365 Days with the Celebrity

Chapter 14 - Adjusting to Fame

The massive glass platform submerged in the water against a green backdrop and under suspending track lights was another impressive eye-opener for Ariel who was on set for the first time. Neon-light backup dancers danced around Leon as they break into their moves on the glass platform, looking as if they were dancing on the water itself.

Ariel sat alone at a table in a corner with the lunchboxes, watching Leon perform his smooth dance moves with his dancers while he lip-synched to his song playing in the background. The crew members aided in the coordination of the cameras and lights. His music wasn't really her type but she was impressed by the choreography of it all. Leon was really a good performer!

"Cut! Well done, guys. It's lunch hour," said the video director and the cameras stopped rolling.

Leon walked towards the table where Ariel was seated. She laid out everyone's lunches on the table.

"Vinny, snap a pic!" Leon called out.

Vinny slid out her phone and took a few snapshots of Leon posing with excitement as if he was looking forward to engulfing the teriyaki salmon on his fork with his wide mouth. 

Then, everyone including Ariel sat together at the table with their food and smiled for the camera as Vinny took a we-fie.

Once Vinny was done, Leon quickly dropped the fork and creased into an expression of disgust, "Terror-yucky, more like it!"

Ariel giggled at his expression. 

Vinny typed something on her phone and showed it to Leon, who told her to edit some words before giving his nod of approval. She then published the pictures on his social media. Ariel realised why she had to come along when she saw the post. To show the world that not only was Leon and his team were endorsing Fujita sauces, but he was also showing the world how "privileged" Ariel was to see his work behind the scenes like an all-inclusive image of a boss he wanted to portray to his fans.

Ariel stopped Vinny in time before she could throw away Leon's rejected teriyaki dish.

"It's still food! I'll eat it if Mr Waltz doesn't want it," she protested.

Vinny looked at her with a bewildered expression, then shrugged and passed the food to her.

Ariel dived hungrily into her meal. The busy morning preparation had made her forget to cook her own meal, and she was glad for that extra.

Leon raised his brow at her, "You like that? Disgusting."

"Yeah, I love it. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you should throw away good food."

"It's just food, nothing special. I can always buy something else if I don't like it."

Ariel cringed within herself at his insensitive remarks and pursed her lips tight to restrain herself. If he was not her boss, she would most certainly have yelled at him. Poverty had taught her how to treasure every piece of food, good or not. And the kind of food he was eating was hard to come by even if she knew how to cook them. 

At the food bank where she volunteered, they would also cook free meals for the poor and needy, which was one of the few times she got to cook. The food bank would be more than happy to accept the food that the rich would dump at ease. In return for volunteering, the food bank guaranteed her free food for Ariel and her son without going through the long queues.

"Mmmm! Very, very good lemon garlic butter salmon, by the way," praised Leon as he ate his lunch with gusto. "And your mashed potato and coleslaw - perfect."

"Thank you," smiled Ariel, momentarily forgetting her thoughts from a while ago. She heard a notification beep on her phone and took it out to see whose message arrived.

Camila: Explain to us, Miss Beautiful, what in the WORLD is going on between you two!

Ariel gasped in horror at the news link Camila sent. It had a photo of Leon taking her arm and helping her into the car with huge headlines that read: "Leon Waltz escorting his lover chef!"

She typed back furiously. 

Ariel: ABSOLUTE RUBBISH! He was helping me into the car, that's all!

Camila: Aw sweetie, that's a shame....you two look hot together 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣

Ariel: Haha. NOT FUNNY!

Ariel was in no mood to continue the conversation. She was shocked by the speed at how the news got around that fast and how their every move was scrutinized. She seethed in anger at the false report of her and Leon being together. The paparazzi should be branded as one of the world's most evil terrorists!

"Hey, you okay there?" Leon asked, noticing the upset look on Ariel's face.

"Yes...er, nope," Ariel muttered and lifted her phone to show the news to Leon.

He knitted his eyebrows together at the picture and headlines before suddenly breaking into a laugh, "Don't take it seriously, Ariel. It's just fake gossip."

"It ain't nice," Ariel seethed.

"You'll get used to it. I don't even read about myself."

"You don't?"

"Most of it is garbage anyway.You'll only have to endure this for a year whilst I'm stuck with it for as long as I live. So chill," Leon reassured.

Ariel, a simple city girl who once embarrassed herself before the laughing crowd in high school when nervousness struck her so bad that she burst into tears mid-way while being made to present to the whole cohort, sighed in frustration.

All she wanted to do was to fulfil her dreams and walk away with her million-dollar reward and start a new life far from pain and poverty. She never thought that being associated with a famous celebrity would come with so many headaches and inconveniences. Now, her every move would be scrutinized by the media for a long time coming.

Leon may be a veteran when it came to the paparazzi, but not Ariel, who never intended to be famous herself. She was already starting to miss her normal life without all that unnecessary intrusion.