Taleela's POV


The party is over. Walking over to Susan's table, I notice that she's not only with Achilles and his brother but also with Linda who is a student at my university, and… Karanos.

   I think he already saw me walking towards their table and his gaze is on me. I try my best to ignore the fact that he's seated at that table. Susan immediately stands to her feet as soon as she sees me.

   "Hi, guys," I greet them all.

   Linda waves at me. "Hey, Jemmah! It's so surprising that I've been attending the same university as the CEO of BSL."

   I chuckle, feeling quite awkward. Tarantino rolls his eyes at Linda and gives me a slow, lazy smile. I have to admit that he's really good-looking. He has the body of a model. Lean and also with adequate muscles in the right places.

   "Hello," He stands on his feet, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. His eyes are trained on me but from my peripheral vision, I notice Kal's fists immediately clench. Achilles puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down and I wonder what sort of game they're playing. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Jemma St James."

   I give him a stiff smile while I retract my hand from his. "Nice to meet you, too. Tarantino from the Bame agency if I am not mistaken?"

   "You're correct."

   I nod. "That's great. I finally met a celebrity." Everyone at the table laughs. We all understand why they're laughing and that's because that statement is meant to be directed to me.

   Anyways, this is not what I am here for.

   "I'm going home, Sue," I say out loud so Karanos can hear me too. Achilles clears his throat.

   Susan smiles at me. "Alright, it's no issue. Your place tomorrow, yeah?"

   I nod. "Yes. I already sent the address to you on WhatsApp."

   "Alright," Susan sings. "Have a good night's rest, Taleela!"

   "It's Jemmah," I hear Achilles whisper to her but Susan shrugs.

   I wave her goodbye. "Goodbye Achilles, Linda."

   Linda waves at me excitedly and I chuckle. My guards surround me as they walk me out of the hall.

   I know what I am expecting once I get outside. The flashes, the questions, the confrontations, the criticisms, and all that. But my guards are ever ready to ward them off. In no time, I am seated in my car and the driver soon starts the car.

   Once we're out of the gates and away from reporters, the driver cruises to a halt beside a limousine. My windows wind down and the windows of the other car do the same too. Nikolai sticks his head out.

   "When will you be at the office?" He asks. He doesn't look like someone who got rejected about an hour ago. In fact, he looks totally normal.

   "On Monday, Nikolai. That's when work starts for the week. It's a Saturday and I want to enjoy the weekend with my friend."

   Nikolai nods and stares at her for a while before retracting his head into the limousine. "Have a great weekend, then."

   "You, too," I say and the windows wind up.

   I am really tired from tonight's activities so I lean back on my chair and take a quick nap.

   I am awoken by the touch of the breeze on my skin. My eyes crack open and I notice that we're already in front of my apartment.

   "Oh, we're home?" I say, yawning. The driver nods and helps me climb out of the car. Once the car door is shut behind me, I smile at him in gratitude. "Thanks, Jay."

   The driver nods and walks back into the car. I don't even wait for him to drive off. I am extremely tired and sleepy so I begin to walk into the lobby, my destination, the elevator.

   Once I am safely locked in my apartment, I peel off my dress from my body and it doesn't bother me to take a shower or change into nightwear, I jump into my bed, naked.

  

   The next morning, I am awoken by the shrill sound of the alarm. Who the hell set this?

   Frowning with my eyes still squeezed shut, I move towards my bedside table where my alarm sits, and hitting the snooze button, I go back to bed.

   When I wake up, it's already afternoon. I feel a lot better. Less tired and more energized. I'm so glad that I didn't drink to a stupor last night. I would have woken up to a splitting headache.

   I'm feeling extremely hungry. I wasn't able to eat a lot last night. It's a good thing anyway. My gown would have given me a hard time. I decided that morning toast and a cup of cappuccino would be good for the morning. I'm going to make it myself.

   When I check my phone, I discover that I have six missed calls. Gasping when I see who had called, I immediately dial the number.

   Susan picks up the call after a few rings. "Jemmah! I thought you were ignoring my calls or something."

   I nearly groan. I hate this. I hate the fact that Susan sees me as someone who'd turned into a snob overnight just because of my newfound fame. I have been the CEO of BSL and never for once have I felt proud. Why is she being this way?

   "Susan, I was sleeping. Remember we had a long night last night? I was sleeping and not ignoring your calls."

   Susan was silent for a few seconds and when she finally spoke, her voice was low. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were busy and didn't have the time to take my calls."

   "It's the weekend, Susan. I work only during the week."

   "You know, with you becoming famous overnight, it's hard to tell who you are."

   "I have not changed, Susan. I am still the same." I explain, hoping she understands and continues treating me how she has been doing before she found out that I am the CEO of BSL.

   I'm tired of talking about this. Walking into my kitchen, I open the freezer. Drinks are stocked in it. The cold air of the freezer hit my naked body and immediately, I shut it. "What time are you going to be coming to my place?"

   "In thirty minutes. I'm getting dressed." She replies. I hear Achilles' voice in the background. She seems to be talking to him so I place my phone on the counter and go in search of what to have for breakfast.

   "Want me to order something on my way here?" She asks.

   "Gnocchi, please."

   "Alright. I'll call you once I get to your apartment. Bye."

   The call ends. I decide not to make toast since Susan will be arriving with food for us. Going back to the freezer, I pull open the lower door, taking out a packet of potato chips.

   Nikolai sent the pictures I took from last night to my phone and asked me not to post them till evening. I'm not really bothered about posting my pictures on my Instagram page. I'm sure he's even going to be the one to remind me because I'd definitely forget about posting them.

   Susan arrives forty-five minutes later. She texts that she's waiting downstairs for me. Ditching the almost finished bag of chips, I go into my room to put on my clothes.

   With comfy joggers and a nude crop top, I unlock my door, heading for the lobby four floors down.

   Susan is holding two brown bags in her hand as she looks around, her eyes filled with awe. I wonder how she's going to look when she enters my apartment.

   I tap her lightly on her back and when she turns to look at me, she's nearly in tears. I burst into laughter, taking the paper bags from her hands.

   "You fit in rightly with this environment. Jeez!" She says as she follows me to the elevator.

   "I guess you're right," I chuckle. "You were so interested in the lobby.  I wonder how you'd look when you get into the apartments here."

   "I'm ready to die," Susan breathes out and I laugh.

   "You're so funny, Susan."

   The elevator doors open and we both step in as we wait for the door to shut slowly before it takes us up.

   "No, I am not. I have never been to a place like this. The lobby alone speaks volumes. I can't believe it's my roommate living here," She slaps my arm, and I yelp. "So, you've been wealthy the whole time? Why did you decide to strip with me?"

   I shrug. "I didn't want you to suspect my source of money. That was why. I also need to tell you something."

   "What's that?" She asks.

   "Don't worry, I'll tell you when we get into my home. For now, I am really hungry and can consume two plates of Gnocchi."

   "I actually got them both for you. I don't like Gnocchi. What can I eat?"

   I nod. "Lots.  Just check the fridge. You can even make food for yourself."

   We're standing in front of my door and Susan busies herself looking around. She walks to the talk glass windows and looks down. I shake my head and juggle both cartons in my right arm as I unlock my door with my thumbprint.

   Once it opens, I walk in and turn. "Come on in, Susan. You have all the time in the world to walk around."

   Susan tears her gaze away from the large pool down and walks toward my door.

   "Holy Midas's touch." She whispers.