Madeline scoffed while scrolling through social media. "What can I do, anyway? None of you will accept me as the same Madeline Rose from before the scandal, so I have to take this drastic measure to keep the spotlight and earn some cash…"
Madeline stopped scrolling when she saw another post that hit too close to home.
—*
'I refuse to believe that she had no feelings for Jon. I remember how shy and reserved she was. To win her heart meant she must've really treasured him.
'She claimed she dated many men, but maybe they are just bogus claims?'
'Besides, I think Madeline genuinely fell in love with Jon after they starred in that movie together. Their chemistry was unmatched as if they were meant for each other.'
—*
Madeline clenched the phone, unable to fight the bitterness in her heart as she read those comments.
"Of course that's a lie. How can I say that I didn't love him when he was my first love and first in everything?" Madeline muttered with a shaky voice. She had met Jonathan Hale in the first movie she starred in, The Last Spring, which told the forbidden romance between a high-school student and a young teacher.
Jonathan Hale was twenty-eight, a good ten years older than her, when he charmed her into starting a real relationship with him.
She didn't know that Jonathan was already married and had a child.
Heck, nobody knew about it because he guarded his private life carefully. He never told Madeline either, constantly showering her with gifts and fooled her into thinking that he was truly genuine with her.
"Of course, the movie was a box office success. My feelings were sincere in that movie. I was truly in love with Jon…" Madeline muttered.
Madeline kept calling Jon when his wife suddenly went public with their relationship. She couldn't believe that she had been lied to the whole time.
And yet, Jon simply blocked her, pretending she never existed. He continued playing the role of the dedicated and remorseful husband. When his wife forgave him, the public was quick to follow her lead.
In their minds, Jon could do no wrong. He was only temporarily bewitched by the bitch. It was nothing more than a momentary lapse in judgment.
Meanwhile, Madeline's image and career were ruined.
Everyone bullied her online, and almost all of her friends and relatives deserted her.
She lost brand deals, movie contracts, and more.
She lost everything because of that man.
Thinking about the past was always so painful for her. Had she not gotten involved with him then, she would have become an A-list by now.
Madeline's eyes began to pool with tears, but she quickly wiped them and shrugged. "Oh well, there's no point in crying over spilled milk."
She put her phone into her bag and packed up all of her belongings into a suitcase, ready to leave the studio and visit her mother in the hospital.
She had no manager to help her. Her manager had been her mother. When she fell ill, Madeline's father replaced her before quickly squandering most of their money.
Madeline changed out of her dress and got into a baggy shirt and jeans. She wore a hat and a mask so she wouldn't be identified by anyone on her way out, though she doubted anyone could recognize her without her now iconic makeup.
She opened the door and gasped when she saw two tall men wearing black suits staring down at her.
She was immediately on alert.
She didn't know who these two men were, but she had spent a long time in the entertainment circle to know they probably worked for a big shot.
She had no idea who that big shot could be, but she knew damn well he was up to no good.
So she carefully took a step back and asked straight to the point, "What do you want?"
"Miss Madeline Rose, we're instructed by our Boss to bring you with us. He wants to have a conversation with you," one of the men informed. "Please come with us. We will show you where he is."
"I'm not interested," Madeline said firmly. She wanted to leave, but they blocked the doorway. "Step aside, I don't have time for your Boss."
"He wants to sponsor you, Miss."
'Sponsor, how funny that I finally got one after I changed my image,' Madeline sneered.
Of course, she knew what kind of sponsor she would get.
Since her image was now of a bombshell bimbo with a provocative look, this sponsor was probably an old man with a beer belly who wanted to fuck her.
She might be playing up a persona right now, but that's just what it was. A persona, nothing more.
So she rejected vehemently, "I don't need a sponsor. He can find someone else."
"Perhaps a phone call from him would convince you? I can call him for you, Miss."
"Hah! If he's man enough, he should meet me in person. Maybe I will consider whatever offer he has by then," Madeline said, knowing that a big shot wouldn't dare to do that for fear of his reputation being ruined. After all, they simply wanted to spend a night with someone famous. No woman was worth that much trouble for them.
"If there's nothing else you want to talk about, step aside before I call the security," Madeline said curtly.
The two men exchanged glances and finally gave way for Madeline to leave. She dragged her suitcase across the corridor, ignoring the gazes of those men, knowing that she should avoid danger from those men with deep connections and power.
The men in black waited until Madeline left their sight and then called their Boss.
The call was connected soon after, and they reported their setback.
—
"Sir, Miss Madeline Rose refused to cooperate. She said that she will consider the offer if you come to meet her in person."
"Did you tell her my identity?"
"No, Sir."
"Good," the man said on the phone. "I will meet her myself."
Beep.
—
The man hung up the call and threw his phone to the bed.
His blond hair, perfect facial features, and deep, snake-like green eyes were reflected on the windowpane as he stared at the view of Los Angeles from his presidential suite.
He was holding an empty bottle of twenty-year-old Hibiki Whiskey. He only drank this to cool off, after a stressful day, but maybe he needed one more bottle now.
"Madeline…" the man muttered the name that tasted like sweet wine on his lips. "I need you, Madeline Rose."