Duke nodded and rushed in for a kiss. “It’ll be fine. I love you.” And then he was off, hurrying through the crowd toward the spotlight.
Viv closed her eyes and muttered a plea to the heavens.Please…please, help this turn out alright.
* * *
Sparks of heat raced through Duke’s blood as he stepped up to the podium with its dual microphones, one at each side. He rubbed his thumb over the stone in his pocket, musing he could wear a hole through the surface in that moment.
Sylvia nudged him with her bare arm and surveyed the crowd with a lifted chin. “Hello, Dukee Duke Duke Duke.”
He gave her a curt nod. “Sylvia.”
Mr. Dunkle stood beside the main cameraman, pointing to the digital clock counting down the seconds until they went live.
Ten.
Nine.
“Are you excited?” Sylvia asked.
Eight.
Seven.
“Sure.” Duke said.
Six, five, four.
“Me too,” she cooed.
Three, two, one.
The cameraman pointed at Duke.
“Good evening,” Duke said. “Welcome to the final segment of our Stanford Alumni Gala. For those joining from home, we hope you’ve enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with the slideshows put together by our incredible team. Let’s give them a hand, shall we?”
Sylvia put her bright red lips up to her mic as the audience clapped.
Just say your lines, Sylvia, for the love.
“Mr.Dinklemade a teensy tiny mistake when he introduced us earlier.” Sylvia’s words came out with a slur. “He implied that Duke and I were here together when, in fact, we arenot.Would you like to tell them why that is or should I?”
Duke’s mouth dropped open. “I think what weshoulddo is announce this award—”
“Sounds like it’s on me,” Sylvia spat. “Duke couldn’t bring me because he was too busypretendingto like some poor girl from the valley who interviewed him forSlipper Magazine.”
Duke approached his own mic. “Very funny,” he said. “Great joke, Sylvia.”
“Her name’s Vivia Tripoli but she writes as Veritå and she’s been in love with Duke Benton for ten pathetic years,” the woman continued.
Duke caught eyes with the audio crew in back. They were scrambling, hopefully cutting to alternate footage or something. But suddenly he realized what they’d done when the deep echo of Sylvia’s voice was muted.
“…never going to be one of us, Vivia, so why don’t you just give up?”
Thank heavens they’d cut her mic. It was likely the online audience hadn’t heard her. Hopefully those in the banquet hall hadn’t either.
Duke cupped his own mic with both hands so she couldn’t go for his next.
“Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen,” he said as two big men dressed in black came up alongside Sylvia. From his periphery, he saw them escort her off the small stage.
