Riele tried her best to convince Kim Huxley that Kim Utter was a bad figure for the company, but he didn't pay attention to her.
"Do as you are told, young lady!" He glanced through the files in his hand.
Riele had been battling with Mr. Handsome, trying to get him to change his mind, but every word she said went into one ear and came out of the other. "There are other models out there, why not choose among them? why does it have to be Utter?"
"The same reason why it has to be you." Kim walked up to her. Riele stared into his eyes. There was no way she was going to back down so easily.
"Was he voted in or is this just an irrational decision made by you?"
"Do you think I make decisions without thinking it through?"
"Obviously," Riele muttered.
Kim sighed as he went back to his desk. "Get me the model I want Riele and we are not debating on this issue."
"But..."
He lifted his hand to shun her. "Also, I need a beautiful female model. You should find the right one," he told her without looking at her. Even though he wasn't looking at her, he could tell she was still there. "Do you want to get fired? Believe me, nothing will give me greater joy than to send you out of here."
Riele didn't need to be told twice. She rolled her eyes at him before leaving his office.
**++**
"It's fine, Riele. You've done your part," Charlotte told her as they walked home.
Riele shook her head. "This is all messed up. Why is he so adamant?" She asked. "All he cares about is what he says, what he wants...nothing else matters. Is this the kind of person I am going to be working with?"
Charlotte giggled. "Just take it easy. He seems like a good guy to me."
"Every hot guy is a good guy to you Charlotte."
"Well, it is not my fault they are hot." They arrived at Charlotte's house. "Where are you going to find him?" she asked.
"Don't worry about it. I have my ways."
Charlotte looked at her friend closely. "Are you part of a secret agent?" She asked.
"Something more," Riele joked as they both laughed.
"About the beautiful female model, I know just the person," she told Riele.
"Who?" Riele asked.
"It's a secret mission."
"Nice." Riele smiled. "So I will get Kim Utter and you will get the mysterious female model."
"Right!"
"See you tomorrow then."Riele hugged Charlotte as they said their goodbyes.
That same evening, Riele decided to search through the net for some information about Kim Utter.
He was a celebrity so definitely, the net would have every information about him. She clicked on the news that was talking about 'KIM UTTER'S FAVORITE HIDEOUT'. She read the news and found out that he visits mostly the clubs, but he has been found in this particular clubhouse, "Oak". Riele muttered as she checked the direction map."435 W 17th St, New York."
After getting all the information she needed, she boarded a taxi and went straight to Oak. She wasn't a fan of parties. but she had no choice.
Arriving at Oak, she saw different scenes; people smooching, kissing, getting laid, drunk, dancing, and other despicable acts. Riele couldn't remember the last time she came to places like this. "Let's ignore everything we are seeing and focus on what we are here for."
She tried to endure the smell of Cigarettes and marijuana that penetrated her two nostrils.
She glanced around looking for the young man, but he was nowhere in sight. "Maybe he is upstairs."
Riele decided to go upstairs to check it out. The sight she saw upstairs was even worse than the scenes she saw downstairs. She covered her pure naked eyes, walking past the scene. "I can't find Kim Utter at this rate, I need to ask someone."
"Did you just say, Kim Utter?" She heard a voice ask as she turned to look at who the person is.
"Madison?" She called in shock. Riele looked at her from head to toe, she was dressed as a stripper. "I am so surprised to see you here. What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like?" She asked. "What are you doing here?" She passed a drink to Riele, but she refused.
"I am here to see Utter, any sign of him?" She asked.
"Kim Utter?" Riele nodded. "I saw him a few minutes ago with a girl and I think they entered a room, but I have no idea what the room number is."
Riele was happy. "Maybe it's not a bad idea you are here," she thanked Madison who smiled at her before leaving. "We know what he is doing, but we don't know exactly where he is. Acording to the information given, he is in one of these rooms which means, we are going to have to search each room," she reminded herself. "Get ready eyes! You are going to see a lot tonight."
She touched her eyes as she mustered up the courage to start her mission.
She moved to the first door kicking it open, but it was empty. "Phew!" she sighed.
She moved to the next three doors and the rooms were empty. "Is Madison sure?"
She had searched ten rooms. Seven were empty and the three were filled with people that weren't Utter.
She was about to give up when she heard a crash downstairs.
She peeped down to see what was going on and there she found Kim Utter fighting with a girl or guy.
Riele was confused about the image of the person Utter was fighting with, so she decided to go down to get a look.
"You impersonated yourself as a lady to get my money!' Utter screamed at the girl-boy.
The boy was quiet. Utter gave him a punch on his cheek. This made the boy to crash the bottles on the table at the back of him.
He moved closer and pulled the boy by his neck before he could do anything, the police siren could be heard from outside.
Riele didn't know when someone pulled her out of the scene into somewhere dark. She tried to struggle but she couldn't.
"Shh!"
She didn't know who the person was because they were in a dark room. She tried wriggling herself out of his grip but he held her tight. "Be quiet, will you?"
Riele could hear screams and shout from the club and she could also hear the police's husky voice dragging some people that were caught away.
A few minutes later, the club became so quiet like a graveyard and that was to show that everyone had gone except them of course.
Riele didn't wait, she opened the door, came out, and breathe a sigh of relief.
"There's another one inside."
Riele heard someone say. She didn't need to be told it was a policeman.
The guy who saved her life had a cap and a nose mask on so Riele couldn't tell who he was.
The guy held her hand and ran out of the club through the back door.
The policeman followed after them as he called his colleagues to join in the chase.
The guy ran so fast that Riele had to try to keep up with him. "Hold on tight!" she heard him say as he held her by the waist and carried her straight on his motorcycle.
He removed his cap and wore his helmet and looked at Riele whose eyes were closed tightly, a smile crossed his lips. He saw that the cops were catching up to them, so he started the engine.
"You need to do better than that," he told her, but Riele had no idea what he was talking about. He zoomed off in a flash and Riele didn't need to be told, she held him tight.
After a few rides of avoiding the police, the motorcycle came to a halt. He carried Riele down, but before Riele could say anything, the guy started his engine and took off.
She was stunned and frightened at the same time. She couldn't complete the operation and she didn't know if Utter was arrested or not.
Thank goodness her knight in shining armor came at the right time.
She looked at the area she was and nowhere looked familiar. She checked her g****e map to see where she was. After much observation, she saw it would be easy to board a bus home.
"I hope Charlotte had better luck than me," she said.
A bus stopped in front of her and she entered, but the event of tonight kept playing in her head.
The phone ringing loudly woke Riele. She checked the caller and it was Charlotte. She glance at the clock, it was 9 am. She didn't need to be told what to do. She took her bath and came out in less than ten minutes. She searched for a gown to wear and she picked a flowery sleeveless gown. She wore her heels to go with it. She had to board a taxi to get to work because she knew the bus had left and she had to find her way to work. "I guess I was exhausted after last night," she told herself when Charlotte called again. She picked up the call and the voice that welcomed her was Charlotte screaming her name and asking her where she is. "I will be right there, it will just take a second," Riele explained. "A second uh? Well, just for your information, Mr. Handsome is angry. So I will advise you to start preparing the speech you are going to give to him," Charlotte warned. "Thanks, girlfriend." She hung up as she thought of the speech to give Kim. ****++**** "So you are saying it's
Jay entered the office with Charlotte in front of her. "Jay!" Kim greeted him with a hug. "Bro!" Jay hugged him back. "Madison, you can leave with Charlotte." Kim ordered as the girls left the office. "I'm so glad you're here," he said. Jay sat on the seat in front of him while Kim stood beside him. "Did anything happen?" Jay asked. "Nothing really. I just need you to do something for me." Jay knew him too well to know he was about to ask him to do something crazy. "Which is?" "I need you to be my male model." He looked at Kim before bursting into laughter. Jay was twenty-three years old. He was born and brought up in Texas and before he came to New York to join the boyband, he was a model and that was why Kim chose him. "Are you crazy?" Jay asked. "Please, Jay." Kim pleaded, but Jay didn't listen to him. "Please?" He pouted. "I don't want to." Jay folded his arms and glared at Kim. "Really?" He asked staring at Jay in disbelief. "Yes," Jay answered bluntly. "I promise
Riele and Charlotte had finished what they needed to do and were heading to Kim's office when Jay approached Riele. He grabbed her hand and Riele had to stop. She turned to look at who dared to touch her without her permission and to her greatest surprise, she saw it was Jay.Charlotte was shocked. "Um... I'll be in the office while you join me later". Riele nodded. Charlotte went to the office leaving Riele with Jay. Immediately after she left, Jay left Riele's hand."Isn't there anything I can help you with?". Riele asked politely.Jay stared at her for a while before replying. "Yes... actually, I need your help".Riele didn't want to seem rude because he was cute and he's the model her boss volunteered. She folded her arms staring at him to state what he needs her to do for him."I am new to this whole modeling thing so I was wondering if you could tutor me". He lied.Riele couldn't believe her eyes neither could she believe her ears. She knows she is in charge of the models but tu
Jay led Riele into one of the coffee shops. He was so protective of her to the point that Riele started to think maybe they were on a date. "This isn't a date". Jay said before waving his hands to the waitress. Riele scoffed. "I never thought it was". She lied. "Really?" Jay asked staring at her in doubt. "'Cos it's written all over your face if you ask me". "Hello. It's nice to have you both here today. What would you like to have?". The waitress asked with a broad smile on her face. "I need something cold". Jay looked at the book menu. "What do you suggest?" "We'll like two ice americano please". Riele smiled at the waitress who nodded with a smile before leaving. "Why americano?" Jay asked. "You asked for something cold, well that has ice in it, that's why it's called ice americano, just the drink you need." Riele explained. The waitress brought their orders and set them on the table in front of them. "Is that all?" "We'll let you know if we need anything else". Jay answer
Charlotte was restless. She had been worried sick about Riele.A knock was heard on the door and Charlotte rushed to open the door. She pulled Riele in as she shut the door. "Start talking". She commanded with her arms folded across her chest."After the outburst in his office, Jay offered to take me somewhere so we could talk"."So you could talk?? About what?"Riele remembered that they didn't even talk about the modeling stuff anymore. "um... about... um...". Charlotte was glaring at her friend with folded arms waiting for the lies to just leave Riele's mouth. "...He asked me to tutor him about modeling".Charlotte looked at her friend trying to see if she was lying but Riele kept a straight face. So she believed her because she could tell when she was lying."Why didn't you pick up my call then?". She asked."I didn't know my phone rang. It was on silent". Riele explained."Do you know how worried I was? I thought something bad had happened to you or Maybe Jay kidnapped you and di
Jay went home feeling a bit worried about the whole thing. He wasn't sure if he was making the right choice or the wrong one. He was still busy with his thoughts when Kim appeared in front of him."What are you thinking about?." Kim asked."uh?".Kim folded his arms while looking at Jay. Ignoring him, Jay went to his room but Kim followed after him."Where have you been?"."Out". He replied bluntly."To where and with whom?". Jay was confused."Since when do you become so engrossed in my life; what I do and where I go?" Jay asked."You went out with Riele, didn't you?""Are you interrogating me right now?". He looked at Kim while waiting for an answer but he was silent. "Wow!". Jay said in surprise as he tried to walk out on him but Kim grabbed his hand and pulled him back.Jay smiled. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if peradventure you have a thing or two for this girl"."What are you saying?".Jay shrugged."She is my assistant"."Ex". Jay corrected."What?"."She is your Ex-Assis
Kim arrived at the company the following day but was surprised when his assistant, Charlotte didn't attend to him. He went to her desk and he saw Riele busy with her laptop. "Where is Charlotte?" He asked."She isn't feeling too well, so she decided to take the day off.""Why didn't she tell me that?""She did but you refused.""No, she told me she needs a day off and when I asked why she didn't reply.""I don't blame her if she didn't tell you.""Excuse me."Riele gave him a fake smile and said, "If there is anything you'd like me to help you with, don't hesitate to ask me."Kim ignored her and left. Riele didn't understand how she could hate someone in just a couple of weeks. She went back to her laptop when she noticed a figure staring at her. She looked up and saw it was Jay with his bunny smile standing in front of her. Riele couldn't help but smile back."Sorry I left quite early, it was urgent.""I know," Jay replied. He looked and was surprised to see Charlotte's seat was empt
The site was decorated with flowers and balloons, it looked like a wedding ceremony just that the couples weren't dressed in their wedding attires. They wore a touch of red and white dresses making it look like it was valentine's day. Riele couldn't deny that Jay and Madison looked good together. She didn't understand why Madison would be interested in getting Kim when Jay was right there in front of her. She figured that she was spending more time thinking than focusing so she cleared her head and focused more on the shoot. "The next pose, I want you guys to look at each other and pretend like you want to kiss each other." The photographer directed. Jay glanced a little at Riele and when she caught sight of him, she wondered why he was glancing at her. "Jay, I need you to concentrate, look at your partner and try to kiss her." It's just a pretending kiss, it's not like you are even going to kiss her. Jay said to himself as he did the pose and when the photographer took the picture
Utter sat in his dimly lit apartment, a devious smile spreading across his face as he dialed Kim's office number. After a few rings, the line was picked up."Kim's office. Who's this?" came the curt voice of Kim's assistant, Amanda.”"It's Utter," he drawled, his voice dripping with confidence. "Tell Kim I need to speak with him. It's urgent."The assistant hesitated for a moment, but then complied with Utter's request. "Please hold," she said, placing him on hold. “Um, Miss Jane, can you please get Mr. Kim?” Amanda politely asked Jane who was standing in a corner.“What's wrong?”“It's one of our ex-models…”“Put him on loudspeaker,” Jane cut in before Amanda could finish her sentence.Amanda did as she was told.After what felt like an eternity, Utter was furious. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the other side of the call, but it wasn't Kim who picked up the phone."Utter, how may we help you?" Jane's voice was sharp, cold as ice.Utter's smirk only widened. "And you are?" “My name
The next day, Jay came into the office with Jane next to him. When Jane walked into the office, everyone noticed her right away.You could really feel how cool and confident she was as she smoothly walked across the room. She stood out and caught everyone's eye, looking around as she walked over to Kim.Kim looked surprised for a second, then quickly changed to a small smile. "Jane, it's nice to see you," he said, his voice suggesting there was more to his words."You too, Kim," Jane said with a smile, sounding calm and relaxed. "I'm here to participate in the contest."The room felt heavy with things left unsaid as the four of them started working. Jay felt the strong discomfort in the atmosphere and tried to ease the tension by speaking up."Jane has a lot of experience and keeps her amazing body," he said in a calm but strong voice. "She's just right for this competition. "Riele stayed calm and watched the conversations with a lack of strong feelings. Kim looked calm, but you could
Jay sat alone in his apartment, deep in thought. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Riele and the bet he'd made. His heart still ached at the thought of losing her, but he was determined to do the right thing for his friend.With a sigh, he pushed these thoughts aside and focused on the more pressing matter at hand: finding a female model for the competition. He knew that Kim's success in the competition depended on this.Jay decided to hit the bars in search of potential models.As he sipped his drink, his eyes scanned the bar for anyone who might fit the bill. Suddenly, he spotted a woman sitting alone at the bar. She had a striking look with her dark hair and piercing eyes.He decided to approach her. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice you over here. I'm actually looking for someone for a modeling gig, and I think you'd be perfect."The woman raised an eyebrow and studied him for a moment. "A modeling gig, huh? What kind of gig are we talking about?""A fashion competition.As
Charlotte had to walk Harry home before going back to her own house. On the way, she met Madison and Utter talking and laughing. She greeted Madison but ignored Utter. “Hi, Maddy,” she greeted with a smile. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” “I was fired.” “What?” She nodded and went on to tell what happened, but she hid the part where she slapped Riele. “I pleaded with him to forgive me, but he was adamant,” she shrugged. “I don’t think that makes any sense.” Charlotte thought about the whole scenario, but they didn’t make any sense to her. “Why would Kim behave so irrationally?” Madison shrugged. “I see you are doing pretty well.” She smiled and nodded. “Yes, I am.” “Who’s the father?” Madison asked, without a second thought. “Um…” she bit her lips and glanced at Utter, who was waiting for her response. “Is your child a bastard?” Madison whispered. “No, he is not. I just can’t tell you who the father is.” She patted Madison’s shoulder and left. Madison couldn’t believe what had
Riele had no idea what to reply to him. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or if he was pulling her legs.“I promise that I won’t hurt your feelings, Riele.”“Um…Kim, I don’t think we should…” She tried to leave, but he held her hand and pulled her closer to him. He lifted her chin so she could look at him.“I love you, Riele. I know we started on the wrong foot, but believe me, it made me realize that I love you.”“Kim…I can’t…” he placed his index finger on her lips, shushing her.Riele had no choice, but to remain silent and listen to his confession.“Give me a chance, that’s all I am asking for.”“Kim…”“Don’t turn me down without knowing my true intentions, Riele.”“I…”“Do you love me?”“I…” She bowed her head. She didn’t want him to see her tearing up, but he did before she could hide it.He lifted her chin and saw her teardrops. He pulled her face closer and kissed her eyes. “I don’t want to make you cry, and I never want to see you cry.”“Kim…”“Do you love me?”She nodded s
At midnight, Kim took his phone and sent a text message to Riele. “Where are you now?”“I thought you worked after seeing your mom.”“Is everything okay with your mom?”“I’d appreciate it if you would reply to my text messages.”He dropped his phone close to his bed hoping to hear a beep or something, but there was no notification at all. “Are you home now?” he heard Jay asked on the phone. “Is everything okay with you? Do you feel fine?”Jay entered the room where Kim was and sat on the bed. “Does that mean I will see you tomorrow?”After a few seconds, he looked at Kim who was looking at him back before looking away. “I am sure he wouldn’t mind.”No one needed to tell Kim who Jay was on the phone with. He folded his arms and listened to their conversations. “Okay, I will see you tomorrow then.”“How is Charlotte?”“Okay. I have to go now. Bye.”He hung up and dropped his phone on the shelf beside the bed. He was about to lie down his head when Kim stopped him. “How is she?”“W
Upon arriving at Charlotte's place, Harry was greeted by the happy sight of the pregnant lady. "It's great to see you, Harry," she smiled at him. "I'm glad to be here after you bribed me with such a delicious meal," he replied. "Oh, so she told you?" Charlotte asked. Harry shook his head. "I found out." Charlotte smiled and gestured for him to sit down while she prepared something for him to eat. "I made pasta, but I don't know if you'll like it." "As long as it's edible, I'm good with anything you cook," he replied. Charlotte served him his food and asked, "Lemon juice or orange juice?" "Lemon juice is fine, thank you." She poured him a glass from the fridge. "When is the baby due?" "Three months from now, and you'll have a younger brother," she replied. "Cool!" Harry exclaimed. "The food is ready, let's eat," Charlotte said, and they sat down to enjoy their meal. "What do you think of Kim?" Harry asked. "Kim? My boss?" Charlotte wondered. "Yes, I want him for my sister,
When Kim arrived at work, his colleagues were surprised by the sadness on his face. "I'm sorry, everyone. The meeting is postponed. I'll inform you of the new date," he said before retreating to his office without waiting for any comments.Madison approached Jay to ask what was wrong, but he didn't know. "This morning, I saw him driving to catch up with Riele," she whispered."Did Riele come to work?" Jay inquired.Madison shook her head. "She left in a hurry. I think something must have happened for her to leave like that."Jay was concerned and planned to speak with Riele after work. With the new information from Madison, he decided to call her. "Thank you," he told Madison before making the call.He called Riele several times, but she didn't answer. He was about to enter the office when he received a call from her. Her voice was soft and sad, and he could tell something was wrong. "Hey, Sugar, what's wrong? Why do you sound so sad?" he asked."I'm going through a lot right now. I'm
Riele was running so she could get to the hospital in time. She had no idea why she didn't board a taxi instead of running. She was happy and a great joy filled her heart as she thought about the text she received from the doctor. Her thought was disturbed by the continuous beeping of a car. She was getting irritated because she felt the beeping was directed toward but she was on the sidewalk and not the road, so why the beeping? She asked herself and then she turned only to find a Rolls-Royce Phantom driving in her direction and the moment she stopped, the car stopped and the driver rolled down the window and she saw it was her boss. She was shocked that all she could do was stare at him in bewilderment. Why was he here? Questions that couldn't be answered just by asking herself were raging in her mind. She was appalled when she saw him get out of his vehicle and approached her. She was immobile till he stood in front of her. Riele was dumbstruck. "Mr. Kim, what are you doin