CHAPTER THREE

Adonia took in deep breaths and tried at the very least to calm her rampaging nerves but it was all in vain. Her mind couldn't stop cooking up the worst of scenarios, including one where she tripped on her red stilettos in front of Simone Powers and the entire cast.

‘Come on, Adonia. Where is that girl who rocked the fashion world with her killer catwalk?' She thought to herself and summoned all the courage she had lying within her.

However, Adonia didn't have any more time left to overthink cause in a few seconds, the purring limousine she was situated in came to a halt beside the five-star restaurant Simone Powers had invited them all to. It was La Perche Cuisine, famous for its mouthwatering meals and intercontinental dishes.

'Miss, we're here." The driver spared her a glance from the rearview mirror and she didn't miss the way his gaze flickered to her partly exposed cleavage.

Her eyes narrowed on him and he quickly looked away with a small clearing of his throat. Adonia rolled her eyes and pulled her fur shawl over her shoulder. She picked up her classy purse and the rest of her dignity as well.

Right before she could reach for the car handle, it was pulled open by one of the valets and she could see the pause in his expression as his eyes drank in her incredibly attractive form. Of course, she didn't miss it and passed him a very enchanting smile. This caught him off guard and he seemed to regain his composure, returning her smile with a sheepish one and an accompanied reddening of his cheeks.

One leg after the other, Adonia Konstatinos stepped out of the limousine, her confidence level rising. It felt good to know she still got it - that alluring pull over guys. The past few months had made her question a lot of things about herself and her self-esteem had hit bottom low more times than she could count. Maybe it was how ravishingly gorgeous she looked on the dress or the lead role she'd scored in Heart Strings, but something about this evening reassured her deeply.

The evening breeze settled on her skin and the dazzling lights from La Perche Cuisine brought life to the entire place. Other cars were being ushered in as well and Adonia took a moment to drink in the scenery. A small smile crawled up her lips, her nerves easing away. Was this really the start of something new for her?

Without further thought, Adonia took an elegant sashay down the walkway leading towards the entrance of the brilliantly fancy restaurant. She noted how most people before her walked in twos - most likely couples - and there she was, walking alone. Regardless, she steeled herself against the creeping loneliness as she entered through the door.

Before she had the chance to take in her surrounding, a remarkably mature woman with a tight bun and a preceding air of authority walked up to Adonia. For a second, a subtle frown touched her face as she tried to recall if she knew the vaguely familiar woman. However, when the lady's red-clad lips stretched into her signature gap-toothed smile, a wave of goosebumps hit Adonia's skin and her eyes popped out.

Simone Powers.

The actual multiple award-winning Simone Powers!

'Oh my goodness, it's you!" Adonia exclaimed. 'I'm so sorry I didn't realize earlier."

Her radiant smile only intensified, revealing her pearly white teeth. They were a beautiful contrast to her ebony skin.

'Oh, indeed it is. Honey, I must say, you look like a whole snack this evening," Simone gushed in genuine admiration. It was no wonder why she was one of the most loved personalities in the entertainment industry. She twirled her finger around. 'Do a 360 for me, would ya?"

With a flattering smile, Adonia spun around on her stilettos in style and flipped her hair for dramatic emphasis. She was her mother's daughter after all and her mom would definitely be proud of her if she found out that she'd met just Simone Powers, big-time producer of most blockbuster movies. She was an icon and a true role model to many. Not just because of her numerous achievements but rather, the humility that came with it.

'This must be my lucky day. Meeting Simone Powers and getting a compliment from her at the same time. Wow." Adonia fanned herself in faux hyperventilation, earning a laugh from Simone.

'Oh, please. It's always my pleasure. What's your name, darling?" she asked.

'Adonia Konstatinos."

Simone's mouth fell open and she seemed to really take in Adonia's appearance now. 'No way! This must be my lucky day too. I'm a huge fan of Mrs. Celeste Konstatinos. My daughter won pageantry wearing one of her designs."

'Wait, really? My mom loves your works too. I mean, we all do. But she made my dad and I binge-watch all three of the ‘Love In Atlanta' series."

Simone seemed genuinely astounded and in a second, she dug her hands into the sides of her trousers and pulled out a card. 'You know what? I'd love to meet your mom. Tell her that her biggest fan would be honored if she could drop by for brunch one of these days. You can come too," she said with a smile and handed the personal card to Adonia.

She collected it and had to hold back herself from screaming in excitement. So instead, she composed herself with a giddy smile. 'Wow. She'll love to hear this."

Simone nodded and gave Adonia a quick side hug. 'Pleasure meeting you, Adonia Konstatinos."

Those were her last remarks before she left to welcome the next guest walking in, like the perfect host that she was.

«»

If there was one thing Adonia had learned since she'd settled down on her assigned seat, it was that Simone Powers had exquisite taste. From the fully booked restaurant, privately reserved for the night for only cast members. To the grand decor and fine wine being served to them by the numerous waiters. The room was buzzing and filled with stars that she'd always seen from afar. This truly was like a dream come true for her. A real milestone in her life.

On her table for six, assigned strictly to the lead roles of Heart Strings, she sipped languidly from her glass of sparkling wine. Maybe it was too early to be drinking but Adonia almost couldn't care less. The drink calmed her senses and she knew that if Quincy White was going to be there for the night, she needed to be as relaxed and nonchalant as possible. She wouldn't let what happened at the audition repeat itself - especially not here, in front of all these reputable people.

'Oh, shit. Are you that model Adonia Kosmos?"

Adonia turned her attention to the young man taking his seat beside her, an eager smile enveloping his face and a spark in brown his eyes.

'It's Konstatinos, actually," She responded with a light laugh.

His brows shot up and he took his hand out for a shake.

'My bad." He laughed. 'I'm Tyson Underwood. You look way prettier in person, by the way."

Adonia shook his hands firmly and smiled modestly. 'Don't flatter me, pretty boy. I'm guessing you're one of the leads?"

Tyson relaxed into his seat with a deep sarcastic laugh. 'I wish. I'm an understudy to one of the leads. That is, Liam Newton."

Liam Newton was her supposed love interest in the movie. On the day of the audition, a lot of ridiculously sexy blond men came lined up for the role of Liam. From what she had gathered, his role required someone who could own Liam's kind and charming character like it was an extension of their own self and in as much as Tyson here hit on all the requirements when it came to sex, he still didn't get the role. It made Adonia wonder who could have possibly been so charming to have gotten the part.

'Wow, that's tough. Any idea on who got the role?" she questioned whilst refilling her glass of wine and trying her best to ignore the subtle reminder of a certain infuriatingly sexy blond man she very much knew auditioned for the role of Liam Newton as well.

'Can't really recall. I was too pissed to care," Tyson muttered. 'But my manager said it was some supermodel asshole. I heard something about a foul play from his manager in getting him that role - my role."

Adonia's heart dropped and for a brief second, she forgot to breathe. A painful hand squeezed down excruciatingly on her chest and forced her eyes wide. Her grip on her wine glass went loose and she turned to Tyson.

'W-what? A male model got the role?" She couldn't breathe.

Tyson spared her a glance and the frown on his face gave way to subtle curiosity. 'Yeah, so I heard. You…know him?"

Her heart thumped at an unhealthy speed and all the fears she'd shoved down came rushing back. She more than knew him. She knew for a fact that there was only one ‘supermodel asshole' who was capable of such foul play just to get what he wants. After all, she'd once been a scapegoat in his wicked hands. No formal reintroduction was needed, Adonia knew and hated who exactly had gotten the role of Liam Newton.

Nonetheless, Adonia steadied her grip on the glass and forced herself to take deep breaths. She wouldn't allow herself to lose the composure she'd desperately attained all because of that monster. She was stronger than this, She is Adonia Konstantinos

Wearing her million-dollar smile, she met Tyson's eyes and shrugged. 'I doubt. I mean, what are the odds that I would know him?" Her inside were a tumbling mess at this stage and she felt her skin crawl at the familiar feling of fear again. She was trying ahrd keeping herself togetehr at this point.

Tyson gave her a weird stare before he nodded and looked forward to the stage, where a live band played smooth jazz music. On another day, Adonia herself would have been invested in enjoying the music but not today. How could she, when her insides were going haywire? Her eyes followed every new guest that arrived and a desperate part of her prayed that perhaps her assumption was wrong and Quincy White wasn't the model in question. She knew with the description Tyson gave, it would be Quincy but she still had a teeny tiny hope that he wasn't the one.

But she was wrong. Dead wrong.

In a few minutes, he arrived in all his suffocating glory. Adonia felt his presence before her eyes found him at the entrance, hugging Simone Powers. Dread enveloped her body - paralyzed her instantly on the spot. She didn't have the time to process her thoughts or pull herself together cause in the next few seconds, he took purposeful strides towards their table in his signature arrogant walk. He was hard to ignore in that perfectly tailored tux and sharp brogues. Adonia was convinced that every lady in that room had their eyes on his tight body and gorgeous face. Momentarily, it reminded her of all the reasons she'd fallen for him without a second thought. She had walked right into his webs with her eyes wide open.

However, what really diverted Adonia's attention from Quincy was the drop-dead beautiful lady in his arms. She quickly recognized her as one of the many women Quincy had cheated on her with and that was all it took to plunge her heart to great watery depths. The audacity that man had! She wondered if those women didn't know he was in a committed relationship as at that time or if they just wanted a taste of Hollywood's national cake. In as much as she felt irritated by their attitude, she felt pity for them. Quincy was a master manipulator and it always took time to find out. She really wished she had listened to her guts but how could she, when he always made her intoxicated with his love. He made her feel beautiful and for the first time, she felt truly like a Konstantinos woman. She thought he would be the ying to her yang but sadly he was the ying to over a hundred women who toured Hollywood. It was irritating when she found out the whole world knew he was cheating on her heavily but she was blinded by his fake affection. Quincy being the master manipulator that he is, still made it feel like he was the one offended and he played the victim card for a long. He made sure to set her up for drags and he knew she hated trending for the wrong reasons, his fans had a reason to bully her for weeks. The same people who shipped together them suddenly turned sharks overnight.

Just when he was close enough to their table, Adonia forced her eyes away from him, and with her head down, she busied herself with her glass of wine. Her heart drummed loudly against her ribcage. She had never been this close to him since their split and she always made sure to keep her distance because she wasn't sure how to act around him. She was angry at herself because he knew her too well, more than she knew herself. If only she didn't let him study her and get familiar with her body and soul.

'Here you go, love." The chair in front of Adonia was pulled out at the sound of his smooth baritone voice. She didn't know whether he was doing it intentionally or he wanted to irk her but she knew Quincy too well, she was basically the main person in his world for some time. He was intentionally doing it to make her get pissed off or something. Too bad she was here with enough patience to go round, she would make sure to ignore them to the very last drop.

'Ever the gentleman," the lady said with a giggle and It irritated Adonia more. She wondered when pulling out the chair for your date went from the bare minimum, she wouldn't even go out with someone who doesn't consider pulling out a chair for her. She knew both Quincy and his date were putting up a show to piss her off but she wouldn't let that happen to her through them. She wasn't going to let him get under her skin.

Then another chair was pulled out beside Adonia and from the familiar intoxicating cologne, she didn't need to look up to know who it was. Those same scents had engulfed her at night and they were usually the switch that set on her emotions when she still used to be the main focus of his life. She always had a soft spot for men who smelled nice and Quincy always understood the assignment every damn time. Adonia had never wanted to disappear so much as she did at that second.

It would indeed be a very long night.