Loving A STRANGER 167 Chapter 167: I Am Your Boss

Kylie's fans knew about her situation and worried about her when they heard that her name or face wouldn't be featured in any of the promotional material. Although she had no official support, Kylie was not worried and, whenever the press asked her why she wasn't worried, she said, "It doesn't matter who is promoted. No, how much Khloe is promoted. If she doesn't perform well, that is what matters in the end. She has daddy spending all this money, but, in the end, it is my performance that will s.h.i.+ne, and it won't have cost me a single penny."

Whenever the press asked Lucas the same question, he would reply by saying, "Just wait until the premiere. Kylie won't let you down."

Hearing their confidence, Kylie's fans calmed down and began to promote her through their social media. Before long, by word of mouth, her fan base had created such a buzz around Kylie that it overshadowed Khloe's promotions, and it hadn't cost Kylie a thing.

In a board meeting, President Finch asked Laurence, David, and their team how Khloe was doing.

 "We had her in a corner for a moment," Laurence replied, "but, like a bop bag, she bounced back stronger than ever. The G.o.ds must really be on her side because any other artist would be ruined by now, but Kylie is stronger than ever."

"We put so much into promoting Khloe," David added, "but Khloe is still the fan-favorite. It is inconceivable, and yet, there it is. In the end, it will all depend on who puts on the best show. If Khloe is unable to win over the audience, her career will be over. Even if we won't be able to work with her anymore…"

"I am not worried about that," Finch said. "Kylie has taken part in reality shows in the past. Kylie, on the other hand, is a novice. I think Khloe has it in the bag, but let's quit paying to promote her. It doesn't seem to help her." Turning to David, he added, "I want you to talk to the cameramen. Whenever possible, I want Khloe to be the focal point. By doing that, we will be manipulating our viewers on a subliminal level; the more they watch, the more sympathetic they will be to her plight. Then, even if she loses, she will be seen as a tragic hero, like Hamlet or Gatsby."

"That is a great idea," Laurence said. "I can't believe I didn't come up with it myself."

While they spoke, in the back of his mind, David thought hard on what his role was while he was working for Garcia Entertainment. Although he did not own a lot of shares, he had attained a level of power that not too many employees and. When it came to making decisions, he had a voice, but he wanted it to be clear to everyone that he was indispensable.

***

As Kylie entered studio 13 for the first day of shooting, she wore a smile like a mask. She was excited to be there and, though she knew that there were many people there who wanted to see her fail, she saw no reason why she shouldn't make friends with those who were professional enough to not be personally involved in who won or lost. All that they cared about was the ratings. Good ratings secured their employment while bad ratings did the exact opposite.

Just behind the studio, there were trailers that doubled as dressing rooms, and Kylie went into the one that bore her name. She was excited to have her own dressing room. Thus, she was surprised and disappointed to find Khloe inside, waiting for her.

They looked at each other over like predators. Kylie was dressed casually and had a 'Girl Next Door' look to her. Khloe was wearing a fancy suit. It was obviously way more expensive than Kylie's, but it did nothing for her. Instead, it made her look cold, cruel, or indifferent.

There were two mirrors in the trailer, and Khloe was set up at the far end, and her makeup artist was doing her eyes. "Don't forget the sunscreen," she snapped. "I am allergic to the sun!"

"Your make-up is really thick already," the artist replied. "It should protect you. If I put anything more on, you will look like a corpse."

"You don't know anything," Khloe snarled. "I am your boss. Shut up and do as I say or I will fire you."

Kylie did not wear make-up and found it curious about how important it was to some women. Once Khloe was done, they left the trailer together to greet a crowd of reporters. It was always like this on the first day of shooting. Everyone was clapping, shouting, and everyone seemed to be having a jolly old time; everyone except Laurence, who stood behind the reporters with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

Once everything was settled, the press began to ask them questions in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. They would raise their hand, and either Kylie or Khloe would point to them. The first question was for Kylie, and it came from a middle-aged man in a sports jacket. "Kylie," he said, "you have both been compared to each other a lot lately, to the extent that you almost don't have individual ident.i.ties. What do you make of that? It is very curious, wouldn't you say?"

Hearing this first question, Laurence's heart sank. The more comfortable Kylie appeared, the more uncertain he was.

Kylie smiled and said, "I try not to think about it too much. If I paid too much attention to what was being said about me, I would probably go crazy. I just try to do my best and hope that everything goes well."

The next question was for Khloe: "Miss Khloe Finch, what do you expect from this reality show?"