Chapter 52: Chapter 52

DRAYA

“Welcome Lexi Fox to our show,” Wally Wilson said as soon as Draya stepped into the studio.

The audience gave her a well-rehearsed round of applause, and she smiled politely. The man had had so much shit to say, even though Camille had been quiet recently, focusing only on her business projects.

Draya thought Wally Wilson would be more sensitive to the fact that her birth mother was a junkie, considering he didn’t have the shiniest upbringing either, but he still found it necessary to trash her every single day. Nevertheless, she intended to smash this interview and put all this hate to rest. Starting with Wally and his shady ass.

“Thank you for having me.” Draya smiled and flicked her fifty-dollar hairdo over her shoulders. She’d gotten ready for the show simply: a wash and blow out, wearing light makeup, a floral dress from Target, and nude heels from Traffik.

“You look adorable,” Wally said, sipping his tea.

“Thank you.”

The man eyed her intently. “So, there are a lot of rumors surfacing, and I really want to know… Well, we all want to know, what’s going on, girl?” He playfully shoved her shoulder as if they were close friends or something.

Draya decided to play dumb, giving him a chance to underestimate her before she made her strike. “What’s going on with what exactly?”

“Camille Lannister was on our show about two months ago, and she had some interesting things to say about you. Let’s take a look.” He pointed to one of the TV monitors.

“So, Camille, why are you so hard on Daniel’s new girlfriend?” Wally asked in the clip.

“She’s nothing but a gold digger trying to come up from the connections she gets from Daniel.”

No one but Draya truly knew what went down when Daniel visited Camille in New York. He told her how they came to a truce, and since then, the woman had managed to stay focused on just her business projects.

Draya wondered if Camille would ever look back on these interviews and feel regret. Other radio stations and reporters had finally backed off—except Wally.

When the clip was over, the talk show host turned back to her. “There’s a rumor about your mom being a junkie and abandoning you as a child—”

Draya cut him off. “First of all, who you are and where you come from are two very different things. You of all people should be able to agree with that. From what I understand, you had quite the upbringing as well; some would even call it disturbing.

“Weren’t you a junkie yourself at one point? And didn’t people say it was a bad idea to hire you for this show? I’m sure they did. I’m sure to this day people still give you the third degree about the choices and mistakes you made many years ago. But did you let the opinion of others stop you? Did you roll over and die? No! And neither will I.”

As soon as she finished, the audience’s applause filled the entire studio. It escalated into a standing ovation.

While they were on their feet, Draya’s surprise walked out, looking as handsome as always. He kissed her in front of everyone, and the crowd screamed louder. One lady started crying, and even Wally seemed blown away. Daniel had never agreed to do a television interview before, which only proved that he would put everything on hold for his woman.

“Wow, this ~is~ a surprise!” Wally exclaimed, then initiated a handshake with Daniel.

After what seemed like ten minutes, the audience finally quieted down. Daniel put his arm around Draya and kissed her softly on the lips again, and she could tell that the entire room felt the love bouncing between them. It was like a power source in the darkness.

“Daniel, wow. It’s such an honor to have you on the show. This is such a surprise.”

“My ~wife~ told me she was coming on the show, so I had to stop by and show my baby some support.” He shocks everyone when he called me his wife.

Everyone gasped. Wally’s eyes flashed to Draya’s finger, and she showed off her beautiful sapphire ring. She’d been covering her hand so no one would notice it before the time was right.

The room then erupted in screams, cheers, and applause again.

Wally stared wide-eyed at the beautiful ring. “How? When did this happen? I’m a little annoyed that my staff didn’t pick up on this.”

Draya’s husband kissed her hair and said, “We had a small wedding at our home over a month ago. We managed to keep it low-key. Less than ten people.”

“Wow,” was all the host could say as he continued to stare.

“Babe, do you want to tell them or should I?” Daniel whispered, excitement evident on his face.

The audience became quiet, not wanting to miss a thing.

“We’re having a baby!” Draya screamed, and the audience cheered again.

~I think this episode of the Wally Wilson Show will literally break records…no question about it.~

Draya was sure inviting her on the show was his way of trying to make her look bad in front of the staff, the studio audience, and the viewers. But that was a total failure. Daniel had promised to be there for her before, during, and after, and he’d kept that promise. He had managed to protect her and their little family no matter what came up.

“I love you so much, baby,” Draya told him with tears in her eyes. “Thank you for everything.”

^End of Book One^