365 Days with the Celebrity

Chapter 56 - Trapped

Making her way down a remote column staircase, Ariel reached the landing and pushed the door open, realising she had reached the bottom most basement of the carpark which looked almost empty. Judging by the silence, Ariel knew that neither Evan nor Leon had come after her. She brushed her hair off her face and lumbered towards the distant ramp, clearly exhausted. Her heels ached from the run so she removed her high heels and walked barefooted.

Am I really fired, just because I rejected him?

She tried to come to terms that this time her firing was for real. The way he spoke was so different from all the other times when he threatened the same.

As much as she would do anything to keep her job to get the money, Leon had unreasonably gone too far. He was the one who broke the contract since he acted inappropriately towards her first! However, with so much power he wielded as a celebrity, Ariel knew there was not much she could do. No way would she lose her sanity and dignity for the sake of the money, and she wasn't going to whore with him for it either. The reality that she had just lost her million-dollar cash prize was finally sinking in.

With trembling hands, she texted Rita for help in sheltering her and Andy, briefly explaining that she had been fired for real. She waited for a while but Rita did not respond. Perhaps she was busy since she was met with lots of overtime work.

Wiping the tears off her face, Ariel replayed the unfortunate turn of events when a mouth whistle alerted her attention. Her sadness turned into a shocking grimace when she saw Darryl leaning on a pillar with his arms folded, staring at her. She ignored him and continued her way, but he ran up and jumped in front of her.

"What do you want?" she said through gritted teeth.

"All alone in bare feet? Where are you going, my love?" Darryl fondled with her hair.

"None of your business and I'm NOT your love," she slapped his arm away but he grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" she tried to free herself from his grip but he was strong. There was no one in the carpark except for them.

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Darryl spoke in a spooky, casual calm and released his hold. "I just want to know how my son is. Erm...what's his name?"

"Son? What right do you have to inquire about your son whom you've never met!"

"Mmm...right. Shall we be together again? That way, he can see me."

"Together?" Ariel let out a sarcastic laugh. "After all these years, how dare you decide to come back into our lives as and when you see fit? Besides, you already have a wife!"

"I'm not with her anymore," he grinned wider. "Com'on baby, let's be a family again. Let's bath in the millions you've got and live this high life like everyone here tonight. I never thought you would be this famous."

"You want to come back to me, just for the fame and money?"

He pulled Ariel towards himself and forced a kiss on her, but she pushed him away and slapped him hard, wiping off his disgusting kiss from her lips. Darryl rubbed his cheek before letting out a derisive laugh, "Don't you want our son to have his father in his life?"

"You're not his father. You've never been there for him since day one. Besides, I don't have a million dollars. So, dream on!"

Darryl's expression faded, "What do you mean? You work for Leon Waltz and you won, didn't you?"

Ariel shook her head, "I walked away from the win as of today."

Darryl's brows gathered under a darkened frown as he processed her words. It began to make sense as he noticed her in bare feet and her eyes looked like she had been crying. Was she for real?