Behind the Lights ~ Nika Mühl

The Meeting

When Jaia first purchased her Maibu estate, she had envisioned it as her perfect retreat from the chaos of Hollywood. It was a place where she could breathe, away from the incessant eyes of the media and never ending demands of her rising career. Nestled on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, the sprawling mansion offered seclusion, peace, and most importantly, privacy. As her fame grew, so did her desire to escape the suffocating attention that followed her everywhere. Malibu became her sanctuary, the one place where she could be herself.

Which is why, at this very moment, she was currently having a complete meltdown after Gladys had just informed her that the meeting between her co stars, director, and trainers would be at her house. Jaia was livid, the the tranquil sound of ocean did nothing to soothe the rage within her.

"Absolutely not!" Jaia stormed away from Gladys, her designer sandals thudding against the pristine stone of her backyard patio. "I'm not having a bunch of random people come to my house, Gladys. Especially not..." she halted, the name catching in her breath like a thorn. The mere thought of her, that arrogant, infuriating woman, sent a spike of anger through Jaia's chest, "...you know who." She spat the words with venom, jaw clenching tightly.

Gladys just followed Jaia, calm as ever, eyes glued to her phone, unfazed by Jaia's outburst. Jaia ritualistically threw a fit every time she came across something she didn't like, which was often, making these tantrums as predictable as the tide. "Jaia," she sighed, not bothering to look up, "Your house is in a secluded location-"

Jaia whirled on her, cutting her off, "I know! That's why I bought it! So I could enjoy my privavy and not have it invaded by half of Hollywood.

Gladys finally lifted her gaze, meeting Jaia's fiery eyes with a steady glare of her own before continuing. "Which is exactly why it's the perfect spot. A bunch of high profile celebrities need a place where they won't be seen by the press. You don't want this movie leaked to all of social media do you?"

Jaia bit back a retort. Gladys had a point. Too many movies had been spoiled because of leaks, leading to box office busts, Jaia didn't want that, nor could she afford it. However, she refused to let Gladys win this argument, "First it was the Sports Illustrated photo shoot. Fine, I let that slide because it was just the photographer. But now this? This is insane Gladys."

Darrien, who was tanning by her pool spoke up, his voice carrying a note of amusement at his sister's dramatics, "Jaia just relax, go pop a Xanny or something."

Jaia's blood boiled, her brother was one of the few people on this planet who could routinely piss her off to the point of yelling. "Oh, did I interrupt your precious tanning session Princess? I seriously hope you get sun burnt."

Gladys snapped her fingers in front of Jaia's face, interrupting their sibling bickering before it could escalate further. "Jaia, do not take a Xanax, I will actually kill you, you need to be present at this meeting. Now suck it up, because people are going to be here in about an hour."

Jaia just shook her head so vigorously, pieces of her hair flew wildly around her face, "No, you're not making me do this, Gladys. No fucking way."

An hour later, Jaia sat at the head of a large table of her expansive her dining room, sulking. She scanned the room, eying her co stars, all of whom had years of experience on her. The thought of competing with her colleagues for an Oscar made her stomach churn. She was going to have to give one hell of a performance.

But it wasn't her seasoned coworkers that gnawed at her nerves; it was the woman seated directly across from her. Nika Mühl. One of her trainers. She sat there with a smug expression on her face, her brown eyes gleaming with poorly concealed arrogance.