"Ding dong." The doorbell of my penthouse apartment rang again. I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. How many times had it chimed already? I dragged myself out of bed, grumpy and half-asleep, and shuffled towards the living room.
From the small monitor screen, I saw it was Bryce, my manager. Sigh. I unlocked the door.
"What do you want, Bryce?" I asked grumpily, turning back towards my bedroom with him trailing behind.
"Oh, don't be like that, love. I come in peace… see? I even brought your favorite," he said, placing whatever he was carrying on the table in my room. I'd already pulled the duvet over my head, determined to block out anything work-related. My instincts told me that was the reason for his unwelcome visit.
"Drop it and leave, then. I want to get back to sleep," I mumbled, turning my back to him.
Silence filled the room, and for a moment, I thought he'd actually left. I was about to relax and drift back to sleep when I heard him clear his throat. That annoying habit he had whenever he was about to say something I wouldn't like.
"Don't even say it, Bryce. I don't want to hear it… whatever it is," I said, sitting up and glaring at him from beneath the covers.
"I'm really sorry, love. I know I promised you a full month of uninterrupted rest, but in this particular case, I don't have a choice," he said, his expression pleading.
"Then turn the offer down," I retorted, crossing my arms.
"Oh, I did, you see… I actually did, the first time and the second time." He pulled a face, like the memory was physically painful. "But the offer they made the third time? It was thrice our charging fee, and they even moved their whole campaign up two weeks to give you at least two weeks of rest before you start," he explained, spreading his hands wide.
Thrice my usual fee… that was tempting. No other female artist in the country commands such a high amount. But it still wasn't enough to make me cut my hiatus short by half. Besides, I had two gigs lined up afterward that would easily bring in the same amount.
Bryce must have sensed my hesitation, because he pressed on. "And most importantly, the company seeking your services is none other than Apex Holdings," he said, smiling knowingly.
"Cole's Apex Holdings? I mean… the Mikelson's company?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.
"Yep," he answered, popping the 'p'.
I sighed and fell back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. To be honest, only two companies would ever make me consider cancelling my plans: Them and Chris's Atlantis.
"I'll think about it and get back to you. Now, can you please leave and let me get some sleep?" I said, pulling the duvet back over my head.
"Of course, my darling. Have a wonderful rest, and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything," he said, his voice oozing with sincerity. Then, finally, he left.
As soon as the door clicked shut, I kicked off the covers and went to the table to inspect Bryce's offering. True to his word, he'd brought my favorite comfort food: two pizza packs, two tacos, and two bowls of ice cream. But beside it was a file, probably something he'd forgotten on his hasty retreat. I happily unpacked the food, grabbing a taco and a bowl of ice cream, and then carried everything back to bed, grabbing the file on my way.
I switched on the television, waiting for my favorite drama to start, and began munching on the taco while flipping through the file.
Across the header of the paper, was a bold title, Apex Holding Group of Companies.
'Oh, it's the contract,' I mumbled, scanning through the document.
"Whatever," I said, after a few minutes, tossing the file aside.
---
"I'm only doing this not because of the money, obviously," I said to Bryce, trying to sound nonchalant, "but because I was already getting bored after just a week of rest and because it wouldn't be nice to turn down an offer from Eve's father's company."
We were on our way to Apex, the buildings were starting to make us see eachother.
"I hear you, but come on, Lex," he chuckled, "It's a small price you pay for being the number one model in the country. And mind you, you're the very first model they've ever hired for this campaign," he added proudly.
"Whatever, Bryce. Let me know when we get there," I mumbled, closing my eyes and resting my head against the headrest.
After what felt like an eternity, the driver announced that we'd arrived at Apex.
Stepping out of the car, I was struck by the sheer scale and architectural magnificence of the building, it was unlike anything I've ever encountered. A small group hurried towards us. There were three young men and two women.
"We are very sorry for keeping you waiting," one of them said, extending his hand. He seemed to be the leader of the group. "Welcome to Apex, Miss Lexi. I'm Steven, the campaign manager."
"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand. But I felt a pang of awkwardness when he made no effort to introduce the others.
"Hi, I'm Lexi," I said, turning to the person beside me, whose face was flushed red. He'd been staring at me for a moment, seemingly tongue-tied. "And you are?"
"I'm Ferdinand, Ma'am. Welcome to Apex," he said, finally finding his voice, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"I'm Frankie, Miss. Welcome to Apex," the next man said, grasping my hand with both of his.
"I'm Lois. I'm one of your fangirls, welcome to Apex!" One of the women exclaimed, giggling with excitement. I couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.
"Remind me to give you an autograph and take a picture after the shoot, okay?" I said, winking. Her eyes widened, and she froze in delighted shock.
"I'm Jessica, Ma'am. Welcome to Apex," the last person said, offering a warm, genuine smile.
"Now we can go on," I said, turning back to Steven, whose face was a mask of barely concealed annoyance.
I didn't miss the embarrassed and awkward look on his face when it seemed as though he didn't want the rest of the crew to make themselves known and familiar.
"Yes, of course. This way, please," he said, leading us towards the main building.