Chapter 114
A couple days later, Andrew and I stood behind the podium once more. Again, we were dressed in matching outfits—this time, royal blue—and held each other’s hands tightly. It was important that we presented a strong, united front to the public, Andrew argued, and since I didn’t quite understand what that meant, I just followed his lead.
The same reporters as before stood before us, their pens, styluses, iPads, and iPhones at the ready. My knees wanted to buckle under the pressure of their eyes staring expectantly at us, but Andrew’s side pressed against mine gave me enough strength to carry on.
Andrew cleared his throat and bent down towards the microphones placed on the podium.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the press, for gathering here today,” he began, same as the previous press conference. “Crystal and I have asked you here to make two major announcements. The first is that, despite any controversy or rumors that you might have heard over the last few days, we will be staying together.”
Murmurs broke out amongst the reporters. Some began to wave their hands, but Andrew motioned for them to sit back down.
“Please, please, save your questions until the end. Thank you,” he said. “For the second announcement, I would like to hand things over to my better half, Crystal Blanchard.”
Andrew removed his hand from my grasp and placed it on the small of my back, encouraging me towards the microphones. Reluctantly, I took his cue.
“Thank you, Andrew,” I began. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know that rumors have been circulating about me having served five years in prison for manslaughter. These rumors are true.”
The murmurs started again, this time louder. Andrew motioned for people to quiet down.
“However, the facts surrounding my charges and conviction are not what they seem.”
I took a deep breath.
“The manslaughter charge stemmed from a fatal car accident. I was not driving the night of the accident. Someone whom I cared for deeply at the time was.”
I gripped the bottom of the podium hard as the murmurs continued.
“This person convinced me to take the fall for him and covered his tracks well enough that no one suspected it was him. At the time, I wanted to protect him, and I did. However, I did not kill anybody.”
Silence fell over the crowd as the conviction of my final words settled.
“We will now take your questions,” Andrew said into the microphones.
He first acknowledged a young female reporter in the back row.
“Tori Sherman,San Francisco Chronicle,” she began. “Crystal, do you have any proof to back up your claim that you took the fall for this supposed ‘loved one’?”
“No, I do not,” I said, careful to avoid mentioning that the police report said that there was a passenger in the car with me. That could too easily lead back to Bob. “As I said, this person covered up tracks very well.”
Andrew next called on Oscar Nowak, who introduced himself and his newspaper, same as before.
“Crystal,” Oscar said, “you said that you took the fall for was someone whom you cared for deeplyat the time. Do you no longer care for this person? If not, why not?”
“That person and I have since gone our separate ways,” I said, my answer rehearsed. “Things between us did not end on the best of terms, partially due to me taking the fall for them.”
“Do you still see this person?” Oscar asked before Andrew could move on to another reporter.
“I am not willing to answer such questions at this time as they could inadvertently disclose the identity of this person, and despite how I might feel about them, I do not wish to throw them under the bus at this time.”
Andrew quickly moved on to Dakota Rain before Oscar could ask another question.
“Andrew,” Dakota said, “do you think that staying together with Crystal could affect your chances at reelection for Alpha King?”
“I believe that the people will do the right thing and vote for whoever best represents their interests, not whose personal life they most approve of,” Andrew replied.
Andrew pointed to Emily Chang.
“This question is for Andrew and Crystal,” Emily said. “Do you think that this new story is going to change how people view your relationship?”
Andrew and I exchanged glances.
“We hope that it will help them see things more positively,” Andrew said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Do you think that they will believe you?” Emily asked.
“In the end,” I replied, “so long as we persevere, we have faith that the truth will win out.”
When the stories ran later that day, the spin that the reporters put on them was not positive. One headline read:
ALPHA KING’S NEW GIRLFRIEND PUSHES MANSLAUGHTER OFF ON SUPPOSED ‘LOVED ONE’
Another said:
ANDREW DUBOIS TO STAY WITH SUPPOSEDLY INNOCENT EX-CON CRYSTAL BLANCHARD
One from a gossip tabloid was far less kind:
CRYSTAL BLANCHARD TELLS BLATANT LIE TO COVER UP FOR MANSLAUGHTER
I held my head in my hands that night at dinner as Andrew scrolled through the articles that Dennis had sent to him. Of course, no one believed us. It was just as I had feared.
Andrew reached over and rubbed my back.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Remember, it doesn’t matter if they believe us. All that matters is that we got the truth out there.”
“Yeah,” I said as I raised my head. “It’s just…it’s no wonder that no one believed me. I wouldn’t have believed me, either.”
Andrew cocked his head at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at the evidence. Everything points to me being the driver that night. Even the private investigators that you hired didn’t turn up anything that suggested otherwise.”
“True…”
“So, why would anyone believe that someone else was actually the driver and that I only took the fall for them? I mean, if I weren’t the one telling you this story, would you have believed it?”
Andrew hesitated.
“I don’t know. I think it would have depended on the situation.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, please. The only reason that you believe me is because you’re so infatuated with me.”
Andrew puffed his chest out and held his chin high.
“No, that is not the only reason.”
He said it with such conviction that I felt myself believing him, but that still left me with an unanswered question.
“Whydidyou believe me, then?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it was my word against Bob’s. Bob was your future son-in-law, someone you’ve known longer than you’ve known me. If you didn’t believe me just because you’re in love with me, then why did you believe me over him?”
Andrew rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stood up, walked over to the dining room doors, and closed them. He then went around the room and closed the curtains on all the windows before returning to his seat.
He leaned forward and grabbed both of my hands in his.
“Crystal, what I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room under any circumstances,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Can I trust you with this secret?”
I leaned towards him, nodding.
“You can trust me with anything, Andrew.”
Andrew’s palms sweated against my hands. Was he nervous?
“The reason that I believed your story so easily is that I have an…ability that allowed me to see the truth behind your statement.”
I blinked slowly.
“You…what?”
“Crystal, I can read minds.”
