Isabel ran out of the hotel just as Roland parked in front of the entrance. Drops of rain pattered endlessly against the ground. Isabel shielded the top of her head with her palms and jogged toward Roland’s car. The door was promptly flung open, and out came the tall, striking figure of the man she had been waiting for. He emerged with an umbrella in hand. He was just about to open it when Isabel sprang in front of him. He habitually put his arms around her. Isabel looked up at him. "What took you so long?” Her face was washed with rain. She could barely keep her eyes open. Although there was a stern, questioning tone in her voice, there was also a clear tint of joy underneath. Roland grimaced faintly. He opened the umbrella and held it over Isabel to shield her from the rain, then he told her, “Something came up and took up my time.” Something came up? "What happened?” she asked hastily while looking at him worriedly. “It’s fine, it's just—“ He seemed he
They went at it until it was nearing midnight. Roland must have been missing her greatly after having not seen her for several days as he was all over her. It was only after Isabel remarked that she had more scenes to shoot tomorrow morning and pleaded for him to show mercy on her that he finally released her. The moment he released her, she felt herself deflating like a balloon and promptly fell asleep. The bedroom was dimly lit. Roland hugged her tenderly and looked at her rosy cheeks, still red from their activity. It did not seem like he was going to sleep anytime soon. … Dawn came. Isabel was awakened by Carla knocking on the door. She woke up and saw Roland lying on his side next to her with one of his arms propping himself up sideways. He was staring at her. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I have to go to work. Get yourself some breakfast." Roland sat on the bed and watched her without a word. Isabel was not in the habit of showing up
Isabel still had a couple of scenes to shoot today. After finally filling her stomach, she went over the script a few more times before heading back to the set. Time flew by. It was late afternoon in the blink of an eye, and they were already shooting the final scene for the day. During the break, she went to join Roland in the same spot and informed him, "There’s only one last scene left. We can go back to the hotel after that.” She already told him he could head back after they had their breakfast, but he refused and stuck around until now. Roland smiled faintly. “Sure.” Isabel grabbed some water to drink, then she touched up her makeup before getting ready for the scene. “Action!” the director called out. Isabel and another male actor who was also part of the scene geared themselves up for their monologue. They were shooting a scene of the final breakup between the characters. The heroine played by Isabel wanted to leave, but the male protagonist would not
Isabel slapped some makeup remover on her face. Then, she gently massaged the makeup remover over her face before rinsing it off. With that, she was her usual self again. Now that that was done, she craned her face up toward Roland and said with her eyes closed, “Go on.” She wanted to see how he would go about cleaning this supposed stain on her forehead. Soon, she could hear the sound of water flowing. After a while, she felt a warm and wet towel placed against her forehead. Roland began rubbing her forehead, specifically the very spot where he saw the male lead previously kissing her. He rubbed at that spot repeatedly. After rubbing it a dozen times, Isabel could not take it anymore. She opened her eyes and shot him a look. "Are you trying to dent my forehead?” Roland seemed surprised by this. "Does it hurt?" While it was not to the point of hurting, it was certainly a little excessive. She told him, "It doesn't hurt, but I think it’s clean enough alread
At Astral Restaurant, a five-star restaurant built on the top of a mountain in Westchester. During the day, the restaurant would be clouded in a thick layer of mist. At night, the patrons had a clear view of the city basked in a cluster of lights. This was a premium place for dining, reserved only for the wealthy. Decker was driven to the foot of the mountain. After he stepped out of the car, he was escorted by one of the staff to a special passage that soon brought him to an elevator that went up to the restaurant. Carter Corporation was hosting a dinner tonight for its business partners. Decker arrived with a friend he recently made in Westchester. Being the heir of the Rockwells in Southboro, he was someone of significant status, so it was no surprise that the invitation was extended to him once his friend found out about his background. A beautiful platform, which surface was crystallized marble, was erected over the top of the mountain. Luminous lights were lined
The friend Decker came here with had regular business dealings with Carter Corporation and was considered one of their more respected business partners. It was out of consideration for his status that he and Decker were seated in an esteemed seat at the table right next to Odell’s. One of the senior executives was put in charge of hosting everyone and promptly addressed everyone with a brief speech. After everyone was invited to sit, the dinner commenced. Decker picked up the cutlery gracefully, minding his manners all the while. He waited until all of the noteworthy men had given toast to Odell before raising the glass himself and motioning politely in Odell’s direction. “President Carter, it is a great honor to have met you here. Let me give you a toast.” Odell looked at him rather cordially. “You are very kind, President Rockwell.” Decker downed the glass of wine. Odell raised his glass and took a humble sip from it. Decker sat back in his chair after that. W
“Of course, we wouldn’t know about Mr. Roland’s private affairs.” “Who is this celebrity Mr. Roland has been dating?” They were quite curious about who the revered Roland's girlfriend could be. Decker was more than happy to quell their curiosity, "She’s one of the most famous actresses right now, and I’m sure you all have heard of her.” "Who is it?" “President Rockwell, quit teasing us. Out with it already!” They urged him on. Decker announced her name at last, “Isabel Ross.” "Oh… Isabel!” "She's certainly very famous. I wasn’t expecting someone like Mr. Roland to end up with a celebrity though. I assumed he would have a different taste.” “Well, men love beautiful women, don’t they? Isabel Ross sure is a knockout. I would date her too if given the chance, but then again I have a wife now, so she’s off-limits to me.” Everyone continued to joke and gossip about the tantalizing subject. None of them noticed Odell whose expression had turned ominously dar
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief after Odell left, save for Decker who put on an innocent look and pretended to be surprised. “Was it something I said?” The remaining executive assured him, “Don’t worry about it. President Carter has something important he needs to attend to urgently.” Deep down, he was muttering curses at Decker. ‘Keep your mouth shut, you fool!’ Decker snuck another glance at the elevator where Odell had vanished and grinned smugly. … At Isabel’s hotel in Glanchester, things calmed down in the bedroom at last. Isabel lay like a plank on the bed and was too tired to move. Roland pulled her into his arms and let her rest against his shoulder. Upon noting the content expression on the man’s face, Isabel shot him a playful glare. Roland grinned before reaching lapping his arms around her neck and gently massaging her neck. He applied just the right amount of pressure, so it did not hurt. It was even quite comfortable. Isabel lay silently and