For the Love of Vee
Copyright© 2025 by DB86
Epilogue: Miranda Woodward
I parked my car at the address I’d been given. It was a fairy-tale looking house, with trees and flowers surrounding the large property. I had a hard time imagining Raven Black living there.
It had taken me months to locate her whereabouts.
What had happened to her? Why did this famous fashion designer, model and actress vanish from the face of the Earth at the peak of her fame?
That was something I hoped to find out.
All Raven Black’s social media accounts had been closed four years ago.
I got her email through Scott Gladstein, the man who had discovered her, who acted as her manager, and who played a major role in her success.
I wrote Raven Black an email explaining to her my project, and her reply was simply a date and an address in Seattle. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.
When I reached the porch, the front door opened before I knocked at the door and she smiled at me.
I couldn’t hide my surprise. I’d seen her countless times in pictures and movies, but she hardly resembled the young woman she once was. She was still beautiful, in her own distinctive way. Her long, dark hair was thick and pulled back into a braid. Her eyes sparkled beneath uneven bangs. And she had a small baby bump.
She wasn’t wearing makeup or dressed in a way that drew attention—yet she would stand out in any room. It was true, what people who knew her often said: “Raven Black might not be an unforgettable actress, but she’s a person who shines.”
“Miranda?”
I cleared my throat and extended my hand, trying to mask my nerves. I still couldn’t quite believe she’d agreed to meet me.
“Yes, Miranda Woodward. It’s a pleasure—and an honor—to finally meet you, Raven.”
She shook her head gently.
“Call me Vee, please. Come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
We stepped into the house, and a dog rose from the carpet to greet me.
“Freud, be good.”
I bent to stroke the dog’s ears, and he wagged his tail faithfully before returning to his spot in front of the fireplace.
“Are you—?”
“Pregnant?” Vee gave me a radiant smile and lightly caressed her belly. “Yes, I am. Four months along. It’s our first, and we’re thrilled.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Miranda. Coffee?”
“Yes, please. Milk and sugar.”
I left my backpack on the wooden table and looked around the room as Vee prepared the cups and a plate with biscuits in the open kitchen.
It was not the kind of place that anyone would associate with the wild, rebellious girl who took Hollywood by storm. It was a home, full of life, that transmitted a warmth that invited me to stay.
“My husband will be here soon. He is with his last patient, now. His office is in the backyard.”
“Is he a doctor?” I asked.
“Yes, but in psychology not medicine.”
I nodded and sat in front of her. Vee poured coffee and offered me a small jug with warm milk and a sugar bowl.
It was strange. I was expecting to deal with a capricious diva who wouldn’t make things easy for me. I would never have imagined that I would be having coffee with this relaxed, endearing, and happy woman who could easily become my friend.
Before I realized what I was doing, I blurted out my first question.
“Why did you agree to this interview?”
She raised an eyebrow and looked at me surprised for being so direct. I immediately regretted the impulsiveness that might have ruined the interview before it had begun.
However, Vee surprised me with her answer.
“We all deserve to fulfill our dreams. I’m sure you have yours.”
Those magical eyes bewitched me in just one look.
Her magnetism was undeniable. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what happiness was through those eyes that some called ‘magic’; maybe that way it would rub off on me a little.
“I do...” I hesitated for a moment, but I read in her eyes that she really wanted to know, so I took a sip of my coffee and started talking without thinking too much about what I was saying, “I have always wanted to communicate. Really communicate, you know what I mean? Tell stories that are inspiring. Stories that move people. Real stories.”
“That’s why you studied journalism.”
“Yes, but I realized that it was a ruthless world, on many occasions.”
“Everything has its ugly side.”
I nodded with a smile, and I imagined that she understood well what I was talking about, even if I was referring to a completely different world.
“Exactly. I started researching bad press when I was still just an intern at a digital communications company. I made some enemies. I lost opportunities because of my principles. I was fired for reporting a case of media manipulation that I wasn’t supposed to talk about.”
Vee listened to me, nodding there and then.
The door to the back yard opened behind us and I turned my head to greet a tall man with a kind face. His hair was long, pulled back in a ponytail. He was wearing faded jeans, a colorful shirt, and leather moccasins. His eyes were so blue and so piercing that I felt he could read my soul with them.
“Hello, love. This is Miranda, the young journalist from Los Angeles I told you about. She was telling me about her dreams.”
He half smiled and shared a meaningful look with Vee before kissing her lips and sitting next to her. I swallowed at the intimacy of the gesture and continued, even though I didn’t fully understand why the tables had turned in just a few minutes, and I was the one who seemed to be being interviewed. I guessed Vee was one of those people who could achieve anything they set their mind to.
“I worked as a freelancer for a while, but it didn’t go very well. I didn’t know what to do until an article led me to meet Scott Gladstein. We talked a lot about you. At first, it was going to be just an article. Kind of ‘Where is she now?’ But, then I got an offer to turn it into a book.”
Vee’s smile grew bigger when he heard Scott’s name. Her gaze was lost for a moment in her memories. I’d read so much about the man who discovered Raven Black and became her agent and the director of most of her movies.
“How is he doing?” Vee asked me, with genuine interest.
“His latest movie got nominated for...”
She shook her head and raised a hand to interrupt me. “No, no that. How is he really doing?”
I smiled and told her what she wanted to hear.
“He is doing good. He’s married to a businessman about his age. He looked very happy.”
Vee smiled. There had been a lot of speculation about the kind of relationship Raven Black and Scott Gladstein were involved in in the past, but the most popular theory was that he was a father figure to her.
“Scott gave me a couple of interviews and opened some doors for my project.”
Yaron brushed his hair back from his face and then I heard his voice for the first time. It was deep, calm, although intense.
“When Vee explained to me your idea, we both sat down and considered the pros and cons. In the end, we agreed to it, but only if you tell our story exactly as it was.”
Vee quickly added, “And respect our privacy, of course.”