DATING PRO

The conference room was a spacious room with a large, round table surrounded by the interviewers. It was well lit with bright white lights from the ceiling as all the window blinds were shut to block the daylight from penetrating. The air was cool and the ambiance was accommodating.

There was a woman in her late fifties who was the oldest there telling by her gray hairs and eyes, even though her skin was very much supple. By her right was a young man with stubble beards and brown wavy hair who Melissa presumed to be around his mid-thirties. She was still analyzing the other lady by the right who seemed the youngest amongst them when she heard her name.

"Melissa Anderson, we're waiting for you to have a sit." The older lady beckoned. Melissa didn't know she was still at the door holding the handle after she had closed it a while ago. She felt embarrassed and immediately let go of the handle as she made a small bow. She began walking toward the seat they had prepared for her as the sound of her squeaky heels echoed in the room. She felt embarrassed already as if she wasn't betrayed enough by her boyfriend, now it was her shoes.

She sat down on the chair amidst her interviewers as she made a quick apology and greeted them.

"So tell us, Melissa, why do you want to work with us at BOLD?" The older woman asked. This came as an easy question for Melissa because BOLD was the reason why she moved to Vegas.

"I have always been inspired by actresses like Charisma Carpenter, Daveigh Chase, and Abby Dalton who have scaled their way to the top in the industry. I know with my talents, skills, and passion, I can perform well and also become a great actress which is why I want to work with BOLD to achieve their mission of producing top-class actresses" Melissa replied.

The room was silent for a moment before the young man said "Very well then, what do you say if we give you a lead role in the next movie we would premier this year."

Melissa was dumbfounded but she knew that it was only a question that she needed to answer right away. She smiled and said, "Then I'd put in my best to see that it is amongst the best movie of the year if it takes me having sleepless nights and early mornings, I wouldn't mind."

The elder lady looked at the younger lady and gave her a nod signaling that it was now her turn to ask Melissa a question.

"You seem quite ambitious," the younger lady said smiling at Melissa.

"What would you consider a heartbreak and have you experienced one?"She asked with a stern voice while tapping her pen on the desk noiselessly.

The keyword for Melissa's outburst was 'heartbreak' and she was already red with tears streaming down her face.

"Pass her the tissues please," The older lady said as the young man stood up and stuffed the tissues in Melissa's hands. She apologized, blew her nose loudly, and apologized again.

She knew for sure that this would be recorded as one of her most embarrassing moments.

She quickly organized herself as she knew the interviewers were waiting patiently for her.

"I'm sorry," She said. "It's just that I only just broke up with my boyfriend last night for being a cheat and acting nonchalant about it. I would have missed this interview if I hadn't picked myself up together and decided that I would rather focus on my career and have a great one than wallow in pain because of a cheat."Melissa said as she picked up the cup of water beside her and drank for the first time since she got there.

Melissa waited for all three of them to say something as she dabbed her cheek of whatever tears were left. At last, the older woman stood up and the others followed suit. Melissa sprang to her feet too.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Anderson, we'd get back to you shortly," the woman said with a wry smile. "I'm glad you've decided to pick yourself up ." She added.

When Melissa got out of the conference room to the reception area, she saw Eva who was still looking nervous but also innocent like a lamb. Her face was already drained of color and all the excitement she had at first was nowhere to be found.

Immediately she saw Melissa, her face lit up as she stood up and walked toward her.

"Mel! How was your interview? Were you scared? Did they look like angry Tigers?"Eva asked with a worried look on her face.

Melissa didn't know when she burst out laughing, she never knew someone could switch up her mood from a sad girl mood to a happy girl mood in such a short time. She also wondered why Eva had decided to call her 'Mel' and not 'Lisa' as everyone else did. She couldn't understand but she liked it.

"Don't worry about a thing, Eva. Just be yourself, be original. You know that's your superpower." She said while tapping Eva's shoulders with both hands.

"I should get going now, my shift is in thirty," She said as she turned around. She felt a firm grip on her wrist as she turned around again. It was Eva.

"I'd see you again okay, and I mean right here in BOLD" Eva said being optimistic as she let go of her grip on Melissa's wrist.

"I'd see you too," Melissa said with a smile, raising Eva's hopes as she turned around and left.

'24 heures' was the restaurant where Melissa worked and had met Damon. She knew he was a bastard since last night at the pub. She got into the restaurant through the back door so that she could change into her apron and get to work. It was noon already and she had not eaten breakfast since she left home in a hurry for the interview.

She was welcomed at the door by Montez, a French man who was the restaurant manager. He was around his early forties and had a good sense of humor. He always gave his workers room to be the best version of themselves. He allowed them to attend school, go for job interviews and also have time to attend to family and friends.

Montez was the most excited when Melissa had told him about her job interview at BOLD. He had told her that she deserved the best and she would equally do a good job if she became one of BOLD's actresses.

"When you become an actress, always come here and have a free cup of your favorite cappuccino all on me. Make sure you come with other actresses because I want '24 heures' to be a star amongst other restaurants." He had said to her that day as if daydreaming.

"Lisa! Come On In," Montez said making Melissa return to her surroundings.

"Give me a hug," Montez said whilst dragging Melissa for a hug and kissing her on the cheek. "What is wrong Lisa, you seem a bit off today. Was it the interview?" He asked.

"I'm fine Montez, I just need to eat. I'm drained of energy right now. She said as she slumped on one of the chairs since they were now in the kitchen.

"Oh! ma Cherie. Say no more, let me get you something tasty. But first, you should have your favorite chocolate shake prepared by yours truly." He said as he gave her a flirty wink.

Melissa wondered what kind of man he must be to his wife. Extremely naughty she thought as she let out a sigh.

After having a sumptuous meal of pancake and chocolate shake Montez had prepared for her earlier, she was now inside the restaurant taking orders even though Montez had said she could take the rest of the evening off that day. She knew it wouldn't be interesting to return home early that day. She would rather grab some drinks in the meantime before heading home.

Melissa picked up her phone as she sat in one corner of the bar sipping her drink. She had her headset on as she went to her g****e assistant. She sometimes did that whenever she was bored and had no one around to talk to.

"What can I do for you Melissa" came a female robotic voice through her headset.

"I want a boyfriend, how do I get one?" Melissa replied as though she was speaking to someone over the phone.

"I know a few dating sites you can join," the voice said as Melissa looked down at her phone to see what has been displayed on the screen.

"Wow. Dating Pro...Huhn"Melissa said as she tapped on the site to register and d******d the application.