Only Have Eyes for You(2)

3

I woke the following day on a hotel bed.

Jack was in slumber right beside me.

The past three years had not left any traces on his face. His chiseled features looked divine even in his sleep.

I jumped out of bed and rummaged through the pile of clothes on the floor for my phone, which was brimming with notifications.

My manager, Julia, had sent me a series of messages. "Tiana, have you rekindled your romance with Jack?"

"Did you two head to a hotel?"

"Do you know that the two of you were caught entering the same hotel? Return to the company as soon as you see this!"

I opened my social media accounts and noted that the news was not trending. The photographer did not wish to leak the news yet, which meant he probably wanted money.

I thought to myself, "This is good news. I'll have more bargaining chips."

I balanced myself on sore legs as I turned and made eye contact with a calm gaze.

Slightly stunned, I gathered my thoughts by lounging on the sofa next to me, legs crossed, as I chirped.

"Mr. Cameron, you're awake? I was very satisfied last night. It seems that you have been diligently keeping up your ability in bed these past few years."

"Tiana."

I was unbothered. I lit a cigarette and continued.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cameron. I'll stick to my promise. Your girlfriend can have the role. I don't want it anymore."

I emphasized the part about sticking to my promise. As intended, I saw a flash of pain in Jack's eyes.

He used to repeat those words to me.

Back when I used to coyly request roles and sponsors, he had always leaned in to seal my mouth shut, before leisurely removing my clothes.

As I was lost in my lust for him, he would whisper, "Tiana, don't worry. I'll stick to my promise."

He did not. He had lied to me and given me false hopes of a future together.

I matched his gaze evenly and snickered.

"Mr. Cameron, why bother putting up this front? I wasn't ashamed when I used my body for gainful means back then. Why will you feel ashamed when you're doing the same thing now, for another woman?"

The disdain in my voice was intentional, contradicting the devotion I had invested in the relationship those few years.

Thereafter, I looked straight into his eyes, trying to glean whatever information I could.

Those aloof eyes gave nothing away.

I had never been able to read his emotions.

Not in the past, and not now.

I was slightly disheartened by such thoughts, and I crushed the end of the cigarette bud against the ashtray.

Jack was silent for a while before he countered, "Tiana, I have no girlfriend."

Hah.

I do not believe it.

Jack and Cathy might not have made their relationship official, but people in the industry had caught wind of their romantic affairs.

I was no exception.

I sneered and ignored him. I dressed and retrieved my phone to text Hunter, asking him to pick me up.

Hunter arrived quickly, in less than 20 minutes.

I put on my mask and arranged my hat. Jack chased after me, only to stop short when he caught a glimpse of Hunter.

I opened the door and was about to enter when Jack grabbed onto my available wrist.

He enunciated every syllable, "Tiana, you can't just run away after sleeping with me. You have to take responsibility."

I turned and grinned. "Mr. Cameron, you'd better think about how to explain the situation to your fiancee."

Jack's fingers trembled slightly as he loosened his grip.

I boarded Hunter's car and never looked back.

As soon as I closed the door, Hunter demanded, "Why are you associating yourself with Hunter again?"

I lowered my gaze and scrutinized my manicured nails. "It's nothing much, I merely slept with him."

Hunter was my ex-boyfriend.

He came from a similar background, with no connections. When he had been struggling at the bottom, I offered him a few opportunities.

Hunter's manager had been the same as mine back then, and he had surreptitiously sent Hunter to my room in a similar manner.

I stared at his translucent shirt for a few seconds, before a chuckle escaped my mouth,

"I don't like forcing people. If you want to, we can try."

That was how we got together.

Our relationship only lasted three months.

He had been a qualified boyfriend, considerate and handsome, but we were ultimately uninterested in each other.

I had a moment of realization that my three years with Jack had changed my outlook on relationships. I could never simply just bask in the warmth and lust of a relationship again.

I picked Hunter up from work and calmly initiated the breakup.

A prolonged silence ensued after my suggestion before he lowered his head and murmured an agreement.

4

I asked Hunter to drop me off at the company.

Once Julia saw me, she flung a stack of photographs at my face.

I flipped through the pictures and most of them were of blurry figures.

One picture stood out in particular. The photograph depicted Jack intimately holding my arm and guiding me into the hotel.

I glanced up at Julia and asked, "How much does he want?"

"300 thousand dollars and he'll clear all traces of the photographs."

"Oh." I nodded dismissively and tore the photographs apart. "Well, we don't have to worry about it. Send the digital copies to Jack and have him settle the issue."

I thought to myself, "If he has to assuage Cathy, how can he allow the leak of such photos?

"No matter how loaded he is, abruptly forking out 300 thousand dollars should irritate him right?"

However, something must have been amiss in my judgment.

That very night, my name popped up on the trending searches.

"Tiana Yates and Jack Cameron seemingly rekindle their romance."

Upon clicking in, the picture that stared back at me was the very same one that captured our intimacy.

I stared at our silhouettes and it was as if a time capsule had opened up and transported me back to old times.

I had never found out the reason behind Jack's sudden departure.

I had initially been attuned to my identity and fully resigned to our ill-fated relationship.

However, he had always been the one to broach the possibility of a future.

He made it seem as if I could possibly be part of his future.

Our news stayed on trending searches for an entire night before it was overtaken by other sorts of trivial gossip.

Julia skillfully navigated through this public relations crisis as she put a damper on netizens' speculations.

I sat in the conference room and stared at my phone as I deleted the current text that spelled out, "Why did you allow him to release the picture of us?" for the umpteenth time.

A few days later, I encountered Jack again during the production's opening ceremony.

The director introduced Jack ceremoniously, "This is Mr. Cameron and he has graciously invested an additional 900 thousand dollars in our production yesterday."

I raised my head and glanced at Jack, all spruced up in a dapper suit.

The baffling scene that flashed before my mind was that of him lying bare beside me, his eyes filled with lust.

The rare occasions in which his self-control slipped somehow always happened in bed.

Jack greeted me pleasantly, "Good day, Miss. Yates."

I thought to myself, "Superb acting."

We were surrounded by people adept at the art of socializing and they kept their composure despite being aware of our scandal.

After the banquet, I prompted my assistant, Luke, to leave and headed into the elevator alone.

I ended up in the elevator with Jack.

I pressed the button and turned to him, "Does Mr. Cameron live on the ninth floor as well?"

"Yes."

I nodded and remained silent. However, after the door opened, I grabbed onto his wrist and dragged him towards my room.

I pinned Jack by his shoulders against the icy wall.

I had not inserted the room card and we stood in pitch darkness.

In the dark, my lips found his.

We had had some alcohol earlier and hints of liquor permeated our breaths.

He murmured, "Tia."

A stabbing pain pierced through my heart.

During those three years, he had only addressed me with this endearment once.

I had been drunk and the timing coincided with a drama shoot that revolved around family dynamics. With lowered inhibitions, I spilled my past to him.

My childhood included my cheating father, my overbearing mother, and my incessant hunger.

I rambled on amidst Jack's silence until he pulled me into his embrace and caressed my cheek as he breathed, "Tia."

I subsequently replayed that scene in my mind countless times before concluding that moment as the defining moment I fell in love with Jack.

I staggered backward and stuck the card in to turn on the lights.

The glow illuminated Jack's features.

Despite the lipstick stains and ruffled collar, his gaze was as resolute as before.

I could spot my reflection in his eyes and on the contrary, my disheveled hair accompanied my smudged eye shadow.

My chest heaved as my emotions got the better of me.

I gritted my teeth, "Don't call me that."

Jack was momentarily stunned.

"Tiana."

He stared straight at me and continued, " If you want to, we can begin anew."