Chapter 5
Julie Kingsley strode outside, her high heels clicking against the concrete. Her Chanel gown dazzled brightly against the darkening sky, the thick makeup that was plastered on her skin emphasized the gold flecks in her eyes. The guard inclined his head towards the young lady and flashed his best smile. Julie's eyes searched the entrance as she tried to see if it was the person that she was anxiously hoping to meet.
The guard courteously replied, "It was just some random person, miss."
Julie's excited expression fell. She had expected Victor Reynolds to arrive at her father's birthday party tonight but he hadn't come. Just why wouldn't he pay her any attention? She was the top actress in the industry and was also currently listed as the most desired woman in the country. With a heavy heart, Julie turned around and walked back inside the mansion. She hadn't even noticed the pair of eyes that were watching her.
Janet stared hard at Julie's retreating back. Her face contorted in disgust at the impact of the complicated emotions that were swirling in her gut. She didn't expect to run into her the moment she arrived at the front door. A self mocking smile formed on her lips and she turned away to walk back down the darkened driveway. The guard glanced over his shoulder but shrugged it off when he no longer saw Janet's figure.
Janet snuck back into her apartment, flopped down onto the couch, and tried to rest. But her mind flashed back to the moment when Victor had proposed to her. Immediately, her cheeks began to heat up. She shook her head repeatedly like a rattle and tried to forget the whole episode.
"Focus! Focus, Janet! You must become the movie queen and become the top most powerful woman of M country."
Janet sent up a silent prayer as she switched on the TV. Surely something else had happened to over shadow yesterday's news, right? Nope! There it was, the scandal of her presumably sleeping with her fifty year old director. Why the hell was it still airing all over the entertainment channel? Her face completely paled as she saw her director appear on the screen and with a forlorn expression.
"I didn't sleep with her! She forced herself onto me. You know how cheap minded these low classed actresses are!"
Janet cursed before throwing away the remote.
Jerk! I have to do something or else I am completely doomed!
With this in mind, she went to look for her laptop and began to dig for information. She had to find something, anything that would get that old creep to back off.
***
The light inside the hospital room was still on and even though it was almost dawn, the patient wasn't sleeping. Inside the room, Mr. Zaid was standing nervously to the side of the bed. His boss's face was void of any emotion as his blue eyes scanned through the documents. He had given up on ever trying to guess what was his running through employer's his mind ages ago. Zaid had gathered as much information as he could but it wasn't a lot. Apart from her social life, there wasn't anything to go on with regards to her personal life—especially about her family.
Finally finding the courage to open his mouth, Zaid inquired, "President…Did this girl offend you somehow? You don't have to feel so impatient. She is just a mere actress and can easily be taken care of."
Victor hummed in thought as he continued to rifle through the papers. Surprise flashed in Zaid's eyes. Never in his life would he have expected a D-listed actress to offend the biggest and richest tycoon in the country.
Angered, he frowned harder and asked, "How dare she?! What did she do, president? Just tell me! I'll make her life a living hell."
Victor didn't instantly respond and closed the folder with a gloomy expression. Things had turned out pretty bad. She was constantly being abused by others for being powerless. Without any solid backing, it was going to be difficult for her to survive in the film industry.
Victor leaned against the bed post, glanced over at his gossipy assistant, and answered, "She refused to marry me."
Zaid heard something snap inside his head. Anyone who could have seen the assistant's face would have that that his boss had just informed him that the world was coming to an end.
What did he just say?
To quench his curiosity, Zaid tilted his head to the side and asked, "Wait... wait… president… were you actually rejected by her?"
Victor's features turned sour. At least he wasn't the only that found it unbelievable. The entire country was dying to become his wife, yet this woman had flatly turned down his offer. Zaid had a hard time absorbing this piece of new information.
Drawing a deep breath, he asked, "So, what are going to do with her Mr. President? From my research, she isn't very easy to persuade…"
Victor pursued his lips together in thought and shrugged with a devilish grin. "Lure her with my charm, of course."
***
Janet spent the entire night looking for any kind of personal information about the director. After going through various news reports, she managed to find out that the director was extremely afraid of his wife. She had only slept for two hours when her morning alarm went off and echoed in her practically empty room. Janet stiffly lifted her head off of her comfy sofa and tried to remind herself of the serious task that she had scheduled for the morning. Standing up, she picked up her scattered notes that were strewn across the tables and placed them neatly beside her laptop. She grabbed her trench coat out of the closet and draped it around her body. Without washing her face, she walked out the front door and locked up her apartment before striding down the stairs.
7 A.M.
In front of the two stored lavish town house, Janet waited patiently as she occasionally peered down at her wrist watch. According to her information, the director's wife should be jogging right about now. After waiting for another fifteen minutes, Janet finally saw a woman coming down the driveway in her jogging pants and tank top accompanied by a black German Shepherd at her side. Though she was at her late forties, her physical features were admirable. Janet tugged nervously at her sleeves of her coat and prepared herself for a warm greeting. When the woman passed through the main gate, Janet stepped towards them and accidently scared the dog. The woman halted in her tracks and shot Janet a suspicious glare.
Unable to see her face clearly, the woman spoke with great annoyance, "Who are you? Why are you sneaking around like a ghost? Couldn't you have made your presence known before getting in my way?"
With hesitation, Janet pulled down her hoodie and tried to set the woman at ease. However when she saw her face, the woman's eyes blazed with fury and she began yelling while pointing at Janet, "It's you! Aren't you the bitch who tried to seduce my husband? How dare you come here?"
Janet had made sure that she was mentally prepared for this and took a deep breath and politely replied, "Mrs. Williams, please… I truly have something to show you. But before that, let me assure you that I didn't seduce your husband."
Mrs. Williams was blinded by jealousy and anger. She didn't believe Janet's words at all. She started to shout hysterically at Janet.
"You bitch! Do you expect me to believe that my hubby forced himself on you? Just look at yourself! You are nothing but a D-listed actress. You are no match for him. Do you know who my father is? He can make you vanish from this world with a snap of his fingers."
The woman didn't even listen to Janet and was spouting such harsh words. Janet parted her lips helplessly to try and say something. But before she could utter a word, woman ruthlessly ordered, "Tommy, attack!"
With the command, the woman unlocked the leash from her dog and her lips curved into a cruel smile. The dog snarled and charged. Janet's face drained of all color as she saw that the dog was running towards her. In her whole life, the only thing that truly frightened her was the damned four legged creatures. Janet started stumbling backwards with her hands shaking as she lifted them in surrender.
"Mrs. Williams! Listen to me first! Y-your dog... p-please call him off!"
A laugh escaped from Mrs. Williams upon hearing Janet's desperate pleas. She just stood there looking and waiting for her dog to attack. Janet sucked in a breath and continued to stagger backwards. Seeing that Mrs. Williams wasn't going to do anything, she turned around and broke out into a run. Looking briefly over her shoulder, she was sick with fear as she saw the dog continue to chase her.
After running for a few minutes, her breathing came in gasps and she started to feel suffocated from the lack of oxygen. Even after five blocks she couldn't stop because the damned dog kept relentlessly running after her. Helpless, she continued to run. Sweat was pouring down her face and just when she thought she would collapse from exhaustion, a car door flew open. Before Janet could even register what was happening, she felt herself being pulled into a tight hug as the door slammed behind her.