DIRTY || JENLISA (G!P)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lisa's POV

Two days have passed since the whole Chitthip blow up. I'm still pissed off, but I've calmed down enough to think with a clear head. I know Jennie thought she was doing something right. It might have been, I don't know. However, just because Chitthip left him it doesn't mean we can have what we did before. Not even close.

My first order ofbusiness is to call Jennie. I feel like I owe her an apology, but she gave me her reasoning and based on that I can give her one more chance. If she fucks up like that again she's done.

My call goes straight to her voicemail.

I don't know where Chitthip is staying, nor do I have her number with me so I do the next best thing. I call Jennie's home number hoping someone answers that phone.

"Whatever you're selling, we're not interested," A woman who isn't Jennie answers the phone. "And I don't believe in Jesus."

"Hello, this is Lalisa Manoban, is Jennie available?"

"Nope, sorry." she answers. "She hasn't been home in two days."

What the fuck?

"And you're not worried?" Knowing her mood when she left it actually scares me a little to know she hasn't been home.

"Nah, I took her to LAX myself." she says. "Right after she quit the paper."

"Quit. The. Paper?" I repeat slowly.
What the fuck?

"Shit. I probably wasn't supposed to
say that."

"Well, now you did. Tell me
everything." I grumble. This just went from bad to way fucking worse.

"It's not really my place to do that."
she replies.

"Where did she fly to?"

"Miami."

"To go see her family?"

"I can't tell you any more than that. She'll strangle me for telling you she left at all."

"Thanks. You told me all I need to know." I hang up and go to my office.

I need to find Chitthip and then find Jennie. The last thing I need is an emotional reporter. She's a fucking reporter that fucking played me.
Fuck.

I call Bambam first thing and tell him to take Jennie off of payroll immediately. I also tell him Jennie was already working for a paper which means she was most likely a reporter. He's going to call my publicist to make sure he's updated with everything and then I go online to find out where Sandara Kim lives. Being such a small town, addresses and house phone numbers are in the white pages.

I sit back on my couch and dial the number for Sandara Kim, Jennie's grandmother. Before I lose my shit I want the full story.

"Good afternoon, Kim residence."
A sweet, southern voice greets me.

"Hello." I smile into the phone. "May I please speak with Jennie?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Lalisa Manoban." I answer.

"Get outta town!" she says cheerfully.
"Well I never thought I'd see the day a famous actor called my house," The phone changes hands.

"How did you get the number?"
Jennie asks nervously.

"Google. I'm not calling to yell at you, so please don't hang up."

"What do you want?"

"Tell me the full story." I request. "I called to offer you your job back and your roommate said you quit the paper. I just want the truth."

Jennie sighs heavily and grumbles,
"Fuckin' Irene." under her breath.
"The day I met you I almost got fired from Yang Hyun-suk. Another story I had been working on was Scooped by another paper. That morning you were nominated for your Oscar and as a last ditch effort to save my job, said I would get an interview with you since you've been so quiet in the media. I showed up on your doorstep with the intention of asking you for that interview and then you started talking about needing an assistant so I went along with it. I know I betrayed your trust and I understand if you never want to speak to me again but you should know that I quit the paper and I'm not going to publish anything about your personal life. It's not my place to tell your secrets and my integrity means more to me than making a name on your secrets."

I stay quiet for a minute as I take in her story. The real question is, do I trust her? She's done a good job pretending to be someone she isn't that last month which begs the question.

"What's been lies and what has the
truth been?"

"I lied about my pretenses for
being here but everything I've told
you about myself is the truth," she
answers.

"Okay." I nod even though she can't see it. I have a lot of thinking to do.
"When are you coming home?"

"I don't know," she says. "I'm contemplating moving back here. Here's an opening at the parish paper. I don't really want to go back to working at tabloids."

"I obviously have a lot to think about still, but if I wanted you to would you come back to be my assistant?"

Here's a pause before she asks, "Why would you even want to be near me after that, Lisa? Because I'm a good fuck?"

"It has nothing to do with your skills in the bedroom, Jennie. You're a great assistant and even though you almost fucked me over, your integrity won out. That's a rare thing in Los Angeles. If you and I didn't sleep together ever again, and we kept a solely professional relationship that would be fine. Contrary to what you might think, I believe in second chances and I considered you a friend."

"That was my second chance." she reminds me. "I lied to you about how I showed up at your house the first time."

"I count that all as one big fuck up."

"I need some time to think it over." she says. "Im not sure if I belong in Los Angeles anymore. Fuck, I don't know if I ever belonged here at all."

"Think it over. I like to think I wasn't a terrible person to work for." I say.

"No, you weren't. If you were, I might have gone through with writing the article." she admits.

"Thank you for not doing it. Is Chitthip still in town?"

"She's in town until Friday afternoon. She's staying in the Sunset Marquis." Jennie tells me.

"Thanks. Well, you have my number. Please call me either way" I tell her.

"Sure. Take care of yourself, Lisa."
she says and then she's gone.

I drop my head back. I didn't know what I was going to do when I called, but it turns out, even though she lied, she was good at what she did and I actually like her. I would be sad to not get her back. In the grand scheme of things what Jennie did pales in comparison to the shit I've been through.

As for Chitthip. I need to suckit up and talk to her. I may not be able to forgive her any time soon, but I need to start somewhere.