Rise of the Billionaire actress

Deloise headed back to Royal Arts with a dark cloud over her head. She was unusually quiet and her colleagues felt an odd aura around her.

Some people interpreted it as pride resulting from her successful filming and snuck disdainful looks at her while others couldn’t be bothered to care. Deloise was part of the crew who couldn’t be bothered

As the van drove out of the area, her mind returned to the moment she felt the soft lips of Aaron covering hers in a dominating kiss. No matter how many times she replayed the scene in her head, she managed to feel a flutter in her navel which gave her sensations she was apprehensive to figure out.

The interesting thing was that every single time, she would replay the events after the kiss and she would feel tears threatening to break out of her eyes. After countlessly going through the unending ritual, one thing was clear to Deloise.

She was not okay.

She wanted to scream, claw, and wreak havoc on everything around her. She needed to let out the strangling feeling in her chest and wanted Aaron to feel just how terrible she felt at the moment.

As though she wasn’t going through enough already, her mind subconsciously drew up a scene of Aaron being unaffected and going about his business like usual. While she remained confused, furious and hurt.

It was at that point she figured she needed a distraction. She couldn’t stop thinking about why he kissed her. Why did he look so beat up and bandaged? Why was he so arrogant and overbearing? Why did she like the kiss of someone so arrogant and overbearing? Why she couldn’t stop these useless strings of thoughts that only brought one dominant feeling.

Hurt.

Deloise felt she let herself down. She betrayed herself. She set herself up for this emotional turmoil by even speaking to him. What possessed her into thinking he was a decent man anyway? That he could actually be civil with her?

Hmph! Ultimately, the joke was on her. She had once again messed up. No surprise there.

With every thought string, a beautiful day gradually turned into a dark one. She wanted to retire to her bed and talk to her mother. She so terribly needed someone to ground her. Tell her she wasn’t at fault for all the misfortunes that managed to create a web around her.

In no time, she was out of the van and on her way to the room. She returned at noon and luckily for her, the room was empty. Layla was probably in class and looking at the time, she had at least two hours to kill in solitude.

Deloise picked her phone to call her mother but the moment she saw it, she felt discouraged. She wanted to talk to her mother about what was going on but something told her she was going to feel worse afterwards.

Why wouldn’t she? She’s been lying through her teeth all these while and she didn’t have the strength or mental capacity to handle a conversation with her mother.

Knowing her mother, just a word from her was enough to tell she wasn’t in a great mood and would in turn be forced to spill her guts on what the matter was.

This was a matter she couldn’t spill her guts on because she’s been lying the whole time. She was far too deep to back out now. You know something about telling a lie? One lie would require a thousand others to keep it afloat.

Deloise wasn’t in the mood of telling anymore lies, so she opted to sleep. Of course her mind never shut off but this time around, she let herself relax into the bed.

It was a matter of time before fatigue caught up with her and she slept off. Hoping to feel better afterwards.

At the other side of town, Stella was seated in the office of Mr Austin, her countenance sour as she met the icy eyes of the director

” Whatever that was, let it never repeat itself. You hear me? ” He said in a reprimanding tone.

” You don’t know what happened! She attacked me first! What do you propose I do? Let her walk over me because she is the main lead? The hell?!”

” Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, Stella Davis! Do you know the embarrassment you caused me? The dent to your name? Whatever unresolved feelings you have towards Deloise, I advise to get it sorted out. Because I will not, I repeat! I will not condone any sort of misbehavior from you or anyone. No matter who they are.”

Mr Austin stood on his feet, his arms placed firmly on his desk while he bellowed at an unrelenting Stella.

” What’s with the girl anyway? I don’t recall her auditioning for the film so how on earth did she become the female lead? ” She asked, her tone accusatory.

” I’ve warned you about this. There are lines that should not be crossed. The selection process credibility is one of those. To last in this industry, you need to learn your place.” Mr Austin was getting tired of Stella’s stubbornness.

” Is that your slick way of putting me off? Because it’s not working.” She deadpanned. ” I deserved that role. You know it. When did I become a second choice?”

” When you didn’t make the cut. And oh ! maybe when you started acting like a spoiled brat. This conversation is over. I will not receive any other report concerning you or the filming or so help me God, I will kick you out of the set.” He said, the threat in his voice was clear.

” Okay, okay! I get it. No need to be so hostile.” Stella was stubborn but she wasn’t stupid enough to take his threats unseriously. He was the director for a reason. ” But please do me a favour, reconsider the casting. There’s still time. I’m ready to go par to par with her, just please do something.” She pleaded.

” I believe we are done here, Stella Davis. Leave.” He said, having had enough of her. He was sporting a terrible headache thanks to her little stunt at the set. He wasn’t in the mood to babysit.

Stella stood up with a huff, deciding to leave but not giving up on her goal. She was going to get her way. One way or the other. She stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind her much to the director’s displeasure.

*****

On the other side of things, Esther was having a conversation with Karen via video call. Karen had been gone for a while now, spending some time with her husband who lived in a European country.

” Oh gosh, you look so beautiful! Europe looks good on you, Kare.” Esther gushed, taking note of her healthy skin and general outlook as she skedaddled around the huge bedroom, picking out outfits for a supposed date night.

” I know right. Sometimes, all I need is a cozy night in with my husband and it’s like I’m pregnant again.” Karen mused with a smile.

” Pregnant? Oh please! Who looks this good during pregnancy? Not me.” She said sarcastically, eliciting a hearty laugh from Karen.

” Don’t be so antsy. I still believe I was the prettiest during my pregnancy with Anna.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Esther groaned. She knew the story was coming. Karen had said that particular story a million times.

” I was so pretty that my husband couldn’t get off me until I gave birth.” Karen said with a smile.

” Yeah, and like I said a million times , too. Much. Information.”

” Don’t be such a killjoy! I’m with my husband and you are my friend. You have to listen to the details.” Karen chided.

” Debatable. But definitely not a million times over.” Esther reiterated.

” Okay, whatever. What’s going on over there? Any man? You know, now that I think of it, you’ve never actually told me anything with regards to any man. I think I need to set you up. You need to get back out there.”

” Yeah.. I think I’ll pass.” Esther said, not wanting to dive into that topic. She also couldn’t help the thought of a certain handsome man who recently bulldozed his way into her life.

She thought of sharing with Karen but on second thought, she decided it was best kept to herself. It wasn’t anything special after all.

” Alright then, what do you think of this?” Karen said, displaying a purple jumpsuit which screamed luxury.

” That looks so beautiful. It’s a Yes.” Esther said with a smile.

Happy to finally get a yes, Karen dropped the outfit and drew closer to the laptop placed on the bed.

” You’ve been so helpful! Thank you so much.” She said but was interrupted by a ding sound. ” Oops! I’ve got to go, he’s leaving work now. Talk to you soon! ” She said and immediately ended the call.

Esther felt a tinge of jealousy at her obvious happiness and relationship. Not the bad kind of jealousy, the good kind. She coveted falling in love, getting married and having the whole fairytale package.

Life wasn’t fair. She’s grown to understand that. Instead of hopelessly trying to turn around the cards she was dealt with, she chose the part of solitude.

Not everyone was a princess after all.

***

Deloise woke up at about five pm. She was alone in the room but upon taking a glance, she saw the stationed boots of Layla which told her she had returned at some point while she slept.

Not dwelling on that, she got up feeling hunger. Her stomach growled and she felt a prick of pain by her navel which spoke lengths of how hungry she was.

There, she realized she hadn’t eaten anything throughout the day. She was too excited for the shoot to eat anything and when she finished shooting, she was too upset to think about eating.

She was paying the price now though. She needed food and needed it quickly.

Without a second thought, she threw on some casual clothes, picked up some money, and headed out to get some food. Within minutes, Deloise was in a fast food spot where she had a sumptuous meal.

She ordered some to-go plates and headed out of the place, looking for a quiet spot around campus to relax a bit before heading back.

On a stroll around campus, Deloise saw an empty park with some molded bench and instinctively headed towards it. The evening air was cool and one to clear your mind with.

As she got closer, she saw a mop of hair seated in one of the benches. She wondered who he was but wasn’t deterred from approaching as there was more than enough space to be in solitude.

She headed for a bench of her own with her to-go bag, and suddenly, the head turned around to her surprise. She met with familiar brown orbs belonging to Aaron.

After a second of recognition, Deloise turned around, not in the mood for another dysfunctional conversation or insults from him.

‘ I guess I’ll have to make do with my room.’ She thought and immediately changed her plans for the evening.

Aaron saw her leaving and before he could stop himself, he said the words that struck her still.

” I’m sorry.”