After two hours, the boat arrived at Hamorna, where David Ham was waiting, and when he saw them, he rushed out to greet them. David introduced himself to Laurence at first, and then Laurence introduced the rest of them to him.David was in his forties, but he looked much younger than his age. He looked kind and friendly, confident, yet also meek and mild. He would be directing the reality television show that Khloe and Kylie were taking part in. As he shook Kylie"s hand, he said, "I"ve watched the news about you and Khloe. It"s all your father"s fault, but you"re father and daughter still. Please don"t hold it against him forever, and, while we"re on set, let"s keep it professional. I have a zero-tolerance level for drama. I don"t like to repeat what I"ve mentioned, and I hope you girls will understand,"
David"s att.i.tude wasn"t tough but not mean. Right from the get-go, he needed everyone to know what his expectations were. "This reality show is the focus of our time here," he continued, looking at everyone. "We leave our home life at home when we come to work."
Kylie calmly nodded as David spoke, casually chewing her gum. She glanced over at Laurence and Khloe and everyone else around her. A few faces had turned red, as if they had been personally scolded, but what she didn"t see was dissent, which she thought was very good.
As they walked away from the boat, David waved his hand, and an MPV car stopped right in front of them. He was about to say something more when he noticed that another group of people was leaving from another exit.
"Put your luggage in the trunk," he directed them. "I have just spotted someone with whom I must speak with. I will be right back." Running back in the direction of the boat, he called out, "Lord Ethan! Lord Ethan!"
Ethan looked up when he had heard someone calling his name. In the background, he could see Khloe"s a.s.sistant loading luggage into a car. Near them, he could see Kylie and her fellows waiting patiently. From what he could see, Kylie was, once more, being neglected, but that was exactly what he wanted.
In the foreground, David approached. Before he could get to Ethan, though, he was stopped by guards. Ignoring David, Ethan stepped into the Rolls-Royce that he"d arranged to meet him, and gave the driver directions.
Frowning, David watched as Ethan drove away. Once again, he had been completely ignored. David returned to his car and to his guests, who were patiently waiting for him. He looked at Kylie and said, "Find yourself a place to stay. We"ll start filming tomorrow. I"ll have a driver pick you up later."
With that said, everybody climbed into the car until it was so full that there was no room for Kylie, her agent, or her a.s.sistant. Kylie frowned. It didn"t make any sense to her, but, for some reason, David had singled her out and embarra.s.sed her in public. All alone, she was lost. She didn"t even speak the language of the people – at least that was what David thought…
It suddenly occurred to her then that David was trying to pressure her into quitting. One thing that he had not counted on, though, was Kylie"s resilience. "No problem," she laughed." I get by with a little help from my friends. You know, like John Lennon said?"
"Good luck," David called back to her. "You"re gonna need it!"
Inside the car, Kylie could see Khloe"s smug face, and she flipped her the bird. Shocked, Khloe turned away. She was not used to people flipping her the bird, and, as her father had previously pointed out to her, she had ridiculously thin skin.
Once the MPV car was gone, Kylie took out her phone with the intention of calling Ethan. But before she dialed the number, though, a black Rolls-Royce appeared in front of her. The car window fell down slowly, and the man inside called out: "Hey beauty, want a ride?"
"How much is the flag-down fare?" Kylie wondered, smiling. It was Ethan, and this was just a game they played. "There is no way that I"ll pay you by the minute!"
"Never mind the price," the man laughed. "You can pay me with your body."
Kylie looked down and frowned.
Lucas stared at Kylie with amazement, while Faith realized instantly who the driver was.
The driver left the car and pulled the pa.s.senger door open for Kylie. He protected Kylie"s head with one hand, and, once she"d sat inside, he helped her with the luggage. Faith and Lucas climbed nervously. They had never even properly met Ethan, so they did not understand the games that they played. It was for that reason that neither of them felt confident enough to look Ethan in the eyes.
Lucas looked left while Faith looked right. Luckily, because of Kylie"s presence, Ethan was much kinder than he usually was. Also, he knew that Kylie was on her period, so he put a pillow behind her back. He gently rubbed her stomach. He wanted to make her comfortable.
As Ethan pampered Kylie, she told him about the boat ride and the way that David had treated them on the dock.
"He just wants her to quit," Lucas complained, "because she is unfamiliar with Hamorna."
"What they don"t realize though," Kylie explained, "is that I l took a course in Communication in Hamorna. I was actually a part of the crew behind several popular TV shows in Hamorna."
Faith was surprised by Kylie"s story. She said, "I thought I knew everything about you. How did this escape my attention?"
"I went by a pseudonym," Kylie replied. "I called myself, "July"."
Faith"s eyes went wide in astonishment. The name had been very well known for a time, but then it had fallen off the grid. For years people had wondered what had happened to her.
"From what I hear," Lucas said, "I do not doubt that you can defeat Khloe."