Chapter 1: Where Sophie appears on tv
A woman perched on a red suede chair, fingering her hair so her golden curls sat perfectly across her breasts. Figure rushed around her, powdering her face, adjusting the collar of her shirt, and even making sure her stack of papers were neatly aligned on her desk. The room hushed as the lights dim, and the figures scattered off the scene.
"Okay, quiet on set..we're going live in three...two...one"
The woman behind the desk sprung to life. "Hi, I'm Hillary Andrews, and you're watching NewsOnNow, tonight we're joined in the studio by two very special guests, so without further ado, can you please welcome Sophie Hatter, and "The Prince" Justin!" Hillary flashed her shiny pearly teeth to the audience as she was joined on the stage by the couple. A petite slender woman stepped onto the stage first. Her low heels clicked across the tiled floor and she carefully scooped up her pale yellow tea length dress, which complimented her silky white blouse, followed closely behind her was her husband, who adorned a pale blue suit. The two matched perfectly, they complimented each other, almost as if they were made for each other, which they were, as they were happily married.
"Ahh, how wonderful it is to have you in today" Hillary remarked, a tad bit over-enthusiastically, her sudden pitch change squeezed a giggle out of Sophie, who was sitting straightly with her hand crossed over each other in her lap, her husband took a more relaxed approach next to her on the suede couch, he draped one arm casually across the back, lightly touching his wife's shoulder, while he allowed his legs to relax naturally.
"We're just happy to be here, it's always a delight talking to you Hillary" Justin enthused; Sophie twitched at his tone, all Hillary did was laugh. Hillary shuffled her papers around, all while smiling at the camera, "So Sophie, tell me what's the latest in your world". Sophie gleamed, now was her time, "Well Hillary", she chirped, "I'm still working on my spring collection of hats and accessories, so you can look out for that, and-" Justin interrupted her, "And I'm releasing a brand new women's, think flowers, light embellishments etc". Sophie stewed in her spot, but she knew it wasn't wise to say anything, not on live television anyway. Hillary pressed her lips together,
"So, I don't think anyone has really pressed this question before, but why do you insist on separate surnames?"
"Well" Justin eagerly explained, "We both started as individual designers, and we wanted to market our clothes to the individual personality, so with those things in mind, it seemed stupid to just forget about one label"
"Ahh, that makes sense" Hillary fidgeted with her papers again for a bit, unsure on what to say next, "So, despite the self donned nickname of "The Prince" of fashion, we can clearly see that you are the King, with a Queen at your side" Hillary chuckled at her joke, Justin played along, glistening his eyes in Hillary's direction, Sophie however, was not amused.
"Well, thank you for appearing on the show" Hillary glistened again.
...
"What was that?" a fuming Sophie interrogated Justin behind the stage, "Don't think I didn't notice your little interactions out there". A tear welled up in her eye, but her husband did nothing to wipe it away. "We're supposed to be in love". She fell to the ground in a heap, immediately Justin reached for her wrist,
"Sophie, your skirt" he accused, "We're in public, don't start with this now" he threatened. Sophie was about to speak up when the door to the stage opened and a young boy stepped through.
"Oh my gosh, it's The Prince and Sophie!" He practically shouted, "I must get a photo with you, for my sister". Sophie regained her height, not wanting to embarrass herself. The thing is, it had always been The Prince, and just Sophie, she had crawled her way into the fashion spotlight, Justin was merely born into it, it was always going to be The Prince, and her poor, common wife. Once pictures were had, the two walked to Justin's car, and sat in silence on the way back to their apartment.
...
"Did you see that?" An older woman in a red suit remarked, her hair was tied into a stern bun, and exquisite jewellery adorned her neck and wrists.
"How awkward was that?" She huffed, turning around to face a young man, with a chiseled jawline, high cheekbones and perfectly bleached hair, who looked around 26. The woman's face dropped to a sad expression at the sight of him.
"Howl" she pleaded, "You're one of the best fashion stylists and columnists, please show some enthusiasm". The man didn't speak for what felt like hours.
"You know this isn't what I want to do with my life" he argued, all the woman did was roll her eyes
"Oh, I know, the great Howl will not be tied down" she annoyingly said.
"You know" she thought, "I'll make a deal with you"
"One article, if you can get Sophie to talk to the press without her husband present, you can leave". Howl new this was an impossible task, from his memory, he couldn't think of a single occasion where Sophie was seen without her husband, of course, this sparked controversy, because even when they pursued her past life, they couldn't find anything, everything seemed too planned.
"Okay Suliman" Howl said finally, "You have yourself a deal".