Answering the call, Michael took a drag of his cigarette and stood by the roadside.
“Finally decided to call me back, huh?” he teased.
“I was tied up earlier. What’s going on?” Dave’s voice came through clearly.
Exhaling smoke, Michael chuckled. “Nothing much. Just saw Bianca dancing with Vincent and Paige’s godson at the dinner party. They looked close and seemed perfect together. And I overheard Paige saying she wants Bianca to marry her godson.”
Upon hearing this, Dave tensed up, his expression darkening.
Michael continued, “By the way, that young man drove Bianca home himself. It’s late now, and since they’re both single, do you think they might spend the night together?”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Dave, I’ve known many women like Bianca. Just enjoy her company, as I suggested earlier. Don’t get too serious about her.”
Michael couldn’t understand why Dave was so interested in Bianca. While she was attractive, Dave had met many beautiful women before. What was it about Bianca that fascinated him?
After a long pause, Dave’s deep voice replied, “When you were at Vincent’s party today, did you tell Sophia what happened between the two of you at Champs Le Bar five years ago?”
Michael’s expression turned grim.
Feeling Michael’s silence, Dave suspected Michael might have had a run-in with Sophia earlier.
Michael chuckled dryly, “You’ve got your own problems to deal with, and you’re asking about mine?”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up. Bye.”
Michael ended the call abruptly as if Dave’s words had struck a nerve.
Dave frowned deeply. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Bianca’s name, which was marked as a special contact.
He hesitated before dialing, then abruptly canceled the call.
Normally dominant, Dave found himself unexpectedly uncertain and hesitant.
What was he hoping to achieve by calling her? Catch her in the act?
On what basis or justification?
Bianca had already told Dave she didn’t want to be his girlfriend. She wanted to return his necklace when he came back.
Did she turn him down because she got close to Vincent’s godson, while she saw him as just a man without any wealth?
Dave threw his phone on the desk, covered his eyes, which were now red from emotion, and let out a bitter laugh.
It looked like he needed to come back sooner than he had planned.
****
The blue sedan stopped at the entrance of Bianca’s neighborhood.
Just as Bianca was about to step out and leave, Blake called out to her.
“Bianca!”
She paused and turned back, asking, “Yes? What’s up?”
“I…” Blake hesitated briefly, then smiled. “Oh, nothing. Just… take care.”
With a nod, Bianca continued on her way, soon disappearing from Blake’s sight.
Blake rolled up the window and settled back into his seat, lost in thought.
He pulled out his phone to make a call.
“I’ve decided. I’m going to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested? What changed your mind? Is it because of Bianca?” Paige’s teasing voice sounded from the phone.
“… I’m losing signal. Gotta go,” Blake quickly ended the call.
Blake’s gaze lingered in the direction where Bianca had just departed.
He had been late to the dinner party because of unexpected issues. When he arrived, the scandal about Sophia’s nude photo was already all over the internet, causing a big uproar. His immediate worry shifted to Bianca.
Blake had been aware of Bianca’s ongoing bet with Zoey about Sophia; he had seen it trending on Twitter. He had been keeping a close eye on the situation.
There were moments when he almost dialed Bianca’s number to offer his support.
But knowing she was engaged, he always hesitated before making the call.
He didn’t want to add more problems for her.
But today, Blake was once again amazed by Bianca. She was intelligent, insightful, and truly captivating.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her, unable to focus on anything else.
Blake knew well the dangers of the entertainment world, where gossip and deceit were everywhere. Bianca could be at risk at any time.
He couldn’t stay idle. He wanted to be by her side, to keep her safe and protected.
Upon discovering that Bianca wasn’t engaged or dating anyone, he felt a surge of excitement and hope.
Maybe fate wanted them to be together.
This time, he was determined not to give up.
The next day, Bianca walked into her office and immediately noticed whispers and hushed conversations. When she pushed open the glass door, everyone turned to look at her, and the room fell silent.
All eyes were on Bianca as the murmuring gradually stopped.
“Hi, Bianca,” one of her colleagues greeted her warmly.
Bianca looked around and noticed the friendly smiles of her coworkers. They all greeted her warmly.
“What’s going on?” Bianca asked curiously.
“Nothing, just wanted to say hi to you,” her colleague replied.
“If that’s all, let’s get back to work,” Bianca said, ready to focus on her tasks.
Bianca settled into her office, closing the door behind her.
She took out her phone and opened Twitter, where the top trending topics caught her attention.
Curious, she clicked on the top search result: “Vincent Lopez publicly praised Sophia Johnson at his family gathering. Sophia confirmed her return to acting.”
As she scrolled down, enthusiastic comments filled the screen. One read, “Sophia must be the lead in Vincent’s upcoming film. Zoey’s chances seem slim now.”
Another comment said, “I used to support Zoey, but now I’m a fan of Bianca. She had a great comeback against Zoey last night.”
“Thanks to Bianca for defending Sophia’s reputation.”
“Some said Bianca rose to fame through connections. But doesn’t she seem more talented than that Director?”
“I’ve been saying Zoey wouldn’t make it. She didn’t live up to expectations. Check the second trending topic for proof.”
Curious, Bianca clicked on the second most searched topic.
As Bianca expected, when Zoey’s educational background was mentioned, curious online users dug deeper.
The revelation caused a big reaction.
They found out more details. During Zoey’s college years, she failed many courses. Her grades were so low that she almost didn’t graduate, and she had to retake exams to earn her diploma.
A former classmate of Zoey spilled secrets on Twitter. She said that Zoey often skipped classes in college and had a questionable relationship with a male teacher. The classmate even claimed the teacher wrote Zoey’s graduation thesis for her.
How did someone like that end up at Phoenix Entertainment after college?
It was clear that Zoey had landed her job through connections.
At Phoenix Entertainment, all the staff were top students, many with better education and skills than hers. So, why did she become the Director of the Agent Department instead of someone more qualified?