Watching the movie after having spent most of the last week with Brian made it a little hard to see Cinder up on the screen instead of Brian, and it was really weird to watch Juliette swoon over my boyfriend. It was still fun, though.
I was surprisingly not jealous at all that someone in the audience hooted and hollered when Cinder took his shirt off or when I had to watch the kissing scenes between both Cinder and Ellamara and him and Ratana. Though, admittedly, the scenes with him and Kaylee Summers were harder to stomach than the other ones. But that was just because I hated her. Not because of Brian’s job.
I was relieved to see that that part of his job wasn’t going to bother me. I’d known going in that this was all just acting, but I’d still wondered if it would upset me. It didn’t. It was impossible to be jealous when I knew how much Brian loved me. Knowing what he really thought about Kaylee helped, too. But, again, that could have just been my petty side speaking.
Max had been true to his word, and the guest list was small. Though he’d bought out the whole 4:30 showing, only a third of the seats were filled. None of the other cast members were there—thank heavens Max had enough sense not to invite Kaylee—but a couple of the guests were very recognizable from other films. I was surprised to see Susanna Salazar, a very popular teen pop music star, there. I guessed her parents were friends with Max.
After introducing herself to me and saying hi to Brian—whom she was obviously very familiar with already—she was surprisingly interested in talking to Juliette and Ana. When I asked Brian about it, he explained that it was hard for famous teens to meet other people their own age. Susanna was probably starved for attention from girls her own age who wouldn’t just fangirl on her. And thanks to Brian’s presence over the past week, the twins weren’t as affected by celebrities anymore. As soon as Susanna realized Ana and Juliette would be cool, she clung to them as if they were her new best friends.
By some small miracle, Max and my family managed to meet without the world coming to an end. Oh, I was sure my father would have plenty to say about Max’s date once they got home, but Max managed not to hit on any of the Coleman women, and my father didn’t tell him I was too good for his son, so I considered it a win.
Overall, things were great—until we all left the theater. Word had spread during the movie that Brian and I were here. We didn’t think anything of the completely packed complex—Christmas Day was always a big day for the movies, after all. And when the fans lined up in the lobby waiting to get into the next couple of showings started screaming and shouting at us, it seemed normal enough.
Brian and I waved and said hello, smiled for a few pictures, and told them we hoped they enjoyed the movie as we walked past them. That was no big deal. I could handle that. But as we made our way across the lobby, the theater manager stopped our whole party. “Forgive me, Mr. Oliver,” the man said to Max, forcing a nervous smile, “but word has gotten out somehow about your party being here. I’m afraid we’ve had to call in police for crowd control.”
“Oh.” Max paused, as if surprised, and glanced outside the front doors, where a huge crowd had gathered. After taking in the situation, he smiled again and patted the guy’s shoulder. “Thank you for the heads-up. Most of us have parked with the valet. Will they still be able to bring our cars around?”
The manager sagged in relief to see that Max wasn’t upset and blaming him for the leak to the press. “Oh, yes, of course,” he gushed. “You may have to wait a few minutes longer than normal, but the police will be able to get you safely out.”
None of the unrecognizable people had anything to worry about and left after a few quick good-byes. The few other celebrities in the party waited inside with us after handing their valet slips to the manager, but they all seemed rather blasé about the chaos.
“How come they aren’t upset?” I whispered to Brian.
Brian certainly looked concerned, but when he glanced at the other famous people, he shrugged. “They probably expected it. With so many of us in one place, people were bound to notice. I’m the idiot for not realizing Dad would have invited other celebs. When he promised me a small, low-key guest list, I naively thought it would just be us and a few of his closest non-famous friends.”
Brian shot an annoyed glare at his father, who was laughing with Susanna’s parents. And she looked thrilled to have the attention. She was grinning as she greeted fans in the lobby and posed for pictures while she waited for the valet to bring her car around.
Cell phone flashes were going off like crazy in the crowded lobby, and outside the front doors to the theater, it looked like last week’s premiere all over again, minus the red carpet. My stomach churned. “Will we be safe?” I asked. I hated to sound worried. I wanted to be strong and prove to Brian that I could handle his world, but memories of being swarmed at FantasyCon and having to be carried to safety by Brian made my body shake with anxiety.
Brian’s jaw clenched at my question. His brooding scowl turned impossibly darker. He was really not happy.
I felt terrible. I knew Brian was only upset right now for my sake. He was used to this kind of thing. Without me, he’d probably be as blasé as the other celebrities, instead of seconds away from punching someone.
“It’s a short walk from here to the valet stand, and the police are here. They’ll keep you safe,” he promised.
My dad was hovering closely enough to overhear Brian’s promise. He looked as angry as Brian, only his anger was not directed at Max. “She had better be safe,” he grumbled.
When Brian returned his glare, I gripped Brian’s arm to hold him back and keep him calm. Now was not the time for the two of them to butt heads again. “Brian! Dad! Both of you, calm down,” I hissed. “Fighting about it is not going to make things any better. Worry about it after we’re all home.”
The warning seemed to put them both in check, and the tension eased up a little. Brian’s phone rang, and he glanced at the display as if he didn’t plan to answer it, but when he read the name on the screen, he frowned and put it to his head. “Hey Scotty, what’s up?”
He ducked his head and plugged one ear so he could hear whatever his assistant was telling him. While they talked, I turned to my dad. He—along with the rest of my family—was standing there taking in the spectacle around us with a stunned expression. “Dad, I’m sorry. Max promised us low-key. We’re not sure how—”
“Brian’s dad posted about it on Instagram,” Juliette said, holding out her phone. “It’s all over the Internet. Ana and I started getting texts from kids at school before the movie started, asking if we were with you guys.”
“What?” Brian gasped, whirling toward Juliette with wide eyes.
Juliette frowned at his incredulous expression and held out her phone for us to see. Sure enough, Max had posted the picture he’d taken before the movie with Brian and me on his Instagram feed. It wouldn’t have been a problem, except in the caption he mentioned the name of the theater we were at and the showtime of the movie. When Brian read that, he sucked in a sharp breath and started trembling with rage.
“It’s okay, Brian.”
“No, it’s not,” he growled. “It was bad enough that he ambushed you before the movie with his agent and those producers, but to pull this shit on us just to get more publicity? DAD!”
Max shook the hand of another of his guests and then floated over to us, looking completely serene. Brian held up Juliette’s phone to Max and glared so hard his face turned bright red. “Are you kidding me with this?” he hissed.
Max frowned. “What? I told you I was going to post the picture.”
“I don’t care about the picture. You posted our location. You planned this all along.” He waved toward the mob outside. “This is the whole reason you even invited us today, isn’t it?”
Max rolled his eyes. “Of course not. I invited you because you’re my son. And I didn’t plan this; don’t be so dramatic. I just wasn’t thinking when I posted the picture. I don’t have the same problem with fans that you do.”
Brian scoffed.
I didn’t believe Max, either.
“It’s not that bad,” Max said, giving up his attempt at innocence after seeing our disbelief.
I glanced outside at the crowd again. Susanna’s car had just pulled up to the valet, and when she and her parents left the theater, the roar of noise outside was so loud Ana and Juliette exchanged nervous glances and moved closer to Dad and Jennifer.
Max winced at the noise and shook his head at Brian and me. “You’ll only be outside for a minute, and that’s totally worth what this is going to do for ticket sales. You should really stay for a little while and take advantage of this opportunity. You and Ella haven’t made a public appearance since the premiere. For the two of you to come surprise the fans on opening day is amazing publicity. The media will love it.”
Brian shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a breath and shook his head as he tried to calm down. “You’re unbelievable, Dad. You know what? Forget dinner tonight. We’re not coming. I’m not, anyway. I suppose Ella can, if she wants, but I doubt she does after the way you’ve just spent the afternoon exploiting her for your own gain.”
I shook my head. “Not really. My family wanted us to have dinner with them anyway.” I looked to my dad and Jennifer. “You guys don’t mind if we join you, right?”
“Of course not,” Jennifer said.
“What?” Max looked genuinely offended. “You guys don’t have to bail on me. Ella, honey, Brian’s just being overly sensitive. I swear I didn’t—”
“The New Gate people, Dad?” Brian asked. “Seriously? You’re going to tell me you didn’t invite them today just because they wanted an in with Ella, and you wanted the Drive Hard deal?”
Max groaned. “I didn’t mean any harm. I thought she’d be excited by their offer, and what else could I do? They were already in talks with Ridge Davies when I contacted them about the project.” He pointed his pout in my direction. “Ella, sweetheart, I’m sorry if that upset you. That wasn’t my intention. And I can’t thank you enough for that wonderful endorsement. I don’t think you realize how much pull you have in the industry now. I really wasn’t their first choice for the film. If I get the contract, it’ll be because of you.”
“Glad I could help,” I said drily.
I wasn’t as pissed as Brian was. From what Brian had told me about his father, I wasn’t all that surprised. But I was upset on Brian’s behalf. He was making a big deal out of it for my benefit, but I also knew it was bothering him a lot more than he would admit to anyone. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be used for my fame by my own parent.
Ignoring my sarcasm, Max rolled his eyes at Brian again and held his elbow out in an offering for me to take. “Well, there’s no use crying over it. What’s done is done. You may as well go mingle with your fans while you wait for your ride.”
When Brian’s whole body tensed again, I gripped his arm tighter and pulled him close to me. “Actually, we’ll wait here with my family. They aren’t used to this type of thing.”
Max frowned, looking at my family as if just realizing they were still there. He immediately flipped into smarmy mode, but before he could say something to my father that would surely piss him off, Dad shook his head and said, “There’s no need to wait with us, Ella. Our cars are here, and your public is waiting. You and your boyfriend can go mingle with your fans.”
I was so shocked—and hurt—by his disdain that I couldn’t hold back a snarky reply. It was a miracle I managed to not shout at him. “My boyfriend has a name,” I snapped, gritting my teeth. “And he had nothing to do with any of this. Nor did I. We only came to the theater today because you all wanted to see the movie, and we thought Brian’s father genuinely wanted his son’s company on Christmas. We didn’t mean to be such an inconvenience to you.” Glaring daggers at him, I ground my teeth and shook my head. “Maybe we’ll skip Christmas dinner with you guys, too. You’ve clearly had enough of us and our drama for one day.”
I tried to give Brian a smirk. “Looks like we should have gone to see your mother in Wisconsin, after all.”
His face softened at my joke. “I’m sure she’ll call us tomorrow to say I told you so.”
The half smile he managed was just enough to make me relax. Sighing softly, I took a breath and spoke in a calm voice. “Dad, I’m really sorry about all of this. You guys all go ahead. You’re better off leaving separately anyway. You won’t be recognized that way, and no one will bother you.”
“Actually,” Brian said, “Juliette and Anastasia should probably come with us.”
When everyone gaped at Brian, waiting for an explanation, he grimaced. “My assistant called a few minutes ago. He saw the news and said people are talking about them almost as much as Ella.” He shrugged. “They were in Erik Clarke’s video, too, and I guess people are intrigued by the Cinderella’s stepsisters angle.”
Juliette’s jaw dropped, and Ana’s eyes bulged. Dad flinched, as if the news of his daughters’ new fame literally shocked him.
Brian ran a hand through his hair. “Scott called a limo service for us so that we can all stay together. He said things are crazy enough out there that it would be best to let a professional driver worry about the crowd since you guys aren’t used to it. I’m really sorry.”
It took my dad way too long to respond to this, and when he did, he couldn’t speak. He simply clenched his hands into fists and stomped off toward the bathroom. I’d never seen him so angry.
“Well,” I muttered, “there goes my relationship with my father. Wonder how Dr. Parish will try to spin this one.”
“Ella, I’m so sorry.”
I smiled sweetly at Brian and kissed his cheek. “Not your fault.”
When Dad came back, he was still not speaking to anyone—not even Jennifer. Brian and I decided to give him space and went to talk to the fans lined up waiting to see the film. Not that we were in the mood for it, but thanks to Max, who was schmoozing the crowd and kept calling out to us to join him, we really didn’t have any other option. Blowing them all off would have made Brian look bad.
It took nearly half an hour for the limo to arrive, and when it showed up for us, two police officers came to escort us out. “Just hurry to the car,” Dad growled at the twins. “Don’t say anything. Don’t even look at the cameras.”
“Ella and I will go out in front of you,” Brian murmured. “That should take the attention off the rest of you.”
His valiant effort only earned him another nasty glare from my dad. I wanted to scream at my father. He was being totally unreasonable. None of this was Brian’s fault. None of it.
“You ready?” Brian asked.
I nodded as I sucked in a deep breath. “At least they have the crowd barricaded off this time so you won’t have to carry me.”
Brian’s shoulders sagged, and he barely choked out my name. “Ella…”
I shook my head. “It’s part of the package.” I forced a smile. “I knew what I was signing up for.”
He pulled me into a hug and then wrapped his arm around me before nodding to our police escort to open the doors.
The noise that had greeted Susanna had been crazy, but it was nothing compared to the chaos that erupted when Brian and I left the building. The sidewalk from the main entrance to the drive-up loop where the valet waited was only about ten to fifteen yards or so, but when both sides of it were lined with a mob of fans and reporters being pushed back by the good old LAPD, the walk to the waiting limo felt like an eternity. Especially because I was the world’s slowest person.
I tried to hurry and almost asked Brian to carry me after all, because this crowd was crazy. The theater people had dragged a bunch of velvet ropes out to line the sidewalk, and the police were making sure the crowd stayed behind it, but I didn’t exactly feel safe. This crowd was a lot rowdier than either the group at FantasyCon or The Druid Prince premiere had been.
These people had had a good two and a half hours to gather here. Every paparazzi in town was here as well as all the local news teams. There were a lot of random people there, too. They shouted how brave I was and how proud they were of me and how beautiful I was.
That wasn’t so bad, but aside from the normal excited shouts, this particular crowd had a much more obnoxious side to it. The first woman to make me realize we were in for some trouble pushed herself against a cop and shouted, “Forget Ella, Brian! If she won’t fill your needs as a man, I will!”
“So will I!” someone else shouted.
“Me too!”
“You can have us both!”
Brian ignored them all and kept me securely tucked into his side. He remained 100 percent focused on the car ahead of us.
Then, a group of college guys jeered and threw panties at me as we passed. “I got you a present, too, Ella!”
“Model these for me, sexy!”
“Forget the panties! Show us everything, baby!”
Next to them, someone else shouted, “Forget that ugly, deformed bitch! Give me the sexy stepsisters!”
“Hell yeah!” someone else chanted.
“I got dibs on the slutty one!”
A gasp behind me had me looking over my shoulder. Ana had stumbled to a stop and was gaping at the guy who’d just called out to her. When he caught her attention, he grinned at her and said, “Hey, Ana, why don’t you ditch your lame boyfriend and date a real man?”
His friend elbowed him and laughed. “At least show us what you’re wearing under your clothes this time, you skanky little tease.”
He made a really crude gesture with his fingers and tongue that made Ana gasp again and bury her face in her father’s chest. The crowd hooted, laughed, and whistled when Dad wrapped his arms around her. “Go!” I shouted to him. “Hurry and get her in the car!”
My shout pushed my poor stunned family into motion, and they hurried ahead of us. “Damn, Ella,” someone shouted as they climbed into the car, “your stepmom’s a total MILF. Can I get her number?”
My eyes burned as we kept walking, but I refused to cry. If they saw that they could upset me, things would only get worse. I kept walking with my head held high and a stony expression on my face, but I was sure Brian felt the way my body trembled. We picked up our pace, moving as fast as I was capable.
The worst of it hit us when we neared the limo. A man who was probably pushing fifty had been standing against the red velvet rope nearest the car, and because he was so calm, the police were focused on other people. As we approached him, he smiled at me in a way that made me shiver. His leer alone made me feel dirty. “You want to see how sexy you are, baby?” he called to me.
Before anyone could stop him, he hopped over the little velvet rope and jumped in front of us. He opened his jacket to show me that he already had his pants open and was fully exposed. “Here’s your proof. See what you do to me, baby?”
It happened so quickly that I still caught a glimpse of him grabbing himself before I whirled around and hid my face in Brian’s chest. I tried to block out the lewd sounds the man made as the police knocked the pervert to the ground, but I couldn’t, and that was enough to break through my control. I started to cry as we waited for the police to tell us it was okay to get in the car.
The man was still shouting horribly crass things at me as Brian climbed into the limo behind me and shut the door. I was shaking so hard that Brian had to buckle my seatbelt for me as we pulled away from the theater. He held me in his arms as tightly as our seatbelts would allow and whispered apologies to me over and over again. That he blamed himself for that mess only made me feel worse.
Across the car, Juliette watched me with concern, and both Ana and Jennifer were crying. Dad had them both tucked into his sides and was holding them tightly, comforting them as best he could. The glare he flashed Brian and me over the tops of their heads assured us his calm facade was solely for their sakes. He blamed Brian and me for this.