Rise of the Billionaire actress

Aaron was in his apartment on campus, packing a bag when Tony walked into his room.

” Hey man! Where are you off to? ”

He plummeted himself on the made bed in the center of Aaron’s room.

” None of your fucking business.”

Aaron continued packing his bag, nonchalant to Tony’s presence. He didn’t sleep through the night, and spent the whole time thinking about the deal.

As a result, he was crankier than usual.

” What crawled and died up your ass? Don’t tell me you’re still touchy about yesterday. ”

At the mention of the day before, Aaron’s jaws clenched.

” Shut up and tell me why you are here. I don’t have all day.” He said with gritted teeth.

” Bullshit. You’re cranky. Something’s up.”

“Yeah, something’s up, I’m two seconds from decking the shit out of you.” Aaron announced in a warning tone.

“Easy, Tiger. I heard a little gossip and I figured you’d be in the best place to tell. ” Tony stood up and walked towards the window mane, not the least bit threatened by his friend.

“News has it that the female lead was picked from the auditions. And it isn’t Stella.” He turned around and gauged Aaron’s reaction. “You’re not surprised. Is that why you want to drop out of the production?”

” Of course not. Why would you even think that? ” Aaron asked incredulously.

” Then what’s up? I’m dying from the lack of communication. ”

” I don’t care about the female lead and I need to be on my way to my gran’s. Keep your mouth shut about my whereabouts. I need a break. ”

Aaron zipped his duffle bag, and hung it over his shoulder.

” Is that code for not telling Stella your whereabouts?” Tony said with a knowing smirk. ” You know that chick is in love with you. She’ll go bananas if you go missing. ”

” Don’t even start. I’m late. I can’t get into that right now. ”

Aaron headed over to a basket of keys placed on the table within his room. He picked up a car key and proceeded out of his room with Tony hot on his trails.

” Oh come on! You know I’m right.” Tony has always believed Stella was in love with Aaron. From the first day he introduced Stella to Tony, he had nursed the funny notion of Stella being hopelessly in love with him.

Over time, it metamorphosed into an inside joke between them but with the way he was feeling, he wasn’t in the mood to entertain any sort of banter with his friend. He just wanted some peace and quiet time away, and maybe some advice from his Grandma as pertaining to the matter at hand.

The duo got outside and to Aaron’s parked car. With a beep, the car opened and the duffle bag was shoved into the back seat.

” Whatever you do, keep my location out of your mouth. You. Don’t. Know. Where. I. Am. ” He said, enunciating each word.

Without waiting for a reply, he entered the car and doomed off, leaving Tony standing behind with a knowing smirk.

*****

In about thirty minutes, Aaron’s car slowed to a stop in front of a vintage building where his Granny resided. He looked over the building he was nurtured, and felt his stress melt away.

It was good to be home.

Aaron entered the front doors with a smile as he took in the nostalgic scent of his grandma’s home. Looking around, everything was the same. Vintage, homey and perfect.

” Who’s out there? ” A shaky voice said, following the voice were footsteps which caused the floors to creak.

” It’s me! ” Aaron said and followed the sound towards the kitchen. It was his favourite part of the home alongside his Grans. Sometimes he wondered if he really loved the kitchen for itself or as a result of his grandma’s love for cooking.

No doubt he was influenced by her in that department but he couldn’t have loved it any other way. He ended up learning how to cook from his grandma and connecting with her on a deeper level.

” Oh Ronnie! I’m in the kitchen. Is Stella with you? ” The sweet familiar voice of Mrs Blackman rang into the hearing of Aaron. Successfully bringing a smile to his face.

” I can tell ma.” Just one whiff and the aroma of some freshly baked pie overwhelmed his senses. His grandma was literally the best, his favorite chef.

Mrs Blackman was an eighty seven year old woman who loved baking and cooking. She was wealthy, being married to a politician back in her days who ended up divorcing her and marrying another woman at the peak of his career.

She never remarried and instead carried on with her life with her only son who ended up being her ex husband’s only child as a result of his wife’s inability to give birth. She lived her life as a single mother to her child- Aaron’s father -and a terrific cook.

The moment Aaron came into his grandma’s view, he was engulfed in a motherly hug. ” How’re you doing, why didn’t you bring Stella? ” Mrs Blackman chided with an accusing tone.

” I’m alright ma, how are you doing? Do you need help? Maybe it’s about time we get you a caregiver who would move in. You shouldn’t keep stressing yourself.”

Aaron saw the fuss in the kitchen and switched into guardian mode. His grandma was all he had and he wanted her to live as comfortably as possible.

He took over the preparations going in the kitchen after pulling out a single dining chair for his Ma. In no time he was dressed up in a full chef attire, hands washed and ready to get hands on.

” Not in my house. I am doing just fine.”

Mrs Blackman said, reaffirming her stance on having strangers in her home. A topic which has been pretty consistent in recent times.

Aaron knew his Ma. He knew that pushing the matter would only harden her resolve on her decision and decided it was best to revisit the topic at a much later time.

” Think about it. I feel stressed thinking about all you take on in the house. Just take a look at how much food is in here.” Aaron said, looking through the packed fridge. ” There’s probably enough to last a family for a month.”

” It’s almost holiday, I would share those in the neighborhood. Maybe have some sent to your father and the rest of the family.” Mrs Blackman said.

” Whatever. Just please take it easy. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Mrs Blackman watched Aaron do the job with a smile on her face. She knew he wasn’t pleased with what she was doing but didn’t want to upset her. Ron had always been so thoughtful towards her and it made her both happy and sad.

Happy that she got to see this beautiful side of him and sad that he wasn’t letting anyone in. He was a very sensitive child and she wanted him to have more people in his corner who he could grow to trust and love.

While Aaron cleared up, his thoughts were back on the options he had. Mrs Blackman could tell something was bothering him but knew not to rush him as he would open up when he was ready.

” Ma. Can I ask you a question?” Aaron’s voice piqued, just like she’d predicted.

” Do you now seek permission before asking? ” She retorted.

” If you had a good shot at becoming an established chef but it came at the expense of working with your enemy, would you take the opportunity despite that hiccup or walk away? ”

” I’m taking that opportunity and showing the world how good I am. In time she’ll fade into background noise. That’s how irrelevant I’d make that person. ” Mrs Blackman said without blinking an eye.

” Wow..”

” Yes baby. You can’t let anyone stop you from achieving your goals. Not even yourself. ” She said with finality. ” Turn off the oven.”

” Okay ma.”

Everything was suddenly clear. Aaron spent the day with his Ma and left only after receiving a call from Tony that his presence was needed. He went back with a clear mind on what he had to do and couldn’t be more grateful.

*****

” Never show up here again.”

Daniel couldn’t push out the last words he heard from her. He couldn’t forget how she looked at him when she said those words. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of hatred and anger poured into those words.

The fact that it was from Esther who once adored and loved him made it even more unbearable. He had done that. That wasn’t the Esther he remembered and he had a feeling that he was responsible for that.

He was that monster who took until he couldn’t anymore and left her with darkness. Darkness that she caught as a result of his leaving her in the dark.

Daniel was on his way to dinner at his friend’s home. He was dressed in a casual outfit and proposed in his heart to finish up as quickly as possible. He wanted to be alone.

As he approached the home of Elvis, the urge to retreat to his hotel became stronger. He couldn’t find strength to pull off another bomb impression of Daniel Greenwood. At this point he wanted to retreat to his home and be Daniel for the night.

Not the famous actor Daniel Greenwood but just Daniel.

He wanted to be the human Daniel but he couldn’t bring himself to cancel on Elvis. It wasn’t about Elvis anymore but about his family. A family who was expecting him for the longest time.

Daniel released a sigh as he watched his car slow down to a stop at the front of a huge yard. It was show time and he wasn’t the least bit ready.

He had to be the charismatic Daniel Greenwood today and best believe that was what he was going to be. He was an actor after all.

The moment Daniel walked out of the car, his countenance changed and so did his entire being. He sauntered into the house with gallant steps and was welcomed by the screaming of two beautiful children.

” It’s really you! From TV! ” The little girl said with a huge smile, pointing at him. ” Mummy! He’s here! ”

” Easy there, Sharon. Shine! What did I tell you about opening the doors? ” Elvis said and soon he was in view.

” I should always wait for an elder to open.” The little boy recites in an unsure tone.

” Leave him alone.” Daniel rebuffed his friend, ” Oh my, Sharon and Shine. If I didn’t know better I’d think you’re twins.” He said with his tone very friendly.

” That’s right! We are twins. My mummy said so.”

Sharon was the talker between them. She was never one to shy away from people since her childhood. Unlike her brother who was much more reserved.

” Thank you for sharing, I never knew!” Daniel said in a sing-song voice, eliciting laughter from Elvis and his wife, Gift.

” Welcome to our home.”

The family had dinner together with Daniel who tried as much as possible to remain present and kind. Contrary to Daniel’s impression of having everything under wraps, Elvis noticed that his friend wasn’t himself.

Daniel struggled to maintain conversations which were unlike him. Sometimes he was found staring aloofly by his friend.

After some time, Daniel decided it best he called it a night. His mind was filled with thoughts of Esther and it was eating deeply at him. He needed to reclaim himself and he couldn’t do that here.

He expertly excused himself out of the home, apologizing for his otherwise short stay and promising to visit whenever opportunity presents itself.

Daniel sauntered out of the house, but not without receiving a stern order from Elvis to call him. On the way back to his hotel, Daniel picked up his phone and within seconds, dialed the number of Mr Austin. The call connected after two rings.

” Hello sir.”

” Sorry to bother you, I’d like to request that you go on with the cast preparations and formal reading. I will be returning back to New York much later than expected.” He said in one breath.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

” No problem. Take your time, I’ll handle things over here.”

” Thank you. I’ll be in touch. ”

Beeps were heard from the line, and the call disconnected.

Mr Austin was in his home when the call came through and immediately, he sent a mass text message to all the parties involved, scheduling a meeting for the next day.

It was time to get this show on the road.