Sitting at the farthest corner of the milk tea store, with attention fixed outside the window. The atmosphere between two people sitting at one table is significantly more suffocating. None of them opened their mouths to initiate a discussion.
Jared pulled out his phone and played while the girl in front of him kept looking around the shop to see if anyone knew her, but given her looks, none of the customers cared about her, which gave her a sense of relief.
"Ahem!"
She tried to feign a cough to get Jared's attention, but he didn't look at her. Her brows furrowed as she attempted to communicate, and Jared finally lifted his head and stared at her without asking.
She attempted to initiate a conversation because she realized that the guy sitting in front of her had no desire to speak. "Uhm. I'm sorry again. I really had a bad day so i got ahead of myself"
When he saw the woman fidgeting with her fingers and speaking in a low, unenergized tone, he realized she was serious. He learned that he was not only one who was having a bad day.
And so, he lowered himself and cleared the negative feelings on his chest.
He smiled and responded, "I also want to apologize. I also had a bad day and anger filled up my head for a moment, sorry. I'm Jared Hale, how about you?"
A moment of silence filled their table once again.
With her tight lip that slightly quiver, Jared couldn't help himself to ask her, "is there any problem?
She immediately shook her head and answered sincerely, with a low voice, "J-Juris Sanchez"
"Juris San---!"
Juris cover his mouth with her palm to refrain him from shouting her name.
"Please stop, i will get in trouble if you say my name carelessly in public"
Jared wrinkled his brow and nodded. Although he didn't know why she refrained from uttering her name in public, he assumed she was famous.
"Are you perhaps a celebrity? Model? Idol? President's daughter?"
Juris lowered her sunglasses and peered at Jared, her eyes widening in disbelief. She never imagined that someone would be unfazed by hearing her name. People are familiar with her since she is famous. As an actress and singer, she has millions of followers and is well-known.
"What? You don't know me?"
Jared raised his brow to answer in curiosity, "no. Are you famous?"
Juris felt liberated as soon as he heard Jared's unexpected question and his blank expression.
Celebrities are the face, famous everywhere in every country. They lived their lives living under the spotlight. Every move they make, the camera turns to them. Every decision and mistakes, the papers will immediately printed them. One wrong move and everything will have their face plastered on every news and internet.
With their fame giving them wealth and luxury, the downside is, their lives are always told to everyone, even if they don't want to.
Being a celebrity is tough, exchanging their normal life, with flashing spotlight and golden awards.
So, in her case, meeting someone who did not know her, gave her a sense of freedom of relief and a normal life.
She suppressed herself to cry and nodded continuously. She sighed in relief like a rock in her chest suddenly lifted up and vanished.
She erased every unnecessary thought and dive into an endless conversation with Jared without thinking anything about her, being famous.
After they talked and walked around, they eventually parted ways.
When she got home, her manager welcomed her with a concerned tone and facial expression.
"Juris, where have you been? You're not caught by the paparazzi out there, are you?"
She shook her head and smiled at her manager. "No, i walked around and no one recognized me. I'm just a bit tired and i want to rest"
Her words may seem like someone saying 'i'm okay' but they are not, but Juris words matched her expression. She carries a sense of joy that made her manager furrowed in surprise and curiosity.
"Sure"
She entered the bedroom, putting everything aside and slumped herself on the bed. He took out her phone and stared at the number on the screen.
They parted ways but she managed to exchange contacts.
'it's nice to have someone who sees me as a normal person'
.
.
.
STARLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT.
CEO Office.
"What?"
The middle-age man slumped the paper on the table hearing the request made for his famous star.
"I said, i want Juris to have a dinner with me. It's not much of a favor and i hope the CEO is a magnanimous person to accept the request of the investor of your company"
A man seated with his legs crossed against. His clothes and aura exclude luxury. Neatly combed hair and minimal accessories are not overbearing.
Zander Oliver, the investor of Starlight Entertainment. With his looks and money, even at a young age of 32, he managed to hold the position of being an investor and sponsor of some stars in the entertainment industry of Starlight.
Many, fall for his looks and successful career of being an investor, but aside from having money; behind his generosity, he is arrogant, self-centered and selfish person. He groped people who took his attention in the palm of his hands in the guise of helping them.
One of those people is Juris. He discovered Juris when he visited the Starlight. When Juris was facing a tough moment, he reached out to her with his kind gesture facade.
Because Juris was in need of someone to rely on, he took his hand and then on, he became his sponsor.
But Juris knew, that there was no free lunch in the world, but every time Zander used his facade, she just went with the flow, even if he crossed the line several times by calling her out in the middle of her work, or going out with him to party even if she doesn't want to, since she signed a contract with him in exchange for him, being her sponsor.
She has no choice.
"I'm sorry, even if you're her sponsor, i can't give you her time. You know it's a crucial moment for her since we are preparing for her concert in a few months. She needs every preparations and conference to attend---"
"What's wrong with having one dinner. The concert is only a few months. I already gave the money for the concert as her sponsor. It's not like i would do something to get her in trouble"
The reasoning is valid in the eyes of everyone because of how he covered anything that would get his name be tainted. Even if he does something to Juris, with his money and people working for him, they could easily cover any dirt and pretend it's just an accident.
The CEO already had a suspicion that the man he's talking with, was none other than a snake that squeeze anyone dry.
But even after everything, he couldn't do anything. It's too late since the legal contract has been signed and even if he's the CEO of the company, it's a forceful breach of contract if he interferes without evidence.
He just hoped that someone out there would save his employee from the grasp of the snake in front of him.
"Don't worry. It's just a dinner and nothing else. I also wanted to submit a proposal for Juris being the ambassador of my cousin's perfume business. As you know, Juris is my precious star I am sponsoring her myself so i only want the best for her. The payment is generous plus public exposure will make her more famous so it's not a bad deal. Mr. Eddie Cordovez, you don't want your starlight to plummet by having your star lose to your rival, are you?"
~~~
CEO EDDIE CORDOVEZ
'sigh!'
What he says is right.
Unlike other shareholders, he was devoted to sponsor Juris, but the thoughts of him, using my star for his own selfishness just because he pour money on her is outrageous.
But what can i do?
No matter how much i wanted to help, i have no power when it comes to legal contract between them. It's not my right to get involve and i feel pathetic. I value my stars under my company just as i value every profit I made from them, but i am not a god to interfere and make things happen instantly.
And beside from Zander giving me a headache, there is a rival company that always gets under my skin. They always contradict my every actions.
Now that my star will have her concert, they also release an announcement for their most famous idol and a rival of Juris just as the same date as hers.
"I'll see what i can do"
I have to yield to him for the mean time to stop this conversation. I don't really want to face someone young and arrogant just because they have money.
Wealth really gets on his head.
"I hope my favor to be accepted"
I finally got the peace after he left.
'i hope someone out there will take this misery out of my head'