After Ryan left his parents, he surveyed their lawn and made a mental note to hire landscapers. His father loved puttering around on the grounds, but he wasn't up to cutting and pruning anymore.
As he opened his car to drive to his agent's office, he glanced at the envelope in the passenger seat.
Oh boy! I forgot all about it. I'll get to it tonight. I can certainly put off people begging me to help them in their careers. I've got more important things to think about.
Ryan stuffed it into the inside of his jacket pocket before getting into his car.
Out of sight, out of mind, he mused.
He entered the building. There was no need to show ID—everyone knew he was a superstar. Nevertheless, he headed to the men's room and studied his appearance in the three-way mirror.
His hair was perfectly styled. He checked it from side to side to make sure Patti had dyed every strand of grey hair. He took out a comb from his jacket pocket to make sure his part looked just right and went through his tiny mustache and beard. Despite his continued success, Ryan still fretted about his receding hairline—a constant reminder he was no longer in his twenties with a youthful, wavy mane. He made sure Patti took pains with his hairline and studied each photo of himself to ensure he still looked youthful. He considered scrutinizing all photos taken of him a part-time job in itself as he scanned the internet and magazines to carefully examine pictures of himself. Ryan always felt his career depended on looking young and handsome.
Satisfied, he headed to his agent's office. Serious discussions were required before he finally made his choice on whether to accept one or neither role. Ryan knew as well as any actor that one's success depended on his last film and there was no room for bad choices; his reputation, the company's profits, and his ability to appear in commercials were at stake.
He checked his phone: his girlfriend Megan had texted. She wanted to get together tonight.
Maybe, maybe not, he thought. It all depends on my gut feeling about these movie offers.
Then again, he thought, a romp in the sheets might help settle my mind. I'll see.
Again, any thought about the envelope vanished.
YOU ARE READING
An Unforeseen Turn of Events
Ficción GeneralA-list actor who thinks he has it all realizes what he has shunned all his life turns out to be his biggest blessing. Ryan Monti is tall, strikingly handsome and one of Hollywood's top actors. He's perfectly content with his life devoted to career a...
