Chapter 1

"Let's have it for our guest, Maverick Jones!" The host Layla, a thirty something blonde bombshell, who has been on his case since the beginning of his career, said.

He prepared his camera smile and turned towards the audience, as he waved his hands politely. He could feel the excitement he usually felt when he heard people cheering for him.

It really never gets old.

At twenty seven years of age ,Maverick was at the peak of his career and enjoying both the benefits and disadvantages of being a public figure.

"Hello everyone. I am Maverick Jones, also known as MJ." He said with a smile on his face. And this time a genuine one.

He appreciated people who came out for fan meets and interviews like this. They were the main reason, he was where he was today.

Layla was known for being blunt about her questions, and although it can be very annoying and oftentimes embarrassing for the guests on her show, that very attribute has made her a household name.

" So MJ, how are you? It's been a while since you were in the news for anything aside from your music."

Maverick couldn't help the smile that came on his face. By 'a while ' she meant a week. A week of no paparazzi getting in his face. He literally hadn't stepped out of his house for a week.

"A while, Layla?" He asked her in mock surprise . " That should be a question for the paparazzi, not me."

He was polite. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to give as good as he got. He was no push over!

"Oh really. You hear that. MJ thinks y'all aren't doing your jobs well." She said it with her usual lack of filter.

He knew what he just said was definitely going to make the news. But at some point in his career he had learned that having too much filter, can be bad for a celebrity. What, with all the lies that the paparazzi told.

The media had a very strong influence on the career of every celebrity, and he could say that the media helped so much to skyrocket his career in the beginning. 'with their lies'. But those worked out in his favor. He knew of a lot of artists that started their careers the same time he did and even after him, who were no longer even in the entertainment industry .

Which was why his friends worked behind the scenes. He couldn't imagine Jason as an artist. Or even Miguel, who was as stuck up as they came. Miguel would probably curse out the paparazzi or ignore them and get roasted for it. And Jason would flirt and sleep with a journalist and break her heart. And everyone knows what would happen to him after that.

As the interview progressed , so did the ridiculous questions. When he couldn't take some of them anymore, he couldn't help the snort that came out of his mouth. I mean why would they think he was dating anyone.

A fan no less!

Seriously, there was nothing wrong with dating a fan, but he, as a person, had decided from the beginning of his career that he wasn't going to date any of his fans.

Everyone had principles they followed in business and one of his dearest principles was to never date a fan. It could cause a lot of complications and he could get into a lot of trouble with his agent, if that happened.

"Are you really dating a fan of yours and is it true that she is under aged?"

How could anyone even believe that? But Maverick also understood that, they had reasons to believe that, because there had been celebrities who had court cases of pedophilia.

And as funny as that sounded to him , he couldn't laugh now. Now wasn't the time to laugh or make a stupid joke. Millions of people all over the world were waiting for him to slip. And he had to guard all his facial expressions and the words of his mouth. He could diffuse the situation by making a joke. Or, he could make it worse and get labeled as being insensitive or worse, a pedophile.

Before he could answer the question. Layla announced a break. Of course she was going to ask him that weird and stupid question and then decide to go on a break.

Immediately it was switched to the commercial, Layla stood up in a lazy manner, before flashing him a wicked smile. She was up to no good.

" So, is it true Maverick?"

She asked and looked at him curiously. He must have gotten a look on his face, because she immediately went into defensive mode.

"Hey, don't give me that look , I got the gist right before the interview started, so I couldn't ask you before the show started."

He felt like yanking his hair or punching the wall.

This wasn't the first time in his career that he was speculated to be in a relationship. At some point, he was even in an 'illicit relationship with a man' according to the media.'

But he has not yet been accused of practical pedophilia!

Some people didn't care about age differences in a relationship, but most people did. Especially if the person in the relationship was a celebrity.

Normally, he would have been briefed, on the questions that might be asked,before any interview. But he already had some interviews with Layla, and his managers hadn't felt the need to make a list of questions, since he was already familiar with her.

There was supposed to be a phrase about trusting reporters, or in this case, show hosts.

They had trusted her too much. He didn't say much, as people from the audience were allowed to come take pictures with him and get his autograph on their copies of his albums and other things.

He kept his expression neutral, even though he was literally panicking. He actually wasn't dating anyone currently, in fact he hadn't dated anyone in a few years. So he didn't know where they had gotten the news that he was dating someone from.

For the fact that he hadn't been with any woman, his mind should have been calm and settled, but he knew people only saw what they wanted to see. Which usually worked in his favor. But this time he wanted them to see the actual truth.

He had no intention of retiring anytime soon. But this could definitely cause a problem. He excused himself from the fans around him with a polite smile.

He actually didn't go out much and now that he thought about it, there was no actual proof of him dating anyone.

He calmed himself down and took a gulp of water, from one of the bottles set on the furniture next to him.

Immediately the commercial ended, Layla cleared her throat with an evil smile on her face. And he knew then and there that he was in for trouble.

"We have videos of our favorite face in Hollywood, with his secret heart-throb."

Videos?!

Unless he had a double or he had a bipolar disorder, he couldn't imagine where they got this video from.

But he had learnt in this industry that your reaction to things is what really mattered not , the actual 'offense' you committed.

He gave a little smile and tried not to show his discomfort and nervousness.

"When will you show us this video?" He asked in a playful tone.

"I am as eager as anyone to see this video of mine that I know nothing about." He said, trying to drop some hints that he really knew nothing, about what she was talking about.

He could imagine his managers going crazy right now. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would have laughed imagining his personal manager running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

As the show host she was, Layla laughed her tinkling laughter..., That was starting to really grate on his nerves.

" We will be revealing the video at the end of the show."

Maverick sighed silently. He was in for this already.

"Let's talk about your relationship with your fans." When she said that, he resisted the urge to shake his head and tell her, no. But he was on national live television and YouTube too.

He made his face attentive " what would you like to know about me and my fans." He wasn't going to make this easy for her. If she wanted answers, she had to ask questions that he could answer.

"We have seen your interactions with fans over the years. And I, for one, know that you can be very aloof with fans , but you also get along with them well." She paused for a minute before continuing. "How have you managed to keep the right amount of distance and still have a great relationship with your fans?"

He wouldn't say he had a great relationship with his fans. Like any fan group, his fans could be very toxic, to other artists that sing the same genre he sang. But they were his supporters and his career has thrived because of them.

He knew his answer right away, but he still gave a contemplative face, for the camera. Show biz is no joke, after all.

" My fans are great and I love them and never fail to show this, by taking my time to create good music for them. They are also very understanding, so it's been easy keeping the right amount of distance. Except in a few cases."

As he said that, a video of a fan holding onto him and trying to get off his shirt, was displayed on the screen. He wasn't comfortable with it, but he smiled at the video, before sobering up immediately. When that happened, he hadn't found it funny at all.

" I love my fans though, every single one of them." He said earnestly, while looking straight into the camera.

"And finally, for the video of the day!"

She must have given some sort of signal to the media crew ,as a video came up on the screen, with him and a very young looking lady, walking together. What magic was this? He knew the video wasn't manipulated. Layla would have checked that before showing it on live TV, unless she wanted to risk being sued by his agency.

"Who is she? we would like to know." was the text at the end of the video.

He couldn't say the person in the video wasn't him. That would lead to a whole new can of worms getting opened. And he also couldn't ignore the video.

He smiled after the video ended. He had to think fast. " That's for me to know and for you to find out." He said finally, as he smiled dazzlingly at the audience. He knew after saying that Layla wouldn't be able to ask more questions. And time was far gone.

"With this we have come to the end of this show. We appreciate the presence of MJ and his patience with us. "

" Thank you for having me. I had a great time." ...Not.

"We hope to see you again, soon MJ."

He smiled. He couldn't help it. " I hope to be on the show again soon. Thank you." That was a huge lie!

" Let's give it up for MJ." She said as the audience clapped and cheered loudly. They went on a commercial break, as he made his way backstage, where his manager was waiting for him.

He waved in greeting, as he passed his manager on his way to his dressing room. He came out as soon as he was done changing. The place was very conducive, but after the nonsense that happened on the show, he just wanted to be in the privacy of his own home.

He waited for Layla to join him, so he could say his goodbyes. As angry as he was and as much as he wanted to lash out. He couldn't. And he had to respect his host. The show was a mutual business agreement that would help the both of them.

She came back stage some minutes later and was all smiles. Like she didn't just try to create a scandal!

" Thank you very much for coming on the show Maverick."

He didn't smile at her. He couldn't.

His manager stood up to join them. " You could have told us about the video, before springing it on him like that."

Layla looked unrepentant as she tried to justify her actions. " I was just doing my job. This won't happen next time. But we needed that video to promote the show."

Not to toot his own horn or anything, but he believed that his mere presence on the show is enough promotion.

But he didn't feel like talking. One thing he knew though, was that there won't be a next time.

He signaled to his manager that he was ready to leave.

As he made his way to the vehicle, his mind was filled with thoughts and the paparazzi hounded him till his car exited the building.

Who was the man that looked exactly like him? He knew that person wasn't him. So who the heck was he?!