CHAPTER FOUR TROUBLES AND LOSSES

Taria managed to maintain her cool as she followed Kennedy into his room. “Sit!” Kennedy gestured her to a seat. Taria sat humbly, painting a picture of meekness and docility. Kennedy was a smidge taken in by it. Somehow, he felt he had to be gentle with this lady. Remembering the bloodstains on the sheet, he couldn't believe such a popular actress was actually still a virgin. How old was she? And the fact that he had even made use of her reputation for his own agenda just that day made him feel all the more guilty. “What do you want as compensation? Just name it and you will have it,” Kennedy said, his tone very gentle. Taria kept her head lowered to hide the excitement in her eyes. But she wasn't stupid. “Nothing sir. We're both adults and we both wanted it then,” she said. Kennedy didn't believe her at all. “Last night, you said you lost your way and entered my room. I don't believe you wanted it then,” Taria took a deep breath. She didn't know what had happened the previous night, but she knew she had to make the most of this opportunity. For her, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. “Actually, sir. I had only intended to meet director Maple. But I forgot…I mean, I somehow ended up in the same room.” At this, Taria blushed furiously. Kennedy's gaze softened even further. The way he saw it, the girl was as much a victim as he was. It seemed she had been drugged too. That must be how she ended up in her room. Her hesitation and the way she glossed over the fact made Kennedy even more certain. How the hell does a grown woman lose her way? Maybe whoever it was, was influenced by the fake news from yesterday and set them both up. But he didn't know what the person was thinking or planning. “You're from Sterling Entertainment right?” Kennedy asked. Taria nodded, her head still lowered. “How about we do it this way. I will talk to the chief producer or whoever is in charge so you can get the best resources and secure the best roles? I will make you an A list celebrity within a year,” Kennedy proposed. At his words, Taria found it hard to hide the sparkle in her eyes. She looked at him with shining eyes. “Thank you very much, sir.” She couldn't refuse without making things awkward. Kennedy was impressed. She had managed to remain calm through it all. He nodded at her. “If there's nothing else, you can leave now.” Taria nodded and got up to leave. She had to suppress her excitement or she might find herself dancing right in the room. At the door, she heard Kennedy call her once more. When she turned, he was holding out two beaded bracelets. “Is this yours? I found it on the bed,” Kennedy asked. Taria's eyes flashed. Even an idiot would know the bracelets must belong to whoever it was that had slept with Kennedy the previous night. Taria felt the bracelets looked familiar. At the very least, she was sure she must have seen it somewhere before. But she wasn't an idiot. She accepted the bracelets gracefully. “Yes, they're mine. Thank you very much,” she said. Kennedy was impressed by her attitude. “Alright. You can leave if there's nothing else.” Taria nodded, stashed the two bracelets in her small purse and left. Once outside The Celestials, she did a small jig without caring for her image. No one would recognize her anyway. After Taria left, Kennedy leaned back on the seat and massaged his temples. He had a splitting headache from the intense activity of the previous night. Carter, his assistant, entered. “Have you found the scoundrel that drugged my drinks?” Kennedy asked, still massaging his temples. Carter nodded. “Yes. It's Mr Chang. He had done it in a misguided attempt to curry favor with you,” Carter revealed. Kennedy sneered. “He's a big fool!” Carter reserved his comment. He felt that Kennedy brought it upon himself. If he hadn't pretended to be a playboy and a libertine, no one would try to curry favor with him using sex and women. It could only be said that his reputation had brought this one to him. “Tell Mr Chang to leave this city. I don't ever want to see him here again. Make sure he knows I will be watching. I will have every single cop in the city on a lookout,” Kennedy ordered. His eyes flashed with unmistakable ruthlessness. Carter kept his face carefully blank as he acknowledged the order. He whipped out a pad from somewhere. “What's the next item on my itinerary?” Kennedy asked, resuming the massaging of his temples. ***** The moment Bella got back to the hotel room, the first thing she did was to plug her phone. Then she went to the bathroom, filled the hot tub with water and immersed herself in it. She closed her eyes to relax, but the pants and groans Kennedy from the night before instantly filled her mind. Bella flushed red from embarrassment. She sank lower into the tub, as if trying to hide from her own embarrassment. She still couldn't believe she just had a night of passionate sex with her ex husband. Well, still husband, technically, but it was only a matter of papers, ink and signatures. She only hoped the man would not somehow discover she was the one that spent the night with him before the process was over. From what she heard last night, he was probably set up. If she's somehow connected to the set up, she had no doubt Kennedy McKenzie would make things absolutely difficult for her. He hated her after all. It wasn't till Bella was done with her bath that she noticed her bracelets were missing. It was something she had worn since she was child. She got scared. Perhaps, Kennedy might be able to use the bracelets to track her. Granted, he was never at home and might not even recognize her if he sees her, but one can never tell. After all, who could have told she would spend the night with her husband on the same day she demanded a divorce? Bella sighed in annoyance. She needed expert advice now. Her best friend, Kate, was her go to person whenever she was in distress. Bella picked her phone only to discover close to thirty missed calls from Kate. Feeling guilty, she immediately called her back. “You just snuck out last night and —” Bella interrupted her friend. She quickly recounted everything that happened the previous night. At the end… “You mean to tell me you spent the night with sweet old Ken?” Kate squealed, excitement obvious in her voice. Bella frowned. “Aren't you appalled?” Kate laughed hard. “Appalled? Hell no! Wasn't I just complaining about your lack of experience? Besides, why would you regret spending the night with a hunk like that?” Bella sighed. She suddenly felt like she had made a mistake by calling her friend. “How was he? Was he good? How long does he last? Is he a kisser or the no touch type? Silent or groaner?...” Bella felt her irritation mounting. “Shut up!” Kenneth McKenzie was a man who changed women as often as he changed clothes. There was no way he would be bad in bed. On the contrary, the lost bracelets were much more important. Bella relayed her worries to her friend.