Chapter 3

Lindsey was standing at her sister’s side looking as shocked as Melissa was.

Their father was dead. Gone.

Lindsey was nothing like her sister in appearance or personality. Lindsey had always been the courageous and dedicated one. She was very down to earth, and rather shy.

The news of their father’s death was too much for them to bear. They had to go back to Middletown, but they didn’t want the paparazzi to see Mel in tears and come to the wrong conclusion, that she was crying for that asshole’s betrayal.

Melissa held the phone in her hand thinking about all the things she had sacrificed to achieve her dream. She didn’t regret it, she couldn’t. But she did regret not being there when her father died.

When Melissa left Middletown she was only a naïve eighteen years old girl with a dream. She was lucky, Brandon helped her to get a role in a teen drama series called Teenage Dreams which became one of the Network’s top shows. The show ran for six seasons and Melissa Carpenter, who had changed her name to Mel Dawn, became a starlet.

As soon as her younger sister, Lindsey, was eighteen, Melissa called her and offered her a job as her personal assistant. Lindsey imagined herself meeting celebrities and walking down the red carpet. Life in Hollywood sounded glamorous and exciting.

Lindsey pondered her options before deciding to give up college and take the job. Her parents were supportive, even when they thought she was making a huge mistake.

Lindsey didn’t want to leave Spencer, but she knew nothing could happen between them. For one, he was still in college, but most importantly, her sister was still in love with him.

In her calls and emails to Lindsey, Melissa made it clear that her feelings for Spencer were still strong.

Lindsey soon discovered that working as her sister’s assistant was an exhausting, stressful job, that demanded long hours of hard work and attending a lot of boring social events.

Her job included a series of tasks such as make and receive phone calls, send emails, write letters, and post social media updates on behalf of Melissa. She researched the paparazzi that normally trailed her and requested their criminal records to ensure she was safe. She ordered and sent gifts to Melissa’s family, friends, and professional acquaintances. It was like being a juggler most of the time. She made a lot of mistakes at first, but very quickly learned the job and got better with practice.

It wasn’t her dream job, but it paid well.

“Mel, we are going back to Middletown, right? We can’t leave Mom alone,” Lindsey begged her sister with tears in her eyes.