It was early in the morning two days after the pop cake project. The house next door was still void of any activity but in Ryn"s house, the lone girl was already busy. Ryn stretched her arms and yawned loudly. She lifted up her right leg, still yawning, and let the foot almost touched her head. Then, she switched to her left leg and did the same. She repeated twice more before she stopped.
Then she started to swirl her hips, trying to do a little bit of exercise before she went out. Stretches were important to relief the pain and uncomfortable feeling when waking up. Besides, it could wake her up.... Hopefully…
Today she needed to attend a meeting with the team regarding the advertis.e.m.e.nt of the latest jewellery collection. Later, Mika wanted her to check the latest progression of their make-up line. If follow the schedule, they would launch it in two more months after a month giving samples to some of their friends to try and review. Later, she had a meeting with the producer, about the show Mei Li was so excited about.
Was she excited? Yes. However, looking at today"s schedule, she wished she could just lay back on her bed and continue her sleep.
She was so sleepy!
She changed into comfortable clothes, just a light blue s.h.i.+rt with black jeans. No writing on the s.h.i.+rt, just a plain blue s.h.i.+rt. To make it a little bit formal, she chose a black blazer. Her long hair was braided into a pigtails and she covered it with a cap. Later, once she reached there, she would untie her hair and made it wavy.
In her bag she put a set of dress for the TV appointment, along with a bag of mini make-up. She would change into the dress and put on a little bit of make-up before the meeting.
Instead of calling, Mika just hit the horn to announce her arrival. Although she was excited for this coming collection but the thought of meeting Him made her s.h.i.+ver in frightened. Even Mei Li, Ryn"s manager, drew out a white flag, citing she had to buy groceries for her grandmother"s cousin"s little brother-in-law"s neighbour. How fake that excuse was but Mei Li stuck to her reason stubbornly and asked Ryn with a small voice to go to the meeting herself.
Hence, that was why Mika was here to pick Ryn up. She did not want this best friend of hers found another ridiculous excuse to avoid attending the meeting.
If she had to face that monster, Ryn had to too. They were best friends, right? And as best friends, Ryn should help her dealing with him, right?
Mika nodded at her thought and punched the horn again.
She would not let Ryn running away from this.
"Yes. Yes. Yes. I am coming. Wait a second while I lock the door." after wearing the backpack, Ryn quickly turned off all the electrical equipment in the house and locked the door. Instead of wearing her usual sneakers or slippers, Ryn put on black heels, suitable for both outfits.
She was too lazy to bring extra heels just for the dress. Just wear ones that were suitable for all occasions.
Simple and easy.
She quickly got into the car but Mika"s make-up and outfit made Ryn a bit taken back.
"Have I got the wrong memo? Is this meeting formal?" Ryn was surprised to see the serious mode of Mika, not the Lolly look but a real executive look with a sober black tie outfit and neutral make-up look. There was not even any Gothic jewelleries except a simple pair of pearl earrings.
Ryn found herself truly underdressed when sitting next to her best friend.
"I need to look professional. You"re different story," Mika explained.
"Oh, I see..." Ryn would not point out how the outfit and make-up could not even cover Mika"s nervousness. It showed clear on her face.
Wouldn"t this make "him" even wanted to take more advantages from her?
Sigh. If she were scared to meet him even though she was a professional model, Mika would feel even worst. They surely were two in a pod, sharing the same fate.
Ryn kept quiet along the way. Even the chatterbox Mika did not let out a single word. They were too nervous to speak!
Finally, they reached the building where the meeting would be held. Instead of having the meeting at the office, Mika decided to book a room in a restaurant and even ordered her a.s.sistant to prepare laptop and portable projector for the presentation. Maybe with food "he" would be agreeable and kind-hearted. Hopefully Jack would not bully her too much.
Mika pulled Ryn into the ladies room for a short and quick session of makeup. How could Ryn only put some sunscreen and lip balm to meet that devil? She should put on some makeup and look pretty!
Ryn, too sleepy to say no, just followed behind Mika. She leaned back against the wall and lowered herself to make it easier for Mika to do her magic.
Mika used the makeup Ryn brought, clucking unhappily to see so little makeup she could work with. Ryn did not even bring a pallet of eye shadow! A supermodel should bring a whole lot of makeup everywhere!
Fine.
She was after all a master in makeup. She used the blusher for the eyeshadow and blended the eyeliner to create a smokey look. She stepped back and nodded proudly.
"Let"s go," Ryn checked her reflection again in the mirror, adjusting her wavy hair a little bit and stepped out from the bathroom. She hid a smile when Mika suddenly turned scared and walked behind her. "Don"t worry. I am here. "
Mika clutched the hem of Ryn"s blazer and forced herself to walk. Why did she agree to do this? Was she being possessed that day when she decided to use Jack?
"I think I"m going to be sick," Mika choked out.
"No, you"re not. You can"t escape," Ryn quickly took Mika"s hand to stop her from running away.
Jack c.o.c.ked an eyebrow when the door finally opened to reveal these two girls clutching each other, walking so slow, even slower than a turtle. He smirked, could actually guess why they were behaving this way. This is going to be fun.
"So, you"re finally here, " he crossed his arms and frowned.
Mika clutched at Ryn"s hand even harder. What to do? What to do? The devil is in bad mood. What should she do now?
Ryn gulped. She was nervous but tried not to show it. She made use of all her experiences to portray a calm and confident woman. Ryn thought she managed to hide it but it was clear she failed miserably.
Unknown to them, Jack was having fun watching them so nervous and scared. He planned to make use of their worries to take advantage.
"I have ordered food. I"m so hungry while waiting for you two to arrive."
"It... It is okay. Put the bills... On me..." Mika choke out, trying her best to stay close to Ryn so her best friend could protect her.
"I like this restaurant."
"I... I am glad... "
"So... Are we going to discuss now or after the meal?" Jack stared at them.
"Uh... Ups to you..." Mika was on the brink of tears. Why Ryn did not say a word? Why she had to answer everything? She poked Ryn"s side to signal her to take over.
Ryn cleared her throat and opened her mouth. However, nothing came out. She froze.
"Play the slide," Jack ordered one of his a.s.sistants who was already ready at the laptop. The a.s.sistant obeyed. Another one quickly handed a file to Mika and Ryn.
"Ehem... h.e.l.lo, Miss Long and Miss Catherine (Ryn did not use her surname when working so everyone either called her Ryn ir Catherine), today we are going to present to you 3 ideas for the latest jewellery collection," the one who handed the file said.
Mika and Ryn tried to focus, trying to ignore Jack"s presence... Unfortunately, it was hard. They gulped, trying to stay calm. Their hands were clutched together, trying to use each other"s confidence.
Jack grinned.
"The first idea is Miss Catherine is a mermaid under the sea. We suggest going to Maldives for the shooting." The slides were divided into few sections showing a figure with a tail dancing in the water.
"The second idea is Miss Catherine as an ice Queen. The shooting is at Switzerland," The slides again were divided into few sections with a figure with a small tiara with a background of snowy mountain.
"The last idea is Miss Catherine is at the volcano, just awakened from a deep slumber of 1000 years. We suggest-"
"Wa... Wait. What?" Ryn was speechless with all the ideas. Wasn"t this just a jewellery advertis.e.m.e.nt? Why was she had to shoot underwater, at the snow mountain and even at the volcano? Why couldn"t they just shoot at a studio?
"Do you have any problem with the ideas?" Jack c.o.c.ked an eyebrow.
Ryn gulped. She quickly shook her head.
"Because Miss Long do have a fas.h.i.+on line, we suggest for the outfits to be produced from your line," the a.s.sistant continued after receiving the signal from Jack.
"So I can choose one of these?" Mika asked. Her lips pursed a bit as she focussed on the file.
Ryn looked at her best friend nervously. Please do not betray me, Mika. Just tell him bravely you want to shoot at the studio.