The rise, p.40
The Rise, page 40
Mirren McLean was the next to step out of the limo. Dressed in an ivory Dior sheath, overlaid with hand-sewn crystals, her hair swept back like a Roman goddess, she was utterly exquisite. She was nominated for Best Original Screenplay tonight for the last Clansman movie. She was the favourite to win, despite saying that not even taking home the statue would come close to the joy she felt on announcing her plans for Chloe’s Care, a drop-in centre for people struggling with substance issues.
Right behind her was Lex Callaghan and his beautiful wife, Cara, dressed in vintage Chanel. All three greeted each other with genuine warmth and the cameras went wild, especially when the two women posed on either side of Lex. Pure Hollywood. Lucky guy.
Jack Gore wandered over. Single again, it had smashed the headlines when Mercedes Dance had taken a DNA test that proved within a margin of 99.9 per cent that Jack Gore was not the father. Mirren posed happily with him. The official line was that they remained great friends for the sake of their son, Logan, who was currently on tour with his band, South City, and selling out stadiums across Europe.
And finally, last to arrive, as only the stragglers on the red carpet remained, was Zander Leith. And boy, was he worth waiting for. Dressed in a Guilloti tux, flecks of grey hair at the temples, he had never looked more dashing. On his arm, his assistant, Hollie, looking like a curvy babe and beaming with confidence. There had been rumours that their relationship was more than professional. Neither party would confirm or deny.
Four hours, fifty-seven minutes later, Mirren McLean took to the stage, graciously received her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and smiled. It was unusual for a sequel to win it, but the box office agreed that it was the best of a brilliant series.
‘I’d like to dedicate this to my daughter, Chloe. The world was a brighter place when she was in it and I will never stop missing her every moment of every day.’
The cameras panned to the audience. Nicole Kidman. Jennifer Garner. Julia Roberts. Gossip columnist, Lou Cole. Tears running down their cheeks.
‘I’d like to thank my son, Logan, for being just the coolest, kindest, best-looking guy on earth.’
Laughter through the tears now.
This felt like a full circle. A new Oscar to wipe away the shame of the one that haunted her.
‘Finally, I’d like to thank my other family. The one I chose for myself. This is also for Davie Johnston and Zander Leith.’
And as they both blew her kisses, the applause thundered on.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS…
This novel is pure fiction, although we have included some famous names, places, events and used artistic license to change a few details along the way.
In 1993, the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay was won by Neil Jordan for the outstanding movie, The Crying Game.
Our fictional hero, Davie, does not of course have rivalry with the very real and very successful Ryan Seacrest.
Similarly, he has never met Simon Cowell.
And we’re fairly sure that even if our characters existed, Gerry Butler and Ewan McGregor would still win more column inches.
Love,
Shari & Ross xx
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First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Shari Low and Ross King, 2022
Cover Design by Alice Moore Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Shari Low and Ross King to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80426-775-2
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80426-771-4
Hardback ISBN 978-1-80426-770-7
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80426-768-4
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80426-769-1
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80426-776-9
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-80426-773-8
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80426-767-7
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Shari Low, The Rise
