William was sitting on his couch with one leg crossed over the other. He had already taken his bath and was wearing an expensive black suit, his hair neatly combed. His face held a cold expression as his finger tapped on the armrest of the couch.
"Mr. President, the waitress is here," Maxwell said.
"Let her in."
Maxwell opened the door for the waitress. She walked in with her gaze fixed on the floor.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted.
"Start talking."
"H... Huh?"
"Don't make me lose my patience. Speak, who paid you to drug me?"
The waitress looked down, the fear she tried to conceal was slowly showing.
"I didn't—"
"If I were you, the last thing I'd do right now is lie," William glared at her.
Her lips began trembling immediately. She didn't have the courage to look up at his face.
"Maxwell, can you tell me everything about her?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Maxwell said as he clicked on his tablet and began reading, "Cynthia Stevens, age 23. She has two brothers, one of whom is a college dropout and the other is still in high school. Cynthia is the breadwinner of the family, and she's sponsoring her brother's education. Their parents died in a car accident."
At this point, the waitress was already shedding tears.
"Not only can I make you lose your job, but I can also take every bit of money you have and send you to jail for what you did. All I'm asking for is the name of the person who paid you to do this," William said.
Cynthia immediately dropped to her knees. "Please, I'm sorry! Don't do this to me. I had no choice. I needed the money," she cried.
"I'm losing my patience," William said, completely unmoved by her tears.
"The person who paid me was Miss Sheryl," she confessed.
"Sheryl?" William muttered inwardly, confusion flashing across his face. It didn't take him long to figure out what Sheryl had intended, and it angered him even more.
He opened his mouth to speak when his phone began ringing. "Father," he answered.
"I need you back home as soon as possible. It's urgent."
"Okay." He hung up, stood, and adjusted his suit.
"I'm leaving. You know what to do with Sheryl, right?"
Maxwell nodded. "But what about her, Mr. President?" Maxwell gestured to the waitress, still kneeling.
William glanced at her emotionlessly before looking away.
"She's fired." With that, he left.
_____
"Welcome home, Young Master," the maids greeted as William entered the mansion.
William nodded before heading inside. He walked into the study room where his father and mother were sitting next to each other, keeping themselves entertained with a book.
"Father, Mother, good morning," William greeted as he approached them.
"Liam!" his mother beamed, standing up to hug him.
"How are you? You don't visit us as often as you used to," she said.
William gave a small smile before turning to face his father, who watched them with a smile of his own.
"Have a seat, son," his father gestured.
"You said it was urgent. What's wrong?" William asked.
"Maxwell told your father what happened this morning," William's mother said with a smile.
William closed his eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if he works for me or for you."
"Liam, you've finally met a woman who can make you feel like a man. You don't realize how big that is. She might be the cure to your allergy."
"Father..." William sighed again.
"You need to take responsibility for what happened. Marry her," his father said.
"Father..." William pinched the bridge of his nose. He had seen this coming the moment the conversation started.
"Liam," his mother called softly, "you're 30. You're not getting any younger, and neither are we. I want to see my grandkids before I die. We need an heir to continue our legacy. More than that, I want you to experience love with someone who makes you happy. Your father and I were so relieved when we heard you broke up with Sheryl. You deserve better." She smiled, holding his hand.
"I understand, but how can you be sure she's the one for me?" William asked, the thought of marrying that sharp-tongued woman irked him to no ends.
"You don't need to worry about that. I had my men investigate her," his father said, picking up a file.
"Jessica Belles, age 22. The first daughter of Leon Harrison, from his first wife who passed away years ago. Very few people know she's Leon's daughter, which is part of the reason she changed her surname to her mother's maiden name. She's a D-list actress and a part-time model. She has a clean and decent record." He smiled before looking at William. "I think she's the one for you." William's mother nodded in agreement.
William sighed deeply. There was no way he could win this argument.
"I'll think about it," he said.
_____
"What! What do you mean he found out? Shit!" Sheryl hung up the phone.
She ran her hands through her hair in panic. Yesterday, her plan had been to drug William and have her way with him so the rumor she spread about her being pregnant could come true. But William's men had thwarted her attempt.
«SHERYL COLLINS' PREGNANCY SAGA: Who's the Real Father?
Supermodel Sheryl Collins' shocking pregnancy announcement took a dramatic turn when allegations surfaced of her secret affair with married billionaire, James Parker. According to trusted sources, Collins had been seeing Mr. Parker behind her ex, William Newman's back.
Fans are outraged, questioning the paternity of Collins' unborn child. 'She's a homewrecker and a liar,' one fan tweeted.
Collins' team has refused to comment on the scandal, fueling speculation about the child's father. The scandal has left Collins' career and personal life in shambles, with brands and sponsors withdrawing their partnerships and ambassadorships...»
Sheryl's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, wide-eyed as she watched the news. This had to be a nightmare, right?
She quickly dialed a number, tears welling up in her eyes. The person picked up on the second ring.
"What?"
"William, how could you?!" Sheryl screamed in pain.
"You dug your grave the moment you decided to mess with me, Sheryl. Besides, everything on the news is the truth, right? Or are you going to deny that you once had an affair with James Parker?" William said coldly.
Sheryl sniffed. "That was before—"
"Before what? Before you 'fell in love' with me? Pathetic," William said sarcastically.
"Consider yourself lucky I didn't file a lawsuit against you for defamation." William hung up immediately.
"You monster!" Sheryl screamed, throwing her phone away, tears streaming down her face.
Everything she had worked hard for had crumbled to dust in a matter of minutes.
_____
Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks, with Jessica fully immersed in her work. Social media was still buzzing, from Sheryl's career taking a huge blow to the engagement to the upcoming wedding of Louis and his fiancée, set to take place in less than two months.
Jessica paced nervously in front of the director's office.
"Come in," the director's voice called, and she entered.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted.
"Are you Miss Jessica Belles?"
Jessica nodded. The director hummed, reviewing some papers.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you. The agency was impressed by your acting skills, and we'd like you to work with us on an upcoming movie," he said.
Jessica's eyes widened. "H... Huh? Am I dreaming?" she blurted out.
The director chuckled at her expression.
"I... I'd be honored to work with you. Thank you for having such high esteem for me," Jessica said.
The director smiled. "You'll play the role of the female lead's closest friend. The movie will feature some popular actors. I hope you won't disappoint us," he said, handing her the script.
He also gave her a contract to sign, finalizing everything.
"Nice working with you, Miss Belles." They exchanged a handshake, and Jessica bowed politely before turning to leave.
Just then, the door opened, and someone walked in. Jessica's expression changed when she saw it was none other than Oliver.
"Mr. Martins!" the director said cheerfully.
"I suppose it's not too early for introductions," the director said. "Miss Belles, meet Oliver Martins. He'll be the male lead in the movie. Mr. Martins, this is Jessica Belles. She's joining the cast as well."
Oliver smiled and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Belles."
Jessica forced a smile as she shook his hand.
"I'll be on my way now. Have a nice day," Jessica said before leaving.
"We're going to be acting together? That means I'll have to see his face every day... Gosh," Jessica sighed.
She looked at the script in her hand, and her face lit up. "I need to celebrate this!" she squealed.
The moment she stepped out of the agency, two hefty men in suits blocked her path.
"Miss Belles, please follow us," one of them said.
Jessica took a step back. "No. Who the heck are you guys?"
"It's an order from Mr. President. We're instructed to bring you by force if necessary," the other man responded, advancing toward her.
Before Jessica could react, they grabbed her by both arms, dragging her away despite her struggles.
"Hey! Let me go! What is this? Somebody help!" she screamed, her voice rising in panic as they led her toward a black car parked nearby.
The door to the car swung open, and Jessica was pushed inside. She hit the seat with a small gasp, quickly scrambling upright.
"Hey, open the door!" she pounded her fist against the window in frustration.
Dread filled her when she noticed someone sitting in the shadows of the car. Her eyes widened as the figure shifted slightly, revealing his face.
"You?" she whispered, disbelief mixing with anger.
"We meet again," William said casually, removing his sunglasses and fixing her with his cold, steady gaze.
"What is the meaning of this?" Jessica spat furiously. "You can't just kidnap me like this!"
William leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "I have a proposal for you," he said, ignoring her outburst.
"A proposal?" Jessica's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
William turned to face her fully. "Let's get married."