Chapter Four

"Did you sleep well?" He asked naturally.

"What am I doing here? What the hell did you do to me?" I began to ask. I checked my body but my clothes were intact.

"You held onto me. I didn't want to but you made me. You kissed me first. Don't you remember?" Julian asked me.

"I did nothing of that..." She paused. I guessed her memories were returning to her. "Did I really do that? To you of all people..."

"Of course!" Julian replied. "Anyway, we kissed and that's all. We didn't have sex!”

I took a deep breath now. I heard his phone ringing and he picked it up.

"I will be at the office soon. I'm fine!" Those were the first words he said. He looked alarmed and cut the call afterwards.

“Photos,” he muttered. “Someone took a picture of us last night. It's trending!”

I picked up my phone and checked quickly. There was an article in the main newspaper already.

"Entertainment CEO, Julian Holland, spotted alongside rookie actress, Annie Richmond, at a hotel."

He looked alarmed. He must have seen the article too. The article was accusing him of sleeping with rookie actresses to help their careers.

"You are an actress?" Julian asked me.

"Yes, I am Annie Richmond," I replied faintly. I could see Julian clench his fists.

"Who do you work for? How dare you try to destroy my reputation!" He shouted at me. I was just as frustrated as he was and this confused me.

"I know nothing about this!" I said firmly.

"Shut up!" Julian shouted out of anger. "I'm not a fool, Annie. How much were you paid to do this? I'll pay you double to fix this mess!"

How could he accuse me just like that? It made no sense to me. I took a deep breath and looked at him confidently.

"I have no reason to cause this scandal. I didn't even know who you were until this morning yet you think it's my fault. That's crazy!" I exclaimed.

"Stop lying through your teeth!" Julian shouted back at me. He almost shoved his phone into my face as he showed me the screen. "Do you take me for a fool? That's your bio right there. It says you are signed under Duck Entertainment. Who doesn't know that they are my biggest rivals in the entertainment industry?"

"I was signed under them, not anymore," I replied.

"Very good script!" Julian replied. "I am sure Duncan is behind this. He told you to ruin my career, didn't he?"

"Maybe you should calm down for a moment!" I exclaimed. "I was fired yesterday by the Duncan you talk about. I have no ties to his company and this wasn't a scheme. You can choose to disbelieve but the truth is we are on the same boat."

"You and me?" Julian asked with a sarcastic smirk on his face. "How would I be in the same boat with someone hired to ruin me?"

"I said you were mistaken!" I shouted.

"Let's even agree that is the case for a moment..." Julian interrupted. "I have a huge fan base and you are just a rookie actress. Since you are in the industry, you should know that having many fans translates to having many anti-fans. I have just as many enemies. I will be bashed and canceled while you will be given relevance and made out to be a poor actress who gave in to my demands. Who knows? You could even claim I harassed you."

I took a deep breath.

"I had no involvement in this. Please believe me..." I tried. However, he wasn't listening. He was consumed in his own rage and I could tell he was playing different scenarios in his head already. He had wild imaginations, no wonder he was a highly rated producer.

His phone rang and he picked it up. I didn't hear what he was told but afterwards, he dressed up fully and was going to leave.

"There will be reporters and paparazzi outside the hotel's gate. You should stay here until you can sneak out," I offered advice. However, he stared at me suspiciously.

"Was that your plan? Did they tell you to keep me inside no matter what?" He asked sharply. I looked away and he left the room hurriedly. Now, it felt as if I was all alone. I figured it would be best to leave as well so I hurried outside. As I passed, I could hear the hotel staff giggling. I felt like disappearing in a hole right there. The good thing was that they took no pictures or so I thought. The hotel management must have trained them properly.

I walked towards the gate, turning every now and then to see if I was being followed.

"Miss!" I heard someone call from behind. I turned only to find a lady in her thirties walking towards me. She had glasses on and she was dressed professionally. I waited and she came to me.

"Who are you, please?" I asked, fearing her reply.

"The hotel manager," She replied and handed me her card. "My name is Isabella Tuckey. I had a hard time finding you. I thought you were in your hotel room."

"Ah, well..." I muttered, apparently lost for words.

"Are you planning to go through the main gate?" Isabella asked carefully.

"I have to go home," I muttered in reply.

"You should follow me, Miss," She smiled at me. "Our VIP told me to make sure you went out safely. If you go out through the main gate, I don't think you will make it out safely. Julian's aggrieved fans are there and you know how it is, they can be dangerous."

"Your VIP told you to escort me safely?" I asked.

"Of course," Isabella replied. She led the way now and I followed.

"May I know who this VIP is?" I asked carefully. She stared at me for a moment and looked away. One would have thought she was scanning due to suspicions about my intention. She looked away right after.

"You spent the night with him..." Isabella replied.

Julian Holland. Why would he help me?

"Don't be confused," Isabella cut in. I wondered how she knew I was confused. Then she continued, "He told me it was to make sure you said nothing stupid to the reporters. Stuff like crying and playing the victim, you understand."

I stopped. Julian was a fucking jerk. Isabella turned and stared at me again. I said nothing to her. Instead, I walked faster. I remained behind her nonetheless.

**

Isabella took me to a safehouse rather than my own house. She literally smuggled me out of the hotel. Anyway, the house was so magnificent that I was tempted to take pictures there. Of course, I dared not do that. Just the thought of Isabella's nagging stopped me.

Then I saw Duncan's call. I picked it reluctantly even though Isabella earlier warned me to go off-grid to avoid being tracked.

"Did you like my gift?" Duncan asked me over the phone. He sounded excited.

"What gift?" I asked. Talking to him made me boil in anger. I shouldn't be doing it, I know.

"The scandal..." Duncan replied. "It was fueled by me."

"What!" I exclaimed. I was so infuriated right now and my countenance had totally changed.

"My plan was to bury your career totally. I didn't know God was on my side. Who knew I would be able to get rid of my rival and you at once? You can't guess how much I am excited right now," Duncan laughed. I clenched my fists and tried to stabilize my breathing first.

Deep breaths.

"You can't ruin me!" I told him firmly.

"Oh, really?" Duncan asked. He sounded serious. "Is that an invitation for a challenge? You want to compete with me for real?"

"This is the worst thing you can do, scumbag!" I shouted.

"Don't lose control. It shows how weak you are," Duncan told me. "You see, being able to stay calm when you're in a pickle puts you in a level of maturity that many people can never reach."

"Now you teach me about life, huh!" I said with a smirk on my face. "You are a clown!"

"Am I?" He asked. "I was thinking I could give you a second chance..."

"Save it for your whores! I won't be needing it," I replied.

"My whores?" Duncan laughed. "Oh, you are an ex-whore of mine now. You can come back anytime. I've missed your pussy. Turns out it was better than the rest."

My first instinct was to call him a jerk but I controlled myself. Just as he said, I would be showing how angered I was. Rather than do that, I cut the call instantly and slammed my phone against the wall. I was angry and I grabbed a vase near me.

"That's not yours to break," Isabella muttered. I turned and she was right at the door.

"Since when have you been there?" I asked and placed the vase down. I was a little embarrassed.

"I've been here a while ago," Isabella entered the room properly. "Actually, someone is here to see you."

Before I could ask who it was, he entered through the door. He looked better than this morning. I wasn't expecting to see him again.

It was Julian Holland.