Chapter 20: Chapter 20

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Charmaine VDH

"Omw to Beijing. Important board meeting. I'll be back next weekend. Kisses"

Today 22:12

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Not again.

Seriously. She didn't even bother to call him before going to the airport.

With a loud sigh, Jenson turned off his big bike's engine after parking it inside their dark garage. He clapped twice to switch the lights on, then unzipped his leather jacket while trying not to hurl his phone into the trash.

She had better make it up to him once she got back. Those corporate workaholics must be doing their best to convince her to take the promotion. Their new offer.

It didn't annoy him as much as her behavior did, though. He thought everything was back to normal last night. They had sex twice and she was acting all sweet and caring the past few days.

Now he knew why. "Such bullshit." Jenson stomped into their quiet home. The lights automatically lit up the two-storey house the second he stepped into the noiseless kitchen.

Well, he should've seen it coming. He shouldn't have expected much. He should know better by now.

She couldn't even talk to him over the phone to ask if he was okay with her leaving the country again. Clearly she would be out of town for another week.

Nothing new. Her demanding job and schedule just kept straining his patience. Like every year. But that wasn't the most disappointing part. It was her willingness and dedication to pour herself into her work.

No matter the consequences. He expected better from her after a whole week of them spending some time together. Hanging out. Watching movies before going to bed. Cuddling each other almost every night.

But, nah. Turned out, nothing changed.

Charmaine still did whatever she wanted. She couldn't even do better than a text.

The heck did she take him for? She probably thought he wouldn't mind that she left without a proper goodbye, again, because she gave him some last night.

Jenson gripped his phone. His imagination just wandered off to even more agitating thoughts. It might not be obvious at the moment, but she could be seeing someone else in secret. In Beijing.

"Important board meeting" didn't really assure him that she was only going there for work.

If she was cheating on him, he would call off the wedding. Pronto. He didn't want to think the worst of her, but his gut feel said he wasn't being too imaginative this time.

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"Man, I just had another nightmare."

Jenson sighed and hauled himself off the bed before glancing at the time on his phone.

5:49AM. Damn. Not even six hours of sleep.

For a half-blood like him, six hours wasn't the recommended duration of rest per day, considering their genetic issues. But maybe Darren wouldn't talk his ear off this early and would be a bit more considerate today. For a change.

"What?" Jenson put the call on speaker and lazily rubbed the stupor out of his eyes while he hunched over on the bed. He glanced at the other side. Still empty. Still cold. Still no Charmaine.

She wasn't coming back anytime soon. At this rate, a week could turn into a month. Or a few months.

He wasn't going to call her. His pride wrestled with his anxiety all night. If she wanted to talk to him, she would call him up. Sadly for him, the hours of waiting and waiting bore nothing. Nada. Zilch.

"It was longer this time," Darren murmured on the other end. His voice sounded way too energetic at this hour, not sleepy at all. "More detailed. Dude, I even woke up with tears in my eyes."

"What nightmare? You been havin' nightmares?"

"Yeah. For months now."

Why was Darren telling him this? If he was actually sharing more of his multitude of secrets, Darren probably trusted him fully now.

"Yeah?" Jenson stretched his back. He didn't forget to take his wolfsbane pills last night, but his spine and joints still felt achy. It was most likely the lack of sleep. His age was also definitely catching up to him. "About what?"

"Lots of stuff," Darren muttered in reply.

"Be more specific if you want me to keep talking."

"What happened to her, for one." Darren sighed loudly, making some static noises pour over the line. "But it's like, she never left."

With the bedroom staying almost pitch-black, Jenson kept his eyes closed as he gauged his friend's current emotional state. The sincerity in Darren's voice was unmistakable, but it didn't really prove he was truly heartbroken after what happened. Perhaps it was just the guilt.

"The hacker redirected her phone's location pings to another site." Jenson held back a sigh. "Don't ask for it again. I'm not givin' it back to you."

"I know."

"I don't need to remind you, but we're talkin' about your life here, and your whole career. Okay?" He used a more stern tone now. Big brother mode, like Magnus advised. "DJ."

"Yeah."

"There's no report with her name or photo. Yet."

"Okay."

"Magnus already talked to her family. In case you didn't know yet."

"I know. He called me." Darren spoke quietly now, his tone rather dispirited, as if the reminder didn't ease his guilt or his anxiety.

To walk off the grogginess, Jenson got up from the bed. The hacker said no missing person reports had been filed with her name yet, both here and in Arizona. But they had to be thorough. Cover all bases. "You torched all of it. Right?" Jenson held his breath.

Since Darren lied to him sometimes, they had to make sure Darren definitely burned his computer's hard drive and phone memory card that had Ramona's photos and videos in the deleted folders. Risk reduction and all that. The hacker already took care of the digital footprints and whatnot.

"Yeah," Darren replied. He didn't say more and got quiet again.

They kept talking as if they were being wiretapped, but it was for the best. "The older MUA told the other girl that Z got a call from her parents."

"Yeah. Talked to him this morning. He said they both signed the paperwork."

"I gotta talk to 'em, too?" Jenson frowned. As part of their clean-up strategy, he already had Mae transferred to another show after Zach's boss made Zach and Mae sign an NDA to keep her mouth shut about what she saw at the party.

The NDA should hold up, but if the cops ever conducted a murder investigation... The people who knew and saw Ramona at the after-party with Darren wouldn't cover his ass. Money might be very useful to them again soon.

"No." Darren sighed. "We talked. Got a little heated. But he's not gonna talk about it to anyone else. He promised."

Promised? Jenson slapped himself. The guy must be kidding or just stupidly naïve to blindly believe in promises. "What'd you say to him?"

"Nothing you wouldn't say."

"You threatened him?" Jenson gripped his phone.

"No," Darren almost shouted on the other end.

"Why were you arguing?"

"He didn't believe me."

Well, since Zach also signed an NDA, then maybe he wasn't going to keep meddling into the "Ramona's gone missing" issue. They shouldn't be too complacent, but they knew how to put Zach in a difficult position. The guy shouldn't be a problem for now.

"Don't talk to him again. I will," Jenson replied.

"How's Jess?"

"She's fine. I got it."

"Meaning?"

"She's doing what she's supposed to do."

"And?"

"I trust her. For now."

"How d'you know she didn't talk to anyone?" Darren murmured, his tone dubious.

Jenson threw his phone onto the wrinkled covers. Well, if he had to give the minute details over the phone, he might put their reputations at risk again. Besides, Jessi didn't need to get dragged into the whole Ramona mess. She was just another staffer trying to do her job right.

"I think she's cool, though. Too quiet sometimes, but, yeah. Real nice," Darren commented when he didn't respond.

"Yeah. I know." Jenson flumped back down on the bed despite his missing other half. His sleep-addled brain felt like shutting off again. He should get some more rest.

He didn't need to listen to Darren convincing him Jessi could be trusted to stay quiet about their physical altercation. All they needed to do was keep her close. Keep her on his radar. Jenson swore inwardly. He just had to make her think his unsavory behavior back in the trailer didn't define his character.

It would take some time and more effort on his part. But if he had to level up befriending her just to make sure she kept her mouth shut, then fine. He would ensure Jessi would spend most of her work days with him. To begin with, he already pulled some strings just to make it happen.

Considering her age, she still seemed pliable. To him, at least. Maybe even easily manipulated after some time. He just had to earn her trust.

×××

Four months of working for the show.

Four months of hard work and late nights.

Four months of working with people she considered her friends now.

All gone. All over. Just flushed down the drain.

Her career in the TV industry was done. "Short-lived" didn't even begin to cover how she felt about it. Jessi sat in front of her computer, still in her pajamas, watching online cat videos, her long greasy bangs all over her cheeks. She hadn't showered all weekend.

The "highly necessary downsizing" of course depressed her. She just didn't expect that morning...that bright, sunny day she got the unexpected sit-down and learned of the production company letting go of their less experienced employees. The semi-amateurs like her.

They said she and other new hires had to go due to the company having to reduce expenditures. In return, they offered her some money. A nice severance package to keep her afloat. Few weeks tops. Being jobless here in Los Angeles? Total nightmare, probably.

The money they handed out couldn't pay for her living expenses here in Cali for another few months. But no more crying. No more self-pitying. No more self-critical thoughts.

Losing her beloved job still left a stinging pain in her chest, especially now that she was no longer part of the "Road to Valhalla" family. At least professionally. But it wasn't the end of the world, or the end of her career in the beauty industry.

On the bright side, she wasn't going to be homeless for now despite being jobless, thanks to her last paycheck after she got the axe. Plus another few months of health insurance coverage.

Maybe applying for another makeup job here in Cali would be best for now. Not necessarily for a big-time TV show or another Hollywood production company. She could start small. Like salons. Or she could earn at her own time and pace doing freelance work again.

A long shot, but, she had to try, at least. She could also pursue catalogue work. Or swimsuit modeling in the meantime. Like Kel suggested.

Jessi sighed and forced a smile. Yes. She had options. She just had to keep going. Keep up her optimism.

If none of that worked out, then time to go back to Rosenville. Rent a cheap apartment. And maybe sell racy photos online again. Some semi-nude videos would pay better, though.

If worst came to worst, she'd live with her parents again. Get a job at the local mall. Not ideal for a 25-year-old adult, but, life threw her lemons again. She had to think on her feet.

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