Chapter 16

Emily was rushing around her condo getting ready. Today was going to be game changing. She made last minute touches to her makeup and looked in the mirror. Perfect. She was meeting some of her most influential friends for brunch. She had told them that she was going to be featured in the New York Times today, and they were all eager to read it. She made them promise not to read the issue until she was there at brunch, where she had an issue bought for each of them waiting at their table. It was going to be glorious.

Jason had sent her the final mock-up of the article late last night. Everything looked perfect. The article she had written would make Michael slither away in shame and embarrassment. She couldn't wait to see it happen.

Her cell phone buzzed, and to her surprise Hayley's name flashed across the screen. "What does she want?" she muttered to herself. She opened the text.

Hayley: I hope you have a fabulous day.

Emily frowned as she looked at the text. What was that about? Was she still in the hospital? Obviously Hayley was still a couple of screws loose. Well there was no time for that, she needed to get to the restaurant.

Emily walked into the restaurant to see her guests had all arrived and were seated at the table. There was a large stack of papers in the centre of the table for each of them as requested.

"Hello Emily! We're so excited to read your article. You teased us with how it's going to be eye opening." Judith remarked.

Emily laid her purse on the table and smiled at the group. It was really quite an influential group. An editor at Vogue, a producer from Broadway, a board trustee from the Met, a banker from Wall Street, a trader, a few friends from the legal profession. She smiled broadly at the group. "It's always been a dream of mine to have an article about me in the New York Times. The fact that I got to actually write the article put me on cloud nine. I think you'll find the article raw, eye opening, and hopefully inspirational. Well I don't want to keep you waiting any longer."

She handed them each their own copy of the New York Times. She turned to the page of the article. Her heart quickly started racing when she didn't see the photo of herself, but one of Hayley smiling sweetly. Her eyes quickly went to the article.

Sycophant or Saint? – Why Public Image is a Poor Reflection of Your True Self

By Dr. Hayley T. Hofstadter

I often get asked why I decided to go into my field of research. For background, I have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and do medical research in field of Diabetes at Columbia University. Did I go into this area to save lives? Did I have a personal connection in my own family to the disease which spurred an interest into the area? The answer goes from simple one to more complicated. When I was a child, I was constantly asked: what do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor, a teacher, a scientist, a police officer, the POTUS were my answers over the years. Then the inevitable follow up question would be: Why do you want to do that? My reply was always – because I want to help people. A doctor heals, a teacher educates, a scientist explores, a police officer helps citizens and maintains order, and the president…well being the president just sounded like the coolest job ever at the time.

Why do we do the things we do? Is it to help people? The reasons on why begin to morph and change as we move towards our goal. For example, say you are in high school, and decide that you want to become a medical doctor. You want to get into university, so first you need good grades. Wait…good grades are not enough, there is a lot of competition out there. You have to make yourself the best candidate possible. You need to be the class valedictorian, you need to play an instrument, you need to play on a sports team, you need to have a hobby in the arts, you need to volunteer for a humane cause, you need to connect to the right people. If you do all these things perfectly, then hopefully you can reach your goal. Oh yeah…what was that again? To be a doctor. We get caught up in all the activities, often we forget the end goal.

Even when we achieve the end goal, we are still mired in lifestyle that got us there. And to be perfectly honest, there is nothing wrong with that lifestyle as long as you don't forget why you are doing what you are doing. If you have a love and passion for what you do, then you will be happy.

My world recently came crashing down because I got caught up in the details. I lost sight of the why and got caught up in the how. I was lost in a world of sycophants pretending to be saints. My ex-future sister-in-law Emily Stevenson opened my eyes. But not in the way that she thought.

I recently had a mental breakdown – or a psychotic break as they call it. Now why am I telling you all this? Why am I not keeping this quiet and blasting this fact in the New York Times? Well…perhaps it's my way of trying to get back to the original goal – helping people.

What caused this psychotic break? If you look at the outside, I had it all. I am married with two beautiful children, I'm exceling in my career, I'm well connected in the community through the arts. So what's my problem?

It was all a facade. Minus the loving my children, the rest was a show. I knew my husband didn't love me, but I clung on because I did not want to fail. I ignored his treatment of me and blatant cheating, and tried to find love and acceptance is places that were barren. I was excelling at work, but I was forever chasing that next grant or working to get published in prestigious journals. I lost sight of the very real people that I wanted to help in the first place. I kept myself busy in the New York social scene, but it was mainly to fill a loneliness I felt inside.

It took looking at someone that was so blindly ambitious for all of the things that I had, that knocked me out of the pattern that I had been stuck in. Emily did that for me. She wanted everything that I had and was so coldly calculating about getting it. She wanted to be that it girl. Super connected in the social scene, a huge success at work, with a handsome and successful husband. She had a plan, and she deemed me and my middle brother as roadblocks to her success. What do you do with roadblocks? You eliminate. You manipulate. You incapacitate. She was unsuccessful with my brother, due to the strength of his relationship with his fiancé, but she succeeded with me. She toppled that fragile deck of cards that was my life by not letting me hide. She showed me that I was unloved. That I was a joke. She threw it in my face in such a way that I could not look away or ignore. The small string of hope I had been clinging to, she severed with an axe.

And I crumbled. Magnificently.

She succeeded. I had lost everything. My husband, my best friend, a grant I had been working towards. I felt like I was drowning. I felt myself slipping away.

In the midst of drowning, I stopped to open my eyes. I opened my eyes to see my two brothers by my side sick with worry. I saw my mother sitting beside me all night when she thought I was asleep. I heard the pain in the voices of my children, aching to see me.

My eyes were opened. I have everything I truly need. I have the love of my family, and I have it in spades. The love of my family and children is enough. The rest is icing, and is not needed to make me happy. I realized that I do love my work, and I am good at it. I will now make sure I have a human connection to the work I am doing, that it effects very real people. I have been set free from the walls of an unhappy marriage. I can now focus on my children and making our new reality joyous. My brothers and I are closer than we have ever been before. I now recognize the importance of my relationship with them in a brand new way.

That being said, I am their big sister, and it is my duty to protect. Thus, I'm calling you out Emily. You and Michael did not work out. You had the opportunity to hold your head high and walk away but you did not. You insisted on spreading false rumours about my brother and his alleged inappropriate behaviour at Harvard University. You do not get to make up stories simply because you are hurt and angry. The stories are false. I encourage the journalists at this fine publication to investigate thoroughly because they will find that that the student that made the accusation does not exist. Creating false rumours ultimately ends up hurting the true victims of these crimes out there. As a judge, you should know better.

Ultimately though, I want to thank you Emily. You showed me that I was unloved romantically, but I learned I was loved in other ways. Important ways. It refocused me to what is important. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I finally feel free. Love is all around you. Sometimes you just need to open your eyes.

Emily shakily put the paper down on the table to see the group staring icily at her. They had all finished reading the article also and were looking at her with a stunned look on their faces.

"This is…this is not what was supposed to be in here. This is not what they showed me mocked up last night. I don't know what is happening…I can't believe this is in the paper" Emily stuttered frantically.

Marilyn, a board trustee member at the Met looked at her with disdain. "Emily, is this true? What did you do to Hayley? You sent her into a nervous breakdown? And it was you that spread these rumours about Michael? I've known the Hofstadter's since they were small children!"

"It's not true. I can't believe they printed this. It's libel. It's pure libel! I didn't start any rumours. I never did anything to Hayley. Michael cheated on me! That's the truth! They didn't mention that did they? I'm going to sue Hayley and the New York Times for this" Emily ranted, her face flush with embarrassment.

"It's not libel if it's the truth" a voice called out flatly from behind Emily.

The table and Emily all turned toward a tall woman wearing large sunglasses that was standing behind the table. The woman took off her sunglasses.

"Beverly!" Emily gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Beverly grinned and stood behind Emily's chair and nodded to the women at the table. The women nodded back at Beverly. "Well a little birdie told me about this soiree to discuss my daughter's article and I was hurt that I didn't get an invite. So I took it upon myself to invite myself."

"This was not supposed to be Hayley's article. It was supposed to be mine. It was my opportunity to expose what a terrible person your dear Michael is to the world." Emily stated quietly.

Beverly took out her reading glasses from her purse and put them on. "Emily dear, I don't know what you are talking about. Why on earth would the New York Times write an article about you? You are average and uninteresting at best. I think Hayley did a good job with her article…a little emotional for my tastes, but I'm sure it's a much higher calibre than anything you could have produced."

Emily grabbed Beverly's arm. "I need to talk to you in private" she hissed. The two women got up from their chairs and moved towards the bar. "You are not going to get away with this. I'm going to go after Michael and Hayley with everything I have. They'll be the scorned of this city when I'm done with them. Everyone will hate them with every fibre of their beings."

Beverly gave Emily an icy stare. "Well then you are stupider than you look. If I were you, I'd slip out of the spotlight and focus on your work. Our family no longer wants to associate with you."

Emily laughed. "Believe me, I don't want to associate with your literally crazy family also. But no bad deed goes unpunished. I'm a judge…it's in my nature."

"Well, you may find this interesting. I was gravely concerned with you impersonating a psychiatrist when you called Hayley's colleague Mitchell. I spoke to him about it, and we have the records of the call, and it's definitely from your cell phone."

Emily scoffed. "That's proves nothing. All it proves is that a call came from my cell phone. It doesn't prove what we were talking about, or even that it was me on the phone."

"True..true. But remember that blow out fight at the hospital. Where Michael told us everything he and you did? You didn't deny it at all. You were proud of what you did. Well I happened to record that conversation on my phone when it was happening."

"That recording would never hold up in court." Emily retorted nervously.

"Court of Law? Probably not. Court of public opinion? Well that may be another story" Beverly smiled.

"You wouldn't…it makes Michael look much worse than me. You would never tarnish his reputation like that!"

"Well the funniest thing happened. That part where Michael confessed his sins did not seem to record. Just yours. Funny how that happened isn't it?"

"Hilarious.." Emily muttered.

"Heed my advice Emily. Put an end to those rumours about Michael and walk away. End this. Go live your life, and my family will live ours." Beverly's phone beeped with a text message. "Oh, it's a reminder for my hair appointment for the wedding tonight."

Emily looked at her puzzled. "Wedding? How could you be going to a wedding? Tonight was supposed to be my rehearsal dinner at the American Museum of Natural History."

Beverly took out her compact and started applying her makeup. "Oh yes, it's still there."

"What are you talking about? Michael cancelled that venue. I got an email about it. Did you forget to cancel your hair appointment for the dinner? I suppose you start forgetting things at your age" Emily said snidely.

Beverly smiled coyly at Emily. "Oh I didn't forget dear. Did you think you were irreplaceable? You are not."

"Replaceable?" Emily said stunned. "What are you talking about? You are NOT telling me that Michael is getting married tonight! Oh my God. Is he? To who? Who! It's not to that bitch Ainsley is it?"

"Ah, Ainsley. Such a beautiful girl. I always liked her. Well my family's business is none of yours. I'll be heading off now. Consider what I said carefully. I am a women with connections, time, resources and intelligence on my side. It would not be wise to battle with me."

Beverly walked off towards the entrance of the restaurant. She could see a pale faced Emily head back to the table where her guests were staring at her with utter contempt.

She smiled to herself. "Stupid…stupid girl."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Final chapter – Lenny's wedding coming up!