Evading The Billionaire

The most difficult thing for me to do was to pick out a dress. I mean, for an aspiring model, dressing up was not easy, at least in regular life. But for me, picking out the perfect outfit required a lot of time.

"Maybe I should wear the green dress," I muttered to myself. As soon as I plucked it out of my closet, I put it back in.

"No." I ran my eyes over my dresses hanging on the metal rail. "Maybe the blue one?" When I removed the blue dress, it took everything in me not to groan out loud. Damn it, I needed to go shopping, none of these dresses were perfect for today, nothing.

It was in times like this when I missed Hailey the most, my best friend. She always helped me pick out the right dress, and now, I had no one to help me with my clothing dilemma. Hailey was happily married to Theodore; and even though I was happy for my best friend, I missed her and couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous. She had the perfect man-crazy and dominating, but perfect.

Sighing, I gave up on searching for the perfect dress. Maybe I should find a new best friend since Hailey was now busy with her husband and her soon-to-be-born twins. But I knew no one would be able to replace Hailey. She had always stayed with me, always helped me, and there was no one like her.

Before I could dwell more on my best friend and her new life, my cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID, I accepted the call when I saw it was Josè. He was a photographer, who I hooked up with once. Sex with Josè proved to be a scary experience for me because I thought I was pregnant with his baby, but thank the Lord it was just a false alarm.

"Hello Josè, what's up?" I asked, making myself comfortable on the couch.

"Hi Amanda, I got good news for you?" Josè sounded cheerful, which meant that whatever he wanted to tell me was really good.

"Oh, what is it?" I asked.

"Well, a new fashion company wants you to model their dresses, and let me tell you, Amanda, the dresses are amazing," Josè replied.

My heart started pounding with excitement. Oh my God, a company wanted me to model for them; I couldn't believe my dream was about to come true.

"What is the name of the clothing brand?" I questioned.

"Uh, it's a weird French name, it's not a big brand, but the dresses are amazing. You can meet me in a few days and I'll take you to them, then you can decide if you want to model for them," he said.

"Yeah, of course. Definitely. Are you free after three days?" I enquired.

"Yes I am, we can meet at a cafe, and go from there. But Amanda, the dresses are truly beautiful, and I'm a guy!" I had never heard Josè complimenting any clothing brand before, and now, he couldn't stop talking about this one. Now I really wanted to model for this brand and I had no idea what it was.

"Yeah, all right. I'll see you in three days. Thanks Josè." With that I hung up with a smile on my face. Since the moment Josè and I hooked up, he and I had become pretty good friends. Both of us just needed a night of casual sex, no strings attached, and I was glad that Josè and I were friends now.

Feeling happier than I had been all day, I decided to go shopping. I was addicted to shopping, and it was my source of comfort no matter what the situation was. I was glad that I had started to earn money. Maybe one day, some famous designer would want me to model their dresses.

Grabbing my purse from my closet, I checked my wallet and counted my money, and only when I was satisfied that I had enough to buy a dress or two did I put my wallet in my purse. I grabbed my cell phone and was about to leave my room when it started ringing again.

"Hello boss man," I said to Theodore with a grin on my face. I had no idea why Theodore was calling me, but whatever it was, I would listen to him, for Hailey.

"Hello Amanda, how are you?" Theodore asked me politely.

"I'm great, boss man, how are you?" I had never stopped calling Theodore boss man, and I never would.

"I'm good, thank you. Listen, I wanted to invite you to dinner. My whole family is going to be there, and I would love it if you can come." He told me.

My heart sank when he mentioned that his whole family would be there. I never did well around families. For some reason, I thought that families judged me, a lot, and I hated that. If Theodore had told me he was inviting me to dinner with only him and Hailey, I would've agreed in a heartbeat, but now, I wasn't so eager.

"Uh, boss man, I don't know your family, what am I going to do there?" I queried.

"I've invited Ingrid and April as well, you know, Hailey's cousins, so you'll know somebody there," he replied.

"Yeah but, it's your family, won't I be intruding?" I really didn't want to go.

"No you won't be intruding at all. Look, the reason I want you to be there is because I am going to propose to Hailey, and I want her family and my family to be there, so please don't think about declining, Hailey will be happy if you're there."

"All right, I'll be there, when is it?" I finally relented, only because I wanted to be there for my best friend. And I kinda fell in love with Theodore when he told me he was going to propose to Hailey, the man really loved her.

"Tonight." The word had my heart stopping. I glanced at the clock to see it was already 5:30 pm.

"What?!" I nearly shrieked. Shit! I had no dress, what the hell was I going to wear?!

"I know, it's short notice but please, Amanda, you have to be there, you are important to Hailey, she won't be happy if you're not there," Theodore pleaded.

"Fine." I heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Where is the dinner going to be held?" I asked, eyeing my closet as if it was my life saver.

"I'll text you the name and address of the restaurant right now."

"Fine, I'll be there at 7:30," I muttered.

"Great, thank you so much, Hailey will be happy to see you." With that, Theodore hung up, leaving me to worry about the perfect dress.

Dropping my phone and purse on the bed, I headed towards my closet. "Okay, now please give me the perfect dress to wear for this dinner." I pleaded to my closet. I wished I had magic so I could conjure up the perfect outfit for this occasion.

Flinging the doors of my closet open, I grabbed a bunch of dresses and took them out and threw them on the bed. I did this until my closet was empty and all my clothes were strewn on the bed. Then, I begun to inspect each and every dress I owned thoroughly, and the outfits which were a definite 'no' were flung to the other corner, while the dresses that could be worn to a formal dinner remained on the bed. At the end, I was left with ten dresses. And after another round of thorough inspection, I finally settled on a blue dress.

It was a blue gradient dress made up of sheer chiffon. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and fell just a few inches above my knee. The upper part of the dress was a beautiful dark blue and the color lightened as it flowed south, forming a beautiful gradient. And since I could pair the dress with my jewelled heels, I thought it would be perfect for this dinner. With a silent 'thank you' to God above, I quickly went to change.

~*~*~*~*

I arrived at the restaurant at 7:15 pm. The restaurant was beautiful and looked expensive, I could tell that it was the perfect place for a proposal. I eyed a grand table with glasses and other utensils before my eyes fell upon Ingrid. Sighing in relief, I headed in her direction.

"Hi Ingrid," I said with a smile. She was talking to a beautiful red head.

Ingrid turned to face me with a smile. "Hey Amanda, I'm glad you're here. Listen, do me a favor and go talk to April, she looks as if she needs a savior." Ingrid gently shoved me in the direction of April, who was standing in a corner while a guy who strongly resembled Theodore was trying to talk to her.

"Hi April," I said, hoping she wouldn't tell me to go away.

When April's eyes found mine, instant relief shown in those vibrant green eyes. She sniled at me, God she was adorable.

"Hi Amanda, it's nice to see you. You look beautiful," she complimented.

"Thank you," I said.

"Uh, this is Harry, Theodore's younger brother." She introduced me to the man who was talking to her. He looked exactly like Theodore, only leaner. He looked amazing in his suit.

"Hi, I'm Amanda, Hailey's best friend," I said to Harry, who nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Harry said but his gaze was fixated on April, who looked like a real version of Snow White.

"Where are Theodore and Hailey?" I enquired, wanting to make conversation.

"They haven't arrived yet, they'll come around 8:30, you should sit down and relax," Harry suggested.

"I need some water." Harry pointed at the table where a crystal jug stood proudly, water glimmering against the light. Excusing myself, I went to the grand table, grabbed the jug and a glass and poured water in it. Placing the jug back, I brought the glass to my lips but the sound a throat clearing had me stopping. I turned to my left to see another handsome man standing, wearing a navy suit. He had dark hair like Theodore, charcoal gray eyes, and lips that begged to be kissed. He was not only handsome, he was downright sexy. He rivaled Theodore in the looks department.

"Hi, I'm Trent, Theodore's cousin, and you are?" He asked. His voice had my knees trembling.

"I'm Amanda, Hailey's best friend." I introduced myself.

Trent arched his eyebrow in an arrogant manner. "I see, you are the crazy best friend," he stated.

My temper ignited. "Excuse me?" Why on Earth was he calling me crazy? He didn't know anything about me.

"You heard me," he said simply.

"I'm not crazy. And since you don't know me, I suggest you keep your comments and opinions to yourself," I snapped. I had a short temper, and when people judged me without knowing me, they automatically went on my hate list.

"See, like I said, totally crazy." This man had no manners. And why was he calling me crazy when he didn't even know me. Did Hailey tell him about me? No, Hailey would never bad-mouth me in front of anyone.

I slammed the glass on the table, not loud enough for people to hear. I moved forward until I was standing inches away from Trent and gave him my most deadly glare. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

"Listen you arrogant pig, you don't know me, so keep your mouth shut before I actually staple your lips together. And no matter how much I love the visual of your sealed lips, I am going to be a considerate human and let you off this once, so get the hell away from me," I spat.

Trent ran his eyes over my body, making me feel exposed, before stepping forward until his minty breath fanned my face. However, I did not let him intimidate me. Men like Trent just wanted to feel superior, and I knew exactly how to deal with people like him.

"I know enough to say that you are crazy, stubborn, and a pain in the ass. I am pretty good at reading people, shady," he muttered.

"It looks like your reading skills can use some polishing, because your interpretation of me is far from accurate," I hissed.

"Whatever you say, shady," he stated.

"And don't call me shady! What does that even mean?!" This guy was an utter prick.

Once again, Trent ran his eyes over me. "I'll call you shady because you are shady." He eyed my dress as he said this.

I frowned and followed his gaze, and realization finally dawned upon me. "Are you serious?! You are calling me shady because of my dress?! My dress has shades of blue, it doesn't mean I'm shady," I snarled. How was this guy even related to Theodore, he was an ass!

"It's not just your dress, although, I did get the name from there, but it's also you, shady," he remarked.

"Keep your stupid interpretations about me to yourself, I'm not interested in hearing about them," I stated, feeling my blood beginning to simmer.

"Look shady, I don't care if you're interested or not, I'll call you whatever I want." I had a really good comeback for that, but before I could utter a word, all of Theodore's family along with April and Ingrid sat down at the table. Narrowing my eyes at Trent, I turned and a pulled out a chair for me to sit.

I huffed as I sat down, trying my best to calm down, but I wasn't succeeding. Grabbing the glass of water which I had neglected earlier because of Trent, I quickly gulped the refreshing liquid down. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I sighed in relief when I saw April sitting next to me and Harry sitting next to her. Ingrid sat next to the red head, both of them engrossed in conversation.

The empty chair next to me was pulled and sat down the man who was quickly making himself number one on my hate list. Trent sat down next to me, and my temper flared once more. I had a feeling that I only had to look at Trent to have my temper exploding.

"Go sit somewhere else, I'd like to eat my dinner in peace," I snarled.

Trent chuckled before fixing his dark gaze on me. "Trust me, shady, I did not expect my evening to be ruined by a crazy woman, but you don't always get what you want." Suddenly, I was itching to slap him.

"Go sit somewhere else," I repeated.

"Can't, no empty seat left." I would've gotten up to switch seats with someone, but I didn't know anyone. Ingrid and April were both busy talking to the people next to them, I didn't want to be rude. So I stayed put; I'd endure Trent's nasty presence, for Hailey.

"So shady, what do you do?" Trent asked, mirth dripping from his words.

I ignored him; at least I tried to, but the man was worse than bed bugs. When I did not respond, he begun clinking his fork against the glass; the noise blinding me with rage.

"Would you stop that?!" I hissed, glaring at him. I looked around to see if anyone else would scold Trent for creating such a racket, but no one seemed to notice.

"You should keep your temper in check, shady. People can do bad things to you." Why did I feel like he was threatening me?

"Why don't you mind your goddamn business for once, and stop worrying about my temper. And for the last time, stop calling me shady!"

"I should do something about that temper, don't you think so, shady?"

All right, I had enough of him. I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought but I saw Hailey and Theodore coming towards us. Forcing my venomous words back, I stood up and went to meet Hailey. I shouldn't waste my breath on Trent, I had to be there for my best friend.

So with a smile on my face, I stood up and went to meet my best friend.

The rest of evening passed by without anymore insults being exchanged between me and Trent, or so I thought. However, even though I tried my best to ignore his eerie presence next to me, it didn't stop Trent from aggravating me. When I did not talk to him, he began kicking me under the tables, and if it wasn't for my best friend, I would've forgotten about any kind of decorum and would've slapped Trent silly.

"What the hell is your problem?" I hissed, glaring at Trent. He had been constantly kicking me under the table and I'd had enough.

"What did I do?" He asked me innocently like I was accusing him of a crime he didn't commit.

"Stop kicking me," I ordered, trying my best to keep my voice low. Across from me, I saw Hailey and Theodore sitting, talking like there was no one in the restaurant except them.

"I'm not kicking you. I'm just moving my leg around and your leg is in the way,shady," he argued.

Before I respond, Theodore stood up looking nervous. Oh boy, he was going to propose now. My heart gave a nervous flutter as a saw Theodore's face. He was acting like he was about to propose his girlfriend rather than his wife. But at the same time, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Theodore loved my best friend so much, he was going to propose like a normal gentleman.

If only the rest of his family members were like him. I thought as I glanced at Trent with disapproval. Why did I get the feeling that Trent was adopted? Was it because of the strange way he acted? Was it because he was more unnerving than any other of Theodore's family members? I mean, Harry was nice, and so were the other cousins, but Trent was different; there was something strange about him, something that made him different than the others.

I cursed myself when all of a sudden I heard hoots and applause, only to realize I had missed the proposal because I was thinking about Trent. Damn him. But I managed to put a smile on my face, so Hailey wouldn't know that I had barely paid attention to her proposal. Theodore kissed Hailey and she kissed him back like he was the first and the last guy on Earth. It was strange how she was kissing and married to the man she was initially running from. Fate worked in strange ways. I was happy to know that she was happy with Theodore; people should embrace danger once in a while.

"God, your thoughts are so loud, I bet I can hear them even in the men's bathroom," Trent commented, eyeing his cousin with what could only be described as brotherly love.

"Who says I'm thinking?" I snapped.

"Who says you're not?" He shot back.

"When will this be over, I can't wait to get away from you," I seethed.

"And you think getting out of this dinner is going to accomplish that?" Trent enquired.

"Yes," I answered immediately.

He shook his head. "You are more stupid than I give you credit for," he replied.

"Do you always do this or is today a special day?" I queried bitterly.

"Do what? And today is a special day, look how happy Theodore and Hailey are," he said.

"Make people feel like they would rather bang their heads against the wall repeatedly than talk to you," I clarified.

"No why?" Okay, even I could tell he was feigning ignorance.

"Because that's how I feel right now...while talking to you," I answered with a sacchrine smile.

"You know what I think?" He started.

"Oh no, please don't, I'm sure bad things happen when you think, so please, don't think," I muttered, going back to eating my dinner.

He ignored my jibe. "I think, your little brain can't handle my level of intellect," he stated arrogantly.

"Your level of intellect rivals that of the monkeys, so yeah you're right, I can't handle it," I snapped.

"Trash talk, very nice. See, just your words are enough to tell me all I need to know about you, and you're pretty stupid-it is nearly impossible for you to think at a higher level, it's rather sad," he muttered.

"You know what, I don't need to know what you think of me. I know people like you. You people think you are superior than the rest of the human race, and you try your best to degrade and insult people just to satisfy your huge egos...I think there is a disorder for that, I don't remember the name though," I replied. I was really trying hard to keep my voice at a decent volume, but Trent was making it bloody difficult.

"Disorder? If you think intelligence is a disorder, then shady, I know you flunked Psychology in high school," he retorted.

I blushed at his comment. How in the world did he know I flunked Psychology in high school? Was I that obvious? But I was right; an extremely high IQ was a sign that the person was not...well normal. At least, that was what the internet said.

"Stop calling me shady." I changed the subject. This guy was creepy.

"Stop acting shady and I'll stop calling you shady," he responded.

"Why am I wasting my breath on you anyways?" I muttered to myself.

It's because he's right, you are stupid.

"So how did you and Hailey become friends?" Trent questioned.

"Can you tell me why you are talking to me if you think I'm so stupid? Shouldn't you be talking to people with abnormally high level of intellect?" I queried, wishing Josè was here so I could talk to someone other than Trent.

"I like to maintain a balance in my life. If I associate with scientists and scholars then I also take time out to mingle with people like you." Trent told me.

"People like me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, you know, ordinary ones," he replied.

"Ordinary?! You think I'm ordinary?!" I was fuming. Trent was perfect for those who wanted their self esteems to be buried six feet under.

"No. You are not ordinary, I don't quite know what you are, yet. That's why I keep telling you to stop acting shady, that way I'll be able to get a better read on you," he said.

"So you're blaming me for your lousy skills at reading people, fantastic," I mocked.

"My skills at reading people are better than you think, shady. Like I said, you failed Psychology in high school, and you really did fail," he argued.

"No I didn't," I lied.

"Oh please, you can't fool me. You blushed like a tomato after I said that, which means you are guilty," he stated.

"Oh please, it's hot in here," I fibbed.

"No it isn't. When they are guilty, females either blush or change the subject, and mind you, you did both. So yeah, my reading skills are perfect," he stated confidently.

"You sexist pig! You wouldn't know how females think even if your precious scholars and scientists searched for eons." I stood up and stormed into the bathroom. This Trent guy was too much.

"Females blush when they're guilty, ha, as if! Everybody was different!" I muttered to myself as I pushed the bathroom door open and stormed inside.

"Who the hell does he think he is?! Arrogant animal!" I continued blabbing to myself, totally unaware of the fact that there might be someone other than me in the bathroom.

"Who are you talking about?" Came a soft voice that made my heart threaten to burst free. I yelped and clutched my chest, taken completely off guard.

"Oh, April, hi, what are you doing here?" I asked breathlessly.

She gave me a funny look. "Uhh, using the bathroom," she said like it should've been obvious.

"Right, of course, that's why you're here, right." I really needed to stop talking.

"And you are here because you need to cool off, I presume," she said.

"What makes you say that?" I asked in an overly chirpy tone. I was making it so obvious!

"Uhh, because it's obvious," she replied.

"Right." I needed to change the subject fast. "So, are you enjoying the party?" I queried.

"Party?"

"Party, dinner, whatever it is, are you having fun?" I looked at my reflection to see if my face was red; usually when I was mad, I resembled an angry strawberry.

April blushed. "Yeah, everybody is really nice," she said softly.

"And you are blushing because?" I turned on the faucet, sighing in contentment as cold water flowed over my hands and down the drain.

"You know, Psychology says it takes only one fifth of a second to fall in love," she said.

Oh my God! What is up with people and Psychology today?!

"I didn't know that." I told her.

"Well, I thought it was silly, I mean, who can fall in love in one fifth of a second? But, now I think it might be true," she confessed, blushing deeper.

"The fuck?" I raised my eyebrows, shocked at her words. "Did you fall in love already?"

"Uhh, maybe...I think so...I don't know," she answered.

"What do you mean you don't know?" How could you fall in love so quickly?

"I don't know how it feels like to be in love," she explained.

"And who is it that you think you've 'fallen in love with'?" I air quoted the last words.

April murmured something I was unable to catch before lowering her eyes, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Harry Benson." My hand froze on the tap as her words registered. No way. That was not possible.

"You're kidding," I whispered.

"No, I'm not," she responded.

"You just met him," I pointed out.

"I know, that's the weird part," she agreed.

"April, you can't love Harry...not when you've just met him. I mean, this is real life not a Disney movie where a girl falls in love with a prince in less than four seconds and lives happily ever after. Love takes time," I stated.

April smiled in a way that made me think she was way older than twenty two. "You're right, Amanda, this is real life, not a Disney movie. But I cannot agree that love takes time. Love happens in a blink of an eye and some realize it while some don't," she replied.

"That's not true," I argued.

"Really? Hailey is a perfect living, breathing example. She didn't know she had fallen in love until after she was forced to marry Theodore." She stepped closer to me, as if getting ready to tell me a secret. "And I think, the same thing is going to happen to you. You will fall in love in the strangest of ways, and you won't know it until much much later. And by then, you'll be so deeply in love with that man, you wouldn't be able to get out no matter how much you want to."

Her words scared me. Even though, I did not believe her, April's words shook me deeply. It felt like April could see into the future, predicting the coming events of our lives. However, a part of me couldn't help but believe her, and that was what scared me the most.

"That's bullshit. For me, my career is my first and only love. I don't and never will have time for any man," I said with conviction.

"That's what they all say, and they are ones who get sucked in the fastest in the quicksand that is love," she stated matter of factly.

What was wrong with her? Why was she talking like this? I thought April was sweet and innocent, but right now, she appeared to be older and wiser beyond her years. It was like she knew all about the mysteries of love and how people reacted to it.

"Like I said, falling in love with Harry when you only just met him is impossible." I was not going to deviate from my words just because April said some weird futuristic shit.

"Nothing is impossible when it comes to love." I didn't think she was going to let go of this.

"Does he like you back?" I asked instead, desperate for a change of subject.

"I think he does, but I'm not sure. The males are a strange specie; they think something else, they do something else, it's weird," she said.

"Are you somehow related to Trent?" I blurted out.

April frowned. "Why would I be related to Trent?" She asked.

Because you sound exactly like him.

"No reason," I said instead.

"Right. Well, like I was saying. I think I'm in love because I'm getting these vibes."

Yup, definitely related to him.

"You mean to say that you are reading Harry?" I tried to make sense of her words.

"Yes. Ingrid says I'm a really good judge of character. I am good at reading people," April replied.

What is up with these guys reading people?! I mean, can't they read regular novels and comic books?!

"You are definitely related to Trent," I muttered to myself.

"What did you say?" April enquired.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Okay well, I should get back," she said, turning to leave.

"Good luck with him," I said.

"Harry's a really great guy," April said before exiting the bathroom.

"I wish I could say same about Trent," I mumbled, before following her out of the bathroom.

When I arrived back at the table, everyone looked about ready to leave. Theodore and Hailey were talking with a bunch of Theodore's cousins, while Harry and April were speaking in hushed voices.

"What were you doing in the bathroom?" I jumped at hearing Trent's voice, I had not heard him come up behind me.

I turned to glare at him. "I was avoiding you," I retorted.

"Avoiding me is not going to get you anything," he stated.

"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" This man was cryptic.

"Exactly what I said," he replied.

"Whatever, I've had enough of you for one day. I'm leaving now." I turned to walk towards Hailey and Theodore, wanting to say goodbye.

"Wait. You forgot your purse." Trent held out my purse for me to take.

"Thank you." Without another word, I strode over to where Hailey and Theodore were standing.

"Hey, I came to tell you I'm leaving, it's getting late." I told Hailey.

She hugged me. "All right. Thank you so much for coming, I'll call you tomorrow," she said, her eyes shimmering with happiness.

"Sure thing. Bye." I turned and walked out of the restaurant.

It took me a moment to find a taxi. Once the yellow cab stopped in front of me, I sighed in relief and slid inside. I didn't realize how much my feet hurt until I was in the confines of the car, my shoulders sagging in relief.

"Where to?" The driver asked, his voice a deep gruff, like he smoked one too many cigarettes a day.

I quickly rattled off my address, and the driver peeled out of the restaurant. I closed my eyes feeling exhausted, eager to hit the bed. My best friend had found her happiness, I just wished she stayed happy forever.

I was waiting for my martini when I saw him. Josè was striding over to me with a warm smile on his face. I got off my bar stool to hug him. He looked handsome in his white polo shirt and jeans. His blonde hair looked messy as usual, and his hazel eyes were sparkling.

"Hey Josè, how are you?" I asked as Josè wrapped me in his warm embrace.

"I'm all right, Amanda. Are you ready to go? The designer is looking forward to meeting you," Josè replied.

"Yes, although I'm nervous," I replied, feeling the familiar heart palpitations, which I always got whenever my nerves attacked me.

"Don't be, they'll love you." Josè put his arm around me. "Let's go." And led me out of the bar.

"Is it far? I mean the studio," I asked.

"Not really, just a couple of blocks away from here." Josè held up his arm to hail a cab.

"Why don't we just walk there, I can surely use it, sitting in the cab will only result in me being a nervous wreck," I suggested.

"All right, we'll walk." Taking my hand Josè and I walked to the studio.

"So? How was the dinner?" Josè enquired, rounding a corner.

"It would've been perfect if it hadn't been for Theodore's infuriating cousin," I answered, my scalp pricking in frustration.

"Theodore's cousin?" Josè gave me one of his peculiar looks, that said, 'The who?'.

"Yeah, Trent Benson; the man has ego bigger than Jupiter," I grumbled, remembering Trent's arrogant words.

"You don't like him very much," Josè observed.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Like him? If torturing humans was legal, I would love to torture him until he sealed his mouth forever," I spat.

"Wow, he must've done something really terrible for you to be this mad," Josè stated as we rounded another corner.

"Not really, he just had to open his mouth," I responded, eyeing the cars zooming by.

Josè chuckled. "Well hopefully you'll be able to forget about this Trent guy once we reach the studio."

"I hope so. How much further do we have to go?" I queried.

"We just have to take a left from that lamp post and we'll be there," Josè answered.

"Right. So, you tell me, anything new with you?" I glanced at Josè.

"My brother is coming next week," he replied.

I frowned. "What brother? Do you mean your step-brother?"

"The one and only," Josè responded grimly.

"Okay, I guess you're not looking forward to his visit." We took a left and I started looking left and right, trying to spot the studio.

"Let's just say, it's better when he's not here," Josè said bitterly.

"Does he disrupt the family peace?" I questioned.

"In order for him to do that we first need a family, and we don't have that. But if you think me and him are a family then sure, he practically destroys the goddamn peace," Josè hissed.

"All right, calm down." I hated seeing Josè unhappy.

"Sorry. Anyways, forget about him, look, we're here." Josè pointed at a building straight ahead. I followed his finger and saw a beautiful building that looked as if it came straight out of a home decor magazine. The three-storey building had a gabled roof with dark pink tiles; the façade was white with a window at the gable end. There were flower pots fixed into metal holders, and a brown, wooden door with a brass knocker finished the look.

"That is one beautiful studio," I commented.

"Yes it is. Let's go, the designer is expecting us." Without a word, I followed Josè to the studio. He rang the bell, and the door opened in less than ten seconds. A flustered looking female, wearing a silk blouse and black slacks while holding a clipboard in one hand and the door with the other greeted us.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She looked to be in a hurry.

"I'm here to see Darla Vince. She wanted my friend to model the clothes." Josè gestured towards me, and that lady gave me a quick once over.

"Wait a second, please." She flipped the page of her clipboard and hurriedly scanned the second page. "Right. Are you Amanda Lawson?"

"Yes, I am." I nodded.

"Okay good, you're here, a couple of minutes late and Mrs. Vince would've had my head. Please come in." The lady ushered me inside like a mother rushing her children inside the house when a storm was about to hit.

The inside of the studio was not what I expected. I expected to see expensive furniture, a kitchen on the left, a staircase on the right, but there was no such thing. The entire space was turned into the perfect place for a photoshoot. There were various couches in different colors, shapes and sizes, strategically placed all around. There were a few paintings that prevented the place from looking bland. A few lamps were sitting in the corners, with beautiful silk curtains behind them.

"Who is Darla Vince?" I asked Josè softly.

"The designer who made the clothes," he replied in an equally low tone.

"Right. So if you could just wait here." The flustered lady gestured to the couches. "I'll let Mrs. Vince know that you're here." Turning around, the woman jogged in the direction of a small door.

"This place is something," I commented flopping down on the purple couch.

"I couldn't agree more." Josè sat down beside me.

"Do you think she'll approve of me?" I asked, anxiety wrapping its spindly legs around my mind.

"Hey. She'll love you. When I showed her your photographs, she immediately told me to call you and have you come here for a trial shoot. So I'm sure she'll have you model her clothes," Josè stated, giving my hand a squeeze.

"What if she doesn't? I mean, there are other models out there-better models, with more experience, I'm nothing compare to them." My insecurities were kicking in.

"Yes, there are other models with more experience, but they are not you. You are different Amanda, and trust me, Darla will pick you, I know it," Josè said with conviction.

"I hope so," I murmured. Just then, I heard a clickety clack of high heels approaching. I turned my head to see a woman who looked to be in her late thirties walking towards me. She was wearing a formal black coat and skirt with red stilettos. Her hair were pulled up in a tight bun and a pair of diamond spectacle were perched on the bridge of her nose.

Josè and I stood up to greet her just as she stopped in front of us. I was not going to lie, the woman was intimidating. She had this aura of power, which strangely reminded me of Trent.

"Good morning, I'm Darla Vince, you must be Amanda Lawson." Darla spoke in professional no-nonsense tone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vince." I shook hands with her, trying my best to stop my knees from trembling.

"We better get started. We'll do a trial shoot first and if we like the results then we'll hire you," Darla stated. She wasted no time with pleasentries and I wasn't sure whether I liked that or not.

"Of course." I had no idea what else to say, anxiety had taken over my senses. I just wished that Darla would hire me.

~*~*~*~*

After an hour and a half, the camera finally left me. I sighed in relief as the photoshoot came to an end. I took a couple of deep breaths to get myself under control. The camera did not leave me for even a full minute; the only time I did not hear the constant clicking of the camera was in between poses.

"All right. We'll go over the photos and send them to the owner and if we approve, we'll call you back. Thank you for your time, Ms. Lawson." Darla told me. It took me by surprise when she said she'd send my photos to the owner; I thought she was the owner.

I nodded my head, ready to leave with Josè. He had just slipped his phone in the pocket of his jeans when the flustered lady was back, looking more flustered than the last time I saw her. In fact, she looked as if she would start to hyperventilate any minute.

"Mrs. Vince. Mrs. Vince, he's here, Mr. Allan is here," the lady gasped for air.

"Oh? Well this is unexpected, but I'm glad he's here, he can interview Ms. Lawson here himself," Darla stated.

My eyes widened at her words. Wasn't it enough that I had to deal with one intimidating woman and now this Allan guy would interview me; I was way out of my comfort zone here.

"Mr. Allan is the owner of our brand. Without his approval no design is moved forward and no model is hired. If you manage to impress him, your chances of getting hired will definitely increase." Without waiting for me to respond, Darla turned and strode away to greet Mr. Allan.

"You have got to be kidding me, first Darla and now this Allan guy? Josè what the hell?" If we weren't here, I would screamed.

"Calm down, you just have to talk to this Allan guy, it's not such a big deal." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Not a big deal?! Are you out of your mind?! This guy could make or break my career, and why didn't you tell me he was the bloody owner of this company?" Panic flowed through my mind, making my senses go haywire.

"I didn't know he was the owner of the company," Josè defended.

"Are you kidding me?! Did you not do your research about this company before telling me?!" I demanded to know.

The sheepish expression on Josè face gave me the answer. And the only reason I did not explode was because we were in public and my career was at stake.

"Josè, I can't fucking believe you?! You just brought me here for a photoshoot without researching this company! These people could be human traffickers for all we know. Oh no, they have my photographs, they might turn me into a prostitute! Shit, Josè do something before these people kidnap me and sell me off in an auction. Oh my God, I think I'm gonna faint." Josè caught me before I could even pretend to stumble.

"Stop that, these people are not frauds. And you are not getting sold off in any auction or being turned into a prostitute, stop over analyzing everything and just focus on meeting this Allan guy, he's important," Josè chided.

"Next time you don't do your research, I am going to break your camera," I threatened.

"No. Don't you dare hurt my Libby, she's all I have." A spark of terror lit Josè blue eyes before it was replaced by the familiar mischief one.

"Try not to have the complete information next time and you'll see," I warned.

"Jeez, calm down. And what is taking Darla so long? Shouldn't this Allan guy be here already?" Josè looked around, trying to spot Darla or Mr. Allan.

"I don't know, I just want to get this over with," I whined. As soon as I got home, I was going to eat a whole tub of my favorite ice cream; I deserved it after a day like this.

"I think we should sit down, I think they'll be a while." Josè turned to head back to the couch, but before he could take a step, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed before three people appeared in front of us.

Darla and the flustered lady were standing side by side, while a man stood next to them. My eyes widened followed by my jaw dropping as my eyes fell upon the person I never expected to see here. This was one of those moments in which I felt like I was living in an alternate universe. Because the real world was not so surreal.

"Ms. Lawson, this is Mr. Allan Benson. He is the owner of our company." Darla turned to addressed the man. "Mr. Allan, this is Amanda Lawson, our potential model," she introduced us.

I had no idea why Darla was calling him Allan, because I knew this man by a totally different name, and that name did not start with A either. No, there had to be some kind of a rational explanation for all this. Either this Allan guy was an identical twin or the man I knew had lied to me.

There stood Trent Benson; at least that was what I believed. There was no way I wouldn't remember the man who insulted me. Not to mention, he was emitting the same aura of power and arrogance like Trent. This was Trent.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lawson." Trent extended his hand for me to shake.

"Uhh, me too." I shook his hand robotically. I couldn't believe Trent was here.

"Mr. Benson is going to interview you, and he will give the final verdict. In our world, his word is law," Darla stated, making me wish I had never agreed to take on this project. There was no way Trent was going to hire me.

"Darla, is my office ready?" Trent or Allan-whatever his name was-asked.

"Yes, it is, Mr. Benson," Darla answered.

"Good. I shall conduct the interview in private. Ms. Lawson, if you will just follow me." Trent/Allan turned and strode towards the right side of the studio. I followed stupidly, praying with all my heart that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. This was not how I envisioned this photoshoot to go. And I definitely did not envision seeing Trent of all people here, and he was the fucking owner.

Trent/Allan stopped in front of a door. I saw a metal plate nailed to the door saying Allan Benson. Trent placed his hand on the door knob and gave me a cryptic look. And no matter how much I wished it to be otherwise, I knew he remembered me.

"Ready for your interview, Ms. Lawson?" Trent asked.

"Yes." I nodded. I couldn't believe I had been reduced to monosyllabic words.

"All right. Come in." He opened the door and both of us entered his office, my heart pounding.

Fuck my life.