By eleven a.m., Anita stepped elegantly in her heels into the Blue Ray company, disregarding the stares of the other actresses present. They'd never tire of her attractiveness, and she'd never grow accustomed to not being the focus of attention.
The guard pointed her to the director's office, and she wasted no time getting there. Anita knocked quietly on the door of the office, and a voice from within welcomed her in. "Good morning, Anita; you may have your seat," the director said, and Anita smiled back. Anita nodded and sat in the chair in front of the director, a bright smile lingering on her face. Her entire appearance exudes elegance.The director took a few documents from the drawer and set them on the table. He began scrolling through them and sighed after a while. "Jessica Greg is your manager; she was assigned to you. You don't need to be concerned; she's good at what she does." The director explained, and Anita smiled again, making the director's heart beat faster for her. It was impossible not to fall for this embodiment of beauty.'It's no surprise she's loved by a lot of people,' he thought. As she heard the words flow effortlessly from his lips, Anita's smile widened. On her first day at the company, Jessica was assigned to her as her manager. She had heard of Jessica, who was well known among managers both at home and abroad for her ability to secure good roles for her actors. A knock was heard on the door, and the door sprang open, revealing Scarlet, who was wearing a lengthy face. She'd seen Anita stroll into the director's office, pretending to submit documents, just to hear him give Jessica to Anita, which was supposed to be for her. Scarlet believed she had worked hard for the company and had done more than just play the role of an actress. She had slept with the director numerous times and hoped he would give Jessica to her. After hearing the news from the director two months ago that the company was trying to get Jessica to work for them, the company instead assigned her to a rookie who had just recently been signed. She was curious as to what Anita gave the director in bed that she did not give to him. "Good morning, director," she said with a phony smile."Good day, Scarlet. Meet Anita, our new actress; I'm sure you know her," he said, attempting to introduce the two women.Scarlet flashed her teeth with a vile smile, then rolled her eyes and walked away from the desk after dropping the document the director had handed her earlier that morning. "Don't worry about Scarlet. Her work is demanding at the company, and she has made a lot of money for us as one of our top-star actresses. She always acts like she is worried. You'll get to know each other pretty quickly," the director assured Anita. Anita nodded and grinned. Scarlet didn't matter to her. She didn't care if she was lovely, if she won heaven for the company, or if she got to warm up to her or not; what mattered was finishing her duty here and getting out of Los Angeles as quickly as possible."Here." Her thoughts were cut short when the director handed her a business card."What exactly is this for?" Anita inquired, her gaze fixed on the card in her fingers."Make sure you attend the birthday party; we need to let the competitors know we've signed you. I've gotten a lot of lead roles since you showed up at the airport, but I'll let your manager do her job once she gets here," the director remarked, clearing his throat. "Also, I want you to go downstairs and check out our fashion department and try on some outfits for the party," the director offered. Scarlet heard him and began coughing intentionally, but the two pretended they didn't hear her.Anita thanked the director and left the office with the invitation card. She walked downstairs with it towards the fashion department, where she would get to pick her outfit for the party.***Anita walked into the party hall with a bodyguard right behind her, exuding elegance in her red gown that gleamed under the glow of the evening light. She made the right choice of outfits anyway.She drew attention to herself with each confident step, turning heads as she floated through the hall with poise and appeal. Her milky, shining skin was enhanced by her glistening red outfit.She had purposefully walked into the venue at such a late hour. She enjoyed the extra attention she received whenever she arrived after everyone else. She liked how everyone turned to look at her as she stepped in.The party's host approached Anita and brought her to the VIP seat, while her security came to a halt a few meters away. Sandra, Leo, and Bridget were also at the party when Anita arrived. When Sandra watched Anita being escorted to the VIP seat by Lawrence, she tightened her grip on her glass to the point of breaking it. She turned to face Leo, who was also staring hopelessly at Anita, which enraged her."Just like I expected!" She uttered it with gritted teeth.Anita's heart skipped a beat when she noticed Alexander Scott sitting in the VIP seat. She was forced to sit next to him, which made her worried and uneasy. She prayed he wouldn't recognize her or recall what had transpired between them five years ago. She didn't want anyone to get in the way of her and Austin.Just like her motto, "Anita Fedrick, you shall not fall in love with any man,"But here she is, trying to make Alexander fall for her charm.She placed her purse on the table and crossed her legs beneath the table, then took a long breath and exhaled. She decided not to be weird and just say hi, but if she had known, she would have stayed silent instead."Hello, I am Anita Fredrick." She greeted Alexander with a smile, but he didn't respond. He just went ahead with his phone with a serious face, and then a smile appeared on his face, not bothering to raise his head to look at her. Even though Anita knew he had a charming smile that looked like Austin's, she thought it was nothing with his arrogance, but she still needed to complete her task, so she did not mind him ignoring her."My name is Lawrence." Lawrence instantly introduced himself and clasped Anita's hand in his. He was Alexander's best friend, and he had personally sent a special invitation to the director of Blue Ray Production to ensure Anita attended his birthday party, which he was overjoyed about.When Lawrence saw what his friend had done, all he wanted to do was make Anita feel less embarrassed.Despite the fact that Anita was seated between them, the two quickly began a serious conversation. Anita was smiling gracefully and chuckling. Lawrence piqued her curiosity and made her laugh. She excused herself after a while, and her bodyguard offered to accompany her, but she refused, stating she merely needed to use the restroom.Sandra followed Anita out of the hall as soon as she could. It was now her turn to deal with her, not after making her feel like nothing beside Leo."Hello, dear sister!" Sandra teased Anita, her voice filled with mockery.Anita looked around, and before she could react, reporters surrounded her and bombarded her with questions.Questions she hated most, while Sandra stood in a corner with a smile dancing on her lips.‘Another mission accomplished. I will make your life so miserable that you will have no reason to stay any longer,’ she thought."Did Sandra Warren just call you her sister?""Anita Fedrick, what is your relationship like with Sandra Warren?""Are you the same sister who slept with another man on her engagement day years ago?""Why did you come back to Los Angeles?""Why did you change your name to Anita Fedrick?""Do you accept to be Sandra Warren's sister?"The reporters continued to interrogate her, but she remained silent, standing frozen in the same position. She became speechless, unable to move, as images from five years ago began to play in her head, and she covered her ears with both hands. She was still looking for a way out, as they had surrounded her, when a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind. The hard, manly grasp on her arm sent cold thrills down her spine, and she eagerly followed him, trying to avoid the reporters. When she raised her head to see who her savior was, and just Alexander's eyes were fixated on her, she was stunned, and she clutched her heart, which was about to pop out of her chest. "Does he remember what happened between them five years ago?"Anita's heart rose as Alexander held her by the hand and took her away from the reporters. His hand firmed on her hand protectively.She was sweating profusely and anxious at the same time, and she was sure that the lovely make-up that Angie had taken her time to do that evening before she left home would have been ruined by now.Her mind was raised with questions and scenarios, fearing what could happen next.Just after they had successfully escaped from the watchful eyes of the reporters, Alexander suddenly let go of her like he had been holding a plague and was relieved to finally have to let it go. And without saying a word to Anita, he walked away from her. Anita felt relief and confusion.Anita, who was still in shock, first looked at her hand and then looked up at his retreating as he walked toward his car.Determined that she would not let him go that night without a word, she followed immediately behind him and suddenly called his name just as he was about to enter his car, b
Anita sat in the back seat of the car as her personal security drove her home. She kept fidgeting and looking through the window all through the journey. Alexander's face and the scene that played out a few moments ago kept replaying in her head over and over again. She was still in a place of uncertainty about whether Alexander had recognized her as the woman he had a one-night stand with or not. But then, if he did, why did he not say anything about it? Or if he didn't, why was he that way toward her?The second question was not a topic of continuous reflection since Anita had come to notice that he was like that towards every other person.But then what if he knew and was waiting for the right time to say it? Or what if he eventually found out in the course of her trying to seduce him?Anita was torn between her desire to seduce him and her fear of him discovering her true identity.And then Lawrence seemed to be another stumbling block to her chances of getting close to Alex and g
CHAPTER 7Anita woke to a pair of small arms wrapped tightly around her. A smile spread across her lips because she already knew who the hands belonged to. She slowly opened her eyes to come face-to-face with her son, who was lying right in front of her and hugging her. He had a bright smile on his face."Are you okay, mom?" You weren't home when I went to bed last night.""I'm okay, baby." She smiled and nodded, running her hand on Austin's head.It wasn't like it wasn't a usual occurrence for her son to go to bed sometimes without his mom being around anyway. She just hoped he would understand that she was just trying to find a way to save him, and Anita was glad Austin always understood her, just like an adult."Guess what, Austin." She had a bright smile on her face as she teased his jaw."What mummy? What are you up to this time around?" He demanded, with one of his brows raised, and Anita smiled."I got a call from the doctor last night, and it seems like there is little hope fo
Hello, Doctor Sam." Anita spoke into the phone the moment she pressed the answer button with shaky hands, her ear eager to hear the next word, that would either change everything and leave Los Angeles for good, or the other way round."Are you there, Anita?" The doctor questioned, his voice thick and low.Anita tried to read the doctor's tone to deduce if she could get a hint of the kind of news he had brought her. But the tone of his voice did not give out any hint; it was neutral. Just as neutral as it was when she sat in front of him the day Austin's doctor in London broke the news of Austin's condition to her.Anita could not help but wonder if they had been trained to properly hide their emotions from showing in their voices."Yes, doctor." She cleared her throat and tightened her fists. "Any good news?""I'm so sorry, Ms. Fredrick; unfortunately, the potential donor cannot help your son due to unforeseen circumstances." The doctor declared in the same neutral voice that he had n
CHAPTER NINEAnita moved close to Angie, her hand dancing on her laptop keyboard and Anita's eyes tracing what she was typing on the screen."So I've been keeping tabs on Lawrence for a while now, and I found out that there is a club he likes to go to." She said, her slender finger tapping on the enter key."Does Alexander also go there?" Anita inquired, perplexed as to how this would be useful."Once in a while, I guess," she said, standing up from the tiled floor."Know what, honey? Lawrence has actually made your job easier by trying to get close to you. As you know, Alexander is kind of a difficult and unapproachable person. I'm not sure it would be easy for you to get close to him without using a tool like Lawrence, you know." Angie said as she fumbled about the living room, sorting Austin's robot toys. Anita's mouth formed a smile, and she exhaled. It was unclear to her where her best friend was attempting to get her attention, but she shook her head in agreement, and she joined
"Thank you." Anita mouthed at the waiter who served her a drink, then she turned to Lawrence. "Thanks for the drink; you just saved me some dollar notes." Anita maintained a bright smile, and Lawrence could hardly tell if she was being sarcastic or not, no matter how hard he tried to read the puzzled expression on her face.He suddenly thought that was the perfect opportunity to clear things up with her because he believed she must have seen the video. Of course, it went viral.Lawrence cleared his throat and tightened his grip on his glass."And about the rumor flying around lately about me and Scarlet, I'm sure you've seen the video," Lawrence said, his eyes focused on Anita.Anita pulsed her lips but maintained a straight face. "I'm not sure which video you are talking about." She brought her glass to her mouth and took another sip from it."Come on, Anita, the video was everywhere on the internet; it was all over the place. Well, I just wanted to tell you that nothing is actually
Anita rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked around the room. That was when she noticed that she had been too tired to take off her outing clothes last night.Anita stood up from the bed and walked over to the mirror on the other side of her room. She laughed at her own reflection in the mirror. She looked like someone who had just been scooped out of a pool of water.On the table beside her mirror, where she had her make-up kits and skin products, was a framed picture of herself and her son with Angie.She picked it up and ran her fingers gently over it. A small smile appeared on her face.She immediately changed into casual outfits, put on her flip-flops, and went to the sitting room to find Angie sitting on the couch and working on her computer."You are awake," Angie remarked without looking up from her computer."You were all asleep when I came back last night." She went over to sit on the couch close to Angie."I came to your room earlier this morning; you were still deeply asleep.
Anita walked back to Lawrence and quickly excused herself, letting him know she needed to use the restroom. Lawrence nodded with a smile, feeling worthy when he noticed she had been giving their relationship more value.Without wasting time, she strode toward the restroom, eager to see the contents of what Angie had sent to her."Wow, Angie is such a genius." She exclaimed with her fingers covering her mouth once she was in the restroom and entered one of the stalls.She started to zoom her phone in and out repeatedly. She even included voice notes."What would I have done without you, Angie?" She exclaimed again, smiling so much that she almost let out a laugh, but she suppressed it, knowing that people might be eavesdropping on her.It came at the right time; she needed it.Her manicured fingers typed on her phone quickly, sending messages to Angie to release the content immediately, both the pictures and audio.Wearing a big smile on her face, Anita stepped out of the restroom stal