Part 1 : The Singer Orchid

He stared at the mirror, making sure everything was perfect. Making sure he was perfect. His make-up, hairdo, clothes. It was a nice sight. His bleached hair, with the purple tips, and an all-leather style. Only a few piercings, and a trait of eyeliner. Honestly, he wasn't fond of the make-up part, but it was for the cameras. Of course, his natural good looks helped a lot, as well. Behind him, the manager was glaring at his reflection.

"You better not screw this one up, David. The media is waiting to put your career to shred, and the company is not going to fucking allow another mistake."

He rolled his eyes.

"I understand, you can stop nagging me now..."

"This is serious! You insulted the most popular female talk show host, on her own show, during a live! Plus, all the tabloids are covered with your latest scandals! That stupid featuring was already a bad idea, but now your image is associated with a drug scandal! Of course, that also includes all the damn feminists you pissed off with your attitude!"

He sighed and turned to her.

"I get it, okay? First, the label made me record that single with that nameless DJ, I couldn't have known that idiot would be caught up in a drug-dealing thing two weeks later! Also, who cares about who I sleep with? Those are just one night stands!"

"It matters when you're a public personality, David! Your popularity is dropping, so are your album sales! Your voice is not going to do all of the jobs alone. If you don't like the song our producers give you, write some! You haven't written anything in how long? They said they'd listen to anything you'd give them!"

David shook his head and closed his eyes.

He hadn't written anything worth listening to in months, that was the truth. His fans were getting impatient or moving on to newer artists, more active and popular bands. It took a lot to stay on top of the Music industry. He was more on the tabloids than in the music magazines recently. His fame was slowly dying, and his image was dirtied every day. People were losing interest in Orchid, the artist. Now, all they saw was David Orchard, the scandalous womanizer. He had really tried hard, but he couldn't find the inspiration anymore. He was far from his debut...

"Listen. This show is not very popular, but at least, it can help with your image. All their guests are related to some sort of good action or charity, and they don't go into private life details. They usually invite half-celebrities, newcomers, or internet sensations. They invited you because of your involvement in the homeless charity thing."

"It's called A Home for Everyone, not charity thing," he retorted.

That was maybe the only thing he was still proud about, and would not give up on. His last successful concert was the charity one for the association. Even if his label didn't appreciate seeing all of the benefits go to a Charity, David had insisted on it, and his fans had liked it. He didn't want to forget where he came from...

"Anyway, just check the notes I prepared for you, and don't you dare act up again, David, I'm serious!"

His manager left the room, slamming the door behind her. David sighed, massaging his temples. He didn't really care for those stupid notes. He didn't care for that tv show, either. It was just one more desperate attempt to save his image... He grabbed his phone, checking his social media accounts. The number of followers had gone down again. He didn't even bother to check the comments, and instead, opened his music app. He grabbed his headphones and listened to his playlist, an acoustic version of his first song...

"David! You're late!"

His manager's voice made him jump. He had been listening for several minutes, and forgot about the time. She was obviously furious. She took his headphones and dragged him out of the makeup room.

"They are going to start recording, just go!"

David followed the instructions, almost blindly. He was used to it. Waiting for the technicians' cue, grabbing a mic, putting on a business-friendly smile. Waiting behind the curtain, he heard the cheers of the public, and the host introducing him.

"I'm absolutely thrilled, as one of his fans, to be welcoming this amazing artist, one of the most beautiful voices of his generation, with over 10 million albums sold all over the world, please welcome the Singer Orchid!"

David made his entrance, smiling and waving. The audience had over fifty people, including a few of his fans, who applauded hysterically as he made his way to greet the host.

"Thank you for having me, it's a pleasure!"

"Welcome, this is fantastic to have you here!"

David took the seat he was presented, as the last guest welcomed. They asked them to pause a little for a short introduction of the show to play, and he tried hard not to grimace.

The little clip was saying all about his career: from his breakthrough on the internet with his first song that went viral, his signing with his first label, the immediate success, and the numerous albums and tours that had followed. David watched it with a bitter smile. The producers had been tactful enough to not remind the public the total flop of his last two albums, or his recent scandals, making it look like he was just as popular as before. When the clip was over, the public cheered once more, and the host took over.

"It's an amazing career you have here at such a young age, David, you're only twenty-six and you already have won so many awards, sold so many albums. However, there's one part of you that is less known to the general public, it's your philanthropic side, and this is why you're here with us tonight. Our show is all about putting to light those causes that are dear to our guests, welcome to Good Deeds, Good Days!"

Another round of applause, with all the guests smiling brightly. David checked, but he only knew two of the three other hosts. One was a Social Media princess, some fitness guru that was here for her promotion of a pet rescue association. The one on David's left was a popular businessman, CEO of a Video Games company that had made the news by giving free game consoles to families with a low income. While it had been an obvious promotional strategy, the amount of the game consoles given had been enough to earn them some extra credits in the public's eye. David knew of him only because he had done a voice acting gig for them once.

The guest on the extreme left was a total stranger, though. It was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, and David had arrived after her introduction. He was a bit nervous, but thankfully, the host talked to her first, allowing him to get some clues.

"So, Alyssa, your book came out last week and I have to admit, I read it in two days!" Enthusiastically said the host, overplaying a bit. "It's such an easy read and such a fascinating life story you have there! I can't wait to try the recipes, either!"

"Yes, thank you. I did spend a long time trying to think of a good balance between a recipe book and a bibliography, and my editor was a huge help."

David looked at the screen that was displaying the book's cover. It was rather simple, with a picture of that woman in a sophisticated kitchen, with a notebook in hand. So she was some sort of chef... Probably another social media celebrity, then. She was rather pretty, too, with dark brown hair in a high bun, full lips and sparkling blue eyes. Her outfit was rather simple, a white blouse with high waist pants. David hadn't paid attention to his stylist choice, but all the guests were dressed to loosely fit their line of work: the video games CEO was in a t-shirt with a wide logo of his company game on it, and the fitness guru was in a sexy workout outfit.

"Do you cook, David?" Suddenly asked the host.

"Not really, to be honest," he said with a fake embarrassed smile. "I am a very picky eater and any chef's nightmare! My schedule doesn't really allow me to cook, either."

"Oh, I hope Chef Alyssa has a few quick recipes for you perhaps then?"

"I would love to," replied the Chef with a natural smile.

David smiled back politely. He was a bit impressed, that woman looked awkward being on stage, but she was able to answer naturally, with elegance. Then, the host moved on to speak about one of the recipes she had personally tried with her children, praising the guest again about her book.

"We actually happen to have a little set prepared here for Chef Alyssa to entertain our guests! We will see if she can match to Orchid's picky taste?"

The staff brought a little table with everything ready for the Chef to be cooking. To David's surprise, they already had all the fresh ingredients for a recipe. All the guests were invited to gather to see what was there.

"So, Alyssa, what do you have for us?"

"I was thinking of making some maki sushis, and okonomiyaki."

"Aren't those Japanese dishes?" Said the video games guy.

"They are!" She replied with a smile that brightened the whole room. "I like to take inspiration from all sorts of cultures for my recipes, and add it my own twist! Children often find their own favorites, and with the recent popularity of Asian culture in media, they can find some food they saw on TV or in their video games in their plates!"

"So interesting!" Said the host.

She then let the fitness guru ask questions about the nutriments of the ingredients picked by the Chef, but David was impressed. Unlike he had feared, there was no meat, every ingredient here respected his pesco-vegetarian diet.

The Chef proceeded to explain how to make easy maki sushi with the rice prepared in advance, explaining all the changes one could bring to the recipe to fit anyone's diet. One could tell the whole audience was starting to drool just by listening to her, but David was actually fascinated by the Chef herself. She was beaming when she talked about cuisine, and he was surprised to find her so pretty. She didn't have much make-up on, but her assurance and smile were all she needed to wear. He tried to focus on what she was saying, conscious of the cameras, but for once, he was really intrigued.

"Looks like Orchid is hungry! What do you think, David?" Asked the host, catching on his stare.

"Well, I am! Chef Alyssa looks delicious... I mean, her recipe looks delicious!"

His lapsus made the whole audience laugh and the Chef blush. Even the host laughed awkwardly, taken by surprise. While the people present laughed it off, David could imagine his manager going absolutely nuts backstage. After all of his scandals with women, that was really not the time to spurt more idiocy and feed the media!

"Let's not eat the Chef right away, David," said the host, a bit flustered. "We want to try that recipe first!"

"Sorry," chuckled David. "I'm so hungry, I spoke too fast! I train a lot every day, and I haven't had a proper meal yet today, so I'll look forward to it! Sorry, Chef!"

The host was quick to rebound on his sentence, asking the fitness guru about workout routines to stay fit. David was only too happy to participate, discussing his own training and showing off his abs to make the female audience swoon. When they interrupted the broadcast for a quick ad run and make-up touches, David immediately ignored his manager and walked up to the little cooking station, approaching the Chef.

"Sorry about earlier," he said. "I really didn't mean to offend you, Chef."

However, Alyssa shook her head, smiling gently. She was cleaning a bit her cooking corner, getting ready to present the finished product. She had made her recipe so quickly while the other guests spoke and during the break, everything was ready to be eaten.

"Don't worry, it happens! It was rather funny, actually. It's my first time being on TV, so I am a bit nervous as well," she confessed.

David nodded, and was dying to find a way to chat with her some more, but before he did, the technicians asked everyone to go back to their seats, and the show went on. There was a little video about each person's relationship to a Charity, and when his topic came, David felt a little proud inside.

The producing team had done a great job of showing the building of the association, interrogating the volunteers, and talk about its importance. When the video ended, the host turned to him, looking intrigued.

"David, behind the Singer Orchid, you actually have a very touching story that links you to this Charity. Could you tell us more about it?"

He nodded.

"I went through a rough time in my life, as many teenagers do. I'm an orphan, and the system didn't really work out well for me. When I was at my lowest point in life, I was lucky to meet the right people, including an amazing man, now a friend, who's actually the current director of the shelter. I owe him a lot, and this is why this is so important to me."

All of the audience put on sorry faces, some shedding a tear for his story. It wasn't really new, though, David had mentioned it several times during interviews. The sob story of the orphan boy becoming a superstar had fed the craze around him for several years. It was like a text he had repeated so many times that it didn't felt like his own story anymore. Some people were even pretending he was lying, that this was a made-up story by his agency to increase his popularity. Hence, David was quick to turn the spotlight to the Charity instead of himself.

He felt relieved when the host moved on to the others. He listened to the story of the fitness guru, saved from depression by her rescue dogs, and the CEO didn't have much to add aside from promoting his new game, which kind of fell flat after the two previous stories.

David listened carefully, however, to the story of the Chef. He was amazed once again. She was an advocate for women's rights, notably in the culinary domain. Explaining some numbers, Alyssa demonstrated how hard it was for women to become Chef, but also to find the right balance between their private and work life. Her most impressive achievement was opening two restaurants with respected parity between genders, and a program to help women find ways to have the career they deserved despite being moms.

"I am sure this is a topic that many women will feel involved with, and your own story is, of course, amazing as well," said the host. "Coming from the show-business, I related to your experience, the struggles of our gender and yet being a full-time mom as well. Ladies, I highly recommend this book, and please go check the association's website, displayed on the bottom of your screen!"

The show went on with a couple more questions and clips, but it was a short program overall. The final was all the guests and the host, trying the Chef's food. David was amazed at the taste of it and even ate happily, adding a bit of humor to entertain everyone.

Then, the host went on to quickly close the show, and everyone greeted everyone. David turned around, spotting Alyssa, who was chatting with a young woman, probably her assistant or manager. He walked towards her but, before that, his manager jumped right in.

"David! Are you kidding me? You have to go change right now, we have a photoshoot in an hour!"

"Yeah, just... give me a second..."

"No fucking way!"

He glanced at Alyssa once more and, to his surprise, she raised her eyes at the same moment. Their eyes met for a second, both surprised to catch each other. David smiled uncontrollably, feeling a bit stupid, but happy. Alyssa smiled with a little blush, though she seemed a bit shy.

His manager grabbed him out of the stage, but David was already on his phone, opening a new tab and making a quick search about Chef Alyssa...