Chloe took a sip from the teacup, which, honestly, wasn't that bad. She hadn't realized when she had gotten so used to the high-class housewife routine, but she had, and now she couldn't go back to her normal life. This included occasional luncheons or high tea with her group of friends.
"The tea is lovely, Marie," Chloe said sincerely to the host.
"Thank you, Chloe," Marie smiled back. "Try some of my lemon tart as well. I baked it myself."
"Yes, yes, your cooking is amazing, Marie," Denise cut in impatiently before leaning forward conspiratorially. "But did you guys hear about poor Georgina? It's all over the news! Harvey did her dirty so bad."
As soon as Chloe heard that name, she froze in her seat.
"Yes, poor Georgina," Tatum said, shaking her head. "If my husband had done what Harvey did, I would divorce him first thing and then sue him for everything he had."
"Ha!" Denise scoffed. "As if! It's not just local news, it's international! People all over the world are talking about it. They're saying Harvey may have to pay tens of millions in settlement, probably more. I don't know how much he would have left to pay her if they divorced."
"Not to mention the prenup," Marie pointed out. "If what they're saying is true, he wouldn't have married her without an ironclad contract, and it probably didn't have an infidelity clause if he was so used to getting it."
"Wait, hold on," Chloe interrupted. "Take a step back and explain to me what exactly happened. I have no clue what's going on with Georgina and her husband."
"How do you not know that?" Marie asked incredulously. "It's all they're talking about in the media."
Chloe shrugged. She wasn't proud to admit that she didn't watch the news because most of it was so grim and sad nowadays, especially since the financial crisis last year.
"It's very juicy," Denise leaned close to her. "There's this actress, Rose McGowan, who was on this TV show, [Charmed], a while back. She uploaded a video on YouTube claiming that Harvey Weinstein assaulted her when she went over to his hotel room for an audition."
Tatum, not one to be left behind, added her own two cents. "That's not all. To prove that Harvey was still doing it, she hired three beautiful women to pose as actresses and asked them to audition in his suite, and the revelation was shocking. He assaulted all three of them in some manner and even claimed that this is how things happen in Hollywood! I was appalled. I'm never letting my daughter even think about getting into showbiz after watching that video."
Chloe opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out. She wasn't surprised by the news, but the way things were aired out was definitely new.
"Poor Rose," Marie said sadly. "She went to all the major news outlets—the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, and even Fox News. None of them were interested in covering her story. Apparently, Harvey either paid them off or scared them off with lawsuits."
"I'm more worried about Harvey's daughters," Denise added. "At least Georgina was lucky enough not to have any kids with the monster, but he still has three lovely daughters with his first wife. All three are beautiful and well-mannered girls who'll be defined by their father's deeds for the rest of their lives. If I were their mother, the first thing I'd do is officially change their last name."
The talk went on for a while, and Chloe remained a passive listener. It wasn't because she didn't have opinions of her own, but because she didn't want anyone to realize how close to home this news hit for her.
When the tea ended, Chloe couldn't have been happier to leave and return home. The moment she did, she booted up her laptop, which she mostly used for online shopping on Amazon, but today she opened YouTube instead. She was about to type "Harvey Weinstein" in the search bar, but she didn't have to, because a video that looked suspiciously like the one the ladies had mentioned was already visible at the top of her home screen.
How Hollywood R**ed Me…
Rose McGowan
17.7M views | 8 days ago
She was surprised to see that so many people had watched the video. Then again, if this was international news, as the ladies had said, it made sense that people would be interested.
With some hesitation, Chloe clicked on the video and let it play. Rose McGowan was a powerful speaker, and she spoke with raw passion. Even if Chloe hadn't known about Harvey firsthand, she would have believed Rose because of how brutal and painful her account was.
"I was just a naive girl with no idea what I was getting into. He called me into his hotel room, which should have been the big red flag, but I didn't know any better. I thought that's how things must happen in this industry, so I went. The audition went as it usually does, and then when I thought it was over, he…"
Chloe closed her eyes, remembering something eerily similar that had happened to her. The video went on in detail about what exactly happened to her, followed by clips from three sting operations. The face of the predator was clear as day, but it wasn't mentioned until now who he was, so a common person won't understand the implications of these clips. But Chloe did.
"Now that you've heard my account and seen what is still happening to women who go to his hotel room, let me tell you the name of this monster. People in the industry would have recognized him already, but for the layman, the man is none other than Harvey Weinstein. The same man who won an Oscar for producing the film [Shakespeare in Love] ten years ago. The same man who once ran a distribution company by the name of Miramax and is currently the CEO of The Weinstein Company. The same man whom every Oscar winner seems to thank for some reason or another."
The video then cut to a montage of different famous actors thanking Harvey Weinstein for various reasons: Daniel Day-Lewis, Renée Zellweger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Martin Scorsese, Robin Williams, Richard Gere, and even Meryl Streep. Everyone seemed to have something to thank him for.
Finally, the camera cut back to Rose.
"As I mentioned earlier, this man is very powerful and somehow has influence or sway over all the major news outlets, both print and broadcast. On your screen is a list of all the news outlets that refused to show my story. Suffice to say, I am very disappointed with how they treated me, with some even saying to my face that I was lying, despite the undeniable proof I showed them."
When the list of names stopped flashing, Rose looked directly into the camera.
"I know it has been years since that incident happened. I know I already got paid for it. But it was not enough. It is never enough. It is not even about the money. I just want people to know what kind of monsters Hollywood enables. If you are a girl getting into movies, TV, music, or even modeling, do not go into anyone's hotel room alone. Because this will happen to you as well. It is a very carefully constructed system designed to prey on the weak."
Then her voice softened as she said, "If you think that you have been wronged as well by Harvey Weinstein or any other predator in the industry, I request you to please share your story. I am just one woman here, and alone, I cannot do anything. I personally know at least five other women who Weinstein has wronged in some way or form, but they don't want their names splattered all across the media as victims. Five may have gotten afraid of judgment, but if 50 of you come out, it will give courage to those five as well. I'm using a new feature on YouTube where you can attach a short video created on TikTok to this video. All you have to do is create a short video telling viewers your story and who wronged you. Use #MeToo in the description, and if I find your video relevant to this case, I'll feature it in the section below."
"It is my humblest request to all women wronged by men like Weinstein, please come out. There is no other way to beat him. Even if you want to remain anonymous but still help take down predators like Harvey, you can email me at the address mentioned in the description with your story. Either I or someone from my team will reach out to you personally. Don't worry if you have signed an NDA. I personally guarantee that if you are sued for breach of said NDA or asked to pay any damages, my benefactor, who made all this possible but wants to remain anonymous, will compensate you for all such costs."
The video ended there, and Chloe sat stunned after watching the entire thing from start to finish. This video could shake up the entire film industry. Chloe had always wanted to be an actress when she was young for one obvious reason: she was considered one of the most beautiful girls by everyone around her. Boys lined up to ask her out in school, girls were jealous of her, and the teachers, especially the males, forgave her minor transgressions if she so much as batted her eyelashes innocently. So when someone suggested she should try acting in Hollywood, she did.
She shook her head and decided not to dwell on that thought. Scrolling down, she checked the comments to see what people were saying. Most were appalled by what they had heard and were supportive of Rose. She was about to leave a similar comment herself when she noticed the featured section Rose had mentioned, which already had multiple videos attached.
After a brief hesitation, she clicked on the first one, featuring a woman in her mid-thirties.
"My name is Charlotte Mancini, and I totally believe Rose McGowan. Harvey Weinstein assaulted me when I was working as an intern at Miramax's office in the 90s. He paid me $200,000 for not speaking about it to anyone, not even my mom or my therapist. I was scared to put myself out there like this, but more than that, I don't want that smug asshole to believe that he won. He didn't. I personally talked to Rose after emailing her, and she assured me in writing that any and all legal expenses would be taken care of by her team, so here I am today, sharing my story."
That wasn't just one video. One after another, more women came forward to share their stories. Even some big celebrities like Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, and a few others had shared their own experiences, all relating to Harvey Weinstein, and all with the same tag: #MeToo.
"Honey, I'm home."
Startled by Brandon's voice, Chloe shut the laptop lid.
Brandon bent to plant a kiss on her head before taking off his necktie.
"Man, today was such a chore. I have been thinking of you all day long. What do you say, would you like to come with me to an outing? We can go camping, just the two of us, all alone in the woods at night, in one tent…"
He kissed her cheek, slowly moving toward her mouth, but stopped when she did not reciprocate.
"Everything all right, hun?"
Chloe shook her head. "Just before you came home, I was watching that video of Rose McGowan where she accused our neighbor, Harvey Weinstein. Have you seen it?"
"Oh. That? No." He shook his head. "I have seen some of the news coverage, though, and I can say confidently that 90 percent of that is a piece of shit. Harvey probably messed up with someone powerful, and they retaliated by hiring an out-of-work actress who would say anything to tarnish his reputation. That is how things go in these circles. I have known the man for a long time, and I know he can come off as a bully, but he is not all bad."
Chloe stared at her husband in disbelief. How can he say that when… Of course, he does not know.
"But so many other women are now also accusing him," she added.
He waved her off. "Of course they are. This is the news of the month. Probably the year. This is great publicity for them." He took off his shirt, his back to her, not even looking at her as she spoke.
"What if I were one of the accusers!" Chloe almost shouted.
This time Brandon turned around slowly, his face unreadable. "What?"
"What if, when I was struggling as an actress before I met you, he called me for an audition as well, and he did things to me. What if I told you that I accidentally recorded him and still have that recording with me? Would you believe me? Or would you think I am also lying and that the recording is fabricated as well?"
Brandon sat beside her and took her hand. "What happened, honey?"
Chloe broke down in tears and hugged him tightly, telling him everything, uncaring of the NDA she was still under.
When she finished, she looked up at Brandon hesitantly, only to see him angrier than she had ever seen him. "That son of a bitch! I'll kill him!"
"Brandon, no!" Chloe gripped his hand. "Please don't. I thought I had put it behind me. That's why I always make up some excuse when it's a social gathering where I could see him. But hearing all those stories from all these women dug up those memories again. I don't want to keep it inside me any longer. I want to fight him legally, but only if you support me. I will not do it if you think this will be bad for your business."
"Fuck my business!" He growled. "You want to fight him? Let's do it. I don't care about anything more than you."
Chloe hugged him tighter. "Thank you."
Brandon patted her head gently. "So what's our first step?"
Chloe released him from the hug and said, "Let's contact Rose McGowan. She has a full team working on this case, and we can simply add our story to hers and the other women's."
(Break)
I waved at the crowd gathered on the Los Angeles street where I was inaugurating my name that people would soon step upon. It was none other than the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where countless legends had been immortalized over the years. Today was a special one because I was receiving not just one star, but two simultaneously: one for motion pictures and one for music. No one alive in history had ever received more than one star at the same time.
The reason I felt so honored to accept the award was that I hadn't even nominated myself for it. One of my fan groups had done it instead. They had collected money among themselves to nominate me in two categories, and history was made when Benji got the call confirming that I had been selected for both.
"I am truly honored by the actions of my fans," I said, feeling touched. "I didn't nominate myself because I didn't think I deserved to be nominated at my age, let alone win this honor when so many legends before me haven't been felicitated yet. Nonetheless, I won't disrespect my fans by rejecting it. So thank you, guys, for doing this for me."
Multiple cameras clicked hundreds of photos per second as I inaugurated the two stars bearing my name, side by side, on the Walk of Fame. My parents, Evan, Scarlett, and a few more of my industry friends: Emily Stone, Jamie Bell, and Michael Jackson, were in attendance, standing just behind me. Emily, Jamie, and MJ had each given a speech about me before I was called to the makeshift stage, which made the moment even more special.
"Troy!" a reporter shouted, thrusting a microphone toward me as soon as I was done with the ceremony. "What do you think of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein?"
I had seen that question coming from a mile away. Whenever there's a controversy, they always have to ask for my opinion, as if what I think matters more than what any regular person does.
"What is there to think about?" I said nonchalantly. "If you've seen the full video with that sting operation, anyone with two brain cells can deduce that Harvey Weinstein did the things he's being accused of. And that was before dozens of other women came forward with their stories of assault and harassment. If he isn't sent to jail for the rest of his life, we'll know just how corrupt our system is."
I was ready to move on, but the reporters weren't.
"Have you ever talked to him personally? How is he like in person?" someone else asked.
"I have," I confirmed. "He's not a pleasant man to talk to unless you're praising him. One thing I would have to give Harvey, though. From the women who have boldly come out, it is clear that he didn't discriminate. He has harassed women of all ethnicities."
A few reporters chuckled at that twisted logic. I was ready to leave, but of course, someone had to ask a question I actually wanted to answer.
"You name-picked him at the Grammys," a woman pointed out. "Did you know something about his behavior then?"
"To be frank, yes," I nodded. "I knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes. A very good friend of mine, whom I won't name for the sake of her privacy, confided in me about how Weinstein assaulted her. A week later, my team told me I'd received an offer from Quentin Tarantino to star in his next film in a supporting role, distributed by the Weinstein Company. I love Quentin's films, but I declined that offer immediately because I didn't want to work with an asshole like Weinstein.
"All his frequent collaborators who say they didn't know what was happening with this asshole are lying. If I, who've barely done any films outside my family's influence, knew, then either those people are stupid or have intentionally ignored the issue since it could risk their careers. It's an open secret that agents from top talent agencies give their female clients a list of producers or directors to avoid when not in public. And guess whose name is at the top of that list?"
"Weinstein?" the woman guessed.
"Bingo."
With my piece said, I turned around and left the place, ignoring the remaining shouted questions behind me.
____________________
AN: Check out my second story, 'Swimmer to Superstar (A Hollywood SI)', which is now publicly available.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com