Fenella’s POV
"Is that so? That's incredible, baby!"
"Yes!" He laughed.
My eyes widened, and a wide smile spread across my face. My expression mirrored Laird's, who also appeared delighted by this joyful news. We embraced tightly, and Laird even spontaneously lifted my body. He even spun us around for a moment with our enthusiastic laughter.
When Laird seemed to start coming down from his excitement, he gently set me back down. He was panting, his face flushed, and his lips curled into a joyful smile.
"Congratulations, honey," I whispered softly and then kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, hun. It's all thanks to you," he stroked my cheek with his thumb.
Fenella’s POV"Hello, Jessy."I picked up the call from my agent. Yes, up until now, he was still my agent, and I still had to answer his calls. He was still my friend because we had made amends, and I had forgiven him for the incident in Mexico.In the end, I swallowed my pride and became a good friend to him again. He was struggling with his relationship with Mike. Honestly, I couldn't bear to leave him when he needed my help."Fenella, forgive me." His voice was hoarse, and he sounded like he had been crying.Oh no. What's happening now?"What's wrong, Jessy?" I asked, furrowing my brow."It's an emergency. It's a mess, and you were right; it's all my fault," Jessy whimpered with tears in between his words."Jessy, what is it? Tell me." I knew this would be terrible news.I sat on the sofa, preparing for all the bad news that was about to hit me this time. My heart was pounding fast, and Jessy slowly stopped crying. I sat up straight, sharpening my ears."Alan said you had submitte
Fenella’s POV"Is this how you treat me? You said you would protect me."I barged into Alan’s office first thing in the morning. My steps thudded, and I nearly slammed his desk if I hadn’t restrained myself. Jessy stood behind me, trembling with fear.“Good morning, Fenella. Tea?” Alan asked with a smile, raising his teacup.“Cut the act.” I scowled and glared at him.“I’m just acting normal, as usual. It’s you who’ve been out of control lately,” he shrugged and sipped his tea casually.“Why did you have to mess up my life and career?”“No, Fenella. You’ve messed up your own life and career. I’m actually trying to save you from ruin,” he said, setting his teacup back on the desk.“Oh, right, you’ve cornered me into a dirty project I can’t avoid. Thanks for trapping me,” I hissed, leaning over the desk and propping my hands on it.“Hey, you’re the one who signed the contract, not me. No one forced you to sign it, did they? Did I kidnap you and threaten to cut off your pinky if you didn
Fenella’s POV“Do you have her manager's number?” Jessy walked quickly beside me, matching my pace.“Yes. I sent him a message and asked for a meeting with Mallory,” I replied as we hurried to my red car.“When did you get his number?”“At the after-party, he gave me his number and invited me to meet him at the bar in New York.”“Ah ha! Was he handsome?” Jessy’s face lit up, and I snorted.“That’s not important.”We both quickly got into the car. Jessy, at the wheel, started the engine while I opened the navigation app to find directions.“We need to catch Mallory at her studio. Her manager said they’ll be heading to the airport for an international trip in half an hour. The studio is about a twenty-minute drive, so we have only a little time.”“Okay, step on it!” He squealed.Jessy immediately took the road at an alarming speed. Other cars behind us honked loudly, but he didn’t care.“Whoah!” I exclaimed, gripping my seatbelt tightly.“I can cut the time down to fifteen minutes!” He
Fenella’s POV"I don't want to give up," I said on the sofa."Yes, I know," Jessy whispered softly.Although I said that I wouldn't give up and that I would fight to avoid the project, my current body posture was not convincing at all, not even to a child. I sat on the sofa with both knees bent to my chest. My hands caressed my toes, while my chin rested on my knees.Honestly, I wish I had the strength to turn back time. Everything that happened in my life was misfortune that I wished I could avoid. In reality, regrets came too late. I had already put my signature on those damned contracts.Jessy himself sat beside me. He massaged his forehead and admitted to having a severe migraine despite taking a painkiller. Everything worsened because now Mike asked for a break from their relationship."I still don't understand what he means by taking a break from the relationship. What do you think it means?" I asked Jessy with a furrowed brow."Oof, I wish I knew. Maybe he wants to keep his dis
Laird’s POVI visited a small office in one of the office building rows at the edge of Brooklyn. The office building had three floors and was divided into several small offices. I walked up the stairs of the old building to the top floor.One of the offices had a rusted door and dirty glass covered by yellowed blinds. "Private Investigator: Matthew Logan" was written on a white nameplate with blue lettering next to the door.I knocked on the door and entered without much greeting or pleasantries. As I entered, a man with black hair immediately lowered the newspaper he had been reading onto the desk.“Ah, Laird!”“Hey, Matthew,” I said as I sat on one of the shabby sofas with cracked and torn leather on the edges.“On time. I just finished reading the lottery announcement in the newspaper.”“Did you get it?”“Not yet. I guess I still need time to map out the counter with the highest winning odds,” he sighed deeply and sat down on the same worn-out sofa in front of me.“Certainly, that
Fenella’s POVShooting this condom commercial was my last project this year before we go on winter break. After this, we can move on quickly, finish other projects at the beginning of the year, and then I can be free from Gene. So, I just had to endure for a little while."Fenella, welcome," Alan said, stretching out his arms as if to hug me when he saw me entering the meeting room. I didn't pay attention to him, of course."Hey, Alan," Jessy greeted him.I remained silent, not responding to his greeting. I still didn't want to talk to him, thinking he deserved to get my cold shoulder. Besides, whether I was friendly to him or not, I still had to finish this darn project."You're not saying hi to me?" he playfully asked me again.I persisted in walking away from him, entering the meeting room. The three of us were going to meet with the director and the producer for the shooting preparations. But before I could even sit down and wait for them, Alan grabbed my arm tightly."What the—”
Fenella’s POVSeveral days after our meeting, I was already sitting in the makeup chair in front of the mirror. Wearing a long-sleeved black knit sweater and jeans, I looked like an ordinary woman. Indeed, that was the concept of today's ad: just a couple going shopping to prepare for a winter vacation abroad."Okay, all set," the makeup artist said to me after doing my face with neutral tones."Thank you," I replied softly with a small smile.She then left to report to the director. I sighed and waited in my makeup chair, looking at my phone. There was a text message from Laird, and I read it immediately.‘Hey. Has the shooting started yet?’Since yesterday, he has sent me multiple messages and called me several times. I knew he was trying to restrain himself from being jealous, but the tone and anxiety in his voice couldn't lie.Laird and I decided not to inform him about the shooting details because we believed Laird might go crazy hearing the detailed story behind the scenes. Besi
Fenella’s POVAlan and I approached the director again as she gave instructions for the second scene. We both wore the white satin robes provided by our makeup artist. Now, our hair was styled slightly more tousled than in the previous scene."Okay, Fenella. I want you to stay calm and relaxed. The concept is that you are choosing a condom as if you were choosing a shirt that fits Alan because condoms can be considered a daily necessity for a couple like you, right?""Yes." I nodded softly."Stay calm and relaxed, okay? You are choosing a shirt," Martha repeatedly indoctrinated me to not be nervous."Okay," I said, portraying a calm face."Alright, let's get ready!" The assistant director issued the command through the megaphone.Alan and I opened our satin robes and handed them to Jessy. The first time we saw each other's outfits, my heart beat faster. Alan was not wearing any clothing except for a skin-toned thong. I saw Alan also look surprised, his eyes widening as he looked at me