The Royal Contract

She was bored out of her wits as she looked at the four corners of her hotel room. Her brother offered to take her to his apartment, but she refused. She was uncomfortable spending more than a few minutes with him or anyone from her family.

But if she planned to stay in this place longer, she had better arranged for better living conditions. She could not stay in a hotel room where she had limited movements.

“I need to get out of here.” She felt like she needed a few hours of freedom before everything became a jungle of mess.

She had no current projects since she took a leave of absence from work. She felt she needed a few days out of the spotlight. Funnily, she wondered if she could ever get back to it once this was all over.

She knew once the news hit the fans, her life would never find silence again. The media would be all over her, and his ex-boyfriend’s fans would have a field day, trying to destroy her.

“Then, what?” She looked outside the balcony of the high-rise building, wondering what she would do once she was outside.

.....

It was a vast city out there. Although she had lived in this place all her young life, many seemed to have changed since then. She also had no friends here. But did she have friends, to begin with, knowing most of them were only riding her success?

Truthfully, all the people surrounding her were friends of Elliot. So, she doubted that they would even look at her the same way again. More likely, they would condemn her, accusing her of defaming their friend and lying about it for her interest.

She knew the entertainment industry could be exciting and glamorous. On the other hand, it could also be cruel and vicious. Many had thrived in it, making a successful career in it until they had retired. Unfortunately for her, she might not see that in her future.

“Claire, is that you?” Suddenly, she heard someone open her door and enter.

Only two other people had a key to her room, her manager and assistant. It was most likely the latter. She was new. Someone her manager recently hired locally to assist her in her needs temporarily.

She stretched her neck on the balcony as she tried to see if she could spot her visitor. Once she had confirmed who it was by the door, she felt relieved.

Sometimes, she wondered when his ex-boyfriend would suddenly show up in her room just like the last time. Then, beat the hell out of her for disappointing him. Call it a traumatic experience.

“Yes, Ms. Serena.” Her assistant hollered from the doorway, carrying several clothes and groceries in her arms. “I brought you what you have asked for.” She continued in her very delightful accent.

Then, Claire walked her way to her bed to place her clothes. Then, her assistant moved to the mini kitchen to drop off her food supply. She could still feel her moving around her room, but she stayed out of her way.

She remained on the balcony, just watching the buzz of the other people who continued to survive in the harsh world they all lived in, but she knew that more than half of those people were barely making it in this modernized jungle.

“Would you trade off your clothes with mine?” A thought suddenly occurred in her head as wheels began turning. Her eyes studied her assistant’s body shape, finding it was close to hers. They might be the same size.

She moved closer to her assistant, who was putting away the dried goods in the cabinet. She stopped by the small kitchen counter and stared at her, waiting for an answer.

Claire immediately turned around, appearing surprised by her question, probably wondering if that was a trick question, as she remained silent. Of course, her assistant must think she was going crazy.

“Pardon, Ms. Serena.” She still looked dazed as she stopped what she was doing to turn to her. “Why would you want my clothes?” She clarified, still looking perplexed.

She could not blame Claire for looking shocked. Most of them thought that she had a perfect life. But they only saw the actress, the star that shone in front of the cameras.

But, nobody bothered to look deeper, to see the emptiness she always felt inside her. Since she was a child, she strived hard to please everyone, but to no avail.

Now, it seemed she was still a failure. She was lost. She had no idea how to find herself.

“I know this sound crazy, but I need your help.” Serena could hear the desperation in her voice, but she did not care.

She moved closer to her assistant and told her about her plan. If her assistant was shocked earlier, now, she was ready to faint. “Please, help me out.”

In truth, she did not want to be in Claire’s shoes. If her manager learned about her plans, her assistant would be taking all the blame. Her manager could frighten the devil himself when she was in her crappy mood.

But Claire had no chance against her when she used her full charm. She usually got what she wanted in the end. She just took a mental note to compensate for her sacrifice in another way because she seriously needed this.

“Thanks, Claire.” She tapped the other woman on the shoulder after swapping her clothes with hers. “If Nora looks for me, tell her you found the apartment empty when you arrived.”

It was not her first time doing this. She liked to pretend that she was just like everybody else. But today, she needed it more than ever to feel like she was still alive, that her life was still worth living.

She placed her trusted hat, pulling the brim a little lower on her face and eyeglasses to complete her disguise. Then, she was off, assuring her assistant that she knew what she was doing.

She just hoped her assistant was good at lying because her manager could sniff a lie a mile away. She did not doubt that Nora would explode, but she was not worried. Her bark was worse than her bite.