Chapter 2
November 13, 2017
Elaine “Vandy” Vanderbilt sat in the makeup room of Entertainment Tonight studios. This would be her first media interview since her private and professional world began to crumble just a few weeks earlier. The news of the FTC investigation into her company had gone viral. That, along with the humiliating— and very public—end of her marriage and the deterioration of her relationship with her daughter, had taken its toll on her.
She was close to the breaking point and had been for a few days. Her nerves were shot. She hadn’t been sleeping. Prescription medications had not worked, leaving her disoriented and confused. She was exhausted. Yet, everyone wanted a piece of her: CNN, FoxNews, ABC, CBS—everyone. The amount of misinformation on social media was staggering. The clamoring for interviews with her from the major networks and cable news channels had been endless. Paparazzi were everywhere she turned.
Ignore them, her Uncle Randall had said—they were vultures. They would be proven wrong soon enough, he insisted, confidently. Face them, Pam urged. Public perception was everything, she said. In the end, her chief of staff and best friend, Pamela Putnam, won the day. She had advised Vandy that her best option was Entertainment Tonight. No one was going to lob softball questions at her, Pam had conceded, but Marina Mayes would likely be easier on her than Anderson Cooper or Tucker Carlson.
Burying her head in the sand was not an option, Pam had told her. She had to address questions head on or the media would continue to make up their own version of events. Even though the truth was ugly enough, what was stirring in the media had been worse—much worse.
“I’m so proud to be able to do your make up,” a young woman said to her as she was touching up her base.
“I’m sorry,” Vandy replied. “I was deep in thought. What did you say?”
“I was just saying how proud I was to be able to do your makeup for the show,” she repeated. “My name is Tiffany.”
“Thank you, Tiffany,” Vandy responded. “I appreciate your kind words.”
“I’ve been a big fan of yours for, like, forever,” Tiffany gushed. “You are everything in a woman I aspire to be. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re successful and plain-spoken. That combination is so rare. Such a role model.”
“I’m afraid I’m not feeling much like a role model,” Vandy said, “but thank you.”
“I read the article in Rolling Stone last year where the author described you as Megan Fox meets Sara Blakely and I thought to myself, that’s the most perfect analogy ever. What an incredible woman Blakely is. And Megan Fox is like--well, she’s Megan Fox. What did you think of that analogy?”
“Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as those women was a huge honor,” she said, and she meant it. Sara Blakely is an American billionaire businesswoman, the founder of Spanx, an intimate apparel company. Vandy was both surprised and impressed that Tiffany actually knew who Sara Blakely is.
“Don’t be silly,” Tiffany said. “You are beautiful and successful.”
“Thank you,” Vandy replied.
Tiffany leaned in and whispered, “Marina wants to use you to boost her ratings. Be very wary of Marina Mayes.”
“Why?” Vandy asked.
“Because Marina Mayes is a shit.”
Vandy flashed her a look of confusion, “You want to expand on that?”
Tiffany looked a little confused before answering.
“She’s a massive pile of steaming shit?”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” Vandy said.
“They are telling me there’s two minutes before you are on,” Pam Putnam said, bounding through the door. Pam had been with Vandy from the beginning of her career, fifteen years earlier, when she was one of the top five fashion models in the world. Pam had been her publicist in those early days. She was now 48-years old, an ex-model herself. Though the years were beginning to treat her unkindly, with an extra ten minutes in makeup, she could still turn the heads of most men, and she was still a size two and in great physical shape.
Pam had been divorced for years and had not remarried. Really, she had not dated much, nor had she shown much interest in doing so. Instead, she chose to devote herself to Vandy.
“I’m not ready for this,” Vandy said, looking at herself in the mirror. Tiffany had done a great job of covering the dark circles under her eyes. She was only 34 years old and widely regarded as beautiful, but lines had begun to form in the corners of her eyes. Her platinum blonde hair, once silky and flowing, seemed more straw-like to her now. The pressures of her job had been taking its toll and beginning to age her prematurely.
“Why couldn’t you just get me an interview on CNN with the rookie news anchor that covers business, what’s-her-name?” Vandy asked.
“Angela McVee?”
“Yes.”
“Because no one watches her program,” Pam said.
Vandy sighed, “Works for me.”
“Remember our talking points,” Pam said, ignoring the remark.
“I will.”
“One last thing. I know we’ve talked about this a dozen times, but you cannot use foul language.”
Vandy rolled her eyes. She had a reputation for being direct, many would say blunt, but also a ‘potty mouth,’ as Pam would put it. A Hollywood reporter once wrote that, “Elaine Vanderbilt once made Quentin Tarantino blush.”
“I’ll be good,” Vandy said.
Pam led Vandy to the green room, where she met a staffer named Maurice, a 30-something African-American male with serious eyes and soft features.
“At the next commercial break, I’ll take you out to Marina. You’ll sit on the chair to her right. When we go live, the camera will be on Marina alone as she sets the stage and introduces you. When she introduces you, the camera will pull back, show you both, and the interview will begin. Got it?”
Vandy gave Maurice a thumbs-up sign. Maurice touched his headphones as a voice came through. He looked away as he listened.
“Oh, and Marina asked me to remind you, no foul language,” he added.
“I got it.”
“It’s time,” he said.
Maurice led her out onto the stage. Marina Mayes was receiving a light makeup touch up as Vandy made her way to the seat. Marina was quite attractive herself. Perhaps five years younger than Vandy, Marina had long, flowing red hair, full lips and a tiny waist. Her skirt was two inches too short for the stool she sat on, but that was probably by design to highlight Marina’s shapely tanned legs. By contrast, Vandy opted for a more professional look, wearing a powder blue suit with the skirt extending to about three inches above her knee. She wore a peach colored blouse, a design she created herself.
After the makeup person left, the hostess extended her hand, “Marina Mayes,” she said.
“Elaine Vanderbilt,” came the reply.
“Is it okay if I call you Vandy?” Marina asked, seeming to be disinterested in the answer.
“Everyone does,” she replied.
Marina sized her up for a moment. She had an expression on her face that Vandy thought was disdainful, almost evil, as she looked up and down Vandy’s frame.
“Wow, you are more beautiful in person than you are in magazines,” Marina said in a tone that made Vandy feel exactly the opposite.
“Thank you,” she replied. “You’re quite the beauty yourself, and smart too.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think you really know anything about me.”
“Not true. I looked up your bio,” Vandy said. “Telecommunications degree at UCLA; MBA at Stanford; field reporter for CNN and now lead anchor at Entertainment Tonight. Very impressive.”
“I work hard,” she said. “I feel I can do anything.”
Except perhaps live in direct sunlight, Vandy thought. She smiled.
“We are live in ten seconds,” the floor director called. He counted off the last five seconds and pointed to Marina.
“Our next guest needs little introduction,” Marina said, flashing a perfect set of brilliant white teeth. “Elaine Vanderbilt is the founder of the PACNY clothing line, which recently overtook Pierre Cardin as one of the top ten clothing lines in the world. She is a former fashion model who parlayed her looks and her brains into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Ms. Vanderbilt has been voted one of People Magazine’s top 50 most beautiful people twice in the last five years.”
Marina shifted in her seat and looked to a different camera, “But recently a dark cloud has formed over the Vanderbilt world. Early last month the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into PACNY over its financial accounting, and several sources believe that charges of fraud are imminent. The subsequent fallout has caused the company stock to tank, its value decreasing by a whopping 38% in the last two months, causing many investors to call for Ms. Vanderbilt and her CFO to be ousted.”
Vandy was taken back. She knew she was going to get tough questions, but had no idea she was going to be brutalized before the first question was asked.
Marina turned to Vandy.
“Thank you for being with us, today, Ms. Vanderbilt,” Marina said, smiling politely and professionally.
“Thank you for having me,” came the reply, “and please, call me Vandy.”
“What is the current state of the investigation from the FTC, Ms. Vanderbilt?” she asked, the smile having disappeared from her face.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Vandy replied. “I’m not allowed to comment on the particulars at this time.”
“A lot of your investors might say that’s a pretty convenient non-answer,” Marina said. “They have said you’re using your attorney as a shield to avoid being honest.”
“My legal team has advised me to not discuss any particulars involving the investigation while it is underway. It’s not avoiding anything; it’s being prudent,” Vandy replied. “I will say that I have every confidence the investigation will lead to a total exoneration on our part.”
“Your uncle, Randall Vanderbilt, is the CFO, is that correct?” Marina asked.
“Yes,” Vandy replied. “He has been watching over my company’s finances since my father died in 2006.”
“Many of your critics say that Mr. Vanderbilt is over his head in this position,” Marina said. “They contend he was hired into his role only because he was in your family. Some have called his honesty and credibility into question. They feel that, as CEO, you should have seen that he was out of his element and replaced him long ago. How would you respond to those critics?”
“As to his credibility and honesty, my uncle served his country as a Navy SEAL. If you ask anyone who served with him, you’ll find that his reputation for credibility and honesty is impeccable. After he left military service he earned an MBA in Finance from Stanford. He is more than qualified to do this job,” Vandy responded. “Once again, I urge everyone to wait until the investigation is complete.”
“A source from inside your organization told Entertainment Tonight, and I quote, ‘Randall Vanderbilt will be the death-nail in PACNY. Elaine Vanderbilt is either blind to the fact that he needs to be replaced or is allowing her family loyalty to cloud her judgment.’ How would you respond to that quote?”
“It depends. Who has provided you that quote?” Vandy asked.
“This was provided by a confidential source,” Marina replied.
“Now who is providing a convenient non-answer?” she replied.
Marina smiled through clenched teeth.
“How has this investigation affected your personal life?” she asked, diverting the conversation.
Vandy knew the question was going to be asked but it still hit her like a kick to the stomach. Her hands began to tremble slightly. She had been in tough situations before. She was no shrinking violet. She was normally a rock, but so much had happened recently. It had been overwhelming. The pressure was catching up to her.
“My marriage is ending,” she admitted, frankly. “Cameron and I are working together amicably on a divorce now.”
“Amicably?” Marina repeated in a questioning tone.
“Yes,” she reiterated. Marina smiled.
“Some of your critics believe that your marriage is ending because your husband has information about the investigation and suspects that you will be found guilty of fraud by the FTC. Some people feel he’s jumping ship before it sinks. How would you respond to that?”
What Vandy wanted to say, but didn’t, was that her husband, after years of being a B-list and C-list actor, is now a rising star, and did not want his personal reputation sullied by her current problems. She also wanted to tell Marina that her husband’s self-righteous attitude didn’t prevent him from balancing affairs with two different models—both employees of hers, a fact he is desperate to hide.
“We have had personal issues for some time,” Vandy said. “The stress of this current situation certainly exacerbated the problems, but…“
“There are rumors that you are already seeing someone else, a model for your winter clothing line, Maurice McKay.”
Maurice McKay was a 24-year-old model but looked 17. He was widely regarded as the “sexiest new model in Hollywood.” He was 6-foot tall and weighed maybe ten pounds more that Vandy herself. The other thing Marina didn’t know is that Maurice was as gay; just not out of the closet. He hung out with beautiful women, but it was all for show.
“Maurice is a superstar in the making and in the public eye,” she said. “He’s been on almost every fashion magazine cover and has been rumored to be in relationships with several movie stars,” Vandy replied. “He doesn’t need me. No, those rumors are unequivocally false.”
“Is it true that your husband, Cameron Boyd, is seeking sole custody of Lindsay, claiming you are an unfit mother?”
The question stunned Vandy into silence.
“Ms. Vanderbilt, would you like me to repeat the question?” Marina asked.
Vandy felt blood rushing from her face, “What? No! That’s ridiculous. Where did you hear that?”
“Entertainment Tonight just obtained this document today,” she said, holding up some papers. “This is a legal action filed by your husband. We tried to reach your husband for comment but he was filming on location and inaccessible. Were you aware of this?”
Vandy’s hands began to tremble, and she was certain it was noticeable. She began to feel light-headed. She tried to answer, “No, I—I—I didn’t--.”
She stopped and lowered her face in her hands. She held back the tears and was trying to collect herself, but felt nauseous. Marina remained silent for several seconds as the camera zoomed in on Vandy to get a closeup of her discomfort. Finally, Marina looked into the camera and said:
“We’ll be right back after this word from our sponsors.”
The floor director called out, “We’re dark. We’re back in 90 seconds.”
Pam rushed out onto the stage, and confronted Marina, “That was an ambush!” she scowled. “You didn’t say anything about asking her that.”
“We just received this right before we went on the air,” Marina retorted, stoically. “There wasn’t time.”
“How did you even get this?” Vandy asked.
“It came anonymously,” Marina said, “but we authenticated it.”
“This is bullshit!” Pam barked. “Vandy, let’s go.”
“You’re not going to finish the interview?” Marina spouted. “Do you have any idea how this will look to the public if you just walk out now?”
“We’re done here,” Pam replied.
“My, how the mighty have fallen,” snarked Marina.
“Let’s go, Vandy,” Pam repeated.
Vandy didn’t respond. She was staring off into space, in a trance-like state.
“Vandy?”
Pam touched her on the shoulder. There was no response. Vandy slumped to the floor.
“Someone call 911,” Pam cried out.