9 - Is that you?

"Great job, Sweetheart, as always." Jake complimented her work immediately after their photoshoot. "But do you have a minute? We need to talk." Her boss ushered her to follow him to his office.

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, wondering if this was it. Was Jake going to fire her? But could she blame him?

She could still remember his disappointed expression when she arrived an hour late. He was about to cancel the shoot, but luckily, she convinced him to proceed as planned.

"What is it, Jack?" She bravely asked, even though she dreaded hearing the answer to her question.

She uncomfortably took the chair her boss offered, knowing this was not a social call. The look on her boss's face was enough to tell her everything she needed to hear.

No! Please, I can't get fired.

She twisted and pulled her fingers as she twisted and turned on her seat while she agitatedly waited for the inevitable verdict.

"Someone is pressuring me to take you off this project." He reluctantly told her.

He did not name the person, but she could already guess who. She knew he wanted her to have no options but to marry him.

"You mean my ex, Collin." She already suspected that he had been using his connections and influence in the industry to make it hard for her to get a new contract.

"Yeah! But don't worry, I told him to stick his dick up in his ass." Jack guaranteed her that she still had her job. "He had no business telling me what to do."

"Oh, thanks, Jack. You don't know what this means to me." She appreciated his help. "But I don't want you to get into any trouble."

Still, she was concerned that her ex might retaliate against her boss. After all, Collin was rich and powerful. He could cause problems for Jack if he wanted to.

"Don't worry about me, Charlie. I can handle creeps like him. Besides, you're one of my best models." Jack smiled at her reassuringly. "And you are my friend."

"However, many had already canceled your other projects." He informed her. But it was not news to her anymore. "But don't fret. I will still try to help you find a new gig."

"Oh! Thanks, Jack." She needed all the help she could get. "You are the best. I'll do everything to repay all your kindness."

She knew she did not have much to offer at the moment. But she was not afraid of dealing with difficult situations. She was used to it. She was a survivor.

She was willing to work hard, even if she had to take on odd jobs to make ends meet. She could always return to waitressing or even cleaning if she had to.

"Hey, Charlie, what happened? What did Jack want with you?" Her friend immediately asked when she returned to her little corner to change.

"You know. Collin happened." She explained to her friend her situation. But her friend had already suspected as much. "Anyway, don't worry about it, Anna."

She did not want to regret the two years she was with him. After all, she could not ignore that her ex had helped her in many ways than she could count.

However, she could not overlook his cheating despite his kindness in the past. Besides, his appalling behavior of late was not exactly desirable.

"That bastard. Once I see Collin, I'll skin him alive." Anna punched her fist into her palm, showing her how much she wanted to hurt her ex.

"He's not worth it, Anna. Don't waste your energy on a man like him." Charlie turned to her friend, assuring her that she had it under control.

"But what are you going to do? After this project, you won't have a job." Her friend concernedly asked, reminding her of the urgency of her situation.

"I'm sure I'll find something else." She confidently answered, but subconsciously, her words were not exactly convincing.

"I can always return to my old job." That was her last resort if Jack could not find another high-paying job for her.

It was not as if she had many options left. But in the meantime, that would have to do until she could get back on her feet.

"I wish I could do something more to help." Her friend placed her hands on her shoulder to show her support.

Her hand halted mid-air as she looked up and stared at her friend through the mirror. She had missed this. This feeling that someone genuinely cared about her well-being.

"You already did so much." For her, that was more than enough. Since she met Anna, she had always been a dependable shoulder to rely on. She could not ask for more.

"You know what... You don't need to worry so much about me. I got this covered." She just wanted to change the topic and get out of there.

Quickly, her hand moved back to her cheek, rubbing off the thick makeup that covered her face. Then, she grabbed her thick, reddish hair that spread across her shoulders and tied it in a neat ponytail.

"Fine!" Her friend reluctantly conceded. "By the way, where have you been?" Then, her eyes suddenly brightened as if a light bulb had just popped inside her head.

"What happened to you last night?" Anna nosily asked as her face transformed from being worried to being inquisitive.

"I got drunk, so... I..." She trailed her words, making them muffled. She debated whether to tell her friend about last night.

Of course, she was embarrassed. She had never behaved in that way before. She had never slept around, much less do a one-night stand with practically a stranger.

"You did what?" Her friend asked again, looking confused. Her friend either caught what she said but could not believe it, or she did not.

"Don't tell me you end up spending the night with Ivan's friend. What was his name?" Her friend jokingly said, tapping her chin as she tried to recall the man's name.

"Oh! Isaac." She mischievously smiled when she finally remembered his name. "He is indeed hot, just like Ivan." Her friend said dreamily.

Then, her friend questioningly stared at her in the mirror when she stayed silent and pretended to be busy, avoiding looking her directly in the eyes.

"Wait! O.M.G." Anna suddenly leaned closer to her as if she noticed something was wrong. "What is that? Is that a..."

At that point, she already knew what her friend had seen. It was the hickey on her neck she had tried hard to hide with a concealer.

She had forgotten about it, but now, it was slightly visible in her exposed neck against the bright light of the vanity table.

"You did." Her friend concluded. "You were with him last night." She added. "Damn, girl! You did it. I'm so proud of you." Then, she hugged her as if she had just done the impossible.

Well!

It was not exactly how she would describe how she felt that morning upon realizing what she had done. Honestly, she still did not have time to process it.

She did not know yet how to feel about it. Should she regret it? Should she be mad at herself for acting so irresponsibly?

"Hey! It is a one-time thing." She did not want her friend to get any silly ideas. "And I don't plan on seeing that man ever again."

Besides, she remembered he said he was only there for a business deal. Therefore, the likelihood that they would bump into each other again was slim to almost none.

She also thought they belonged in two different worlds. So, no. She would not be seeing that man ever again.

"That's a bummer. I thought the two of you looked great together." Her friend said. But before she could say more, Jack's assistant showed up, calling Anna. "I guess I'll see you."

After her friend left for the studio, she finished dressing and left the building. An hour later, she returned to her one-bedroom apartment after picking up her groceries and other necessities.

She finally slumped down on the couch after putting away her groceries, not bothering to fix herself a meal. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep after her stressful and long day.

But she hardly reached the state of unconsciousness when a buzzing sound brought her back to awareness. Then, she realized it was her phone, ringing.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

"Uuh!" She exasperatedly sighed. "What now?" She forced her body to move, reaching for her phone on the coffee table.

"Who's this?" She finally answered after checking the screen. It registered an unknown and unfamiliar number. She was not expecting anybody to call her, especially at this time.

"Is this Charlene Preston?" A stranger's voice asked on the other end of the line.

"Yes, who's this?" She repeated, curious and anxious about her unknown caller.

"Please, wait." Then, the line became quiet.

Until—

"Charlie, is that you?"