“As he ran through the dark forest, he could hear nothing but his fast beating heart, the harsh wind that blew past him, and the stomping of his feet against the dry grasses. He could hear those crazy cries of theirs and boom! Out of nowhere, one of the rogue demons ate his head!” Jolene narrated and waited for Dylan’s scared reaction, but the boy only stared blankly at her, eating cookies.
“What, that didn’t scare you too? That was my best horror story and it’s scary. How could you still have a straight face?” Jolene asked with a disappointed look.
“Because it’s not scary. That’s just a story,” Dylan replied, and Jolene scoffed, crossing her arms.
“What scares you then?” Jolene asked, raising a brow. Dylan raised one of the cookies to her. “Cookies?”
“What I’m scared of is cookies disappearing completely. That will be the end of the world,” Dylan replied, taking a bite.
“You’re impossible,” Jolene shook her head. “You do not talk like a five-year-old kid.”
“People say that all the time. They call me cute afterward,” Dylan muttered.
“That’s so cute… wait,” realization of Dylan’s words hit Jolene, and she paused for a moment. “You’re definitely not five.”
Dylan chuckled.
“Jojo?” Tatiana’s voice trailed as she stepped out, her alluring body clad in a white shirt and black office trousers.
Jolene approached her with Dylan, and Tatiana crouched before him.
“You’ll be starting school soon. I promise you’ll love the school,” she said.
“Alright, Mom. Don’t be long.”
“I won’t be long,” Tatiana assured, and Dylan presented his cheek. Tatiana chuckled and did what she does every day, kissing him there.
“Bye, Mom,” Dylan said, and they left.
In the car, as they drove to their destination, they talked about Dylan, which made the atmosphere cheerful.
Jolene decided to change the topic, and the atmosphere turned serious.
“Are you sure about your decision?” she asked.
“Hm,” Tatiana nodded.
“I trust you,” Jolene smiled.
—
[STARDUSK COMPANY]
Paisley stepped into the company hastily, her long hair blowing behind her as she walked. Every employee bowed; she is the boss lady of this place after all.
The storm on her face remained until she reached Nathan’s office and slammed it open.
As expected, she found a woman on his lap, kissing him. They stopped making out and looked at her.
The woman was an artist, aware of the power Paisley held, so she disconnected herself from Nathan in fear.
“I’m sorry, boss lady-”
“Get out before I change my mind and stab your throat with a pen,” Paisley warned coldly, and the female artist left hastily.
Paisley took a deep breath and walked to stand before Nathan, her eyes cold as ever. She leaned close, staring at the man who felt no remorse for what just happened.
“How about I remind you that you are married to me and that we have a son together. Isn’t that fact ringing in your head while you put that rod of yours into other bitches!” she barked.
Nathan sighed and slowly stood. He walked around the table to reach her. Paisley slapped his hand away.
“I thought you promised to stop, but you kept getting worse day after day. Just how many bitches have you slept with ever since we got married?” Paisley’s eyes teared up.
“Five million dollars will be in your account soon.”
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you? Shutting me up with your fucking money.”
“Or perhaps you prefer a divorce?” he asked, and she kept quiet. “I can’t be stuck with only one woman, you know that. And you should be happy I’m married to you, not them. You’re the only Mrs. Redmond the world knows. You should flaunt it around the world.”
“But I don’t like to see you with another woman…”
“Shhh…” he cut her off and pulled her to him by the waist and kissed the sensitive spot on her neck. “You’re my wife, Paisley, and Landon is my son.”
He trailed his lips to hers and kissed her briefly.
“I’m sorry, my love.”
Paisley had heard those words many times, in fact, almost every day. She couldn’t bear it, but she had no choice. Nathan had always been her dream husband, and she couldn’t lose him.
“I heard Tatiana has returned,” Paisley whispered, and Nathan looked at her.
“I sent her an invitation to join the company,” he replied, and Paisley’s eyes widened.
“What for?”
Before Nathan could reply, his phone buzzed. He reached for it and saw the response from Tatiana’s invitation.
REJECTED
It had a message below that read:
~Screw you, bastard!~
Nathan’s gaze darkened at the message, and the air around him turned cold.
—
Cassius overlooked the city before him, a glass of wine in his hand, his look unreadable.
His phone buzzed with a response from Tatiana. As he read it, his lips curved up.
Of course, it was what he had expected, judging from her personality. His lips curled up into a smirk as he read the message underneath. It was like a deal from her.
‘I’m not that type of woman!’ her voice rang in his head.
“Definitely not that type of woman, I see,” he mumbled and made a call.
“Track her and tell me where she is.”
Tatiana took a deep breath at what she just did. She rejected both companies. After much thought, she knew accepting either of them would be a problem.
She’d be surrounded by enemies.
She needed to think of her son too, even though she desperately needed power to find out who killed her sister. She would have accepted King’s Company if she knew what kind of man Cassius is.
Besides, to get into King’s, artists are tested. Their protocols are the strictest, making their artists almost perfect. Most of the top artists came from King’s Company.
And yet… she got an invitation. It was like a test of her own word the day he showed up in her room. It was temptation.
No artist gets into that company without proving themselves.
“We are here,” Jolene announced as the car stopped. They both walked into the building in search of a director.
“Haha! You want to work in my movie?” the director laughed. “Unbelievable. Hey, when was the last time you acted? Seven years ago? You have the beauty I want. How sure am I if you still got the talent?”
“Then let me audition. Isn’t that how you test actors?” Tatiana asked, not letting the man’s words affect her.
The director called Felix chuckled. “Why should I do that? You have scandals all around your name, no company wants you, and you want to drag me into your doom? Tsk… that’s not happening.”
“Why do I feel like you’re afraid, Mr. Felix? Your last three movies caused you a huge loss. Even those before them didn’t give you what you deserve…”
“Don’t try to insult me, woman…”
“I’m not insulting; I’m giving you a chance. I know you’ve seen my old works. I’m not only offering you talent; I’m offering you support. You don’t need to worry about the scandal; they’ll always fade,” Tatiana smirked, seeing how the man slowly gave in.
As she stepped out with Jolene, they spotted someone unexpected. He was leaning his back on his car, wearing black shades.
Jolene gasped with wide eyes, tapping Tatiana by the side consecutively.
“Tatie, I think I’m air-drunk. I’m now seeing things… Is that Mr. King? What is he doing here?”
“Yeah, what’s he doing here?” Tatiana also asked.
Cassius removed his shades, his gaze piercing as ever as he ordered.
“Get into the car, little rebel,” his voice loud enough to reach Tatiana.
‘Little rebel?’ Tatiana thought with a frown. He turned to enter the car, but her voice made him halt.
“No,” she firmly stated.
Jolene, on the other hand, was blinking in shock.
“Get in, or I’ll carry you,” he warned, and Tatiana scoffed.
“You wish,” she mumbled. The man suddenly took several strides towards her, immediately lifting her up from the ground onto his shoulder.
Tatiana’s eyes widened as he took her to the car.
“Let me go!” she yelled, swinging her feet in a funny way.
He placed her into the car, and she stared at him in shock with some of her hair covering her face.
“You’re one stubborn hell of a woman, little rebel,” he stated and shut the door. He entered the car too and drove away.
Jolene stayed frozen, her lips parted.
“What in the world just happened? Someone should pinch me.”