LEONARD

I sighed for the hundredth time today.

I leaned back in the plush leather seat of the car, arms crossed, trying to ignore Coral’s ranting. The back of my mind was still swirling with thoughts of the day’s meetings. The team was pushing to expand The Cove, but I wasn’t sure how I’d do it without changing its essence. My mum’s dream was to keep the place authentic, something my father never quite understood. He always wanted me to sell or turn it into something more profitable, more corporate, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up on my legacy.

“Are we meeting with distributors today?” Coral’s voice broke through my thoughts, her excitement a stark contrast to my internal chaos.

I nodded absently. "Yeah, and I’m not looking forward to it. These guys don’t get the charm of The Cove. They just see dollar signs."

She gave me a look but didn’t say anything. Her attention had already wandered back to her phone, where she was scrolling through gossip articles like her life depended on it.

“Oh my God, this is so bad,” she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time today. Her fingers flicked through pages of gossip articles, her face a mixture of disbelief and outrage.

I didn’t need to look at her to know exactly what she was doing. I could practically hear the dramatic gasp in her voice.

I sighed, letting the hum of the car’s engine fill the space between us. "How did I not see this?" she shrieked, her voice rising like a siren. Her whole body was shaking, a mix of indignation and sheer excitement.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned toward her screen, knowing I’d have to entertain whatever nonsense she was going on about. "What’s got you so worked up now?" I asked, my tone casual, though I was already regretting engaging.

She whipped the phone towards me, holding it so close I almost had to squint to make out the headline. “Chase Rivers and Jodie Smith’s sex tape leaked—and it lines up with when he was dating Calista Carlisle! They just broke up, and now this. I hate him so much, oh my God!”

I rubbed my temple, feeling the headache of dealing with the circus that was celebrity gossip. “That’s too bad,” I muttered, feigning indifference, but the name Calista Carlisle stuck with me.

I’d heard of her, of course. Hollywood starlet. The ex of some rich, famous guy. But I didn’t care much for the drama that followed women like her. Still, there was something about this… something that made my mind linger on her name as I leaned back in my seat.

"Jesus, it’s not like this is the first time,” Coral continued, now reading aloud the latest juicy tidbits. “But get this—Calista was at the Gala last night, and guess what she wore?”

I suppressed an eye roll. “Let me guess. Another show-off dress to steal attention?”

Coral glared at me, as if I didn’t appreciate the art of fashion. “Oh, you bet. A black Balmain. She owned it, too. Like, head-turning, jaw-dropping level. Totally crushed it. And the whole place was buzzing about her like it was 2015 all over again.”

“Right,” I said, trying to sound disinterested, but part of me was curious. What was it like to walk into a room and have people stop what they were doing just to stare at you? What was it like to have everything—your life, your heartbreak, your success—laid bare for the public to pick apart?

I glanced at Coral, who was now reading through more articles, her face lighting up at the thought of another scandal. “What’s your problem?” she teased, noticing my lingering silence. “You’ve been in this car for how long now, and you haven’t once mocked Calista for living out her drama on Instagram?”

I shot her a side-eye. “Maybe I’m just tired of watching other people’s messes. It’s exhausting.”

Coral laughed softly, shaking her head. “You’re too easy to rile up, Leo. You’re so hard on yourself about your own life that you’ve got no time for the drama of others.”

“I guess,” I muttered. But the truth was, there was something about Calista Carlisle—the way she carried herself despite the mess of her life—that made me question how I would’ve handled it in her shoes.

I turned my attention back to the road, but her name lingered in my mind. Maybe Coral had a point. Maybe it was time to stop pretending like I didn’t care about the messes people like Calista found themselves in.

After all, I couldn’t deny that my curiosity was piqued. But then again, that was a line I wasn’t willing to cross. At least not yet.

I shifted in my seat, trying to focus on the road ahead, but Coral’s voice kept tugging me back into her drama.

"You know," she said, barely taking a breath between words, "I don't get why people can't just stay out of the public's business. But then again, maybe it's because they know it's what sells. And honestly? Calista knows how to sell herself."

I shot her a sideways glance, the corner of my mouth twitching in amusement. "You really are obsessed with her."

Coral shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good trainwreck." She tapped her phone, switching tabs to yet another headline. "Here’s another gem. Calista’s spotted at the Gala after breaking up with Rivers—looking flawless, of course. It's like she thrives off the chaos, Leo. It’s impressive, in a way."

I laughed, the sound escaping before I could stop it. "Flawless? Yeah, I’m sure the whole room was just waiting for her to roll out a red carpet with her name on it."

Coral smirked. "You know, you could learn a thing or two about the art of owning a room. A little charm never hurt anyone."

I huffed. "I’m not trying to own a room. I just want to get from point A to point B without the circus."

"But you're still staring at the damn circus," Coral shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Admit it, you’re fascinated."

"Fascinated? No. I’m just… tired of all the drama. It's everywhere," I grumbled, focusing back on the road.

Coral wasn’t buying it, though. "You know what the worst part is?" She looked at me, her voice softening slightly. "You care, Leo. You always have. You just act like you don't."

The words hung in the air for a moment. I didn't respond right away. Coral had a way of cutting to the core of things. "Maybe," I muttered, my gaze fixed firmly on the road ahead.

"Hey," she nudged my arm, grinning mischievously. "Don’t pretend you’re not intrigued by Calista. I mean, have you seen her in that dress? How is that not at least a little bit interesting?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "It’s not the dress that’s got me curious, Coral."

"Then what is it?"

I took a deep breath, briefly glancing at her. "Maybe it’s the fact that people like her… they get all of this attention—good or bad—and they still keep going. It's something, isn’t it?"

Coral smirked, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Aha! There it is. You're just jealous of her resilience. You're like one bad press report away from pulling a full-on Leo meltdown. And she’s out there breaking hearts and making headlines, like it’s just another Tuesday."

I snorted. "Jealous? Please. I just think people like Calista... they have it easy. Everything's already out there for them, and they still get to do whatever they want. No one cares about your real life, just your persona."

"You say that," Coral started with a wicked grin, "but I'm pretty sure you’d trade a bit of your private life for some of that public chaos if it meant you'd get away with a fraction of what she does."

I glanced at her again, my mouth twisting into a wry smile. "Yeah, well, maybe I’m not cut out for that kind of drama. But hey, if it gets me off the hook for a few mistakes, I might start considering it."

Coral rolled her eyes, her grin not leaving her face. "I swear, you and your high-and-mighty attitude are exhausting. Let me know when you’ve had enough of pretending you don’t love the mess."

I chuckled under my breath. “We’ll see about that.”

As I focused back on the road, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, my eyes scanning the headlines on the screen. One article caught my eye: "Leo Donovan Expands The Cove – Is It Still Authentic?" followed by another "Competition Brewing: New Cafe Line Steals Market Share" then another one “Brew Haven: The real coffee” —I felt a tightening in my chest. Someone was trying to take over the industry I loved, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold onto The Cove without changing it.

But one thing was for sure—this was only the beginning.

~~~

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Muah!💋
~Rhoda