She moved backward until her back touched the wall as her heart raced. It wasn’t because of fear, but the intense gaze in his eyes gleamed with attraction, making her heart throb in rhythm with his captivating face.
Zack placed his hand on the wall, blocking her way of escape as he tilted his head slightly, staring deep into her eyes. So many thoughts were flowing through his head at the moment.
Ivy cleared her throat, signaling they were way too close, yet Zack was still fixed in his position. Ivy cleared her throat again, but it was like he zoned out.
“Hubby, hubby.” There was no reply, ‘he’s teasing me again.’
The resonating sound from his phone made her breathe in relief. She didn’t notice she was holding her breath.
“Your phone is ringing.”
She told him, and he left her alone. Now that she was set free, she went to the kitchen to prepare her treat. It was what she usually did every June 28 with Irene, but as of now, she wasn’t someone she should mingle with any longer. She knew she was not the same sister she remembered.
*************
Meanwhile, Irene was still in her position, staring at the half-torn photo. She sniffed with tears lingering in her eyes.
“Irene, Irene, where are you? There you are….” Kate’s voice resounded throughout the place. “Wow, what a mess….” She tiptoed, avoiding the shattered glass on the floor.
“Why did you come in? I specifically told you to wait in the car.” Irene said, slowly getting angry.
“You’ve been here for over five hours…” Kate paused as she noticed Irene’s gaze was fixed on what she was holding. “Did you come just to stare at some old photo?” There was no answer from Irene.
Kate turned around to observe the room. The damage she saw made her furrow her eyebrows. “I think you need to see a doctor; you’ve been acting strange since this morning.”
Irene got up suddenly, and Kate knew she had to find her way out of the room before Irene exploded.
As she was about to take a step, Irene’s voice made her halt, “What time is it?”
“5 pm.”
“Let’s go.”
*****
A few days passed, and Ivy was still waiting for a notification from the director. She continually checked her emails every day since the audition, but no notification popped up. Letting out a sigh, she closed her laptop and got up for a stroll. Zack left for a business trip, and she was all alone in the villa, bored and looking for something to do to kill time. Having no friends and family to talk to made her feel lonely.
Idling around the whole day with nothing meaningful to do, she decided to eat out. As she approached her room, she heard whispers from one of the maids, Anna. She listened carefully as something caught her interest.
“I think Madam will be partaking in a film.”
Ivy frowned; they were actually gossiping. ‘How would she know that?’ She thought. She didn’t tell anyone she was going for an audition.
“Really, did she tell you?” Nicole, another maid asked, surprised by how Anna knew.
“Of course not.”
“Then how did you know?”
“How did you know? I demand an answer.” Ivy appeared behind them, crossing her arms. She was obviously displeased by their gossip, but the most surprising thing was how she knew about it. She had never discussed any of her private matters with her, let alone talk to any of them apart from giving them orders.
“Answer me.”
Anna bit her lips, darting her eyes facing the ground as she clenched her dress nervously.
Nicole, seeing Ivy so focused on Anna, wanted to give them some space, but Ivy’s eyes made her shift back to her position.
“Are you dumb?” Ivy was displeased by her silence.
Nicole tugged Anna’s dress, signaling her to speak up before the madam loses her calm composure.
“Well, everyone has been talking about it, that’s how I knew.” Anna finally responded, raising her head.
“It’s all over the internet, ma’am.” Ivy turned around to see who just spoke behind her. It was the first maid she met when she first arrived at the villa.
“What do you mean it’s all over the internet?” She hadn’t even received any notification after the audition, and they were already concluding she was partaking in a film.
“Explain, Emilia.”
“It’s viral…” Emilia trailed off. “Aren’t you partaking in a film? “The information is all over the internet.”
Yes, she wanted a comeback in her career, but she hadn’t been notified. So how was her involvement in a film already announced?
“I don’t get it.”
Emilia logged into her account and showed her a photo. “First, someone posted her photo on her profile, but it captured…..”
“That’s… me….” In the photo, a particular image was noted with a blue line circled around it. She recognized it well; that was her in a red dress waiting for her turn to be auditioned. Whoever took the photo intended to take a selfie, but her face was also captured in the photo. She thought her glasses were a good disguise, but it wasn’t enough to conceal her identity. She appeared in many films before her hiatus, so she was sure it had to be one of her fans in the past who recognized her body shape and her dimples.
Scrolling down to the comment section of the film production official page, she saw a pool of remarks.
“Isn’t that Ivy in the photo? Is she auditioning? Is she planning a comeback?”
“I thought she made it clear she will never return.”
“Dimple, dimple, is going to act again.” Ivy batted her eyes at the nickname. That was obviously a fan.
“I would love to watch that film; what are they waiting for before they announce the film!!!!!!”
“Nelson Williams films, what are you waiting for? Announce the film! I’ll die with anticipation.”
“What are they waiting for? Are they planning to shoot another film without informing us.”
“I can’t wait to see her again.”
“She’s outdated; after three years, you still want to watch her film.”
“Great she came back after not giving us an explanation.”
There were too many for her to read, so she gave up on reading all, but one thing was clear. “I still have a bit of fame.” Ivy was quite surprised; she still had loyal fans. Maybe getting back to her former position in the industry might not be as challenging as she thought.
That’s what she thought, unknowingly to her, it was going to be more challenging than she initially expected.