yeah. You saw that too. Yes, I know. The timing was terrible. Well, see you later." He put the phone down and reached for his briefcase.He didn't look at me. I felt a chill and shivered all over.What did I do? I screwed up everything.The vitriolic words in that article kept jumping into my head and made me sick.Irresponsible Becky... is a hypocrite... They're right, they're all right. I looked up to see Luke snapping his briefcase shut. "I have to go to a meeting," he said, "we'll talk about it later." When he got to the door, he stopped again and turned around with a sudden look of confusion on his face. "But I still don't get it. You didn't go to the Guggenheim that day—then where did you get that book you gave me?" "Bought it at the museum store," I whispered. "It's on Broadway. Luke, I'm so sorry...I..." My voice is getting softer.I could feel my heart beating violently and my eardrums bulging.I don't know what to say, how to save myself. Luke looked at me blankly, then nodded slightly, turned around, and reached out to unscrew the lock on the door handle. The door closed behind him, and I sat quietly on the bed for a while, staring blankly ahead.I still can't believe this really happened.Only a few hours ago we were drinking Italian wine and toasting to each other.I was wearing a beautiful evening dress, and we were walking on Cole Porter Cole Porter: American composer who became famous in the early 20th century and died in October 1964. --I danced lightly to the melody of the translation, and I couldn't suppress the joy in my heart.But now... The phone rang again, and I remained seated.After the eighth beep, I turned around and picked up the microphone. "Hey?" "Hullo!" said a loud voice. "Are you Becky? Miss Bloomwood?" "Yes." I said cautiously. "Becky, my name is Fiona Taggart and I'm a reporter for the Daily Herald. Glad to finally have found you! Becky, we'd love to write about you in two issues. Let's talk. Your... that little trouble, do you agree with us?" "I don't want to talk about it," I murmured. "Then you deny such a thing?" "No comment," I say, and put the microphone back on the landline with trembling hands.Immediately the phone rang again, and I picked up the receiver. "No comment, okay?" I yelled, "No comment! No--" "Becky? Honey?" "Mom!" I couldn't help crying when I heard Mom's voice, "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry," I choked up and said, "It's terrible. Everything is a mess. I really don't know... I It surprised me that……" "Becky!" came the mother's voice on the phone, very kind and full of trust. "Darling! You don't have to be sad! It's the shitty reporters who've been attacking you. What a load of bullshit. Again about what so-and-so said. Poor Suzie called us and she was distressed. You know, she still Served the girl, gave her three chocolate chip cookies and a Kit Kat, and got her back like this. It's all a lie! I mean, the girl pretended to be from the city tax department. She should have They grab it!" "Mom..." I closed my eyes, barely able to speak, "It's not all lies. They...they didn't all make it up." After a while of silence, I heard my mother's breathing on the other end of the phone was a little hasty. "I'm a little...not paying off the debt." "Well," Mom said after a pause—I could hear her trying to pull herself together to comfort me, "well, what's the matter? What does it matter to them if they don't pay?" After a brief pause, she resumed speaking, and I could hear the voice in the background on the other end of the phone. "Yeah! Your dad said, if the American economy can run on trillions of dollars in debt, so can you. Look how much that Millennium Dome in London cost, you Dad said." God, I love my parents so much.If I tell them I killed someone, they'll quickly come up with a reason why what I did was completely justified and the victim deserved it. "I think so," I said through a sob, "but Luke has an important meeting today, and those investors will see this article." "So what? There's no such thing as a bad thing. Becky, you gotta pull yourself together! Don't be afraid. Suzie told us you had an audition today. Did you?" "Yes. But don't know when." "Okay. You gotta put a smile on your face. Take a nice shower and have a nice cup of tea with three sugar cubes. And some brandy, your dad said. If any more reporters call you, Tell him to go away." "Are there any reporters here to pester you?" I asked in panic. "A guy came by this morning and wanted to ask something," said Ma dismissively. "Your dad took the stick shears and chased him away." I couldn't help but burst into tears when I heard it. "I gotta get ready, Mom. I'll call you later...thanks." I put down the mic and feel better.Mom was right, I had to pull myself together and do the audition as well as I could.Luke may have overreacted just now, and maybe he will be in a better mood when he comes back. I called the service desk and told them that if there are any calls to me, only the HLBC TV station will be answered, and other calls will not be transferred.I then showered, filled the tub with a full bottle of toning body wash, and soaked for half an hour in a vat of water scented with a mix of roses, geraniums, and mallow plants.I get up to dry off while I play a music video on the DVD player, and I listen to Robbie Williams around the house: Robbie Williams: America's Active Singer Today. --Yizhu's singing is dancing.I put on the impressive suit I bought at Barney's, and though I still tremble a little, I'm mostly composed.I can try the mirror well.I can do it. They hadn't called to tell me what time I should be there for the audition, so I picked up the phone and called the desk. "Hi," I said, "please check for me to see if HLBC has called me this morning." "Probably not." The lady at the service desk replied in a pleasant voice. "Can't be mistaken? They didn't leave a message or something?" "No, ma'am." "Okay thank you." I put down the microphone and thought about it.Hmm - well then, let me call and ask them.I mean, I need to know when the auditions start, right? Kent told me I could call her whenever I needed something.She also asked me not to worry about anything at all. I took out her business card from my bag and dialed her phone number carefully. "Hi!" said a pleasant voice on the other end of the phone. "This is Kent Garland's office. I'm her assistant, Megan. What can I do for you?" "Hi!" I said. "I'm Rebecca Bloomwood. May I speak to Kent?" "Kent is in a meeting now," Megan said cheerfully, "do you want to leave a message for Kent?" "Well, I just want to ask, what time is my audition today." I said.When I say this, I feel that I have enough confidence.Who cares about Daily World rubbish? I'm going to be on American TV.I'm going to be a big celebrity. "I see," Megan said, "Becky, please wait a moment..." She put the phone on hold, and a soft music came from the handset, which was the music of "Wandering Among the Grapes".The song ended with a recorded voice thanking the caller for calling HLBC...then the song repeated...suddenly, Megan's voice returned to the phone line. "Hi, is that Becky? I'm afraid Kent has to postpone your audition. She'll call you when she's rescheduled." "What?" I said, staring blankly at my painted face in the mirror. "Postponed? So...why? Do you know when it will be rescheduled?" "I don't know for sure," Megan still said in her melodious voice, "Kent is very busy now, and is currently catching up on the "Today's Consumer" series." "But... this audition is for this series! The new series Consumers Today!" I took a deep breath, trying not to look anxious. "Do you know when she will reschedule?" "I really can't say. She has a busy work schedule right now... and then she's going to take two weeks off..." "Listen," I said, trying to be as calm as possible, "I do need to speak to Kent directly. This is very important. Can you go and find her? It'll only be a moment." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line - then Megan sighed. "I'll go see if she's free." The soft music sounded again -- and then Kent's voice on the phone. "Hi, Becky. How are you?" "Hi!" I said, trying to keep my voice light. "I'm fine. I was just wondering what happened today. What went wrong with the audition?" "Oh," Kent said intently, "honestly, Becky, something has happened, we'll have to think about it. Right? So we'll talk about this audition when we've sort of settled down." thing." Something? What is she talking about? She's saying--