The loud song echoed through the whole club, echoing as the loud drums in my heartbeat thundered.
In the midst of the swarm of bodies dancing, the sweaty bodies grind against each other, dancing to the rhythm, forgetting about tomorrow.
There he was.
Standing in all his glory.
Our eyes met, locking eyes even with the distance. I shuddered at his gaze, his dark chocolate eyes piercing against my soul, entrapping me.
I stopped dancing and it felt like the world slowed down for us. The tension lingered as his eyes gazed at me. It felt like no one was around at this moment. I tried to act innocent and nonchalant. But I could see the faint smirk coming from his lips.
He’s being photographed by the media and paparazzi around him, but his eyes stayed glued to my spot.
I raised my eyebrows and winked at him.
We have to keep it private. Or the world will keep us apart.
***
“The famous Filipina-British model, and the sexiest Ellaina Amalia Ramirez, is now divorced with her spouse, Noah Wilson.”
I could hear the news echoing clearly as I ate my morning salad. I rolled my eyes. It has been a month of me trying hard to hide it from anyone, yet the media is so nosy.
I guess this is the harsh truth of having to be a model. They would pry into my business, even into my personal life.
I sighed, grabbed my bag, put my hair in a low bun, and made my clean makeup look. I looked at the clock and saw it was past 7 in the morning.
Our call time for the shoot is 7:30 and I have to be early.
I would be late if I won’t move something now.
I made sure I was presentable with my black crop tops and black leather pants, I put on my leather jacket and helmet before locking my condo unit with my keys. I took the elevator down and decided to use my motorcycle as it is rush hour now. The street would be too busy if I used my purple Chevrolet car.
I'd better hurry before I get late and Manager Smith will scold me again.
I turned on the engine of my motorcycle and hopped on it before driving off.
The busy morning crowd of the city is starting, and I saw a bunch of students crossing the street.
The traffic lights turned green and I stopped, I pulled my sunglasses on to avoid getting recognized yet a teenage girl met eyes with me.
“It’s Ellaina!” She pointed at the skyline, and I gulped, feeling all eyes on me.
I could see the group of teenagers running to me and grabbing their pens, “Please sign this for me!”
A car behind me beeped and I parked to the side to cater to them.
I put on my dazzling smile and accepted their paper, “Hi guys, are you all going to school today?” I asked, attempting to start a conversation.
“Hi, Ellaina! Yes, we are, but good thing we saw you! My day is complete! I could even die!” Said the girl and I giggled at her.
She looked adorable and full of spirit, while her other friends were calm and some were impatiently waiting.
“Oh dear, no haha. Go now, your friends are waiting.” I urged her, glancing at my wristwatch to check the time.
Good. I still have fifteen minutes left.
“Go study hard, alright? I’ll be here watching you, dear.” I winked at her.
Another of her friend came to ask to do my signature too, probably jealous and I did.
“Yes, I’m going to sell this.” I heard him mumbling, and my mood changed at that.
I just allowed them, and I could see cameras flashing now.
“Is it true you are now single, Ellaina?” asked the woman, and I nodded, admitting it.
“Yes, I am.”
“But would it be your downfall in your career? How are you feeling?” Her tone was rather harsh and condensed.
My mood instantly went down, and all I did was smile in response.
Tsk. I appreciate my fans, I really do, but at times like this, I wish I could just be a normal person.
Having a good day and suddenly bringing that up to me is just a no.
I'm sorry, I’ll be late. Thank you!” I excused myself and left them.
In a hurry, I revved my engine and took a turn but a car behind me drove past me faster, pushing my motor’s tire and I bounced to the ground.
It took me a few moments to realize that I am having a road accident.
Wow. An accident in the morning. Manager Smith must be fuming now.
“Dammit!” I cursed under my breath and could see the black tesla stopping behind me. A man with a suit on got out and approached me to help me up.
“Are you alright ma'am? We apologize. We were running late-“
I pushed his hand off and stood up myself, groaning in pain as I could feel my feet in pain.
I hope it wouldn’t leave a bruise!
I stood my ground, despite my wobbling knees, and faced the one in charge of this, “What? And you think you own the road for you to drive like that?” I said in anger. I know that my manager strictly. told me to be nice in public to avoid rumors in the media but this is too much for me.
“We’ll pay for the damages. My boss would like to ask for your number-.” Said the man, handing me a business card but I was too angry now.
Glancing at my wristwatch and knowing I have only five minutes left, I sigh. “You know what? No. It’s fine. I hope karma will get you for ruining my day like this.”
As much as I would love to stay and argue more, I decided to let it off.
What’s more important for me is to not be late! Even if I arrive in pieces!
I decided to call a taxi and let my motorbike be towed off.
As soon as I arrived at the building, I saw Manager Smith’s angry face by the entrance as he grabbed my bag, “You’re late.”
I scoffed, “I’m just in time, you're just early. And can you get me a cup of coffee? My head is killing me right now.”
He blinked, “Do I look like your assistant? Kidding, I will get you one later, but wait, your limping-oh, gosh, you got in an accident, didn’t you?”
My eyes were blurry and I could hear a loud sound in my ears. “It’s just a mini accident-“
“No! As much as you wasted my minutes, I don’t want you fainting in the middle of the shoot. I’ll get you a check-up in case of any damage.” He panicked, and before I could even protest, he drove me to the nearest clinic to scan my head.
We received the results instantly. The doctor said I was fine, and just needed to take a rest for now. My head was experiencing post-trauma from the car’s impact. Thank goodness I didn’t have major injuries. Or any bruises. I thank myself for even wearing a leather jacket at that time.
“Let’s just shoot when you’re fine,” said Manager Smith.
I shook my head, “But we’ll lose the brand-“
He shrugged, “I have other models. Don’t worry,” he said, “Or do you want to stay the sexiest model?”
I chuckled at his teasing, “No. I want to take a rest.”
He then offered my bag back, “A phone’s been calling you since we were in the clinic.”
I sighed, “Ignore that. It’s probably my ex-husband.”
I had blocked Noah’s number since last month when I divorced him because he’s been calling me nonstop. I mean, I want to ignore him for a long time because just hearing his voice makes me remember how hard I endured his crazy temper and having to act as a trophy wife. I even have to risk having a break in my career for him, only to see him cheating.
I’m not someone who has so much patience, so I cut it off. I knew that arranging a marriage just to save my family’s business was the wrong decision.
What a big mistake.
My modeling career is the only one I have now, and I won’t give it up.
As soon as I got home, my phone was still ringing, and I sighed, wanting to put it off now.
I clenched my teeth and clicked the answer, “Stop calling me, you lunatic bastard! We’re over since last month!”
“Uhm... hello? Is this Ms. Ellaina Ramirez?” the male voice replied hesitantly.
I stopped, noticing it was different from Noah’s voice, “Y-Yes? This is Ellaina speaking.”
The voice cleared his throat, “This is Singles Haven, the Reality show. Well, we are sorry for calling suddenly, but we have a dare for an actor who has a major crush on you.”
Is this a scam? A fraud?
What the hell is this?
This is the first time I've encountered this in my five years of modeling.
“Hi, Ellaina. You probably don’t know me, but I like you. Can I maybe..drop by later?” I heard another voice speaking. It was deep and husky, and a bit sexy for me.