I decide to stop at my usual local cafe for a cup of coffee, hoping that it will help calm my frayed nerves. But as I step inside, I’m greeted by a familiar sight on the cafe’s television screen.
A news channel is broadcasting a report about the Alpha gathering disaster, and my face is front and center. The headline reads,“Caterer Abby Under Fire for Alpha Party Food Poisoning.”
I feel the weight of the world crashing down on me as I order a coffee to go. The barista eyes me sympathetically, but I can’t bear to stay in the cafe a moment longer. I grab my coffee and make a hasty exit, my heart pounding with the knowledge that, no matter how hard I try, people just hate me now.
Whatever happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?
Finally, I arrive home after what feels like an eternity, and the solitude of my apartment offers some relief from the relentless scrutiny of the outside world. I slump into a chair and bury my face in my hands, trying to block out the hurtful words and accusations that still echo in my mind.
But my moment of solitude is short-lived as my phone rings, the shrill sound slicing through the air. I glance at the caller ID, and it’s an unknown number. My first instinct is to let it go to voicemail, but curiosity gets the better of me, and I answer.
“Hello?” I say cautiously.
“Is this Chef Abby, the caterer for the Alpha gathering?” a female voice on the other end asks.
I swallow hard, my throat tight with anxiety. “Yes, this is Abby. Who’s calling?”
“Hello,” the woman says. “My name is Patricia Koehler. I’m a journalist from the Daily News. Do you have a moment?”
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The readers' comments on the novel: Chasing His Kickass Luna Back
Please more updates! I hope Abby gets her happy ending with Karl. I SEE how his chanced and he knows that Abby needs to be her own person too....