Daddy's Little Pet | 18+

|Fruitless Search|

RENEE

As I walked into my apartment, the soothing sound of SYML's "Girl" played from the small stereo in the corner.

The song brought with it a sense of peace and calm that I rarely experienced these days. It helped me relax, even if only for a short time.

And that was precisely what I needed right now—to relax. To let myself breathe without being weighed down by my worries. The previous few days had been... trying. Trying and more challenging than I could've imagined.

"Damn!" I muttered, shoulders slumping as I closed the door behind me, sighing exhaustedly against it.

My body sagged in front of me. My hands pushed my long hair away from my face before rubbing my tired eyes and pinching my nose. I knew my sleep-deprived appearance wasn't doing me any favors, and I wouldn't say I liked thinking about how I looked.

Instead, I tried to distract myself by recalling everything that'd happened today.

From scouring the streets of Orlando in my fruitless search for another job—since I was currently jobless and living off my meager savings—to the paparazzi and their never-ending harassment. The whole day just seemed unreal.

My stress level was through the roof, and more so when I thought about how my job search went; I felt sick with worry about my future and job prospects.

Why was I worried? No one was interested in hiring the media's newest obsession and hot gossip topic. Despite my academic credentials, they would shake their heads at me, saying, 'We wouldn't want any more scandal associated with the reputation of this beloved company, miss. We sincerely apologize.'

With so many rumors and scandals surrounding my name, employers were on the lookout. They didn't want anything to tarnish the company's image, and I couldn't blame them.

The entire ordeal left me exhausted and made me feel more useless than before. My inability to find a job made me doubly hopeless.

With another sigh, I dropped my bag to the floor and collapsed onto one of the nearby couches.

I looked at the wall clock and noted that it was 4:30 p.m. I'd been out longer than I should've been.

I'd planned on scouring for jobs until two, then returni home for lunch. Apparently, I'd missed both deadlines.

Oh well... So much for getting my life back on track.

My stomach growled, rumbling in hunger, but I ignored it and began to close my eyes and sing along to the music playing softly.

'Today... And all of your days. I'll wear your pain. Heal what I can in your troubled mind. Sometimes our bodies will hurt for some time...'

I relaxed through the rest of the song, lulled by SYML's sweet and melodious voice. I reflected on the lyrics I was belting out, and my chest tightened instinctively.

Even though my life seemed to be heading in the wrong direction, this song managed to put me at ease, and for that, I was grateful.

I kept singing quietly, letting the words flow freely from my heart until a loud banging noise caught my attention. A loud crash followed, and I jumped to my feet quickly, fear shooting through my body.

I looked around for the source of the commotion when my bedroom door flew open, revealing Nicole in all her messy glory.

She was looking for something because her raven hair was plastered to her sweaty forehead and cheeks, and her eyes darted around.

"Oh, my goodness!" I huffed. "You scared me half to death, bitch!"

"Renee? Is that you?" Her voice was slightly breathless as she asked, and her hands ran through her hair while she panted heavily.