Until Then (NaNoWrimo 2021)

Chapter 11

                                                                                    ****

"The greatest tragedy is not death but life without purpose."

Chapter 11

There were a lot of things Jace would have preferred to be doing on a Saturday morning but none of it included spending four hours in front of a camera while a photographer took endless photos of him. Like always his mother had managed to rope him into doing favors for people Jace didn't even care about just so she could look good and gain something in return. Today Jace had become the face of a local brand in the city for some charity event he couldn't even be bothered to remember, he was simply glad that the whole thing was over and that he could finally leave.

While his mother conversed with the organizers and the head of the charity event Jace sat in front of the dressing table scrolling through his phone but after a while of waiting he got bored and sent a text to Vivian.

Jace: Please get me out of here.

He sent the text and a minute later Vivian's reply came drawing a smile out of Jace.

Viv: I'm outside.

Once he read her text Jace stood up from the chair and returned the jacket one of the designers had given him for the shoot and replaced it with one of his own. After checking himself in the mirror Jace grabbed his phone once more and turned to leave when a voice stopped him from going any further.

"Jace, sweetheart." Marie called out as she watched her son head for the exit with a frown and Jace turned to face his mother once she was within reach. "Where are you going?" Marie asked.

"I'm leaving, we're done here aren't we?" Jace asked and Maria sighed as she adjusted the collar of his jacket.

"Yes the photo shoot is done but you can't leave just like that. We're all going out to have brunch, you should join us." Marie suggested conversationally and Jace couldn't help but smirk.

If there was one person Jace knew like the back of his hand that person would be his mother. From the beginning, he knew that Marie's act about doing a good deed for charity was all an act. Marie McCoy didn't do good deeds and she most definitely didn't have friends, she made investments both in people and in business and when their time was up she would reap out her hard work along with all of its profits.

That was exactly what she had done using her son's fame and looks to get into the good graces of the local brand owners, Jace wasn't sure what his mother hoped to get from them and if he were being honest he really didn't care.

"I did my part by looking good in front of the camera now you should do yours by smiling and pretending as if you give a shit about whatever it is you're going to talk about." Jace said and Marie frowned at him, just then Vivian walked into the room and Marie's annoyance seemed to intensify.

"I see you're still hanging around with that one." Marie said condescendingly as she looked Vivian over.

"That one has a name, it's Vivian and I am not having this conversation with you for the 97th time." Jace scolded.

"You've been counting?" Marie asked and Jace smiled.

"Of course I have and just so you know if you hit the one hundred mark, you're buying me a new car." Jace said and Marie rolled her eyes at her son.

"You don't even drive." Marie said and Jace leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"That's not the point, goodbye mother." Jace said and then finally walked over to Vivian, purely for his own pleasure and entertainment Jace grabbed Vivian by the neck and kissed her deeply while everyone including his mother was watching and then smirked after pulling away before they both left hand in hand. Outside Jace got into the passenger seat of Vivian's car while she took the driver's seat but before she started the engine she turned to him with a smile.