Chapter 1: The Rebound Guy

Sailing towards the Mediterranean sea, the Imperial Cruise, one of the biggest cruise ships in Europe, drift out as the sun began to set. In one of the humble cabins below, there stood a girl with sad blue eyes, looking at the waters below.

Her golden locks, flying against the ocean breeze, her small and pinkish lips pursed.

Kenzie’s eyes fluttered while in deep thought. Her emotions were all over the place as she leaned against the railings. She cleared her throat before fishing for her phone from inside her jacket pocket. She could not help but check her messages, seeing how she had accumulated more than forty in just a day.

Brad: [Kenzie, Babe, I’m sorry. I did not mean to hurt you. Please come back. I’ll end things with Alyssa. I promise! It was a mistake.]

Brad: [Babe, can you please tell your father not to cancel my sponsorships? I swear I’ll be a good boyfriend from now on.]

Kenzie rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s, rather, ex-boyfriend’s plea. No matter how handsome he was, the truth was, he lied to her for the entirety of their relationship.

Just a week ago, she caught Brad in bed with a friend, a co-worker, Alyssa, inside his apartment bedroom. It was the biggest shock of her life, seeing two completely naked bodies on top of each other, moaning and groaning in pleasure!

‘What possible excuse could he give?’ She thought to herself. ‘Babe, we got drunk and things got out of hand. It was just a mistake.’

She would be utterly dumb to believe that!

No. The truth was, they have always been a couple, even before Brad had pursued her. The truth was, she was the third party in the relationship and she had no idea.

Kenzie recalled the very day that Brad came to one of her auditions. It would seem like a dream come true, but looking back, she realized, it had been planned all along; their meeting, the courtship, their kisses, and all the sweet moments were merely an act to keep her going and giving!

They took and took from her because she could give!

Feeling a tear roll down her face, Kenzie quickly wiped it with her fingers. She sniffed the pain away before resuming checking her other messages.

Lindsey: [Really, Kenzie? Leaving without a word? Disband? We have only just begun! How could you do this to us? Our dreams together! I thought we were friends?]

Tamara: [Kenzie, please come back. Whatever did we do wrong?]

Alyssa: [Kenzie, Brad and I are over. It was a mistake. I’m so sorry. Believe me.]

Collette: [Kenzie, why involve me in this? How could you do this to your friends? To us? To your dreams? Come back here and make this right! What have we ever done to your father to deserve this?]

“Friends, my ass.” A scoff left Kenzie’s lips, reading it all. If anything, Collette, her manager, was the brains of the scheme.

On the day she found out her boyfriend cheated on her with Alyssa, she stole his mobile and until this very day, no one knew it was in her possession. It was there where she saw the group chat. They were all in it; her manager, her boyfriend, and her so-called friends.

How could she ever forget what she had read? The discovery was completely heart-wrenching!

***FLASHBACK [GROUP CHAT MESSAGES]***

Collette: Brad, I think Kenzie is on her way to your apartment. You and Alyssa better not be fooling around or we will all be found out. We have all worked hard on this for so long.

Tamara: Cut them some slack, Collette. Alyssa and Brad had not been out together for so long. They miss each other. Kenzie has been clinging on to Brad for an entire month!

Lindsey: Tammy, why don’t you call Kenzie and invite her to hang out.

Tamara: No! I’m tired of smiling in front of her all day and listening to her perfect world. You invite her.

Collette: Tammy, you invite her! Lindsey did that last week. It’s your turn to put on an act.

*** END OF FLASHBACK***

That was just the first part of their group chat conversation. It had gone way back even the moment Kenzie had started working with the girls, the group whom she considered her sisters in arms. Tamara, Lindsey, and Alyssa were all faking it with her from the very start.

In the end, it was all just business to get what they want.

Why? What did she ever do to deserve such treatment? She had no idea. All she read about was them complaining about her perfect life.

Was it her fault? She can’t help it that her father loved her so to give her anything that she desired. Now, maybe that was not such a good idea after all. She did not realize how people can easily be jealous of how ideal her life seemed to be.

 “Enough of this, Kenzie. Remember why you are here on this wonderful two-week European cruise?” Kenzie told herself. “Yes, that is right! Get over this and find a man to love.”

She took a deep breath and corrected herself, “Or bounce back with.”

Yes, that is right! What Kenzie needed right now… is a rebound. ‘All is fair in love and war. In my case, heartbreak.’

“This is freedom. Experience life at its best.” She continued before glancing back again at her phone.

She saw how her parents have also attempted to call her, including her siblings. She knew they were all worried about her, but she felt this was necessary. She just had to get away and experience life on her own without her father’s help.

Kenzie did not realize it until now, but she had been too sheltered for far too long.

After the European cruise, Kenzie was determined to make it on her own in the city of London.

Checking the time, she looked back at her humble standard cabin and convinced herself, “Well, I better get ready. Tonight is the night.”

***

Finding a rebound proved to be more difficult than Kenzie thought. After all, she had standards. Not to mention how most of the men were taken on the cruise.

‘Of course. Most men are on their honeymoon!’ She silently cried. Kenzie had gone down from the poolside bar to the cruise ship’s exclusive bar.

With her gorgeous body, slender frame, and full-size breasts, all men’s eyes were on her, but she would not go with those who were clearly with their loved ones. No way. She wasn’t that kind of girl.

“Step one, leave the country. Done that. Step two, find a rebound. This is it, Kenzie. You have to make it happen.” She muttered while walking in her red dress. Her electric blue eyes scanned every corner of the establishment and finally, she spotted the right candidate.

“Bingo! Oh, yeah! Definitely my type!” She decided, nodding her head at the sight of the tall and handsome man, giving a similar vibe to that of her twin brother... at least from afar.

From where she stood, Kenzie could see how the man had been brushing away a beautiful brunette, saying that he was not interested in her. It looked to her like he needed saving, anyway.

She could only hope the man was not married or was not on a date, for she had decided the stranger would be “IT.”

Yep! Her rebound guy.

Flashing her amiable smile, Kenzie strolled thirstily toward a tall and personable stranger. She held onto his muscular arm and pulled his frame to face her. As soon as their eyes met, she said, “Hi there, sweetie, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

She envisioned several scenarios in her head, concluding how it would play, but the man’s reaction was not quite as she expected.

For a second, she witnessed the elegant man’s face in utter shock, but clear mischief quickly replaced it. With a smirk on his face, the man answered, “Well, if it isn’t my lovely wife. I knew you could not get out of bed after what we did last night.”

‘Wait. What? Last night? Wife?’ Before Kenzie could even counter, she felt arms around her waist, her body being pulled towards his magnificent built. In a split second, his lips crashed into hers, hungrily tasting her luscious rims.

‘Oh, my god! How shameless is this man?’ She silently screamed, her eyes beaming at the gorgeous lad while her knees weakened to his minty taste.

Her hands pressed against his solid chest and at the feel of his body, she could not help but declare in secret, ‘But he is so damn hot!’

Seconds into the kiss, the man finally pulled away. He pressed his lips against Kenzie’s ear and introduced himself, “Sweetheart, my name is Andrew. Remember that well, you’ll be screaming it later.”

With eyes widened, Kenzie’s mouth helplessly dropped open. She concluded, ‘Shameless!’