The man’s gaze fell on Mona. From the brief eye contact, Thaddeus was brought back to the past when Mona had been simple and innocent. Back then, he had picked her up from the road and brought her home. Barely dressed, she had sat on the edge of the bathtub and crossed her legs. Her toes were curled up, and her clear eyes read of fear and reliance. Standing there, he looked at her and could tell that from then on, he had become the woman’s whole world. It was a memory that often played in his mind. As time went on, those eyes were no longer clear enough for him to read her mind again. Mona had since then played mind games with him. Gathering her thoughts, Mona picked her head up and propped against Thaddeus’ shoulders to stand up. Just as the man found her unfathomable, Mona stared at the man, who had been missing for a few days, and found him a stranger. The pair sat in silence as an invisible distance grew between them. Yet, they were powerless to stop the distance from
“So, you’re saying that I should just give in to your needs?” Gritting his teeth, Thaddeus fixated on Mona’s tiny waist. The only thing on his mind was to pick her up and give her a good spanking. Mona innocently blinked and took a bite out of the banana before turning her attention back to the cringy TV show playing on TV. Thaddeus gnashed his teeth as Mona managed to awaken the beast within him. With a brooding look, he got up and approached her like a wolf locked onto its prey. Thaddeus took strides toward Mona and held her up by the waist. Feeling the world spinning, Mona soon found herself hanging off the man’s wide shoulders. The banana dropped from her grasp. “Put me down, Thaddeus!” Thaddeus hoisted her all the way to the bedroom upstairs. The man’s eyes burned with a vengeance. “How long will you be away at production? Huh?” he hissed through clenched teeth. “A month!” Mona bit the man’s shoulder. It would be a great month because she would not have to fa
Thaddeus carried Millie into the residence while Mona handed the luggage to the maid before catching up from behind. The picture of father and daughter together triggered something in Mona. The man seemed to love kids. Since their move to Gold Coast, he had thrown away all the contraceptive pills from the drawer. Mona had a clear idea of her health, so she let him be. It was not as though pregnancy was on the table for her anymore. That night, the family of four sat at the dinner table and enjoyed dinner together for a change. After dinner, the adults strolled and fooled around with the kids in the garden. The rare bonding moment could block out all the unhappy events for now. It was time for the kids to go to bed at nine o’clock. Thaddeus took up the task of giving the kids a bath and putting them to bed while Mona let out a yawn and retreated to bed. As the man and children’s frolicking echoed through the corridor, Mona sat in bed and stared at the shut door to the study.
“Aunt May, can you let your master know that the drug in the dessert tastes a little bitter? I might help myself to another serving if more sugar or honey is added to the recipe.” Still keeping up with the façade, Aunt May let out an embarrassed smile and went downstairs to report to Thaddeus. It then struck the man that the woman had practiced alternative medicine. His little trick would not go past her. Nevertheless, Thaddeus did not mind her little temper tantrums so long as she gobbled up the dessert… … Mona stayed at Fontaine Residence for a week, spending most of her time and energy with the kids. The remaining free time she had was spent reading the screenplay, memorizing lines, and working on her acting to be ready for filming. A week soon went by. On the first day of filming, Sophie and Linda arrived first thing in the morning in a company-assigned luxury MPV to pick Mona up. Linda had access to the filming location as Mona’s personal assistant, and she was in ch
Mona took the coffee and held the cup between her palms before taking a tiny sip. Looking indifferent, she replied, “I know. Joseph Marshall.” “Yeah! It’s Joseph Marshall! Do you know how much he is in demand now? He’s highly sought after. Besides, he attended the film festival in Swertland and won an award last month. He’s a rising film star in the film and television industry now.”Kneeling by Mona, Linda made big gestures while speaking. She was beyond thrilled, to say the least. Mona leisurely took another sip of coffee. She knew the lead actor was Joseph, but she had no idea that he was an award-winning actor. It appeared the man must be a discreet and dedicated actor. This was Mona’s impression of the male lead. When afternoon rolled around, the director called Mona to the dressing room as Joseph had just arrived on the set. They could run lines together and try to get the feel. Mona went to the general dressing room where the director and actors were resting. She loo
The people in the dressing room flocked to the door upon Joseph’s arrival. They held their breaths and widened their eyes in disbelief as Joseph showered Mona with compliments. It was the same case with Linda and Sophie. Joseph the film star came from a line of actors in his family. Later, he took classes in drama school and worked his way to winning an award in an international setting. Such a big name spoke highly of a rookie like Mona and even had respect for her as an equal co-star. Mona had earned respect before she even showed what she got! Giordan made his way through the crowd and into the dressing room. He looked at the lead actor and actress of the TV show and introduced them with a smile, “Joseph, this is Mona.“Mona, I’m sure no introduction is needed for the man. You must know him by now.” Mona courteously smiled at Joseph. “Yes, I do. I’ve gone through almost all your TV shows, Mr. Marshall.” Raising his brow in amazement, Joseph teased with a grin, “Oh, real
After a night of recuperation, Mona officially dove right into the month-long shooting of Athena’s Legend. During the filming of the show, Mona often engaged with her co-star and directors about her part. Athena was a character marked with a tragic legacy. Apart from the relaxing and delightful first encounter with Theo and her life at the general’s quarters, all that remained was a woman in emotional turmoil bracing the painful life all on her own. In the end, Mona got carried away in the emotions of Athena and could not snap out of character. Mona was not able to eat when Athena was sick and had no appetite for food. Mona was gloomy and tearful when Athena cried her eyes out. Mona lost ten pounds in less than ten days due to the state she was in. She hit the lowest point emotionally until Sophie and Linda found her sitting by the window in tears instead of sleeping one night. It struck them there and then that it was dangerous for Mona to stay that way. After turning on the
“I heard from Mr. Capullaci that this is your first TV show.” Mona pursed her lips and smiled faintly before replying in a soft voice, “That’s right.” In awe, Joseph gave Mona the thumbs-up. “You have a gift in acting, and you give it your all. I dare say that you will make a name for yourself through Athena’s Legend.” Mona smiled without a word. Everybody had commented that she had brought Athena to life. Nevertheless, she could see her past in Athena, and she had been in Athena’s shoes. She was not playing the role of Athena. She was playing herself. The substitute and the puppet living without a memory were Athena and her – Mona. “I’m flying to the United States for a movie now that it’s a wrap with the show. If you’re happy, I can recommend you to the director there. Honestly speaking, I look forward to working with you again.” Joseph earnestly threw an offer in Mona’s way. Mona cocked her head to look at Joseph’s wickedly handsome face and smiled. “I can’t go w