365 Days with the Celebrity

Chapter 47 - Torture Within

Jasmine did what she daringly declared.

Quite often, she would turn up at the penthouse unannounced, and sometimes she would stick around for hours until Leon arrived home, despite living nearby in a luxury seaside resort hotel, much to Leon's displeasure, but he had no choice. After the movie was released could he then end this nonsense and dump her once and for all.

If it had not been the secret confidentiality agreement between Avon Music and the movie company, he would have protested. But it was too late. That sneaky snake of an Arnold signed the agreement on his behalf without his consent, for he knew he would have rejected this absurdity. He had already screwed it up with Mia Marlene, and Avon was making sure he won't mess it up again. The movie he starred in had paid an extra million dollar to him in advance for the early relationship publicity, even though the movie was still in post-production.

The press was hot on chase about the pair who were spotted hand-in-hand, exactly what the big players wanted, a much needed eye-catching publicity for the upcoming movie to propel future profit margins and improve Leon's image from a playboy to a committed boyfriend. The headlines were glowing about how compatible the couple was - Hollywood's sexiest babe with music's hottest bachelor. At last, he was settling down!

...If only they knew what a nightmare it was being with Jasmine Ferne.

Whenever they went out, Leon was both her tour guide and "boyfriend". He found Jasmine's addiction to constant shopping a chore, her mean girly gossip exasperating, her taste for the superficial nauseating, her stuck-up attitude towards those "beneath her" condescending and her clinginess onto him a creepy encounter. This lady was so full of herself! Sure, she was very pretty and if he did not know her long enough, he would have boned her. However, working with Jasmine on set and now in private life had proven too much for Leon to handle. He was glad not to bed with her, despite her constant attempts and hints. After all, she lacked the magic that Ariel could cast upon him. Ariel's genuine smile, her no-makeup, flawless dewy skin, her down-to-earth personality, even her smooth porcelain hands were divine unlike the skinny and veiny bejewelled hands of Jasmine's. He could talk with Ariel for hours but could not hold a minute with Jasmine.

Without the press around, Leon was mostly silent around Jasmine, too tired and bored to reciprocate any kind of conversation or gestures she expressed towards him.

"Must I constantly remind you that this is all an act and not for real?" Leon snapped at her one time after she kept on kissing him once the press was out of sight.

"Com'on, no harm with a bit of fun," she giggled and resumed her kisses but he held her away at arm's length.

"Not interested, so get over it!" he emphasised through gritted teeth, irritated that no common sense was entering into her head.

"One day, darling, I'll have you. You'll see," she smacked a kiss with a winking smile before heading back on her hotel.

Leon wiped her kiss off his lips. This woman won't give up! If there was a pair of lips he could kiss, it would rather be hers.

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Whenever Jasmine was in the penthouse, she acted like she already belonged here, meddling with stuff and not bothering to clear up the mess she made. At first, she greeted Andy with a friendly smile. But gradually, she ignored him just as she ignored Ariel and the other nobodies, only giving her deserved attention to Leon.

Jasmine was also bossy with Leon's staff, especially towards Ariel. She would only do so when he was not looking, hell-bent on making Ariel's life miserable by making unreasonable demands such as making her serve her food the way she wanted, and then picking faults in her food despite having no such problems as she claimed when Ariel checked it, and not finishing her food or throwing it away altogether in front of Ariel as an insult.