“The famous Filipina-British model, and the sexiest Ellaina Amalia Ramirez, is now divorced with her spouse, Noah Wilson.”
I could hear the news echoing clearly as I ate my morning salad. I rolled my eyes. It has been a month of me trying hard to hide it from anyone, yet the media is so nosy.
I guess this is the harsh truth of having to be a model. They would pry into my business, even into my personal life.
I sighed, grabbed my bag, put my hair in a low bun, and made my clean makeup look. I looked at the clock and saw it was past 7 in the morning.
Our call time for the shoot is 7:30 and I have to be early.
I would be late if I won’t move something now.
I made sure I was presentable with my black crop tops and black leather pants, I put on my leather jacket and helmet before locking my condo unit with my keys. I took the elevator down and decided to use my motorcycle as it is rush hour now. The street would be too busy if I used my purple Chevrolet car.
I'd better hurry before I get late and Manager Smith will scold me again.
I turned on the engine of my motorcycle and hopped on it before driving off.
The busy morning crowd of the city is starting, and I saw a bunch of students crossing the street.
The traffic lights turned green and I stopped, I pulled my sunglasses on to avoid getting recognized yet a teenage girl met eyes with me.
“It’s Ellaina!” She pointed at the skyline, and I gulped, feeling all eyes on me.
I could see the group of teenagers running to me and grabbing their pens, “Please sign this for me!”
A car behind me beeped and I parked to the side to cater to them.
I put on my dazzling smile and accepted their paper, “Hi guys, are you all going to school today?” I asked, attempting to start a conversation.
“Hi, Ellaina! Yes, we are, but good thing we saw you! My day is complete! I could even die!” Said the girl and I giggled at her.
She looked adorable and full of spirit, while her other friends were calm and some were impatiently waiting.
“Oh dear, no haha. Go now, your friends are waiting.” I urged her, glancing at my wristwatch to check the time.
Good. I still have fifteen minutes left.
“Go study hard, alright? I’ll be here watching you, dear.” I winked at her.
Another of her friend came to ask to do my signature too, probably jealous and I did.
“Yes, I’m going to sell this.” I heard him mumbling, and my mood changed at that.
I just allowed them, and I could see cameras flashing now.
“Is it true you are now single, Ellaina?” asked the woman, and I nodded, admitting it.
“Yes, I am.”
“But would it be your downfall in your career? How are you feeling?” Her tone was rather harsh and condensed.
My mood instantly went down, and all I did was smile in response.
Tsk. I appreciate my fans, I really do, but at times like this, I wish I could just be a normal person.
Having a good day and suddenly bringing that up to me is just a no.
I'm sorry, I’ll be late. Thank you!” I excused myself and left them.
In a hurry, I revved my engine and took a turn but a car behind me drove past me faster, pushing my motor’s tire and I bounced to the ground.
It took me a few moments to realize that I am having a road accident.
Wow. An accident in the morning. Manager Smith must be fuming now.
“Dammit!” I cursed under my breath and could see the black tesla stopping behind me. A man with a suit on got out and approached me to help me up.
“Are you alright ma'am? We apologize. We were running late-“
I pushed his hand off and stood up myself, groaning in pain as I could feel my feet in pain.
I hope it wouldn’t leave a bruise!
I stood my ground, despite my wobbling knees, and faced the one in charge of this, “What? And you think you own the road for you to drive like that?” I said in anger. I know that my manager strictly. told me to be nice in public to avoid rumors in the media but this is too much for me.
“We’ll pay for the damages. My boss would like to ask for your number-.” Said the man, handing me a business card but I was too angry now.
Glancing at my wristwatch and knowing I have only five minutes left, I sigh. “You know what? No. It’s fine. I hope karma will get you for ruining my day like this.”
As much as I would love to stay and argue more, I decided to let it off.
What’s more important for me is to not be late! Even if I arrive in pieces!
I decided to call a taxi and let my motorbike be towed off.
As soon as I arrived at the building, I saw Manager Smith’s angry face by the entrance as he grabbed my bag, “You’re late.”
I scoffed, “I’m just in time, you're just early. And can you get me a cup of coffee? My head is killing me right now.”
He blinked, “Do I look like your assistant? Kidding, I will get you one later, but wait, your limping-oh, gosh, you got in an accident, didn’t you?”
My eyes were blurry and I could hear a loud sound in my ears. “It’s just a mini accident-“
“No! As much as you wasted my minutes, I don’t want you fainting in the middle of the shoot. I’ll get you a check-up in case of any damage.” He panicked, and before I could even protest, he drove me to the nearest clinic to scan my head.
We received the results instantly. The doctor said I was fine, and just needed to take a rest for now. My head was experiencing post-trauma from the car’s impact. Thank goodness I didn’t have major injuries. Or any bruises. I thank myself for even wearing a leather jacket at that time.
“Let’s just shoot when you’re fine,” said Manager Smith.
I shook my head, “But we’ll lose the brand-“
He shrugged, “I have other models. Don’t worry,” he said, “Or do you want to stay the sexiest model?”
I chuckled at his teasing, “No. I want to take a rest.”
He then offered my bag back, “A phone’s been calling you since we were in the clinic.”
I sighed, “Ignore that. It’s probably my ex-husband.”
I had blocked Noah’s number since last month when I divorced him because he’s been calling me nonstop. I mean, I want to ignore him for a long time because just hearing his voice makes me remember how hard I endured his crazy temper and having to act as a trophy wife. I even have to risk having a break in my career for him, only to see him cheating.
I’m not someone who has so much patience, so I cut it off. I knew that arranging a marriage just to save my family’s business was the wrong decision.
What a big mistake.
My modeling career is the only one I have now, and I won’t give it up.
As soon as I got home, my phone was still ringing, and I sighed, wanting to put it off now.
I clenched my teeth and clicked the answer, “Stop calling me, you lunatic bastard! We’re over since last month!”
“Uhm... hello? Is this Ms. Ellaina Ramirez?” the male voice replied hesitantly.
I stopped, noticing it was different from Noah’s voice, “Y-Yes? This is Ellaina speaking.”
The voice cleared his throat, “This is Singles Haven, the Reality show. Well, we are sorry for calling suddenly, but we have a dare for an actor who has a major crush on you.”
Is this a scam? A fraud?
What the hell is this?
This is the first time I've encountered this in my five years of modeling.
“Hi, Ellaina. You probably don’t know me, but I like you. Can I maybe..drop by later?” I heard another voice speaking. It was deep and husky, and a bit sexy for me.
He had a bit of an accent while speaking English. I furrowed my eyebrows, “Later?” “I am in the Philippines also now for a shoot.” He answered, and I gulped. Whatever it is, this must not be true, “No, thank you. I’m assuming this is a fraud. So nope, I’m not going to be up for your shenanigans.” The voice chuckled, “Uhm... this is filmed internationally. You’re humiliating me.” I just had a bad day and this is pushing me off. internationally? So who cares? This must still be a scam! “Do you not watch a television show? Turn your television on and go to channel 12.” I did as he said, and soon enough, I saw that there really was a reality show! Oh goodness. My career… There was a woman and a man host there, and seated in front of them was a handsome man. The camera zoomed in and the man winked. I gulped. He looked cute, and I turned him down. He looked tall, dark, and handsome. He has a sharp jaw and chocolate hair and clean-cut hair jelled in a neat style. I shook
Manager Smith had been looking at me, taping at his foot as he pointed his eyeglasses at me. “So?” I looked at him innocently, “What?” He breathed, “Ellaina! Go prepare for that party!” I averted my eyes to the ground, not listening to him, “I have a shoot.” It's a good thing I can get along well with Manager Smith because this is the nicest he can be and he can only be like that around me. “You don’t have a shoot scheduled. I rescheduled it.” He said, “And I covered up the rumors about yesterday. The least you can do is pay me back by attending that party.” He said, grabbing a fitted backless dress from my closet, “And Ellaina? Rock that party.” Give it to Manager Smith for being both her mom and her best friend. He’s too serious for his job but also protective as her best friend. Staring at him for a long time, I sighed, “Alright. I’ll show up but just for you.” His serious face instantly turned into a grin as he brightened up, “You can flirt with him.” I stuck my to
“Okay, nice! You are doing great, sweetie. You are on fire today!” said my photographer, Liam, as I posed for him. I added more emotion and perfected my poses all these years. Of course, I would do great. Plus I have to make it up for the past few hectic days. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my job, and I’m taking it seriously. We were shooting on one of the famous beaches in the province that we rented. I’m in my fifth bikini now, and I lay on the sand, showing my signature fierce look. “Okay, take a rest,” said Manager Smith as he offered a water bottle to me, “Ellaina dear, I want to tell you something. You see, this is a sponsored magazine cover. You will have a partner in the car shoot.” I nodded, “Who?” Manager Smith wasn’t able to finish as a loud roaring of an engine came from the sea, and I turned to see a man jetskiing. The man stopped and hopped into the sand. I froze when I saw his face. Ajax. Him again. He removed his sunglasses and asked me, “Hi Ellaina,
Ajax held out his hand for me, “Then, now that you agreed, let me have your number.”I paused, “Huh? You can ask for that from my manager.”Ajax glanced at Manager Smith and chuckled, “Yes, I know. But it would be rude of me to just ask him. I want to personally ask you so you’ll be informed.”Wow, rude? He’s only thought of being considerate now when he just got in her life like a tornado? I just shrugged, “Alright.”I then typed in his phone number, and he had a lopsided grin on his face.“Then I’ll call you later.” He winked, waving goodbye.I could feel someone looking at me and I looked at Manager Smith who was smirking at me now.I raised my eyebrows, and he came closer to me.“I can see that smile. Have you seen your photos together? You look cute.” I blinked. Give it to Manager Smith for being the most random manager. He’s now shipping me with anyone.“I gotta go now. I’ll go home now.” He nodded and I went to grab my belongings, and my model shoot bag before walking to the
Good morning. What a great day today is. I woke up with the sun rising, and I couldn't help but think of you. P.S. You remind me of the daisy flowers blooming in a sunrise. Your sun I blinked, seeing the message notification on my phone as early as the morning. I reread it, knowing damn well who it was without seeing the number. Who else would dare to text me something as cliche as this? No one. No one but Ajax. I do not know him well enough, but based on his approaches to me, he would say this. I do not know him well enough, but based on his approaches to me, he would say this. I didn't bother to reply. I prepared for my day, took a shower, and prepared my favorite avocado bread toast and my morning milkshake. Have to stay healthy to maintain my body after all. What does a girl have to do to keep her job and not become jobless? I grabbed my earphones and listened to my favorite playlist with my workout pairs, water bottle, and a bag filled with a change of clothes.
And a tall foreigner-looking man, about 6’2 inch walked toward us. Ajax was taller, but the loud man approached us. He had brown hair and brown eyes and his tanned skin was glowing. He had a fit and muscular body, almost the same stature as Ajax. "Ajax! Man, Why are you here? It’s the first time I've seen you working out in here!” He chuckled. Ajax’s mood suddenly changed and his face formed into a scowl, "You know, Phoenix; you need to shut your mouth sometimes.” "That’s harsh. You were not answering our calls when we invited you to hang out. You didn’t even tell us you were going here in the Philippines, man.” “Right Eion?” The man called Phoenix asked and another man appeared with an expressionless face. He had raven hair and dark green eyes and was taller than the man named Phoenix. The man named Eion nodded. Another one appeared and greeted Ajax, “Ajax, you’re here? You didn’t tell us, man!” The three men suddenly swarmed in, blaming Ajax for ghosting them and I stood b
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “And since I promised to be your tour guide, then just…wait for me by your car.” He scowled at that, “You don’t want to appear in public with me?” I just crossed my arms in front of me, “People assume things. I am sure that you know how it works in the entertainment industry.” “Alright. I’ll Keep that in mind.” He said, feeling sorry. “I didn’t mean to ruin your career. I know how much you're worked hard for it…But let me at least take you out for lunch.” He offered and as much as I wanted to refuse, he was giving me a sad look, his eyes were puppy eyes and his lips were pouting. I rolled my eyes, “Fine.” I ended up saying yes to him as his smile grew larger. “Just one lunch out okay? I can’t risk getting seen by the public with a male ever again.” He nodded, “Yes, I won’t ask again.” Ajax the offered to carry my gym bag and guided me to the parking lot where his gray sub, a latest edition was parked. A few men in suits were in the
Leah glanced at me and she nodded excitedly, happy that she get to have a conversation with him, “Uhm…yes..” Ajax’s jaw clenched at that, “I know you are not close with her so don’t push yourself. I’m warning you.” I blinked at that, my eyes instanlty snapping to Ajax who was dead serious. Leah on the other hand seemed too shocked to even react. It took her a few seconds to process it before clearing her throat, “Uhm..excuse me?” Ajax raised his eyebrows, “Yes?” She gulped, “You’re rude. I am just trying to-” “You’re wasting every second I get to have a date with Ellaina.” Ajax said firmly, his tone saying he does not really want to tolerate Leah any further. “Don’t bother finishing your sentence. Leave.” And watching Ajax defend me like that made my heart skip a beat. No, wait a minute…no….just no, Ellaina. You are just getting yourself in trouble. Leah, who was too stunned to reply now, glanced at me as if asking for my help. I shrugged, “You heard him. Leave us alone.”