Adelyn had finished shooting her part in the drama she was starring in, and she was hungry for lunch.
"Ohhh… What is the occasion? Why lunch so fancy?" she asked when she saw the buffet table laid out with food.
Someone replied, "Viggo, the son of the award-winning producer wanted to treat everyone, so he brought all of these delicious delicacies to us."
It sounded suspicious, but she would never say no to free food, so she grabbed a plate and selected all her favorite dishes. Viggo took the opportunity to sit in front of her while she was eating, "How do you like the food?" he asked, then added, "This is all for you."
She wondered what the occasion was, "For me? Why? It's not my birthday."
"Well, I don't know if you remember, I invited you to the lunch, but you declined. So I didn't want to bring food only for you and make everyone jealous, so I included everyone," he was showing off to win her favor. But she was not falling for it.
"I introduced you to my boyfriend at the Met, or did you forget? He's the jealous type, so I would suggest you stay away from me," she said.
"Stop fooling me. That guy was not your boyfriend." Viggo raised an eyebrow when she didn't reply. "What does he have that I don't?"
Adelyn was about to argue when she spotted Nicholas at the doors. "Oh my gosh, the gods are smiling down on me right now. Thank you!" she praised the heavens.
"See, he came to see me," she boasted.
Viggo clenched his fists. It was supposed to be his and Adelyn's time to get closer. She was supposed to grovel at his feet for bringing her lunch, but now Nicholas had ruined his plans. "Ugh! Asshole!" he muttered under his breath. He did not care if they were sleeping together, all he wanted was Adelyn, and he was going to have her.
"Nicholas! Nicholas!" Adelyn waved wildly as she left Viggo by himself.
Nicholas looked at the person trying to get his attention and his mood soured when he saw Adelyn. "Why is this girl everywhere?"
Adelyn smiled at him, "Are you here for work?" He didn't answer.
"Come have lunch with us, somebody is catering our food today," she scanned the crowd for Viggo.
"Hopefully, that pest is not going to bother me again," she thought.
"I ate already. I have to go. Someone's waiting for me," he excused himself.
The sun had gone down by the time Adelyn finished the rest of her shots, she was worried that her driver was running late, he had gone earlier to have the car serviced and hasn't heard from him since.
Nicholas had just ended his big meeting with the director and was ready to head home. "Hey Nicholas, do you mind giving me a lift? Everyone in the set is leaving, and I haven't heard from my driver. I would get a cab, but it's hard to get one out here, please," she requested.
He looked around, and just a few people were loitering around, and they didn't look like they were friendly with Adelyn. "Fine, you can ride with me. Give the driver your address."
From the minute she sat inside the car, she talked non-stop. Telling him about her day, what her role was in the drama, talking about the actors included in it, and so on. She would stop for air once in a while, which Nicholas thought was the end of her chattering, but he was wrong, she had the energy of a 5-year old kid that ate too much chocolate.
He tried to tune out her voice, but then she started asking him questions, "So, will you be visiting the sets frequently?"
Nicholas touched the bridge of his nose, trying to dispel his growing headache, "I guess…," he answered.
"The lead actress was asking about you, you know her right? She's very beautiful and talented, I want to be her someday. She wants to get close to you, so if you are attracted to her, I will put in a good word for you," Adelyn winked mischievously.
"Not interested. Don't encourage her," Nicholas said sternly.
"Why? She is the talk of the town, a lot of men are chasing after her. You're lucky you caught her attention. You know one time…," She kept on singing praises about the actress.
"Enough, if you say one more word, I will throw you out of the car," Nicholas snapped angrily. His silence usually made people fear him, and the tone he just used had his opponents shivering in their boots.
Adelyn's eyes widened as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She always assumed that Nicholas was just the silent type, and giving her a lift gave her the impression that he was friendly. Her teasing might have gone too far-seeing that she just made him angry beyond reprieve. "Uh oh," she thought while biting her lower lip.
She turned towards the window, and for the next ten minutes, there was complete silence in the car. Nicholas looked at the back of her head, "Maybe I was too harsh. Should I say something?"
He raised his hand. "A…" the driver stopped the car, and Adelyn jumped out as if she couldn't wait to get out of there fast enough. But then Adelyn turned back and shouted, "I'll still tell her how nice you are," she stuck out her tongue and made a funny face.
"Hey!" he shouted back, wanting to scold her, but she ran out of his sight.
After the driver pulled away, his face relaxed, his lips forming into a tiny smile.
Adelyn laughed on the way to her house as she recalled the shock in his face when her prank registered. She always had a sunny disposition, and she never kept any grudges. It was the reason she got along well with her peers.
The next day Nicholas came back to the set, and just like Adelyn said, the lead actress approached him.
She had been watching them from afar, and it didn't look like the conversation was going well. The actress tried to act demure, tucking her hair behind her ear, looking at Nicholas from under her lashes, and giving him her secret smile, all to attract him. But Nicholas frowned and must have said something rude because the next instant, the lead actress ran away from him with her head bent, looking upset.
Adelyn shook her head, "How can he reject an innocent woman just like that?" After that incident, no one dared to come near Nicholas again, except for her. She did not fear him, he was like a dog who barked a lot, but never bit anyone.