Chapter 3: Encounter

“So, where are you taking me?” Bea asked as soon as Margaret started driving. She was not sure if she made the right choice in tagging along. She was not even a professional, what if she ended up disappointing her?

She should not have made a decision when her emotions were at their peak. Why was she so impulsive?

Bea took a deep breath when the car stopped and both of them walked out of the car. Margaret gave her keys to the valet driver and led her towards the studio.

She felt as if she was in the spotlight as soon as Margaret opened the doors. The photographers and the other staff were looking at her with confused eyes, so she felt like a fish out of water. What was she even doing there?

“Please welcome, Bea. She was the proxy I was talking about.” Margaret broke the silence with her introduction. She gently patted her back which somehow made Bea feel a little relieved.

“Proxy?” The photographer looked at her from head to toe. “Where did you find her? She was even better looking than Tricia!”

“I know, right?” Margaret chuckled.

Hearing other people compliment her on her looks made her bashful. She suddenly wished that the ground would open and eat her alive.

“Excuse me…” One of the crew suddenly butted in. “I think we should get started. I think Caleb would throw a tantrum if we start late.”

Caleb? Who was that? She was not informed that she would be working with someone? What if her co-worker did not like her?

“Oh, yes!” Margaret smiled as she looked around. “Sierra, please prepare Bea for the shoot.”

A pretty and kind-looking woman walked towards her with a friendly smile.

“She really is pretty.” Sierra gestured for her to follow her. “Come, I’ll make you the most beautiful version of yourself.”

Though she was not sure about what she was talking about, Bea followed her along with Margaret. Sierra immediately started working on her outfit while Margaret started orienting her.

“Today’s shoot would be an advertisement for luxurious pieces of jewelry. You’re going to shoot a few shots alone while wearing the accessories. After that, you would be shooting with Caleb. Then for the last part, you would shoot with Caleb and his father,” Margaret explained. “You should focus on the last part because you needed to look like a family with luxurious taste.”

“A family? Who is Caleb?” Bea asked. She had been curious about Caleb because she thought that he would be her partner. But when Margaret mentioned his father, she had an idea that Caleb could still be young and she would mostly be working with his father.

“Caleb is a six-year-old model. He was a promising model with a good background. But don’t be fooled with his adorable looks. He might look charming, but that kid was a total brat,” Sierra said as she started working on her makeup.

Just hearing about it made Bea even more nervous. Why did she end up working with someone who seemed to be hard to deal with?

After the preparations, Bea went to the shoot and she saw the child who looked like an angel. Was that supposed to be Caleb? He really was charming.

He had soft facial features which made him look innocent, but at the same time, he also had an air of mischievousness around him. Did he look more like a normal kid than a brat though?

When it was finally her turn, she felt so awkward facing the camera. She felt so sorry as she continued to apologize to the photographer for the awkward shots. Maybe it was too hard for her to try.

“Bea, don’t think too much. Just smile as you normally would.”

Bea could hear Margaret’s voice. She took a deep breath before she faced the camera again. She remembered how Caleb smiled in front of the camera. She remembered how confident he was. Would she let a six-year-old kid beat her up?

She started feeling confident after a few shots and the photographer seemed satisfied with the outcomes.

“Are you ready for the next shots?” Margaret asked her with a proud smile.

“I think I can handle it.” Thanks to the first few shots, she was somehow comfortable with the camera now.

She walked towards the middle and Caleb did the same. To reduce the awkward atmosphere, she smiled at the adorable kid but he just ignored her.

Well… that was awkward.

They finished the shots without a hitch. She went back to the dressing room to change her outfit when they heard the staff gossiping about Caleb’s father.

“Who is Caleb’s father? Was he a famous actor or a model?” She asked Sierra who was busy fixing up her makeup for her.

“Neither of the two. Caleb’s father was the famous business tycoon, Callum Suarez.” Sierra chuckled.

Callum Suarez? The name sounded familiar but she could not recall when or where did she hear it.

“All done.” Sierra gave her a thumbs up.

She looked at her reflection and she smiled. Sierra really had a golden hand. How could she make her so beautiful in just a few minutes?

“I’m jealous. Standing beside Mr. Suarez and Caleb like a family was a privilege,” Sierra said as she gently pushed her out of the dressing room. “You should at least get to know him before you start with the shoot.”

She laughed as she walked out of the room but her laughter faded when she saw the man who walked out of the dressing room across hers—it was the man who bumped her in the café earlier.

What was he doing there?

“Mr. Suarez, is Caleb ready?” Margaret asked the man.

Her eyes grew wide. The arrogant man earlier was Mr. Suarez?

Their attention was caught when they heard a crashing sound from the other room. Like a reflex, Bea also walked towards the room and saw the nanny’s bleeding hands. Looking around, she saw that there was a broken plate on the floor and the nanny seemed to be picking up the broken pieces.

“Are you trying to kill me? Are you an idiot? Could not you tell that there were shrimps in there?”

Bea was surprised when she heard what the child said. A child should not talk that way to his elders! She looked at the nanny and she saw that she was silently crying with her head down. Bea felt her blood boil as she glared at the man behind her who just crossed his arms as he watched his son throw a tantrum.

Just what kind of father was he? Did not he even know how to discipline his child? Bea sighed and walked towards the kid. She did not care if others would think bad about her. She had a nephew and if Caleb was her nephew, she would definitely reprimand him. A child should know manners from his elders!

“You should apologize.” Bea could feel everyone’s eyes on her, but she chose to ignore them. She cares more about the future of the child in front of him. If his father was not a man like that, she was sure that the kid would be kinder.

Caleb glared at her. “Why should I apologize? Just because she was older and I should respect her? It must be nice to be a grown-up.”

Bea shook her head when she heard the sarcasm in the child’s voice. How could a six-year-old kid learn how to talk like that?

“Do you not know why you should apologize?” Bea asked, her tone was gentle and she was trying hard not to sound reprimanding at all.

“I don’t see any reason to apologize.” The boy stood his ground as he looked at her with provoking eyes.

“If I tell you, would you apologize?”

“Sure. But I would judge if the reason was valid. She gave me food that I’m allergic to, you know?” Caleb smirked.

Bea could not believe that she was just talking with a six-year-old. She had to admit that he was smart. So, it really was heartbreaking for her to see that the smart child in front of him did not even know how to respect other people.

“Was it right to throw the plate when you receive the food that you’re allergic to? Don’t you think she deserved an apology for her bleeding hands and for the harsh words you told her?” Bea looked at the crying nanny. She was sure that the nanny was just a new hire. No nanny would ever last while taking care of a brat like him.

Caleb glared at her and she smiled sweetly. Caleb was smart. She knew that he would understand why he needed to apologize so she wanted to see if she would stand by his words.

She leaned closer to the child and held his hand. “It’s not too late to apologize when you realize that you were wrong. Remember, a soft word turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Caleb looked conflicted as he looked at the nanny who was still crying. Bea smiled. She knew it. Caleb was not a brat.

“Do you want your nanny to leave again?” she said in a whisper.

Caleb’s expression crumpled more. She thought that Caleb was just a kid no matter how smart he was.

“I’m sorry, Nanny.”

She could hear everyone gasp when Caleb uttered a word of apology. Bea just smiled and pinched the kid’s cheek gently. “That’s a good boy.”