Loving A STRANGER

As he listened carefully, Kylie explained her agreement with Laurence and how she needed to bring in an average of one million dollars monthly as profit over the course of the next year. When Ethan heard this, he laughed and said that, with his help, it would be very easy.

Kylie smiled and told Ethan not to worry. She would keep his offer in the back of her mind, but she had a plan already, and she thought that it was flawless. "I hate that I am always bickering with my father and sister," Kylie complained. "Rather than having my back," she continued, "they are always looking for ways to stab me in the back,"

"I don"t know what I did that displeased him so much," she sighed. "As a child, between Khloe and me, I was the good one. I can only imagine what it would have been like to grow up with a father who loved me … He has never been a father to me and often felt annoyed with my presence. I never wanted to p.i.s.sed him off; however, he betrayed my mother and grandfather,"

He hugged her tightly, "You are an adult now," Ethan reminded her. "You no longer need him, and as a bonus, you have me. Whatever life throws at us, we will send it back and twice as hard. We are fated to each other, and I will always be your strength,"

Kylie traced Ethan"s nose line and said, "Indeed, I feel grateful because I have you. You"re exceptional talents, and handsome appearance makes me feel like I won the lottery," 

"Oh, you learn to put some good words to please your husband, huh?" He said in a seductive tone. 

"h.e.l.l yeah. Of course, your the best in my eyes. Maybe in the future, we will have a bunce of children that will inherit your virtue," She smiled at him. 

He kissed her lips and said, "Let"s sleep. You need some rest!" 

***

Everyone was excited on the night of the Oscars. It didn"t matter if you were up for an award, or if you were a part of the industry in any way. In homes across the planet, people sat on the edge of their seats waiting to see if their favorite actors would be taking any awards – but it was especially exciting for those stars who had been invited for their first time.

Khloe felt like a queen as she stepped out in her sunflower dress. She smiled as the cameras clicked and flashed, and, as she stepped out onto the red carpet, it was as if she was floating on clouds. She had never been more proud of herself than she was now.

The hostess, who was standing beside the signature board, felt awkward when she saw Khloe step out onto the red carpet. She turned to William, who was hosting the ceremony with her, and asked him, "Who"s that? Her dress is beautiful, but she"s not on the list!"

"That"s Khloe Finch," William replied. "She"s from Garcia Entertainment. I don"t know why she is here, though. If she is trying to garner some extra publicity, this is not the way to do it. The media will tear her to shreds."

Khloe"s eyes lit up when she saw William. Rather than approach the desk though, as everyone else had done, she stayed where she was and continued to pose – and, as each second pa.s.sed, the hostess found herself becoming more and more impatient.

One of the reporters called out: "Khloe, who do you think will win the Best Actress award this year?"

Khloe smiled and said, "I would think that it"s obvious, don"t you?"

Another reporter called out: "Khloe, can you tell us something about the gown you"re wearing today?"

Khloe turned around and struck a pose, "In honor of the greatest artists, I chose this dress in tribute to Vincent Van Gough."

Another reporter called out: "Khloe, you just finished your last project. Can you tell us what"s next?"

"I have been talking with Director Miller," Khloe replied, "but I can"t say anything other than that right now; it will be huge though. You will not be disappointed."

Laurence watched the Oscars from the hospital and, as he watched Khloe"s performance, he couldn"t believe what he was seeing. He had told her to fly low, but apparently, she had ignored his direction. Now that she had everyone"s attention, it became much more likely that she would be discovered to be a fraud.

Another reporter called out: "Khloe, is there anything else you can tell us?"

Khloe smiled and said, "I am getting married this month, on the 17th!"

Laurence called Jane and said, "I don"t care what you have to do, but you need to get Khloe out of the limelight as quickly as possible. If this continues, things will go south very quickly!"

"My fiancé," Khloe continued, "is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Parker."

Another reporter called out: "There is a rumor that you are pregnant. Is that the reason that you are getting married?"

Not knowing what else to say, as she didn"t want to answer that question, she said, "I know that you have many more questions to ask, but please wait until the film festival is over. I"ll explain everything at that time."

As Khloe began to follow the red carpet, cheers erupted behind her, and they were much louder than they had been for her. She turned around, expecting to see Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston and was completely surprised to see that they were cheering for Kylie.

She clenched her teeth as she watched William rush forward to greet her, and she felt embarra.s.sed when she compared Kylie"s entrance to her own. Kylie was the star, and she was n.o.body.

At that moment, it took all of her wills not to cry.