Diamond Lives Platinum Lies By Vonda Howard Diamond Lives, Platinum Lies Second Edition Copyright 2008 by LaVonda P Howard Edited by: www.21streeturbanediting.com All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. The events and characters in this book are fictitious. Certain real locations and public figures are mentioned, but all other characters and events are totally imaginary. Prologue The cool winter air slid through Simone’s slender shaped fingers as she slapped him right across his perfectly shaven face with an open hand. The whole scene was in slow motion, in unison with the gasps from the crowds to the flashes of the paparazzi bulbs. She hated him, hated what he did to her. “What the hell are you doing you crazy bitch?” The female voice from behind her asked. “Shut up you scum bucket slut!” Simone said as she turned and looked the small framed woman straight in her fear filled eyes. “Simone, let me explain.” “There is nothing you can say to me Trent that would explain the reason that you had your tongue down this nasty bitch’s mouth!” “Who you calling nasty?” The woman asked with a major attitude. Simone turned licking her bottom lip, attempting to quench her anger. “Look little girl, I advise you to take your skanky ass back inside that club before you get you ass ripped in half.” Just as the woman opened her mouth to respond she was grabbed up by security and carried away. “Simone, come on, he’s not even worth it, let’s go.” Simone’s sister, Peaches said as she tried to pull her back inside the club. Simone yanked her arm away. “No! I’m tired of this idiot’s shit! We are through Trent! You hear me? You promised me that you would never do this again. How stupid am I? How could you humiliate me like this?” He held the stinging side of his face as he reached for her arm. “Simone, we can take this back inside and go talk in private. You are getting this all wrong.” She yanked her arm away from him and gave him a dagger filled stare. “Wrong? How do I get finding you huddled up in a tongue wrestling match wrong?” He stood there amidst all of the flashing bulbs and was speechless. “I…” He knew that after all he had done in the past there was no way she would believe anything he had to say. “Exactly.” She turned and headed for her limo. Trent, still holding his face, yanked out his cell phone and dialed. “Hello?” said the male voice on the other end. “What the hell are you doing?” “What are you talking about?” There was a clear smugness to the voice of the mysterious man on the phone. “I know you set all this shit up. Why are you trying to destroy my life?” “Look Trent my man, I told you what I want, and you’re the only one that can get it for me. You think this was bad? I just got started. How many more jobs do you have to lose? How many more people you care about have to be hurt or dare I say, killed before you do what I ask?” Trent was silent for a moment. “Fine.” “Good boy. Meet me at my office tomorrow, let’s say around two in the afternoon?” Oh, and get some ice on that sore cheek of yours; we wouldn’t want that to swell.” The mysterious man chuckled as the call ended. Chapter 1 What’s up DC! This is Big Mike on your radio! It’s eight am this Monday morning and we are still buzzing off what happened this weekend with movie star diva Simone and Hollywood player Trent Michaels! For those of you that have been under a rock; this past weekend Simone straight bitch slapped Trent outside his club Ice. Reports from people inside the club say that Simone caught Trent cozied up and tongue wrestling with some other chick and was pissed off! I just got one thing to say to Trent… You are a damn fool! Simone is the single sexiest African American actress out there right now and you cheat on her? That is straight disrespect to all us brotha’s that would kill to have that fine sister on our arm! Simone, baby, if you’re listening…Call me!” Simone reached over and slammed the snooze button on the clock radio. She had been up all night, all weekend as a matter of fact. It didn’t help that her cell phone was ringing off the hook after the fiasco at the club on Saturday night. She had been locked up inside her lavish hotel room ever since. She hadn’t talked to anyone, not her sister, her managers, no one. She couldn’t watch TV because it was all over the news. Don’t these people have lives? Why are they so concerned with mine? She remembered her days back at home when nobody even knew who she was. She was just another struggling waitress at Ben’s Chili Bowl. Now she was an A list movie star; big cars, big paychecks, big houses and public heartbreaks. She met Trent on the set of one of her movies and they hit it off right away. They were one of the biggest Hollywood couples and even had gained a name, Treymone. She hated it, she thought it sounded so ghetto. The media knew almost everything about their relationship. When they were together, when they weren’t, when and how he proposed to her. It was ridiculous. They had moved in together and were talking about getting married. They found a really nice, and super expensive, condo in a new development right in the heart of the city. She loved DC. She grew up right on Martin Luther King Avenue. She even kept in touch with all her childhood friends. She likes it that way because she knows they like here for her, not her newfound star status. She went to Ballou Senior High and was in the band, so she makes sure to make donations to them as often as she can. She is their biggest and most famous sponsor. All of her famous Hollywood friends have always asked her why she doesn’t just move out to Beverly Hills or LA, she just doesn’t want to. She has homes in Atlanta and California that she used when she was filming a movie or visiting friends. Right after the showdown she had with Trent, she made her way back to their condo, packed up most of her clothes and checked into her favorite hotel in downtown DC. She couldn’t believe she spent three years of her life on an idiot. What was he trying to prove? How could he embarrass her like that again? She was called an idiot because he cheated on her twice before and she took him back both times. She wasn’t about to let it happen this time. He promised her he wouldn’t do it again. She got out of bed and walked to the other side of her hotel room towards the floor to ceiling window. The city was so beautiful from the top floor of the hotel.