Three years ago, Clarissa was the source of envy of countless women.
However, her virality also vanished in the same year. The official tweet of Tyson Corporation that confirmed her identity as Matthew’s fiancée was still on Twitter, but there was no more news about it after that.
Some said that Matthew had always kept a low profile, so even if they were married, he would not make an official announcement about it. Nevertheless, the majority speculated that she had broken up with him, and her dream to marry into the rich was broken. In short, no one knew for sure what had happened. There were many rumors and gossips about it, but there was no official news. Thus, their relationship remained a mystery to the public.
As time passed, most people no longer remembered the things that happened between Clarissa and the president of Tyson Corporation.
Clarissa and Yaala left the club and sat in the lobby to chat for a while.
“How long will you be here in D City?” Yaala asked, tilting her head.
Clarissa looked at her and replied, “Two days.”
“So short?” Yaala was crestfallen. “I was thinking of having a drink with you after I finish my work. I’ve been dog-tired recently. Shooting a movie every year has taken a toll on me. I really need to take a break and have a vacation, but I need a buddy to travel with me. So do you want to join me? Your schedule is flexible, after all. You can also take the time to relax and perhaps have a romantic encounter abroad.”
Clarissa burst into laughter. “I would love to go, but I can’t be away from my family for too long.”
“Why not?”
Her question threw Clarissa off, but she regained her composure quickly and smiled, shaking her head. “My grandmother is not in good health. Besides…”
Clarissa did not finish her sentence as her voice tapered off.
Yaala glanced at her and did not probe further. “Okay. Tell me whenever you need a travel buddy. If I have the time, I’ll go with you.”
Clarissa nodded and heaved a deep sigh. “Sure. It’s been a long time since I last had a vacation. Oh, how I miss those days!”
Her sigh felt a little off to Yaala, but before she could say anything, Clarissa had changed the topic.
They made small talk as they waited for Yaala’s chauffeur to arrive, and Clarissa was grateful that she did not inquire about what happened between her and Matthew in the past three years.
She knew that the primary reason Yaala befriended her back then was due to her relationship with Matthew, but her action was understandable. After all, as a celebrity, it was important to make connections through networking in the entertainment industry. But gradually, most of Clarissa’s so-called friends ended up distancing themselves from her, so she considered the ones who remained by her side as her true friends. Even without her relationship with Matthew, she was still one of the most reputable screenwriters and was highly regarded by plenty of actors and directors. Therefore, many people regretted not maintaining their connection with her.
Just then, a car arrived at the entrance. Yaala stood up, beckoning her. “Let’s go. The car is here. I’ll send you back to the hotel.”
Clarissa rose to her feet and followed after her. As they were about to head out, a few people came in and brushed past them. Right then, Clarissa and Yaala overheard their conversation.
“Are you saying that Mr. Tyson of Tyson Corporation is going to come too?”
“Yeah. That was why I asked to come here today. Later, when you see Mr. Tyson, you must do everything you can to attract him, okay? Even if it’s just a fling, I’m sure you can get a lot of benefits from him.”
“I understand. Thanks!”
“That’s right. I heard that he likes women who are talented. Aren’t you highly educated? Perhaps you can strike up a conversation with him easily.”
The voices of those people then drifted away. Concerned, Yaala took a look at Clarissa’s expression and found that she remained calm and poised as if she did not hear their conversation just now. Hence, Yaala kept quiet and continued her way to the car.
When Clarissa went back to her room in the hotel, she wanted to call home but realized it was already late in the night.
Therefore, she sent a message to Jenny via WhatsApp. After she got the latter’s reply, saying that everything was fine back home, she went to bed with peace of mind.
The next day, Clarissa went to the studio with Mandy. While the studio remained the same at Tyson Corporation, Mandy was no longer a lowly editorial assistant. Meanwhile, Yael was still the one who managed everything. Besides, now that Clarissa’s workload and income had increased, there were more staff members in their team now.
Although Clarissa was their boss, she seldom showed up in the studio. Despite that, many were excited to see their pretty, amicable boss in the office.
After the meeting hosted by Yael, Clarissa finally had the time to speak to her privately.
“Many companies are interested in the historical film script, and I’ve chosen the one that gave the best offer. Put down your signature here, and the contract will be sealed.” Yael pushed the contract over to Clarissa for her to look through.
After she finished flipping it through, she looked up at Yael. Everything was to her satisfaction, except that the company was a subsidiary of Tyson Corporation.
Yael saw the look on her and arched her eyebrows. “Yes? Any problem?”
It was obvious that she was feigning ignorance.
As Clarissa pondered over it, Yael continued, “It’s a good deal. You’d have to be a fool not to sign it.”
Clarissa eventually yielded and shook her head, smiling. “Okay, I’ll sign it.”
“Good, so don’t act as if you’re forced to sign it. We’ll earn a lot from this contract. Besides, I know your situation, alright? There’s no one else in here, so drop your act!”
Clarissa merely grinned in response. Besides being the second-in-command in the studio, Yael was also her lawyer. Not only was she in charge of handling Clarissa’s documents, but she was also well aware of her personal matters.
As an afterthought, Yael added, “Since you’ve signed the contract with that company, you should do your best to fulfill their request for the sake of money.”
“Huh, what do you mean?” Clarissa questioned, baffled.
Yael rose to her feet and gave her a nonchalant shrug. “I don’t know. I’m just giving you a reminder.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of Clarissa’s office.
There’s something fishy going on.
Clarissa narrowed her eyes, racking her brain to decipher what Yael was trying to convey.
Not long after that, Mandy knocked on the door and peeked inside. “Clarissa, can you do me a favor?”
Clarissa looked up and asked, “What is it?”
Mandy grinned sheepishly and walked into the room. “There is an awards ceremony tonight. Yael doesn’t want to go, so I was wondering if you can replace her.”
Clarissa gave it some thought before replying, “Maybe you can go instead.”
“That won’t do. They’ve said that either you or Yael needs to attend the ceremony, and I can only tag along. Hehe… Clarissa, since you’re in D City already, please take me with you. This year, they’ve invited a foreign superstar to perform tonight. Pretty please, Clarissa. I really like that celebrity.”
Seeing the pleading look on her face, Clarissa did not have the heart to reject her. “Fine.”
“That’s great! Clarissa, I’ve rented a gown for you. Once we’re done with our work here, we can immediately go downstairs to try on the gowns and get our makeup done. Don’t worry. I’ve made all the necessary arrangements.”
Clarissa feigned a smile. “So, you knew from the start that I would agree?”
“Hehe… You’re kind as always, like an angel…”
Clarissa could not help but chuckle. She’s such a smooth talker nowadays.
As expected, Clarissa refused to go on the red carpet that night, so she and Mandy directly went into the hall before the ceremony started. As they entered the venue, she greeted a few acquaintances along the way. After they found their seats, Mandy glanced around curiously and watched the live stream on her phone, commenting on the celebrities under her breath, “That young idol got popular after his first starring role in a romantic movie, but he’s not my type. He’s too young for me. By the way, a few days ago, I went to a production company and heard gossips in the restroom…”
After working in the entertainment industry for a few years, she was well informed of juicy gossips in the field.
However, Clarissa was not interested at all. She was busy texting on her phone, smiling sweetly.
When Mandy saw the smile tugging on her lips, she hesitated for a long while before voicing out the question in her mind eventually, “Clarissa, a-are you in love?”
Clarissa was stumped for a while and grinned. “Yeah, I’m seeing someone.”
“Oh…” Mandy was shocked beyond words with a trace of sadness on her face. She then held Clarissa’s hand, choking up all of a sudden. “Clarissa, I really hope that you’ve found true love.”
Clarissa immediately burst out laughing.
She knew what the girl was thinking about.
Giving Mandy a pat on the shoulder, she responded, “Thanks. I hope so too.”
“Yes, I know.”
After that, Mandy became much quieter. As they waited for the red carpet event outside the hall to end, she got bored and decided to go out for a stroll.
Meanwhile, Clarissa stayed in her seat and continued to text on her phone quietly, not wanting to attract any attention.
After a long while, movie stars and celebutantes dressed in glamorous outfits gradually gathered in the hall, and the long-awaited ceremony finally began. A few renowned celebrities gave astounding performances, and later, actors and actresses went on the stage to receive their awards. All the while, Mandy snapped plenty of pictures and videos before posting them on her Twitter to show off to her friends.
At last, the ceremony ended, and an after-party ensued. Clarissa initially wanted to go home straight after the ceremony, but Mandy insisted on staying as she wanted to meet the foreign superstar she fancied.
Bored out of her mind, Clarissa was about to give up and leave when Ryler found her in the corner. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming tonight?”
Clarissa chuckled and pointed at Mandy. “I didn’t plan to stay long, but my colleague dragged me here to find that foreign celebrity. By the way, do you know him? Can you help my colleague to get an autograph or take a picture with him?”
Mandy looked expectantly at Ryler, who glanced at that said celebrity before telling his assistant to help Mandy out. Immediately, she followed the assistant to find that celebrity with a spring in her step.
After they left, Clarissa smirked mischievously and teased, “I saw you dancing on the stage just now. You’re strong for a man of your age.”
Speechless, embarrassment crept up his face as he laughed awkwardly. “Is that even a compliment? Am I that old already?”
Upon hearing that, she could barely stifle her laughter. “Okay, my bad. Mr. Cooper is forever young.”
The moment she said the word “young,” several young idols came over to them and greeted Ryler, who was a senior to the Generation Z youngsters.
Not wanting to disturb them, Clarissa stepped away quietly.
When she almost reached the back door, she took a few steps back and accidentally bumped into someone.
