Episode 9: Poisoned in Prime Time
Florence
I can’t believe this is my life…
And not in a good way. The ‘everything is a fairytale’ way.
No, this is more of a nightmare.
I should have kept my mouth shut beyond muttering ‘no comment.’
My single comment about the failures of the Bravonnian monarchy has somehow become the rallying cry for those that oppose the new laws passed. Without trying I’ve somehow become the figurehead of a movement in a country that I don’t even live in. #theydidmeafavor and #regressivetrash have been trending along with #omegareform and #manipulativeomega.
I barely looked at my socials before, but now I avoid them like the plague. Jude hasn’t told me as much. But the contents of my DMs have made his mouth tighten into an unnatural little pinch. Threats and insults from those that support the Bravonnian crown, I suspect.
But there are also messages thanking me for speaking out. Praising me for it, which is beyond bizarre. It’s only the right thing to do. I’m shocked more peoplearen’tpublicly denouncing the Bravonne monarchy for the shady shit they pulled.
Or maybe my words carry more weight given the nature of my relationship with the Ashbourne Pack. Because I’m a public figure. Which again isbizarre. I was a contestant on a dating show and somehow I’ve become a political figurehead.
Of course there’s been backlash because of that, a smear campaign apparently led by the other omegas on the show. Though I have no clue why they’d be so eager to speak out against me and not the laws that, once enacted, will limittheirrights as a Bravonnian citizen.
They’re probably getting paid.
Or the queen herself asked for a special favor from them.
Which given what I know of her, wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Haven and her pack urged me to consider doing an interview. Just one, where I could tell my side of the story, inform the world of my heartbreak in a controlled setting and try to repair some of the damage done to my reputation and integrity because of the outright slander being spoken against me.
It might have been better if I’d done this before things got to this point, but then I never would have thought that the Bravonnian government would have pulled such a shady move.
I honestly thought people would forget about me over time, and I could just go back to my quiet life in Granton.
But one comment spoken against unfair laws in an entirely different country from my own, and it became painfully clear that wouldn’t be the case.
Which has brought me here. To this moment, sitting across from Heather Howle with cameras once again pointing at me.
We’re in a studio set up to look like a cozy sitting room, the chair I’m in is plush and comfortable, but I try not to let myself sink into it. Straight back, chin raised, polite smile in place.
“Florence, thank you for being here. How are you feeling today, really?”
I manage to keep my smile in place. “I’m well, thank you for asking.”
She pauses, giving me a considering look, like she knows I’m lying. I brace, expecting her to push. It wouldn’t have taken much for them to find out I fainted at the airport and had a brief stay at the hospital upon my return.
“It’s been a whirlwind sinceRoyaLove Getawayended. What have the last few weeks been like for you?”
Okay, so she’s giving me a chance to come clean about my illness. But I’m certainly not going to. That’s no one’s business but my own. “It’s been… difficult, to say the least. It's not easy for anyone to form a connection with someone, to think you might have a future with them, only to be told you aren’t good enough. I’m sure every omega who's been on the show would tell you the same.”
“You were widely considered the fan favorite. Did that surprise you?” Relief flows through me when she seemingly moves on from a subject I have no wish to discuss.
“Yes. Without a doubt. I would have expected… just about any of the other omegas to be fan favorites. Tristan or Petal. Tamsin was so sweet.”
“Indeed, you certainly seemed to get along with them.” My brow wrinkles at that, not sure if she’s implying it’s a bad thing. But then she moves on swiftly, like she just wants to get through the approved questions. “Before everything became… political, what originally made you agree to be on the show?”
I hesitate. Even though I knew this question was coming. I haven’t decided how much of myself I want to show in thisinterview. To the world. “I was going through a rough patch after an accident took my ability to dance and my career from me. Everything I’d been working toward since I was a small child was just gone, in an instant. And I wasn’t sure how to come back from that. My best friend saw that I was struggling and she… well, she filled out the application for me as a way to shake me out of the funk I’d been in.”
“Interesting. Were you surprised to be picked as a contestant?”
