Chapter 4
2539 Words
Linda
What the f**k just happened today?
I was so freaking excited to do another scene today and what did I get when I stepped into this place? Eddie told me, very politely, that I lost my job. They had replaced me with someone else. Throwing me away just because I was a freaking newbie. And now…
I just bumped into someone I didn’t want to see now. Hell, even forever.
He was trouble. A big one.
This guy, Alexander Browning was trouble that I had to avoid. Ever since we met that night.
“Why, hello there, Linda. Long time no see,” he greeted. I looked down from his ridiculously handsome face, seeing him was wearing a dark grey suit jacket with a white shirt underneath. His expensive manly and spicy cologne entered my nostrils. What was he doing here? Work purposes? Nah, I didn’t care. I immediately moved away from him. Although I was not scared of him, his existence was bad news for me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Work purposes. What about you? Are you practicing today? I saw the poster outside. You’re the main cast here, aren’t you?” Was. I didn’t want to talk about that. I didn’t want to be here with him. I knew what I would get if I announced it. He would laugh at my pitiful ass. I walked past him until his voice stopped me for a second, “Can’t wait to see your performance, Linda.” You know? I really wanted to throw my heels at his big mouth for saying that. I held back because this guy clearly had no idea what just happened.
So, with my patience still intact, I walked out before I did something stupid and I would regret it for the rest of my life.
After I got out, I turned to the building. To the place I used to think would be the beginning of my dream. Gone instantly. I exhaled, feeling the tiredness of the past week just taken over me. What should I do now? I didn’t think going home would be a good idea now. Mom would be there and she would question me why the hell I was at home already. I didn’t think I could explain properly without crying. I didn’t trust myself. It was still morning now, but I knew a place where they served a nice drink at this hour.
I decided to go to the nearest bar. I walked to the bar stable and sat on the stool. “Bourbon.” The bartender didn’t even question me. Of course, he shouldn’t. I was still a customer and he had no right to stop me. I had five shots after I got here. People started to get suspicious of me. It was still noon, almost lunchtime and I kept carrying on with drinks. Feeling my stomach with liquid rather than a portion of decent food. For now, I didn’t care what they were thinking about me. I just wanted to forget about everything today.
I felt like a failure.
I failed my parents.
I failed my friends.
I failed…myself.
Now I didn’t have any chance to show them what I could do. Not even Jason could see my performance. f**k, now I want to cry just by thinking about him.
Why this had to happen to me?
What did I do wrong?
Was I not good enough for them? Because I was still new? That was why Eddie agreed to replace me with someone else?
This sucked.
I hoped they got what they deserved. “Bunch of assholes,” I mumbled under my breath.
As I was busy with my evil mind, someone took a seat beside me. His spicy cologne infiltrated my nose. f**k, why did it have to be this scent? It reminded me of a certain someone I wanted to forget. I was about to drink again until the stranger next to me grabbed the glass. “Hey—” I couldn’t say anything when I saw him.
“You shouldn’t drown yourself. It’s not going to help you,” Alexander said and drank my bourbon. f**k, why him?
I scoffed at his words. “What do you care? Are you following me? What are you now, my stalker?”
He tilted his lips and put down the glass. “Another bourbon, please,” he said to the bartender. My eyes never left him. Examined whatever he was thinking right now. More importantly, why the hell I had to meet him here? “I’m sorry about your show,” he said and I blinked. Oh, he heard already? I turned my eyes away from him. Looking at those bottles displayed on the shelf. God, how I wanted to grab them all and drink them until I went numb. Not a good idea, though. “Ignoring me won’t help, sweetheart. You still lost your job.”
“I f*****g know that! God, just shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear it anymore,” I shouted at him, feeling countless eyes were on me. Oh, come on, just mind your f*****g business and leave me alone.
“You know? Don’t you think that I’m here to offer you help?” he asked as the bartender put his glass on the table.
“Oh, are you now?”
“Yes. I can’t exactly let someone in big trouble alone, right?”
“Oh, I think you can,” I countered.
He chuckled and grabbed his glass. “Feisty, aren’t you?”
“Whatever. And that’s very noble of you consider what you almost did to Eva before,” I reminded him. Call me overreacting, but when I saw him at his club before, I knew this Alexander guy was dangerous. He hid that side of him very well behind his Godly-like face. Why the heck he had to be this attractive? Right, villains had to be attractive to attract other people to do their nasty things. Not just good-looking, but charming as well.
“You do hold a grudge for a very long time, don’t you? For the record, I’ve never bothered the little pregnant girl anymore. She’s not fun anymore.”
“Pregnant?”
“Oh, you don’t know? Your cousin didn’t tell you a thing?” he mockingly asked. Well, we hadn’t talked much because I was busy. But yes, James never told me Eva was pregnant now. Maybe he was busy too and he had no time to call me. I wouldn’t let this guy mess around with my head.
“James is a busy man. I won’t judge him just because he hasn’t told me his fiancée is pregnant,” I countered. Too bad for him that I wouldn’t get into his trap that easily. I refused to lose to this guy. No. f*****g. Way.
“Yeah, well. Forget about them for now, and let’s get back to my offer.”
“What offer?”
“My help, dear. I can help you.”
“I don’t f*****g believe you,” I snarled.
“Come on, Linda. Watch your mouth. You hurt my feeling too. I genuinely want to help you achieve your dream.”
“What do you know about my dream anyway?”
“Well, seeing you’re so down and look so pathetic when you lost the role, has proven that you want this as bad. You’re devastated right now. Lost. Don’t know what to do. And here I am, becoming your superhero, want to offer you help so you can pursue your dream again. To be the world's well-known actress. Isn’t that what you want?” I couldn’t counter his words. I wanted that. More than anything. For him giving me this chance to chase my dream again was like a free ticket for me. I mean, he knew James, and from what I knew his family was well-known in every industry.
But what was this odd feeling inside of me? Why I had this urge to turn it down? I mean, he was Alexander Browning. My gut was telling me to stay away from him.
“I have my own agency back in New York. I can help you to be an actress in a short time rather than going on some auditions. Just one and you will get everything you want. I have a project there, and a big one. Maybe you can get past here, sweetheart, but Hollywood is harsher than you think. I’m offering you an easy way in to get what you want,” he tried to convince me again.
I didn’t know why but I suspected something from his words. There was…something else behind his statement – his offer. Even though his tone sounded convincing…well, I guessed, that was what an antagonist did the best. They brought you up only to kick you away like the garbage you were. I looked back at him, straight into his dark eyes. Smiling but his eyes didn’t. See? He was planning something. For a glimpse, I saw something from his turquoise orbs. A spark of…fury?
I couldn’t see anything further when he blinked and looked away from me. “I’ll give you three days to think about it. I’m still here for another week so whenever you’re ready, just let me know. I’m expecting a good answer from you, Linda. Think about it, don’t you think by losing your role here is because you’re meant for something even greater? Maybe I’m…the only solution you have. I never expected to see you here so maybe…it’s a set-up by the universe or something?” Jesus, I wanted to laugh but I couldn’t. Somehow, I felt the same.
People said we had to sacrifice something to achieve more. Whether we wanted it or were forced to. Just like what I had now.
He was right. Performing in a small theater didn’t guarantee me being able to go to Hollywood. Adults like to mess around with us. Giving us false hope. Sometimes all they wanted was just us doing our best so they could get the money. The level in Hollywood was higher. And Alexander was giving me a free pass to go there without the need to work hard by going to a lot of auditions. Well, I might have to later after I accept his offer.
This could be my chance.
Alexander suddenly stood up and pulled out his wallet. “Excuse me? Put all of her orders into my tabs. If she comes again tomorrow, put it under my name. It’s Alexander Browning,” he told the bartender and looked back at me. Smiling, “I’ll be back in three days, little one,” he said and left the bar. I kept watching him until he was gone through the door.
I’m the only solution you have.
I could tell there was something else behind his offer. He wasn’t really helping me; I knew he wanted something. He had a project. A project meant money. He was using me. I couldn’t figure out what did he want now but I knew it wouldn’t be something good.
I couldn’t take this now. I couldn’t think straight. Just for today, I wanted to forget everything. Including him and his damn offer that made me even dizzy.
Turning to the bartender, Alexander said everything went into his tabs, right? “A bottle of vodka, please.”
***
Alexander
Poor little Linda.
She lost her job easily.
Watching her situation back at that bar was definitely a sight to see. I was holding myself to not laughing at her pitiful state. It was fun to watch someone full of pride like her fall. Not that she did something to me. I just…wanted her to break.
But that was not enough.
Linda wouldn’t break that easily just because she lost her job. She would raise once again and shine brightly like the true star. My job was to prevent that to happen. I wanted her to continue to fall until she couldn’t get up again. Like a broken doll. Like a bird lost its wings.
I went inside my car. “Back to the airport, sir?” Simon, my driver asked. Oh, right, I had to go back to New York today because I had an important meeting back home. I told Linda I gave her three days to think about my offer.
“No, cancel the jet.”
“But sir? You have—”
“I know what I’m having there, Simon. I’m staying for another three days and that’s final.”
“But—” I glared at him. Although he was just looking at me through his rearview mirror, he could sense how I disapproved of his action for trying to disobey me.
“I won’t repeat it, Simon. Tell my father that I won’t be back today. I’m sure he won’t mind. Besides, the meeting could go on without me having to sit my ass there. He might be old but he’s still useful. Just tell him, I found something very interesting here and I’m on pursuit now. Everything for the company.”
“U—Understood, sir.” Simon pulled out his phone and informed my old man’s secretary about my absence. Once he finished, he turned the car and drove back to the hotel.
I looked outside. “How’s the girl?” I asked.
“She’s doing good. Eddie likes her act.”
“Good.”
“But…” he paused, turning my attention to him.
“What?”
“It’s nothing. He said he still prefers this Linda Greene rather than her. Said the role fits her more.” I smirked at his words. Of course, Eddie would want Linda more. The girl who I sent, Rosie was an actress from Hollywood but recently, Hollywood didn’t want to use her anymore. More talents keep growing and growing and she couldn’t keep up with the expectation. She was not as talented as Linda, I gave her that, but Rosie was still useful.
“As long she could do the job that I’ve assigned to her, I won’t complain. Not after I've f****d her wide p***y last night. She knows the consequences if she failed me anyway,” I said. Simon didn’t comment.
I didn’t need it.
I acted based on my instinct. On my decision. No one could get in my way to achieve what I wanted. Besides… “It’s completely unacceptable if I don’t have the main cast with me.”
“Sorry, sir?” Simon asked as I turned to him, looking at his eyes in the mirror.
“That theater doesn’t deserve Linda, Simon. Eddie doesn’t deserve her. No one does.” That was right. No one deserved her.
Just me. Only me.
She belonged to me the second I found out she had Greene next to her name.
She was mine now until I was done getting my revenge and she became useless to me. My f*****g toy. My perfect tool.
“I’m the one who can have the main cast. And I will do anything so I can have her. Including…breaking her.”
- Writer
