Chapter 78: Spice of the Rainbow

Andie sat on the couch, her legs raised and bent upwards. She leaned on the armrest. Her paperwork had ended. The only thing left to do was wait on the approval. A plate of chocolate chip cookies sat on the coffee table. Her left hand held up a piece.

She flipped the magazine on her lap.

Red flourished the pages. The coated the glossy sheet in arrays of cherry, scarlet, currant and ruby. At the center of it all, crimson snaked its way in between shades. Its tips led to the bottom middle where a heart-shaped face occupied. 

Only half of her expression was shown. The teasing lips and smiling eyes became the signature look of the magazine. They captivated readers with every turn of a page. No matter how big or how small, 

Their attention always went to the hazel eyes first.

"Damn!" Andie moaned, biting a cookie. "I knew it! Eve should have been in show business! She's so photogenic… and she's only wearing a bonewhite toga. Hm, I wonder if she got any of these bags. I'd love an Athon bag especially if free."

She reached the back pages. These became dedicated to the brand and to the model. She skipped over the ones for Athon Luxury, too excited to read about Evangeline Reed.

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> Evangeline Reed, the Spice of the Rainbow

Ms. Reed came from a remote town, far away from Maize City. Moving in, she felt reluctant to join the modelling industry. Her priorities were linked to providing for her family and thus, all of her decisions centered on this. 

It didn't matter what it was, if it was for her loved ones, she'd do it. 

Legally, of course, as she loves to remind our team.

'Athon Luxury's Rainbow Collection gave me an experience that I'd unlikely forget. When I came to that shoot, for a brief moment, I wasn't the girl working behind a computer. I was living in someone's imagination. It gave me a taste of fantasy merging with reality.' - Evangeline Reed, 20XX

What's next for this little fire? Ms. Reed expressed her enthusiasm on more projects to come. What they would turn out to be was yet to be set in stone. For now, she'd see 'where the wind blows' as the saying goes. 

One thing we know for sure, she'd leave a blazing trail and we'd be there to follow.

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"I've been robbed…" Andie blew a raspberry and shook her head. "None of these talk about her relationship. There has to be something. I already know all of these."

She placed the cookie between her lips and grabbed the magazine. The pages fluttered before her stormy blue eyes as she searched for the topic she coveted the most. 'Eve talked about her dating, right? She had to or it would be a missed opportunity.'

The answer she sought for came in a pop up bubble near the bottom right corner. ``Ms. Reed and dating? She is awaiting a kiss from her beau!``

"What?! That's it?!" Andie bolted upright. Her left foot touched the floor while her right one tucked under her left knee. She skimmed through the rest of the pages, refusing to believe that the subject matter had ended.

There had to be photos, at least! 

She wanted a printed version of them!

"Andiiieee…!" Eve wailed as she walked through the front door. Her sneakers squeaked against the wooden flooring. "I had the most humiliating, most embarrassing and most worrisome day that I want to bury it under a ditch and never see again."

One thing she thanked Monday for was how busy it was. She and Ambryan hardly interacted unless necessary. The day went by with her snug and safe in her workstation. Most of their communications came through the company chat and the telephone.

Andie waved her hand in the air as if shoo-ing her best friend away.

"Shh, I'm reading," she fussed, dissecting the articles line per line. 

"What's that?" Eve scowled after she put her coat on the rack. She walked into the living room and stood behind the couch. 

"It's the limited edition Rainbow Series of Vanitea Faere." Andie answered. She used her finger as a bookmark and showed Eve the front cover. "Didn't you know about this? The magazine stands are like colored in rainbow. You models each took up a front page. Of course, I only picked yours."

The photo had been cropped to exclude the bag. Evangeline stood against the white background, smiling at the camera. Her red lips glinted against the studio lights. Her hair looked straight out of a commercial with how glossy it was. 

"It's out already? The interviews were just last night."

'Those interviews were for these magazines, right?' Eve tried to recall. That was the reason why their area was exclusive. Or was she mixing up information? 

"They came out this afternoon."

Andie opened the magazine and showed the next photo readers would see after the cover. "And can I just say… that these opening two pages of yours are to die for."

Eve gaped at the picture. It was the one she'd seen many times before. 

Her,

The Chaise, and

The Clutch.

Only this time, they showed almost a full-length cut of it. The page ended between her waist and her hips. The curve of her back was there for everyone to see. A bit of her chest peeked behind her bent arm. 

She guessed that she should be grateful that her skin and the toga almost blended with the background. That way no one would really notice unless they observed closely.

Andie tilted her head to one side, watching her best friend's reaction. "If I put this up in my room, would it be creepy?"

Eve met her stare with a glare. "Andie!"

"What?" Andie blinked several times. "I can't be your number one fan? Have a fan social media account? Be the head of your fan club?"

She had waited for this far longer than the past few weeks. This had been in her mind since Eve permanently moved in with her. She thought it would come true from that first modelling gig. Unlike her best friend, she saw how far the career could go like billboards and fashion week.

If anyone could walk down that runway, it was Everlee Hart. 

Eve rolled her eyes. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

She walked around the couch and flopped onto a seat cushion. Her feet kicked off the dreaded sneakers. In case of another emergency like that, she'd leave that apartment complex in heels. 

It wasn't like she had trouble using them.

"Of course! It's not my fault you turned down Madison's original offer." Andie pouted, hitting her with the magazine. Then, a smirk appeared on her lips. "How ironic that you ended up here anyway. Always knew you were a performer."

"Well, that's how life works." Eve sighed. Her brown eyes dulled into daze. She saw nothing of the current reality. "Otherwise, I would be performing somewhere else." 

The grin left Andie's lips, noticing the expression right away. She put the magazine on the coffee table and scooted closer. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a moment and remembered the past."

"Road to Prima Ballerina?" She asked even when she knew the answer. It had been Eve's dream since they were children. "You did mean performing on stage, right?"

"I did. Although, I think Madam Isabelle would roast me alive if she ever sees me again."

"I don't think she's that bad."

"That's because you never had her as a teacher."

"Well, I was never interested in ballet." Andie giggled. "My heart belongs in baking."

Eve stayed silent.

Andie refused to let it happen. She nudged her best friend's arm repeatedly, trying to get her back to her senses. "Come on, cheer up. You're currently the future Mrs. Ambryan Hathaway! You're supposed to be the happiest girl in the world right now."

"Happiest Girl in the World? With Coldest Man on Earth?" Eve scoffed in her direction. Her left eye squinted at the idea. "Do you not see how that doesn't make sense?"

"It does make sense. What doesn't make sense is that—" Andie pointed towards the coffee table. "—This magazine has zero information about the two of you."

"Oh. That's because I never told them that it was Ambryan."

"Why not?"

"Because we both agreed not to make a public announcement."

"But he'd, at least, say that he's committed, right?" Andie demanded. She crossed her arms over her chest. Fake dating or not, no way should Eve be treated less than the queen she was. 

There shouldn't be room for bishes to attack her with Ambryan's lack of affection.

"This won't look good if you're the only one talking about your relationship. Sure, you didn't make a public announcement of your status but people are bound to ask you both now." 

That was basic publicity 101. How much should they tell? Which ones? They couldn't be 100% private. Both of their lives involved the media and the public. A part of them and their career relied on these people.

"You need to set your stories straight."