CHAPTER 13
1051 Words
That whole afternoon, Vanessa scoured her whole neighborhood for a part-time job. But just like last time, she was still unsuccessful in getting hired.
Although no phone call came in the middle of her interviews, it seemed that the hiring owners rejected her as soon as they saw her face.
"Maybe I wore the wrong clothes..."
Dejected, Vanessa decided to return to her apartment. She had to practice for her audition tomorrow.
Her manager had messaged her that the promotional video was about Jun's new song and that the title was Captive. Since generally all of the recent trending songs had been love songs, Vanessa was almost certain that the song Captive was a love song as well.
Noticing that she was drenched with sweat from walking around, Vanessa took another shower and dressed in a loose shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts.
While drying her hair with a towel, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She still couldn't get used to her face, this healthy face with clear, innocent eyes and a youthful air. In her mind, her reflection would always overlap with another woman, the older her.
That Vanessa Ford with hair that she cut herself so the edges were ragged, whose skin was coarse and rough. Her eyes were still the same, but the innocence was gone, and underneath it were dark shadows from too much lack of sleep.
She remembered that Riana would always take a selfie with her, before posting it on her i********:. Then she would show it to Vanessa, letting her see the hundreds of hateful comments from Riana's followers who would always insult how she looked...
During their marriage, Kiran hadn't changed at all. He was still the business genius, the wealthy CEO of the Lauder Corporation where even a small shareholder was worth several billions, and his face just became even more handsome as the years passed by.
She remembered him making dozens of girls go crazy with his looks everywhere he went, and his frigid personality just managed to attract many crazy online fans. Because of this, the media followed him wherever he went, and persistently investigated his personal life.
Since Kiran had not permitted Vanessa to leave the mansion, most of the netizens didn't even know who his wife was, not even her face.
But when Riana posted her photos on i********: and labeled it as a picture with the rumored 'Mrs. Lauder, the whole social media nearly exploded.
A whirlwind of discussion and a storm of comments came, all of them like vultures that flayed Vanessa alive.
For months afterward, all the popular tabloids, magazines, and newspapers had splashed Vanessa's face on the cover, using the selfie that Riana had taken.
It showed Vanessa with messy hair, not a speck of makeup on her thin, gaunt face, and cracked dry lips.
A knock on the door interrupted her dark reminiscing, and Vanessa scrambled to open it, the towel wrapped around her shoulders.
"Yes, who—"
The moment she pushed the door open, Vanessa's expression froze immediately.
Standing outside the doorway was a tall and handsome man dressed in a slim-fitting charcoal suit, looking like a Greek God who came down to Earth. The gaze he directed at her was darker than the night sky behind him, making Vanessa instinctively shiver.
"Ki...ran..."
With a sneer, Vanessa slammed the door hard on his face, her mind going blank with shock.
I just thought of him... And he instantly appeared?!
Her heart was beating hard, racing inside her ribcage. Beads of sweat were trickling down Vanessa's forehead, her mind desperately planning and wondering if there was a tactic she could use to survive after slamming the door on the Great King's Face.
Vanessa bit her lip and caught sight of her bedside lamp.
Fuck! What the hell did she have done?!
They were still engaged! Not to mention that he's one of the wealthiest man in America, just a word from him and he can easily make her life miserable... She already died because of that bastard, she'll never let herself go down the same path again. But it doesn't mean she can just slam the door in his face!
Just as she was about to make a run for her chosen weapon, the door cracked open, and Kiran entered.
Damn it! She forgot to lock it!
Vanessa nearly fainted upon noticing his dark expression. With just one look at his face, Vanessa was immediately scared out of her wits.
Letting out a small whimper, she backed away slowly with her shaky legs.
Help—
Without meaning to, Vanessa had retreated to the corner where the bedside lamp was located.
However, just as her fingers curled around the lamp base, Kiran pinned her with his icy-cold gaze. Her small apartment was suddenly submerged in a pool of ice, and she could almost see the staircase to hell behind him.
Oh, Holy God Almighty please help me! Vanessa howled deep in her heart.
"Running away?"
His low and deep voice was like a shackle of chains that imprisoned her soul, making her unable to move. She could only watch with wide eyes as he came closer and closer...
Vanessa took another step back.
"What...what are you going to do?"
Hearing how her voice trembled, Vanessa bit her bottom lip.
Kiran moved forward, putting his hand on her waist. His hoarse voice lingered in her ears like a caress, "What do you think I'm going to do?"
Vanessa stared up at him speechlessly.
How would I know? It's not like I can read your mind, you psycho! That's why I'm asking you!
Kiran gazed at the clueless girl in his arms, her small face revealing an expression of being wronged. He had postponed all of his meetings to come to her apartment and ask her to become his secretary again.
But who would have thought that before he could even open his mouth, this idiotic woman would slam the door in his face?
Thinking of this, his expression became unsightly. Kiran pulled Vanessa close to him and pinned her against the wall.
Vanessa stared at him still frozen from fear, her eyes wide. She wanted to say something... But her lips were sealed before she could utter a word...
..............
- Writer
