Nora woke up with a groggy headache and looked around subconsciously. What! She was shocked when she saw a man lying on the bed with her. She looked at the bedsheets and saw they were blood-stained. She felt herself and knew immediately.
She had done that deed. Tears started welling up in her eyes. It was her first time. She had always saved her virginity, believing that it was the only pride of a woman and should be given to the one she truly loved. Now she had given it to a man she didn't know. What the hell happened last night?
She turned to the man who was lying beside her. He is quite handsome and looks masculine. Somehow his face seemed familiar, but she couldn't tell where she met him.
It was at that time that the man woke up. He saw that she was looking at him and smirked. "I know that I am too handsome that you couldn't resist, but if you keep looking at me like that, even with my thick face, I can't stop myself from blushing."
'Idiot,' she cursed him in her mind before seriously looking at him.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am nobody," the man answered with a smile on his face. I so much want to wipe out the smile from his face.
"How did we end up like this?" Nora looked very angered.
"Oh that, I'm not quite sure. Last night I was drunk, and when I woke up, you were lying by my side and started caressing me. It looked as if you were in heat and kept kissing me. I was drunk already so I wasn't able to control myself. The rest is history.
When Nora heard what he said, she knew she had messed up big. Last night, as far as she could remember, she was indeed very drunk and didn't even seem to remember when she passed out or what happened later.
She buried her head in the sheets in shame. "How could you have done this, Nora? Why did she drink too much? She could remember that she was having a meal with director Noah to celebrate her new role as the female lead in a new movie.
The movie has lots of investment and a good prospect. According to what she heard, one of the main investors is the one who offered her the role. She was supposed to meet him that night because director Noah said he would come to the hotel and celebrate with her.
A bad premonition rose in her heart immediately. "Are you an investor in Headway Entertainment?" she asked him.
"No," the man replied casually, "or else you want me to," he added with a smile. I ignored him and rushed towards the bathroom as his laughter echoed at her back.
She sank inside the bathtub trying to clear her mind and understand exactly what was happening. It doesn't seem like she was really drunk. After all, she can still recollect that she only had a few glasses.
Yet she can't deny that she passed out, before then she was feeling hot and stuffy, after which, she couldn't remember anything else.
Soon she was out of the bathroom with only a towel. The man must have been in the living room. The hotel is a huge five-star hotel, it isn't surprising that it has both a bedroom and a living room.
She saw there was a cloth on the bed. It was a female cloth. He must have ordered it for her; she took the clothes to the bathroom to change.
When she came back, she saw the man in the towels. It seemed like he was about to take his bath. She looked at his well-chiseled and masculine body. He was so sexy that she gulped unconsciously.
"Do you wish to swallow me whole?" he asked with a suggestive smile.
"Whatever happened between us last night is a mistake, we should all go our separate ways and pretend like nothing happened," she said seriously.
The man laughed, "you wish." He didn't say anything else and handed her a business card before walking to the bathroom. Nora watched her for a while before grabbing her handbag and putting on a scarf she always carries with her and bolting out of the door.
When she had reached the hotel lobby and was about to make her way out, a group of interviewers from many media outlets rushed towards her. She seemed to want to interrogate her, but it made her more confused.
She is covering her face with the scarf so how the hell did they find out her identity? She was about to panic when two strong men blocked her front facing the interviewers.
"Sorry, this is my boss's woman, you are not allowed to interview her or you face the consequences," one of the men said showing them an identity card. The interviewers looked scared when they saw the card.
It was the personal security of Sir Williams O'Connell, the CEO of the Williams group and young master of the mighty O'Connell family. There are many mysteries surrounding him, but one thing the media knew is that no one dared cross this young master.
They felt bitter; this time they received the wrong information. If the person who gave them the information is here right now, he will probably be beaten to death.
Nora was delighted. She looked at the business card that the man gave her in the hotel room. "Williams O'Connell CEO of Williams International Group." No wonder the media were scared. He is a very big name even in the entertainment industry.
Her phone rang; she looked at the screen and saw that it was an unknown number.
"Hello, who is it?" she asked.
"It's me," a cold voice answered. She knew it was the mysterious man from last night immediately.
"What do you want?"
"Do I need to have a reason before I call you? Being my woman is enough reason."
"I am not your woman," she argued.
"That's not the matter now. What do you think of the media? Why do you think they will want to interrogate a nobody? I think what happened last night must have been a scheme, just that they made an error. I am sure you know what I meant.
Anyway, since you are my woman now, I will help you investigate; don't thank me, that's what I ought to do." The phone cuts off before she can retort.
Nora had safely left the hotel premises; her phone rang, and she saw it was her manager.
"Hello, Nora, where are you now?" she asked.
"I am on my way home," she answered.
"On your way home? You didn't meet the media?"
"What media?" Nora asked.
"Oh sorry, I didn't know what I was saying. Anyway, can you come to the company in ten minutes?" The manager asked.
"No," she answered before disconnecting the call. She is already sure that her manager knew what happened last night. They must have set her up to sleep with the investor.
So this is what the entertainment industry is like; she cried in her heart. After all, she only recently joined the entertainment industry, and the movie can be considered as the very first movie she is going to participate in.
A few minutes later, she was sitting with her best friend Anna inside her bedroom.
"I had a one-night stand," Nora said.
"Woah, I have actually done the deed. Who is the guy? Is he a hunk?" Anna asked anxiously.
"The guy is very handsome indeed," she answered.
"But what happened? How did you end up in a one-night stand? I thought you went to have dinner with your director. Wait, did they set you up?" Anna asked, looking alarmed.
"Seems like," she answered"What do you mean by 'seems like'? Can you elaborate?" Anna seemed confused now.
"Let's say I didn't end up with whom I was supposed to. That's a mistake on their part, though. But you wouldn't believe the identity of the guy I slept with," she smiled.
"Oh, tell me," Nora smiled. She knew that Anna couldn't wait to hear her.
"See for yourself." She handed her the business card.
"Oh my God," Anna shouted in shock. "Nora, just one night that I wasn't with you, and you had already hooked up with a multi-billionaire. From today onwards, you must be my master."
"Master, teach your servant." Anna made a posture as if to kneel down.
"Cut it off," just as they were talking, someone knocked at the door. She frowned but still opened it and saw it was some delivery man.
They carried lots of items with them and a bouquet of flowers. "You guys came to the wrong place, please. I didn't order anything," she said to the delivery men.
"But this is the address we were given. You are Miss Nora, right?" The delivery man asked. She nodded slowly. "Then that means we didn't come to the wrong place. These packages are for you." The man insisted.
She nodded and allowed the man to bring it in while trying to figure out who could have sent all this. After signing for the package, the men left.
Anna was so excited and kept on opening the packages while shrieking. "Oh my Nora, tell me, which of your admirers sent these? This is the latest designer gown from Louis Vuitton, and these are all from top brands."
Nora ignored her and walked towards the flower bouquet. It was Rose and Jasmine. She saw a letter attached to it.
"In the echoes of our brief encounter, I found myself compelled to send these small gifts. May they serve as a reminder of a night marked by a certain dominance-a fleeting dance in the realm of desire."
After reading the letter, she already knew who sent it. "It's the man from last night," she said. Rose came closer.
"How do you know?"
She handed her the letter. After reading the letter, Anna nodded excitedly. "Yes, it's him. Woah, he is so romantic and domineering."
"That bastard," Nora cursed. Her phone rang; it was an unknown number. She picked it.
"Do you like the gifts?" A domineering voice came from the other side of the phone.
"Thanks, but please, you don't have to send any more of these. Whatever we had last time is in the past, and we should get over it," she said.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Listen, you are my woman now, and I will send you gifts and take care of you because that's my responsibility," he growled.
"I am not your woman, William. Please don't call me that again. Just leave me alone and go your own way." She cut the call.
"Wow, the billionaire has fallen for you, girl. That's really great, you know. You can be a rich young lady if you want," Anna said excitedly.
"Get lost," Nora shouted at her.
"But Nora, you should be careful how you handle this. You know these billionaires aren't easy to handle."
"I know."
*******************************************
"What happened last night, Director Noah? Why is it that I haven't heard any news from the media?" The manager said hurriedly.
The main director was silent for a while before speaking. "We made a huge mistake."
"What mistake?" Manager Ralph looked flustered.
"She was brought here to the wrong room," he answered. Manager Ralph was alarmed. "How could you have made such a mistake?"
"I don't know, but what bothers me most is that another woman was able to bypass the media, and I wasn't able to obtain the identity of the man she spent the night with." His voice was solemn.
"Do you think we are found out?" the manager said.
"What if we are found out? She is just a small-time celebrity who only recently became known because of her song 'I Am a Beauty' and also her very beautiful looks.
We are even doing her a favor by allowing her to feature in the movie; she should be grateful. So even if she finds out, she can only pretend like nothing happens," he replied coldly.
The manager nodded; the director is known to be cruel and ruthless. The entertainment industry is like that anyway.
"And the investor?" He asked.
"I don't know how we are going to handle that one. He had called me and had been shouting and screaming, complaining about how he waited all night and even drank lots of sex boosters for nothing.
He wants us to refund the money he gave us."
"So what do we do now? Do we refund it?" The manager asked.
"Are you a retard? Of course not, we just need to try again. This time there should be no mistakes."
"Calm down, Nora. Let's meet the doctor first and see what he says. I'm sure there's a way to save your mother," Anna tried to console Nora.
They were in the city hospital. Earlier in the day, the doctor had called to tell her that her mother's problem was getting worse. She was rushed to the hospital immediately upon receiving the news.
Her mother had been admitted to the hospital for two weeks now, but she lacked the money to pay for her treatment and had only been put under medication.
Soon, they were inside the doctor's office.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nora. We can't prolong her life anymore. It's either you provide half the payment for the surgery and pay the rest later, or she won't live for more than two weeks," the doctor declared.
Nora looked worried. She knew no amount of pleading would change the doctor's mind. But where could she possibly get the money?
The half payment was already a huge sum-three hundred thousand dollars. She couldn't afford it. She left the hospital with her friend after seeing her mother.
Inside the cab, Anna tried to console her. "Come on, Nora, you shouldn't put on that face. Hope is not completely lost. Why not call that guy, Richard? Tell him what's happening and see if he can help," Anna suggested.
Nora started blushing. "What are you saying? Who is my boyfriend?" She became serious. "But how can I possibly ask him for help? We barely know each other, and besides, I already told him that we should forget each other."
"Just give it a try, baby girl. You might never know," Anna persuaded her. After some minutes, she agreed and called him.
"Hello, sweetheart," Nora felt like telling him that she wasn't his sweetheart but decided against it since she couldn't afford to offend him now.
"Williams, I... I don't know how to say..."
"Oh, I had been waiting for you to call long ago. I know what you want to say," he said.
"Oh, you already know." She started having a bad premonition.
"Yes, I will give you the full payment for your mum's hospital bill on one condition. You must consent to my request."
"What request?" She asked curiously.
"You must not know now. I will tell you later," he answered.
"But I have to know, what if it's something I can't do?" she insisted.
"Sorry, but no. You just have to agree to my request, and I will take care of everything." His voice was cold and didn't accept any arguments.
She thought for a while. No matter what the request is, her mother's health is more important. She might as well brace herself to accept any requests he might make and pray it shouldn't be extreme.
"Okay, I agree," she agreed at last.
"Good, send your account details, and I will transfer the amount now." He ordered. She nodded and did as he said before heaving a sigh.
"See, I told you, the man is a godsend." Anna looked happy. But Nora instead looked down.
"It's still early to rejoice. We still don't know what his request will be," she said.
"Yes, that's true. Why didn't I think about it? What if he asks you to be his mistress? I heard these wealthy young masters like to keep lots of mistresses," Anna added.
Nora glared at her. Her phone beeped, and she saw it was an alert. Her account has been credited with one million dollars. Anna peeped and almost shrieked. The amount needed is about six hundred thousand dollars.
But after the surgery, the small treatments that might follow could cost from fifty to a hundred thousand dollars. Williams was really very considerate and had sent more than the required amount.
This way, things will be much easier, and they won't lack money for any other necessary treatment. She was grateful and texted him, "Thank you." It's better that she expresses her gratitude better when they meet in the future.
She told the cab man to return to the hospital. When they returned to the hospital, she made full payment, and the doctor started arranging for the surgery.
She was happy to see that everything was progressing. She decided to take her friend to have a meal since they hadn't eaten anything since morning.
They went to a nearby hotel to have their meal. A girl walked inside the hotel; she was wearing sunglasses with a huge hat that covered most of her face and had on a very short yellow gown.
She has very tall legs and could be considered a rare beauty. But her beauty paled in comparison when paired with Nora.
"It's her," Nora muttered. The girl seemed to have noticed her and walked to where they were sitting.
"I didn't know I would meet you here, Nora. You have grown up so soon, dear. Now tell me. How many men have you opened your legs for during these past few days?" Her words were vicious and direct.
Her name is Morgan, and she had been in Headway Entertainment two years before Nora. She was supposed to be the female lead in the recent movie, which was going to be a huge hit.
But the arrival of Nora changed everything. She was a good actor, and her appearance and temperament were even better than hers. She is even a talented singer and might be a musician in the future if she progresses well.
She was so good, and her role as the female lead was changed to the villain, and Nora became the female lead. Ever since then, she had been resenting Nora and always found an opportunity to pick on her.
She believed that Nora must have slept with the higher-ups, which was something she had done before.
Nora ignored her words. "Some people have been such huge whores that they think everyone will be like them. Perhaps they don't possess as much talent as others and have to make their way using their assets," she said, looking at Anna.
Anna nodded. "Indeed, I pity such girls. When they don't have much value, they'll be dumped and forgotten."
Morgan was so furious that her face was burning hot. What they said sounded so true that she couldn't refute it.