✨✨ MARILYN MAYERN ✨✨

I wasn't sure what was worth interrupting my beauty sleep after I'd worked all day, under the blazing sun to get the best shots for Gardenia magazine cover. And I couldn't even get a good night's rest without my phone blaring irritably beside me.

I groaned with clenched teeth and flung the duvet off my body only to see a call from Danny.
Danny?... Why the heck was he ringing my phone this early? It wasn't even bright enough!

I contemplated turning it off but took a large gulp of breath and set the damn thing by my ear. "Yes... Danny," I drawled, showing how tired I was.

I flinched when his voice sounded scratchy and loud. "What the actual fuck, Danny! Don't yell at me! What's the matter?" I paused and waited for his words to make clear and when it did... I didn't know what to feel.
Happy? Or shocked that it had worked?
That the paparazzi had taken the bait and judging by what Danny just described it was making the headlines already!

I leaped from my bed and to my spacious modern living room to turn on the TV. E-entertainment was my first visit and viola! There I was, looking disheveled and in pain. The images on the screen brought back memories from yesterday as I slowly rubbed my now calm belly. I was sweaty all over in my white sleeves and short khakis.

Gawd! I looked awful struggling to enter Jeremy's cabin. And just a few minutes after I did, he strolled in but not before glancing around suspiciously. His actions only seemed to tip-off the idea that we'd had a private encounter in his makeshift room on set. The headlines were horrible but deserving.

I smiled as I saw comments on my IG, people gushing over how fitting I was for the young CEO and some others... Well, haters will forever hate.
I let the TV rattle off as I bounced off to the kitchen for some morning routine. This day has finally come! The day I made the headlines, the day I stood amongst first class models like the Jenners, the Campbells and the Harveys who'd once or twice bagged iconic figures in the world and climbed to the highest peak of their careers.

I just needed one more scene that would put things right! Just one more convincing encounter between Jeremy and I and we'd be forced by public opinion to get along and maybe plan a fake relationship then probably he'd fall heads over heels for me and viola!

I couldn't help the blush of smiles that tore through my morning face, I was blushing like a love lost teenager who'd been asked on her first date by her long time crush. Yes! This was my dream, the dream of a lowly township girl who'd fed from scraps on scraps, groveled before nonentities, done desperate things just to get to this point. It was worth every celebratory gesture.

I checked my IG feed again to stare at the rather shocking increase of followers on my page! Forty three freakin thousand followers in the space of minutes?!

Damn! Social media was crazy but fame was the craziest. It's unbelievable as I stood lost in my kitchen, my morning bathroom routine forgotten as well as my homemade smoothie. I was reeling through it all when my phone rang and I doubled over at the caller.

The nerve of her!

"Lyn, we did it!" Mercy sang excitedly. "We did it! You're on the news, on socials! You're trending couz!"
Hearing her voice and how shameless she could be to try to link back with me as soon as I'd gone viral and acting like nothing had happened to us, I wanted to scratch her face with my sharp nails until she bled.
How could she?

"How could you Mercy?... how could you even think to call me after how you left?" I didn't hide my bitterness for her, there was no point in doing so.

"Lyn... I know it must come as a shocker to you when you saw my call but I'm not that type of person. My reservations towards someone would never prevent me from celebrating with them,"

"Reservations? You call what you did to me reservations? You abandoned me Mercy! You of all people! After..." I heaved as my emotions grew. "Shit, just fuck off Mercy, I have a new manager now and I'm big, I don't freaking need your praise or apology or whatever shit you're going at. Don't ever call my line again, let's act like we used to," then the line went dead.

How dare she try to spoil my happy mood? That disloyal dog!

After I'd had time to recover from the overwhelming events of the morning I found an email from Jeremy's office requesting a private meeting at the office to discuss the viral news. I was happy all the way because this was another chance to give the papz more intimate scenery of Jeremy and I.

I was intentional with my dressing, not too fancy but the white V-shaped shirt that had my cleavage on display and my hair in a neat bun wasn't for casual's sake. There was nothing that screamed romantic and involved like being caught in a casual yet seductive wear with your partner in the parking lot. I had my shades on as soon as I left my apartment and headed for my car. My insides squirmed when I heard the shutters of distant cameras, I was hot cake!

I probably expected too much, that he'd smile or acknowledge me now that our names were spoken alongside each other's. Now that the rumors have made me a much more interesting character than just a signee at his company. But Jeremy White was far from being friendly. He'd walked past me in the hallway with his secretary running behind to catch up. He seemed to be so irritated at the idea of having a private meeting during the weekend.

And I also didn't expect to see Brandon White seated amongst the other media team, his face held nothing as he nodded at us. I was careful to not incite anymore rumors so I sat three seats away from Jeremy enough to be facing Brandon, Danny and the rest.

"How did this happen?" Were Brandon's next words, he was indeed impatient as he delved into the matter. "Not this again! We haven't fully recovered from the dip your last mistake cost us, now this?..."

I waited for Jeremy to speak, I gazed and peered as he seemed to choose his words and when he did, I wished the rumors were true, I wished he was mine, so that I'd brag about his charming demeanor, how fearless he seemed to tackle every situation that came his way.

"Ms. Mayern was in a bit of a situation and I had to help, but that's beside the point. Rumors fly everyday, so why's this one different?"

"You don't know?... you have no idea why this one's different Jeremy?!" Brandon gave a signaling nod at one of the men and he sat up and read from a file before him.

"The stocks have dipped to an unexpected level, this has never happened before and we think it's because people out there believe you only signed Marylin to Gardenia because you two were a thing."

"Goodness!" Jeremy gushed. "And?" He seemed to not care that we were referred to as a couple, that alone brightened my heart.

"And it puts your image to question, that Gardenia doesn't hire upper class models but agreed to sign a good deal with her—" his eyes met mine for a second before returning to his file. I knew what he meant by that, that I was below par. Unbefitting.

Jeremy cut in. "—we do not need people who will supercharge us and not deliver, we need great talent and that's what I went for!" Jeremy exclaimed, it seemed to set his father off because the old man took those words and hurled them at his son. The duo ventured into a heated argument that somehow had nothing to do with the rumor. It made me see more of them, see more of how much Brandon gets to Jeremy and how uncomfortable he'd sat all the while.
It felt like Brandon only wanted to pin the mistakes on Jeremy and Jeremy always held his defensive armor up.

I didn't put much thought into that because I was so happy that he'd defended me, despite acting aloof at the beginning he didn't put me under the bus, he'd understood I was sick and needed help, but if only he knew I'd caused that belly ache to myself. I took a good amount of milk when I knew it was bad for my belly.

My hopes of getting another close encounter with Jeremy proved impossible when I waited and waited for him from outside the conference room. After the meeting, he'd stayed back with the rest to discuss something but I couldn't just leave. Maybe a pretense of rendering an apology would be a good way to chat with him again. I missed the easy caring man that ran miles to get my drugs and was so concerned that I might've passed out in his cabin.

"What did you think you were doing with that?" Danny asked, stepping out of the conference room. "You tipped them off didn't you?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Don't lie to me babe, I saw the way you were staring hungrily at Jeremy, like he is your key to unlocking the world of fame. Don't think I'm too dense to understand the power play."

"Goodness, Danny! You're in your head right now, shouldn't I be thankful to him for sparing me after an embarrassing encounter on set? I almost died that day, but what did my boyfriend do after he learned of it? Just sent a bouquet." I didn't let him respond as I strode through the hallway and into the next available elevator. Danny's entire presence irritated me, I had to find a way to cut loose from him or I'd go under.

My thoughts weren't so coordinated when I tripped on a wire seeming to connect to a socket in the empty space of the car park. My phone slipped and cracked and I gasped in shock. I felt my eyes sting as I took in the shattered screen of my newly purchased iPhone 16. But what I didn't realize when I bent to pick up my phone was how tangled my left leg was with the stray wire until I was roped in and falling head first. I yelped as I shut my eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came.

My scary eyes tore open to stare up at a brooding Jeremy with me in his arms. He carefully positioned me to my feet and bent to detangle the wire, then I watched him phone the security men to have the wire removed before walking over to his car all the while I stood there, too dumbstruck to thank him.
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