"Erin, I'm headed towards the house. Alert Mace. You two are coming with me for a press conference." Roxanne gave the orders without asking the other party about what she was doing, or whether she fancied going with her, because Erin was supposed to be her assistant-a person she stubbornly pushed away just because of who her employer is.
Roxanne was even shocked that she still had Erin's number. Sebastian took the effort to save it in her contact list when he employed the young lady as Roxanne's assistant. However, she never bothered to use the assistant or driver employed by her husband. In her eyes, they were spies she couldn't keep around herself.
Meanwhile, Sebastian allowed the two employees to still wait on her, whether she utilised their services or not. He never missed their monthly payments, after all.
Times have changed now, and she knew her life was on the line. After being reborn, Roxanne preferred to have the 'spies' around than to die a second time without even knowing what killed her.
Roxanne would have tried to be a little nicer to Erin, if the young lady didn't always have a coldness towards her.
Roxanne lived two lifetimes, and was certain that she needed to match Erin's coldness with her own coldness. She couldn't be all smiles, when the assistant was all scowls.
Unknown to her, Erin only treated her that way, because she felt herself being wasted. Payment or not, she was someone who wished to work, and hone her skills further, but Roxanne turned her into an idle person for more than a year.
Roxanne felt that being equally cold towards Erin was the only way the young lady wouldn't think she was up to something fishy. Calling her for her services was already a red flag, and Roxanne didn't intend to have Erin suspecting her unnecessarily. It would really be too suspicious if she treated Erin nicely, since she always treated the girl as an enemy.
Roxanne had an hour and a few minutes to the start of the press conference, and she could only hurry it up and leave with her two backups-Erin and Mace.
About twenty minutes later, Roxanne emerged from the bathroom in her room, dressing into an off shoulder floral dress that Sebastian bought for her twenty-fourth birthday. The dress was custom-made, with every stitch and design made by hand.
A top designer who specialises in handmade garments made the dress. She was a hot cake in the industry, and Roxanne always admired her work.
However, when Sebastian gifted her the dress, she was rather angry with him for finding out about her favourite designer. As a result, she dumped the dress in her walk-in closet, just like the numerous other gifts from her husband that she didn't even bother to unwrap.
"When I return, I have a lot of unboxing to do." Roxanne mumbled the words as soon as she exited the closet. She needed to make her husband see how appreciative she was of everything he had done for her.
The white dress flowed freely above her knees, accentuating her hourglass figure. Its shape wasn't too fitting or too lose. It was just the right measurement. The red and gold floral patterns scattered across the dress gave her a calming effect, making her heart settled.
Roxanne was indeed a sight to behold. She felt like a princess who was meeting her prince charming for the first time, and this made her feel giddy.
Alas, the prince charming wasn't interested in her anymore. "I'll make you fall for me again, Sebastian Sinclair. This time, I won't let you go. You were mine in the past, you are mine today, and will always be the man I want to spend all other lifetimes with. I just hope I still stand a chance in your heart."
Roxanne's mind drifted to the beautiful young actress she met in Sebastian's office. The man didn't bother to introduce them to each other, but she could tell their relationship wasn't simple.
She patted her cheeks and blinked away the disturbing thoughts.
With a few finishing touches done to her hair, and a light makeup adorning her already pretty face, Roxanne was ready. She traced her fingers on the diamond necklace resting elegantly on her neck.
"How would you feel if you saw me in this dress, Sebastian? You mentioned you'll love to see me in it, even if it's just once."
Roxanne had one last twirl before the mirror, then she picked her phone and took a selfie. 'Should I share this pic with Sebastian?'
She spent almost ten minutes dressing up, and only had about thirty minutes before the press conference began. However, her thoughts were only about what Sebastian would think about her dress and overall looks.
With her stilettos clanking noisily against the beautifully tiled floor, Roxanne made her way down the stairs, only to spot Erin standing there with an unreadable expression-not that she cared about what was running through her assistant's mind, though.
Without a single word, she bypassed the young lady, who in turn followed her quietly.
When Roxanne spotted Mace standing beside the Lamborghini she parked earlier, she felt reassured of arriving at the venue in the earliest-traffic or no traffic.
"Mace, please get me to the program in ten minutes." Roxanne shared the location with the driver and began to surf the Internet.
The journey was supposed to last for about thirty minutes for a regular driver. That was even when there was no traffic on the road.
However, she wanted to get there in ten minutes. What could that mean?
Erin's gaze on Roxanne was complicated, but she became stumped for words when she heard Roxanne add confidently, "Not a minute more."
"Yes, boss," was all Erin needed to hear from Mace, and she became more confused. However, she asked no questions, but only sat silently in the shotgun seat.
Roxanne knew something that Erin didn't, but she would leave the young lady to find that out on her own.
The car zoomed out of Serenity Bay, and Roxanne suddenly felt light headed when it picked up pace.
It wasn't the first time since her rebirth that she felt that way, but she believed she would be better after a while. She was even convincing herself that she was just a little anxious about the upcoming press conference.
"Roxanne is here!" The reporters tried to surround her like a horde of bees, but Erin's death glare scared the first person, who took a few steps back. The others didnt dare to advance any further.
Roxanne could only wave the reporters with a smile, causing them to go into a frenzy. However, this time around, they only snapped tons of pictures from afar. None of the reporters dared to get close to her even then.
Soon enough, Roxanne was in her seat, and the program could kickstart at any moment. The few reporters who were already seated couldn't stop themselves from gawking at her beautiful dress. It was such a beautiful scene, and no one wanted to miss it.
"Roxanne, we need to talk." Hera Young rushed towards her and stood impatiently at the side. She didn't even ask whether she was doing okay. It was obvious that nothing about Roxanne concerned her manager at this moment.
"I'm not free."
She didn't even bother to look Hera's way, and the manager could only stand at the side, fuming.
Roxanne was well aware of what Hera was panicking about, but she didn't give a damn.