Every Pearl Has Its Oyster Read online

  Every Pearl Has Its Oyster

  India Lee

  Copyright © 2012 by India Lee Books

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  THE SECRET LIFE OF GEMMA HUNTER, A.K.A QUEEN BEE

  The Pop Source

  May 15th

  Three months ago today, Queen Bee shocked the world by coming out at the Kick Bullying charity ball as Gemma Hunter. “I’m tired of running, and I don’t want to hide anymore,” said the revived Hunter, who had been dealing with an exhausting year of harassment and impersonation from crazed stalker, Elizabeth Tara Clarke. After more than a year of online stalking, Clarke, 19, infiltrated Queen Bee’s team via a PR internship with the Kick Bullying campaign and spent months gathering information on Hunter by planting cameras in her home and hotel rooms, ultimately assaulting Hunter in March after being found out.

  The incident was what spurred Hunter to announce her true identity, perhaps so it could be revealed on her own terms and not that of her stalker’s. And as she suggested, so she could begin to live without feeling the need to hide.

  Well, hide she certainly can’t anymore. Since that day, every last detail about Gemma Hunter has been released on the Internet, obliterating the secret identity that Queen Bee often sought refuge to in the past. Everything from her Beauford home address to her Beauford High School GPA has been revealed.

  Meanwhile, fans are still on board. If anything, they’re more obsessed and intrigued than ever. Though sales of Queen Bee’s new album Makeup haven’t broken records as anticipated, Bee/Hunter has garnered an unparalleled fame from embodying the personas of powerful pop icon as well as sweet and vulnerable girl next door. The world loves and empathizes with her, and they can’t get enough of her captivating life.

  And while Hunter hasn’t been spotted out and about since the April court hearings against Clarke (who has since been serving time in a state mental institution), word has it that she is smoothly recovering from her traumatic incident and on the way back to focusing on her career. Aside from planning for the Makeup world tour, which approaches at the end of the year, the hardworking idol has signed multiple new endorsement and book deals and has been named to Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Celebrities. And finally, to officially acknowledge the infamous Elizabeth Clarke incident, Bee will be sitting down in four weeks with veteran reporter Frances Browning in an exclusive interview.

  Though there’s no word on exactly how she plans on marrying her two identities, there’s no doubt about the fact that Queen Bee is looking to return to her pop diva throne. Here’s to hoping that Gemma Hunter won’t stop her.

  IT’S THE GUILLOTINE FOR THE ROYAL COUPLE

  Predicting the inevitable split of Queen Bee and Tyler Chase

  Game Magazine

  May 18th

  We’re not just saying this because we think Gemma Hunter is hot (who knew Queen Bee would look even better without makeup?) – we’re saying this because she and singer beau Tyler Chase have survived one rocky half of a year. Sure it seems their March ordeal has pulled them even closer together (word has it that they’re officially shacked up), but that’s probably just Phase One of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We’ll go out on a limb and suggest that Gemma could have a touch of that. Chances are that after being spied on, impersonated, and attacked by a crazed stalker, a little thing called stress can happen. And when stress happens, relationships suffer.

  Okay, fine, we are hoping that Gemma snaps on that little pop tart Tyler. She’s nineteen – she’s a grown woman now, and Tyler’s, you know, a teen idol. Sure he’s trying to shed his froufy image by embarking on some sort of action movie career with his audition for Carbine (we’re guessing it’s an inexplicably violent PG-13 rom-com that millions of 12-year-olds will sneak into), but that doesn’t mean he’s actually a tough guy. I mean, what did he even do to protect his girlfriend while she was being stalked and harassed for a year? Nothing. It’s time to outgrow the kid and move onto someone that we at Game Magazine would approve of.

  Like, say… Damian Evans?

  Details are continually emerging about the formerly secret life of Gemma Hunter, but some stories allege that she and the NBA’s Rookie of the Year dated at length back in high school. So, how about rekindling that fire, Gem? It’s about time you graduate onto a cooler celebrity boyfriend who’s adored by men and women alike, who spends his free time bench-pressing at the gym instead of autographing training bras at the Teen Choice Awards. Most importantly, it’s time to find a guy’s guy who could easily protect you from any future crazies who, let’s face it, are probably still lurking. (You only made yourself more obsess-able by revealing another identity for them to go nuts for!)

  So whattaya say, Queen Bee/Gemma Hunter? Tyler Chase vs. Damian Evans should be a no-brainer. And if not Damian, just get rid of that Tyler guy first. He’s got a ways to go before anyone even considers calling him a man.

  Standing at the end of the aisle in her draped corset dress, Gemma exhaled, relieved that no one seemed to notice her staggering contingent of security personnel. They looked like any of the other wedding guests in their black suits – the only difference being their earpieces and the fact that underneath their jackets, they were armed. None of the guests knew that though, and even if they did, they were probably too distracted to pay it any mind. After all, they were attending what magazines and society columns had dubbed the wedding of the year – the nuptials of Gemma’s Aunt Mira and Manhattan’s top chef and restaurateur, Hudson Gunn. Their big day had earned the honor of being the most anticipated party of the summer, thanks mostly to the heavily star-studded guest list.

  Aside from Zoe, Harper, Damian, Tyler and scores of actors and musicians whom Mira did PR for, there was of course Gemma. She’d been flying completely below the public radar since testifying in court against her stalker, Elizabeth Clarke, and gossip sites were offering over three hundred thousand dollars just for pictures of her as Mira’s maid of honor. Despite the heavy security and grand, white tents that hid every inch of the wedding from unwanted photographs, paparazzi were still desperately trying – be it on foot or via helicopter. They were still thirsty for a good look of Gemma being well, Gemma. No one had gotten a good enough glimpse yet.

  It had been months since she’d announced her identity at the Kick Bullying charity ball, and since then, she had been forced to remain out of the spotlight, especially as her security detail was reconstructed for the thousandth time. But it was different this time. Now, an agent accompanied her almost every minute of the day. Any guests or visitors were frisked. Having sold the house in Sunset Hills that Elizabeth had once broken into, Gemma moved temporarily into Tyler’s Hollywood Hills estate. There, her team had installed an at-home nerve center complete with security cameras and a twenty-four hour monitoring stream. On top of that, Tyler had taken it upon himself to hire residential security, providing the house with an armed guard outside at all times, and often, another inside as well. Gemma hoped it wasn’t something she would have to get used to for the long term. There was enough
to get used to these days.

  She tried to focus on the positive changes though, and it wasn’t hard as she gazed out into the fifth row of wedding guests, where her two best friends from high school were seated. She had to hold back her laughter at Leah and Kate’s star-struck, borderline panicked expressions as they sat stiffly in their seats, trying their bests to look somewhat normal and composed. Just for the wedding, Leah had spent months relentlessly whitening her teeth and perfecting her tan. Kate had added highlights to her strawberry blonde hair and run a daily mile-and-a-half to lose the “freshman fifteen plus five” that she’d gained at Rutgers. They both looked great, but the bevy of Hollywood faces and high-fashion dresses no doubt had them hyperventilating. After all, they had barely gotten used to the fact that Gemma was a celebrity herself – Queen Bee, the popstar they’d obsessed over in high school, completely clueless then of the fact that they were already good friends with her.

  “Holy freakin’ oh my God, Gemma! I can’t even – is this real life? I have no words! You’re Queen Bee. You’re Queen Bee!” Leah had shrieked the first time she’d been able to see Gemma since the big announcement. It was a few days after, during her and Kate’s Spring Break. Via “Skype date,” the reactions from both girls ping ponged back and forth between disbelief and elation and were peppered with occasional bouts of delighted fury.

  “Ugh, I can’t believe you’re dating Tyler Chase!” was about all Kate contributed to the conversation, repeating the sentence every six minutes or so, interrupting Leah’s endless recounting of each moment in high school during which they had spoken about Queen Bee and Gemma had feigned total cluelessness.

  “You were such a good actress, Gem! Did you get acting lessons from Zoe Mercury?” Leah asked excitedly before gasping quietly. “Omigod, wait… you’re best friends with Zoe Mercury. Do you like her better than us?”

  Gemma had reassured both Leah and Kate of her love, as well as the fact that they’d be able to meet Tyler and Zoe as well as Harper at Mira’s wedding. She was still bracing herself for that moment, praying that her two sets of friends would get along and turn out more similar to each other than different. It would be her first tangible challenge in joining the worlds of Gemma and Queen Bee, and she was anxious for it to happen already. But the chance had yet to present itself, in part because Tyler had yet to arrive at Hudson’s Briarcliff Manor estate in Westchester, where the ceremony and reception were taking place.

  His flight from Los Angeles had been delayed after his important second audition for Carbine, an action-thriller that he had spent months prepping himself for. Since the Elizabeth incident, they’d both found outlets for relieving their stress and anxiety. Gemma took it upon herself to design costumes for her upcoming tour along with the bridesmaid gowns for Mira’s wedding, sketching in a leather book and draping on her old antique form. Tyler threw himself into perfecting the character of Colby Hawkins, the movie’s daredevil protagonist. He did everything from surfing to riding ATVs to skydiving – activities that Gemma was desperate to but unable to try. If her team didn’t bar her from it, Tyler would express his own concern about the risk of her getting tossed from a four-wheeler.

  “But it’s okay if it happens to you?” Gemma had challenged, wanting to remind Tyler that he built his fan base off of his irresistibly handsome face, which surely couldn’t afford to be broken in some off-road accident. But she refrained from it, mostly because she sensed it was a newly sore subject. Since the court hearing, the media had been targeting him, perhaps out of boredom. They were still being sympathetic to Gemma for getting attacked by a stalker, but they’d decided to start taunting Tyler for whatever reason they could find. They called him everything from “froufy teen idol” to “wimpy boyfriend.” Gemma was fairly certain the criticism had motivated his decision to pursue the macho role of Colby, despite the fact that producers had been looking for someone older and buffer.

  Well, they’ve got buff now, Gemma thought, trying to suppress her mischievous smile as she thought about Tyler’s new body. Aside from partaking in extreme sports to research his role, he had also begun hitting the gym with a trainer on a daily basis. The results were pretty incredible, and perhaps reason for the joint outlet they’d discovered to relieve their stress.

  “So, Pervy McGee. What dirty thoughts were you having while Mira was walking down the aisle before?” Zoe asked Gemma at the reception. Harper, in the same bridesmaid gown as Gemma, burst out laughing.

  “Oh, yeah. I caught that look, Bee.”

  “You were thinking about boning Tyler, weren’t you?” Zoe shook her head and clucked. “You two go at it like bunnies these days.”

  “Okay, this is not wedding talk,” Gemma laughed, waving her arms in the air. “Onto the next topic…” She heaved a sigh. “I need to introduce you guys to my friends from home, so act normal-ish, okay? Even though they pretty much know you’re both insane.”

  “Me?” Harper feigned hurt as she pointed at Zoe. “It’s just her these days,” she said, brushing back her once-again blonde hair. It had grown out from the dark bob that Gemma had last seen it in. Since rehab, Harper had gone through multiple changes in everything from style to career. Once the blonde, model-slash-party girl heiress, she had graduated onto being the blonde, lifestyle and wellness-blogging heiress. She had done a complete one-eighty, turning in her wild ways to start her own popular website about diet and detox. She was, after all, a pretty good authority on that topic.

  “Damian said he was going to find your brother and your friends, so they should be here any second,” Zoe said, adjusting her one-shouldered jersey gown. Though she had decidedly begun shedding muscle, Zoe still looked quite toned and athletic from her role as a Bond girl in the franchise’s latest installment. With its premieres kicking off in just a few weeks, she was trying to spend as much time with Gemma, Harper, Tyler, Damian and other friends before jetting off.

  “How long ago was that?” Gemma asked.

  “Like, an hour ago?”

  Gemma snorted, gazing through the French windows of the giant estate. “Okay, he’s totally lost in there. I’m going to go try to find him or Gavin.”

  “’Kay. Don’t forget Thor,” Zoe lilted, referring to Gemma’s security guard.

  “Yeah, I couldn’t if I tried,” Gemma sang back, heading into the massive house with her blonde, ponytailed guard trailing four feet behind. Her personal security guard of nearly five years, Andro, usually gave her more space than that, but he had been given the day off to attend the wedding as a guest of Mira’s. Also, there were just a lot of new security personnel to get used to these days.

  Upon reaching the main staircase, Gemma turned to face the new guy. “I can go upstairs alone,” she said. Technically, she was supposed to have her space inside places of residence.

  Reluctantly, he nodded and Gemma made her way to the bedroom that had been assigned for Gavin’s use. Just as she reached the door, it burst open long enough for Damian to dart out before shutting it once again. Gemma blinked, wide-eyed and quizzical as she gazed at him and his always-charming smile. She’d half expected him to be followed by his girlfriend, Nicki, only to remember that Mira hadn’t had the room to invite her. Despite that, Damian had flown across the country to attend anyway. Gemma was glad to see him looking happy nonetheless – not to mention handsome in his Tom Ford suit.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. Gavin’s in there, if you’re looking for him,” he said, smoothing down his dress shirt. Gemma helped him adjust his black skinny tie. “With Leah,” he added.

  “Oh, ew.” Gemma winced, tightening the tie. “Are they…?” She crinkled her nose at the thought of the two rekindling their high school romance in Hudson’s house. Damian laughed.

  “No, none of that. I just had to leave because it was getting ugly in there. Leah’s clowning him for warming the bench all season,” he said, referring to Gavin’s unspectacular minutes with the Syracuse basketball team. “And Kate… wandered off somewhere. I ha
d her a second ago. I’m sorry, I was trying to get them to you so they could meet Zoe and…” Damian trailed off when Gemma took a step back after successfully straightening his tie. He blinked. “Wow, I just noticed you look even more beautiful up close,” he said, gazing down at her silk gown, briefly running his hand along the fabric. “This isn’t the dress you designed yourself, is it?”

  Gemma beamed. “It is, actually.”

  “Damn, that’s incredible.” Damian shook his head. “Your talent obviously knows no bounds.”

  “Neither does yours, Rookie of the Year.”

  He grinned. “Beauford did a good job cranking out some talent, didn’t it?” he joked. As Gemma nodded, a voice interrupted.

  “So, I take it the real party’s up here?”

  Gemma turned, eyes brightening upon spotting Tyler. He stood at the end of the hall in a charcoal suit with no tie. His hair was stylishly slicked back, his lips breaking into a smile as he admired Gemma in her bridesmaid dress. As his eyes began wandering about her, Damian laughed and scratched his head.

  “You know, I think I’m gonna go back in there,” he said, excusing himself back into the room in which Gavin and Leah were audibly bantering. Tyler laughed. When he reached Gemma, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

  “Well, you look amazing.”

  She giggled. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

  “So, you wanna hear some good news?” Tyler murmured, running his hands through her hair. She felt her up-do unraveling in his fingers and frowned. “I’m only going to mess it up more later,” he said mischievously.

  Gemma shook her head. “I’m drawing the line at doing it during my aunt’s wedding.”

  “Fine,” Tyler laughed, giving her hips a squeeze. “Anyway.” He bit his lip back and shrugged. “I got Carbine. I’m going to be Colby Hawkins.”

  Gemma gasped. “Really?” She opened her mouth to let out a squeal, but down the hall, someone shrieked giddily for her.