Chapter 3

I caught a glimpse of Franco, my driver, in the rearview mirror. He’s three years older than me. I’m twenty-two, while he’s already twenty-five. He’s the son of my mom’s childhood friend, which is why he was immediately hired when he applied for any job just to support himself financially. He is still studying. Since his mom passed away last year and his dad abandoned them long ago, he has no family left. Even their small business went bankrupt.

He’s handsome and tall. Honestly, he could be a model if he wanted to, but he doesn’t. I’ve even offered to refer him to my manager, but he’s turned it down every single time. I guess he’s not into that kind of attention.

“Your eyebrows are almost touching, Noah,” Franco’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

“Let me guess. This is about your brother again? You always get that look on your face whenever he’s on your mind. Honestly, you might as well just kill him in your thoughts.”

“He is not my brother, Franco. You know that.” My voice was cold. “And no, I’m not thinking about him. I don’t waste time on disrespectful people.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged and let out a low chuckle. “So, what happened this time? Another fight in front of the whole family?”

“We are not a family, okay? But to answer your question, yeah, we fought. As if that’s something new.” I sighed. “Mom wants us to go on a family trip for five whole days. For what? As if that trip is going to help us turn into a family.”

I let out another frustrated sigh and leaned my head back against the seat.

“Why not give it a try? I’m not trying to meddle in your life, but I think you should fix your relationship with Kayden as soon as you possible. Whether you like it or not, there’s nothing you can really do now, especially since your mother is already married to Sir Clyden.”

“No fucking way!” I exclaimed. 

“Why? I still don’t get why you hate your stepbrother so much. I mean, come on, he’s actually hot. He’s got total daddy vibes.” He laughed.

I rolled my eyes at him. This damn gay guy. Franco and I have always been open about our sexual orientation. We’re both into men and women. But given how close we are, I still haven’t told him the little dirty secret between me and Kayden.

“Can you just shut up and drive?” I muttered, annoyed.

“Yes, boss,” he replied sarcastically.

Franco left right away as soon as we arrived at the set. He still had classes to attend.

“Noah! You’re finally here!” my manager exclaimed in relief. “Thank God! We are running a bit behind schedule. Let’s get you straight to hair and makeup. Fatima, please take care of him,” she called out to my stylist.

“Yes, madam.”

I didn’t say much while they worked on me. The makeup artist chatted about some celebrity cheating scandal while fixing my under-eyes.

Good thing I managed to cover up the hickeys Kayden gave me last night with concealer.

“Noah, ready?” someone from the production team called out. I nodded. 

This shoot was for that one high-end local underwear brand.

The stylist headed toward me, holding up a pair of black briefs and a robe.

“Here, wear this. No underwear under the underwear, remember? Brand rules. We want the fit to look clean.”

I stood up from the chair and headed toward the dressing room to change.

I was expecting to do the shoot solo, but then someone waved from the far side of the studio.

“Noah, this is Clarisse,” the photographer said, motioning to the woman walking toward me.

She is tall, stunning, and undeniably sexy. Unlike me, she wasn’t wearing a robe; she was just in a damn bra and panties that barely covered anything. Damn, what a hottie.

The shoot went smoothly. As soon as we wrapped up, I headed straight to the dressing room to change. Once I was done, I went to the studio’s lounge area to take a quick break.

I picked up my phone and checked for any important messages. Franco’s message was the first to catch my eye since it was the most recent one.

From: Franco

Message me once you’re done with your shoot so I can pick you up. Just finishing up some plates.

It was sent three hours ago. I replied and told him to come pick me up.

I have my own car, and I can definitely drive myself, but I am usually too drained after work to even think about it. I just don’t have the energy most of the time.

Then I noticed I had two unread messages from Kayden. I was about to check what they were about when I caught a glimpse of Clarisse walking toward me. She was now wearing a tight dress that hugged her curves perfectly. I was having a boner just by looking at her cleavage.

“Hey, Noah.”

“Hmm?” I raised a brow.

“Are you free for tonight?” she asked seductively.

“For what exactly?” I replied, feigning innocence.

But I knew what she meant. This wasn’t new to me.

“You know… a little fun between the two of us?”

I chuckled and raised my hand, gesturing for her phone. She handed it over without hesitation. I typed my number in and gave it back.

“Just text me the exact location later,” I said with a smirk. “I’d be more than happy to have fun with you.”

Franco finally arrived to pick me up after an hour. As soon as we got home, I went straight to my room and slept.

When I woke up, it was already late at night. I picked up my phone, and the first thing that caught my attention was a message from Clarisse. She had sent me her address. I replied to her and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. I put on casual clothes. 

I only brought my phone, wallet, and car keys with me. I was already heading out the door when I heard a cold, deep voice behind me.

“Where are you going?”