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"Mr. McDonagh, thank you for flying us here on your private jet. How was the drive?"
"I enjoyed it in a way," he replies. "It pays to slow down sometimes and see things differently. I’ve flown across the country so much that I have missed out on a lot of it. It was good to see some of the beauty." He turns to me and smiles.
"I might write a book about the two of you one day," Charlie says. "Now, shall we go and find our seats?"
I take a deep breath and follow Charlie into the theater where almost half of the seats are already full. When we get to our row, I spot some of the cast and crew, including Lopez Cadert. He waves at us enthusiastically, and Logan shuffles in first to sit beside him. I sit next to Logan, and Charlie sits next to me.
It becomes a blur of voices and faces as the theater fills up. Various cast and crew members talk to me, but I can’t quite make out what they are saying. Charlie is talking my ear off. I know she is excited, but I can’t make out any of her words either.
I take Logan’s hand and squeeze it tightly as the lights dim. The theater is full, and I can feel the expectation from those who made it and those who are eager to see it. The curtains part to reveal a screen, and I take my hand away from Logan to rub my face with both hands before I grip him again. I feel the baby kicking inside me as if he or she is excited about the premiere too.
We declined to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. I wanted it to be a surprise, and although Logan likes to control everything, he compromised so we could find out together. The premiere of our child will come soon.
The opening credits start. We’ve gone old school with how it all looks and feels, and the build-up is substantial. I start to cry as I watch Lopez enter the frame. I finally see the result of all our hard work over the previous months. Everything looks amazing. We just need to hope the story captivates everyone.
An hour later, I feel like I finally let out the breath I have held the entire time. The lights brighten a little, and there is a slight pause before most of the theater gets to their feet to applaud. I close my eyes tight as the tears flood them. Someone pats me on the back as I cover my eyes to hide my emotion. Logan finds my lips and kisses me. Charlie whispers something in my ear.
The crowd continues to clap for the masterpiece we have made. I knew it was good, I really did, but not everyone shares the same opinion. The feeling in the building is a resounding success.
Sound, light, emotion. It all catches up with me at once, and I am hugging Charlie, Logan, and every member of the cast and crew I can get my hands on. I hold onto everyone for a few seconds, holding them tight, and I tell them all the same thing, "You made this dream come true."
For four minutes, the crowd inside the theater continues clapping. When the thunderous sound finally dies down, one of the festive moderators walks out on the stage with a microphone, and a spotlight shines on him. Charlie Morton rises from her seat and starts to make her way down there.
"Wow!" shouts the moderator. "How about that?"
There is more cheering and clapping, and it lasts for a further minute.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Please stay in your seats because, as promised, we have Charlie Morton! She is the creator ofFate and Time, both the book and the show you just watched, and I am sure we can all agree it was spectacular. How about the Ardenters and the flight of the Barnacle?"
The crowd starts cheering, and the moderator has to shout over them. "All fan favorite scenes that we hoped to see in the first episode. Now, before we dive into the Q&A, how about hearing a few words from Miss Morton about how she came up with the premise for the book?"
There is more applause for Charlie, and it dies down quickly as everyone is eager to hear her speak.
"Thank you all," Charlie says. "I could not have done any of this if it were not—"
The door behind everyone slams open, and the sound of heavy boots resounds through the theater. Everyone looks around to see police officers enter. The lights go up a moment later, and everyone stares at the man in the suit holding up his badge and a document.
"Logan McDonagh!" he shouts.
I grip tightly to Logan’s hand.
"It will be fine," he whispers.
Logan stands and makes his way toward the man with the badge. When he gets to the end of the row, two police officers take him by the arms, leading him out of the theater.
I am too numb to do anything.
BAD PUBLICITY IS STILL PUBLICITY
"Was it Good Relations?" I ask.
"Yeah, there is no doubt," my lawyer, Mr. Thorpe, says. "We would have linked it all together in time, but your team's work over the last few months makes it a no-brainer. No judge in the country will let this go to trial."
"And that’s all it was? A personal vendetta?"
"We have to assume that. I’m sure there are many who were horrified by what transpired, but we have the medical records. There are doctors across the country who will swear under oath that there was an almost definite chance of losing both the mother and child had she been forced to carry it to term. Also, the ex-husband is not going to press charges. He doesn’t care about any of it if we are being honest."
"Thank you for working on Jessica’s divorce too. You have gone above and beyond once again. So, they saw a shot and took it. Was it Teal’s boss, Mr. Hodgkins?"
