Peter had gone all-out for the evening. He had spent days preparing for the night’s dinner. He had chosen the best hotel with impeccable seats. The dishes also used exquisite ingredients ordered in advance with a famous chef hired to cook them. All of it was just in the hopes of leaving a good impression on Zayn.Since Peter suspected Zayn was possibly one of the Larsons, he was determined to get his support.Zayn was well aware of Peter’s plan and merely smiled, unfazed by it. He was actually quite happy to see so many celebrities. There were two renowned female performers that he had known of for a while. He had watched the movies they starred in and the songs they sang a few years ago.When he was living with the Carters, such people seemed unreachable to him, yet here they were fawning over him and dying to cling to him. It felt rather strange.“Here, sir, let me propose a toast to you!” Peter stood up with a wine glass.The ladies stood up to toast Zayn as well. He accepted i
The other female celebrities there, Annabelle included, got riled up, mentally cursing her for being a shameless b*tch.Wordlessly, Zayn responded with another faint smile. Seeing that, Amelia fidgeted, not knowing what his reaction meant.Right away, another starlet seized the chance. She picked up her glass and plopped herself on the seat next to Zayn, beaming at him. “Sir, here’s to health, success, and endless beautiful women around you. Cheers!”The starlet was a statuesque singer with the remarkable ability to belt out high notes. She was rather famous in the nation as well, having made some popular appearances on numerous talk shows recently. She was a little younger than Amelia and had a chaste look. She usually portrayed an innocent and guileless character on screen.Nonetheless, she was behaving quite aggressively and suggestively towards Zayn.As she walked over, Zayn had instantly picked up the scent of her fragrance. It tickled his heart when she was so close to him.
Annabelle was a proud woman. Her smooth sailing in the entertainment industry over the years had subconsciously shaped her stand-offish and conceited attitude. It was not until she met Zayn that she realized how average she was, not worthy of even a mention in front of true talent.The stark disparity was too much for her to take in so quickly.She knew that she must not wear an aggrieved expression under such circumstances, but she could not control her emotions and her eyes turned red in an instant. Unable to mask her feelings, she realized she would only embarrass herself if she stuck around.Annabelle stood up again, saying, “Excuse me, I need to use the washroom. Please go on without me.”Without waiting for Zayn to reply, she left straightaway. Her departure felt awkward to Peter, so he rushed to explain, “Sir, Annabelle’s a shy girl. Please, don’t mind her.”Zayn was a little surprised. He did not expect Annabelle to simply leave, and looking at her just now, she seemed aff
Zayn smiled without further explanation.More than ten minutes went by, but Annabelle had yet to return. One of the starlets noticed her absence and asked, “Hey, why’s Annabelle taking so long in the washroom? Is she alright?”Once she spoke up, the other ladies gave her accusatory glares for not minding her own business. They hoped Annabelle would never come back so they would not have another competitor to fight with!Aware of the situation, Zayn became suspicious and told Peter, “Mr. Kavinsky, do you want to call Miss Laking?”Peter nodded and did as he was told only for the line to keep ringing without an answer.“That’s odd. Why isn’t Annabelle picking up? She wouldn’t have passed out in the washroom, would she?” Peter muttered in confusion.Not long after, his phone rang. Annabelle had called back. When Peter answered it, he could hear her sobbing, frantic and helpless. “Sir, save me…”Peter was stunned. By the time he could bring himself to reply, the line was already cut
Something had happened to Annabelle.After she had left the room, she went to the washroom. The more she thought about what happened, the more she felt wronged. The issue was, she could not even understand why she was feeling that way. Zayn was not a friend of hers and a man like him would very commonly find himself surrounded by beautiful women.Nevertheless, she was unsettled by it. Since she was a child, no man ever ignored her like that, more so when she achieved stardom. Zayn’s indifference towards her was a huge blow to her ego. It would have been fine if Zayn was a nobody, but he was not—he was someone Annabelle had to respect and grovel to. She felt inexplicably dejected.Eventually, she cried about the perceived slight. Tearing up, she stayed in the washroom for a bit, wallowing in self-pity. When she finally recomposed herself, she felt ready to head back to the room.As she stepped out of the washroom, she was confronted by three men whose eyes flashed when they saw her,
Annabelle hoped Peter’s reputation would scare the men away, but they were not bothered in the least.“Let him wait then. Have a drink or two with me first.”“No, I don’t drink,” Annabelle said with a shake of her head and prepared to leave.The other man got annoyed and cursed right away, “F*ck! How dare you dismiss Miles like this? Are you f*cking asking to be killed? Do you know who he is?!”Annabelle was used to being put on a pedestal. The men she had met before were polite and deferent. She had never been berated like this before. About to explode in rage, her face fell as well. “I’m warning you to watch your language, or I’ll sue you for insulting me.”Her threat had only made the men laugh again as the man referred to as “Miles” said, “Alright, I don’t have much patience. Come drink with me and I’ll let you go. Otherwise, it won’t be as simple as just a drink.”Discerning the laced threat, Annabelle was distressed. She planned to turn and run, but they knew what she plann
“You don’t appreciate it when I’m being nice. You really think you’re worth my time, huh?!”With a loud bang, Miles slapped his palm on the table. He picked up a glass and threw its contents at Annabelle. The girl shuddered—her garments happened to be quite thin.Her eyes turned red. Since she had gotten famous, nobody ever treated her so savagely.Seeing Annabelle’s shapely figure through her drenched clothes, the numerous men in the room whistled suggestively while gawking at her. She could hear all sorts of crude and vulgar comments. Feeling extremely affronted, she cried, unable to hold it in.“Oh, she’s crying. How weak is that?! Hahaha!”“Haha, it gets interesting when they cry. I like watching women cry, especially the pretty ones.”“Sh*t, you like watching them cry too? Why are our hobbies the same?!”“Hey, hey, this is a superstar. She has millions of fans. Look at how sad she’s now, though?”“Of course. Take a look at Miles’ build. That’s certainly taking a toll on th
The noise took everyone in the room by surprise as their eyes immediately flew to the source. Miles had seized Annabelle and was going to take advantage of her, but he was stunned as well. He loosened his grip, allowing her to wrench herself away.She was petrified. In her state of panic, Peter and Zayn’s appearance was like a ray of hope cutting through the darkness to save her. She ran to them frantically, but in her haste, she tripped and fell forward. Her speed coupled with the heels she wore guaranteed a hard fall, one that would damage her face, so Annabelle yelped in horror.Just as she braced to hit the floor, her vision blurred. Zayn moved at an incredible speed and dashed to her in the blink of an eye. He wrapped an arm around her just in time. Slowing down with a twirl, he caught Annabelle securely in his arms and saved her.Unfortunately, as she struggled in fear, Annabelle shifted her position, resulting in Zayn’s arm coming into contact with her chest. It was awkward