Chapter 71

"Hey, old friend! Finally, there's US." That was the caption of Joshua's post on his Instagram account. It is a photo of him looking at a woman whose back is turned on the camera and only her shoulder is seen in the shot. It is quite impossible to know who she really is. The netizens were able to connect her to the mystery girl who went with Joshua in Daebak Park. It sparked the interest of the public and it immediately trended on the internet. After two days, Joshua posted a photo again. This time, it was his hand holding the mystery girl's hand, and the caption of the photo is: "First love never dies, but great love lingers forever." The netizens suspected that the mystery girl might be from Joshua's past, and now they had the chance to have a romantic relationship. Because of this development, it became a trending topic again. But the third photo that was posted after three days totally gave away who the mystery girl of Joshua Socorro is. It was a close up photo of the actor while he's holding an apple. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away... Guess I won't be needing these apples from now on." A lot of fans uncovered the meaning of the cryptic post. Those were the fans who really took the effort to research about Joshua Socorro, and because of that they remembered the date he had with Dr. Carla Labao. Because of their research, they discovered that the two have known each other way back in high school. They connected the dots and they were able to decipher who the mystery girl is. "OMG! Is she Dr. Carla Labao?" "For sure, that's the doctor that he dated for the premier night." Joshua and Carla's photos during the date resurfaced in the internet. "If the mystery girl is this doctor, hands up to their relationship. They are a good match." "Talking about perfect pair." "My new OTP. Check out my fanfiction about Joshua Socorro and Dr. Carla Labao." Some of their batchmates during high school also posted some reaction. "Really? So Joshua and Carla are now a couple?" "After all these years, they still ended up together." "Gosh! I feel like I've been a part of a history or something." "I'm in tears!!! ??? I'm so happy they finally made it. Congratulations, Joshua! Finally, you made Carla fall in love with you." Behind all these happy reactions of the fans is an irate Caitlyn Soriano. Nope, she's not jealous because she is still in love with Joshua. She's mad because of envy, because whatever she did for the past days have all came to waste. The fans totally forgot everything about her and Joshua. No one even thought of bringing up their relationship and almost all of the posts she saw in social media are all happy reactions. Again, she was overshadowed by Joshua Socorro. "It has always been like this," she said. "He has always been loved by the people." "They're just glad that their idol is happy," Tony said to his girlfriend. "They also sympathized with you when they saw your posts." "But all of those led to nothing!" Caith is really mad. "I did not even gain additional endorsements; I didn't receive new offers or even a simple attention from sponsors and producers! And it's all because Joshua did these stupid posts on IG." "Caith..." "This can't be. I have to do something!" "Time will come that you will also receive new offers–" "When will that happen?!" Caitlyn wasn't able to stop herself from getting mad. Then she suddenly said that something that she shouldn't have. "When I decided to choose you, my career started to flop." Tony was shocked at what Caitlyn said. He just gazed at her. "No one hires me anymore. If I don't have a contract, surely Aunty Cristy will not give me any project. People only liked me because I was Joshua Socorro's love team. And that ended when I chose you over him." "Are you saying that I caused the downfall of your career?" Tony is obviously hurt. Caitlyn didn't answer his question. Instead, she said, "I have to do something about this. This might be my last chance to get the interest of the fans." "What will you do?" Caitlyn contemplated. "I'll do an interview." She immediately thought about which talk show she will choose to have the interview to gain back the attention of the public. ******************************************************************** Joshua is in Pure Act Café talking to James, when Joven suddenly called him. "Josh, are you home?" Joven asked him. "I'm at Pure Act," Joshua answered. "Do you have a TV there, or anything where you can watch? I think that show has a livestream on Facebook." "What is this all about?" "Caith is doing an interview," Joven answered. "Actually, she asked me to do it, but I refused. I already know what happened between you two, so I don't want to have anything to do with her. Of course, I am Team JoshLa!" "So, who did the interview?" "On our rival network. It's on an afternoon time slot. At least there are fewer viewers as compared with primetime." They have a TV at the office, so Joshua turned it on. He chose the channel where Caitlyn Soriano's interview is happening, and he and James watched. "So, are you saying that everything started during that date on the premier of your movie?" asked the female interviewer to Caith. Caith is wearing sunglasses, pretending that her eyes are swollen. "I guess so, because that's the time they reconnected with each other. I have known that they are high school friends." "So you're confirming that the mystery girl is Dr. Carla Labao?" Caitlyn paused for a while. Tears suddenly flowed down her face. "She's the only one that I can think of." Joshua and James were shocked at what Caith said. Although they are kind of expecting what she might say, still they were shocked when it actually happened. "Okay... during that time, you're still Joshua's girlfriend, right? So are you saying that Joshua fell in love with her even during you two are still together?" Joshua hoped Caith will not go that far as to her publicity stunt. He's still hoping that his ex-girlfriend still has dignity and kindness. But it seems he was wrong because she did exactly what he feared. "I think, because after that date, everything is different. Joshua seems to change. I remember one time, we were together. Then he suddenly went to Tarlac. Dr. Carla is in Tarlac." "So Caith, are you saying that Joshua cheated on you?" James looked at Joshua. The latter is just focused on the TV, but James knows that anger is building up inside his friend. "Yes..." Caitlyn answered. "Josh..." James said. "I'm okay." That was the truth. It's okay even if he will be called a cheater because he knows it's not true. He has been in showbiz for so long he's already used to those kinds of intrigues. That's why he can just ignore that kind of statement against him. But what he can't just let go is the fact that his loved one is being dragged into the issue. That's what Caith said next. "But, I can't blame him, you know? I have been very busy. Joshua is spending more time with Carla, and you know Josh. He's charming and lovable... Who would not fall in love with him? I understand why Carla wasn't able to stop herself from falling for him that's why she had a relationship with Joshua even though I am still his girlfriend. It's so hard to keep away from temptation." Caitlyn is crying, but Joshua could not sympathize with her. His grip on his phone tightened because of the anger he felt for his ex-girlfriend. "Joven, remember that time I told you that when everything is settled about my love life, I will do the interview with you?" Joven did not answer. "I think it's time I did that interview." "Josh, I understand how you feel. Actually, it's beneficial for me if you'll do that interview. But, are you really sure? Maybe you're just being dragged by your emotions," Joven said. "If I keep on hiding everything, it will only implicate Carla. Or at least, her reputation. So I'm now ready for the interview. I'll do this to protect her, even if this means totally exposing her and our relationship." Joven paused for a while before responding. "Okay, just tell me when you want to do it. But, think about it carefully, Josh. Like I've said, this is beneficial for me and I am willing to do this anytime. But you and Carla are my friends. Make sure that it's really okay for you to do that interview before we do it." "Okay," Joshua answered. Joshua consulted Carla before confirming the interview with Joven. Carla agreed for the interview to be done. "Someone told me that I have to be prepared because I am now the girlfriend of Joshua Socorro. I should get used to attention, be it nice or bad," she even said. Joshua felt so overwhelmed with what she said. "Thank you for understanding." He held both her hands. "I'm doing this to protect you. I want the world to know how good of a person you are. That you don't enter into a relationship with someone else's boyfriend." "You know, truth is, no one even told me bad words or reprimanded me about that issue," Carla said. "Those people that I know, they know I'm not like that. So what they told me are words of encouragement. They even defended me on social media. Some did say some nasty things, but they are not that intense." "I'm glad to hear that." Joshua is thinking this still has to do with him being a Cupid, and the fact that Carla is the only one people would think should really end up with him. "So, when are you doing the interview?" "Tomorrow."