Chương 2: Chapter 2 ____ Girlfriend?

Chapter 2

THREE YEARS LATER…

"Janet Kingsley has been reported to have slept with her boss inside the Redhood Motel last night. A reliable source brought this exclusive news to us and some insiders have seen—"

The TV abruptly turned off as the smashing sound of the remote control banged against the kitchen table. An exhausted sigh escaped her lips as she lazily leaned back against the chair. She was tired of facing the same situation again and again. While it was true that last night Janet did meet up with her boss, it was only because he had offered to buy her a drink for snatching a new role for their upcoming production. She was happy to be appreciated by her boss, until she entered into his private room.

After devouring two glasses, he had tried to touch her improperly. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she had kicked him twice before hastily leaving the motel. Janet knew that her career was finished but nothing was more important to her than her reputation. No matter how many tragedies she faced, she would never compromise her character. Perhaps that was the reason she hadn't achieved anything remarkable in the past three years.

Janet groggily fetched herself another drink. An ear piercing ringtone echoed in her the room. She looked over and gave her phone a bitter smile. Not showing any further emotion on her face, she clumsily picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. Without a moment of hesitation, an enraged voice barked into her left ear.

"Janet, what mess have you created this time? Did you see the news? Tell me, did you offend someone else again?"

Her manager, Envy, went breathless after she spat out her words in a single breath.

After a moment of silence, Janet replied as she rolled her eyes, "What happened? The paparazzi are only circulating fake news. I haven—"

She couldn't manage to finish her sentence as Envy sharply cut her off. "You have been cut from the casting of Witch Queen because of this scandal. You are trending now. Did you know that?"

The line went silent. Janet didn't know what to say.

Grinding her teeth together, Envy furiously continued, "One week! I had to beg the director to give you the role of third female lead. Yet you couldn't hold on to it due to your stupidity for a single week! I can't handle such a saintly artist like you. You better find yourself another manager to deal with your fucking high and mighty attitude. Don't you dare step out of your apartment without my permission or I might just end up killing you with my own bare hands before the public crushes you to dea—"

Janet disconnected the call. She put the cell phone down beside her. A sad smile formed on her lips when the calendar hanging on the wall opposite of her came into focus. Just then, the sky roared loudly as a series of thunderbolts fell over Silk City. Janet blankly watched the weather outside in deep thought. The sky had slowly changed from the color of a sunny day to a dark stormy evening. After her mind was a little more settled, she walked over her closet and hurriedly threw on her riding gear. Coming back into her kitchen, she went through her liquor cabinet, grabbed a few bottles, and put them in her bag. She walked over to the mirror for one final check, making sure that she wouldn't be recognized. Though she had doubts that people would know her face, Janet wasn't going to take any unnecessary chances. She was still battling to establish her acting career!

Half an hour later, the motorbike was parked in a few feet away from the Silk City River. The girl with black riding gear swiftly dismounted and tugged the saddlebag off of her motorbike. It began to drizzle again. Just like that day. The sky over Silk City was full of black clouds as the rain lightly started to fall. Cold raindrops hit her face but she didn't care. Dragging her heavy feet towards the edge of river, she flopped down onto the ground and started to leisurely pull out one of the various bottles of alcohol. With a beer bottle clasped between her forefinger and thumb, she tipped it back and welcomed the warm liquid as it flowed down her dry throat.

Suppressing a sob, Janet wiped away the tears that silently trickled down her face as she mumbled, "Happy Birthday, baby."

Janet started to devour all of the liquor one by one. Another year had already passed.

Splash! The harsh sound immediately jerked her attention away from her sorrowful memories as she darted her tired eyes up and down the river. She didn't see anyone. Who else could possibly be out here in this dreadful weather? Splash! This time the sound was even louder. Janet quickly put down her beer and looked down stream. To her surprise, she saw a man thrashing around in the water. He appeared to be growing weak but kept fighting the current. Janet instantly panicked and jumped into the water without thinking twice. She knew that she was a good swimmer. Because of her acting career, she had needed to learn many different skills. Swimming was just one of the many talents that she had mastered.

After ten minutes of struggling with the muscular man, she finally managed to drag his half conscious body out of the water to the embankment. Taking large gulps of air, she flopped down beside him. Janet had laid him flat on the ground and after a few more deep breaths, she started to inspect his body for any injures. Taking a closer look, she discovered a few purpled marks on his face. He seemed like he was brutally beaten by someone.

Wait a minute! Why does he look familiar? Janet wondered.

She bent her head down for a closer inspection and she stumbled back a few steps when the realization hit her.

"Holy fuck! It's Victor Reynolds!"

Her eyes were round with astonishment and she could feel her soul gradually slipping out of her body. There wasn't a soul in Silk City who didn't know Victor Reynolds. He was the top business tycoon of M Country probably top 50 in the whole nation! His company "Reynolds Corporation" had connections with the local companies and also with the top leading companies across the world. Even the rumors said that with his money he could probably buy half the assets of M Country. The real question was: Why was he half drowning in the river? Janet didn't see a wallet or anything that would identify him. While trying to figure out how he ended up like this, a cold hand suddenly clasped tightly around her wrist. Janet stifled a scream and looked down.

Despite the heavy rain fall, she heard his faint voice as he pleaded, "Save me!"

Those were the last words he had been able to speak before falling unconscious. Janet—who was utterly dumbfounded after meeting the biggest tycoon of the century—immediately responded to his request. Pushing away her horrified thoughts, she ran for her motorbike. After a few minutes, the bike sped through the cramped streets of Silk City. As they rode through the darkness, no one saw the man who was hanging over her bike like an extra saddlebag.

11 P.M., Silk City Hospital

"Miss, please try to understand. We must go through formal procedures. If you don't tell me that what is your relationship with that man, we cannot admit him," the receptionist repeated for the twelfth time. Her eyes were blazing with annoyance at the young woman in front of her that had created a small puddle of water in front of her desk.

Janet had been pleading for about an hour but no one was listening. She found it this whole damned place to be inhumane. A patient was on the verge of dying but these people were only caring about their stupid procedures. Janet stole a glimpse over at Victor's pale face and gripped the desk in frustration.

Before bringing him into the hospital, she had decided to put on her mask and her spare one on his face so that the tabloids wouldn't know about their little visit. Even though she was merely a D listed actress, being overly cautious wouldn't hurt. She harshly clenched her teeth together and was finding it difficult to control her rage. Honestly, she was just anxious. All she wanted was to get him safely to his family so that she could leave and get back to her life. After a taking a moment to regulate her breathing, she glared back at the receptionist.

"Girlfriend! I am his girlfriend. Can you admit him now?"

The receptionist looked up at her surprised and confused. Janet mentally kicked herself as she practically saw the question forming in the disgruntled woman's face. If she was really his girlfriend, why didn't she say so earlier? The receptionist's eyes were full of doubts as she pressed her lips together into a thin line. She looked like she was about to interrogate further but Janet slammed her fist down hard on the desk. Staring straight into the woman's wide eyes, she threateningly emphasized each word.

"If you don't admit him right now, I am going to release a video on Facebook telling the citizens of our country that your crummy little hospital is full of vicious people who actually don't care about a life. Do you think that your arrogant attitude will save you from getting fired?"

Eventually, Janet could see that her words were enough to make the receptionist turn pale. With a grim face, the woman called some nurses to take the man to triage. Janet sighed in relief and quickly followed the nurses.

"Miss Reynolds, wait! Please attend the patient. It's urgent!"

Janet froze and turned around to see a young woman who was marching down the hall with a man trailing behind her.

Emma Reynolds?

"I am not in mood, Mr. Russell. My brother's whereabouts are still unknown and I am growing impatient with every passing moment. Please, don't request me today."

Janet felt her mouth fall open as her gaze followed the woman who continued her determined steps towards the hospital entrance.

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