Chapter 15

"Clare, wake up."

Stella shook the sleeping woman sprawled on the couch. Hours passed since the woman arrived with a dishevelled appearance. Stella had an inkling as to what Clare did for her to end up in that state. 

'This woman caused some trouble somewhere; I just know it.'

She figured that it was the right time to wake the troublemaker up, so she grabbed the pillow under Clare's neck. It caused an immediate reaction from the sleeping woman, which caused her to be in disarray.

There was a slight panic in Clare's facial expression; her eyes were slightly puffy, and there was a slight trail of drool on the side of her lips. What greeted her was Stella's raised brow paired with eyes that stared at her suspiciously.

"Did something happen?"

Stella's eyes squinted; there was a bit of sarcasm on her slightly smiling lips.

Clare glanced in the other direction and tried to grab the pillow back.

"You tell me, Clare. Did something happen?"

"Nothing. Of course, nothing happened."

"By nothing, you mean?"

"Fine, I did something stupid, but I immediately ran away from the scene, okay? It's not a big deal anymore, so let's just move on."

Stella felt that there was something more to this thing that she did that she could not help but ask about.

"What stupid thing did you do?"

"Uhm, I just, you know?, pulled a little prank."

Clare hesitated to meet her friend's gaze, who was, unsurprisingly, looking at her with suspicion.

"It's just...I mean, I just tossed a rotten egg with rotten tomatoes on the side...to someone."

"It wasn't a big deal, I promise!"

Clare put a hand on her chest to swear that she was telling the truth.

The tension on her friends faces eased hearing that it wasn't that serious and something to worry about.

Stella sat down on the couch with her and grabbed the remote. Pressing the power button brought life to the television, which was coincidentally on the channel of a news station.

On cue, footage of what transpired that day was televised. It only showed the point of view of the cameramen, who focused the camera on a man exiting the car. The recorded video showed up until the man was looking for the person who threw the disgusting thing at him.

Clare stood up immediately to run away because she knew that her friend had put two and two together. She was blocked and grabbed to sit beside Stella again.

"I can explain..."

*************

Clare wanted to laugh and cry at the same time as she recalled what happened two nights ago when Stella found out about the stunt she pulled at the protest.

The furious woman made her kneel and repent for a whole hour.

The scene reminded her of how parents scold their own children. It was funny that a twenty-one-year-old like her was doing something like that.

It was pretty cute to see Stella being so stressed and serious that she started acting out of her motherly instincts.

Nonetheless, she was thankful that she had someone acting like an older sister sometimes.

In addition, Stella broke some news on the 'job' she asked for. Fortunately, it would be a one-time thing.

One of the girls from the gig bailed at the last minute, and they couldn't find a replacement because they were all booked. Stella immediately presented the idea of Clare being the replacement. The boss could not help but accept her offer, but she had lower pay in comparison to the girls who would work with Clare on the gig.

That was how she ended up here.

In front of a large vanity mirror, a woman wearing a light pink wig stared at her reflection with hesitation. The eyes, which were once obscured by her thick bangs, were let out, revealing beautiful orbs of amber that could compel anyone who peered through them.

Clare looked at her face with complicated feelings. In all honesty, she did not know what to feel. Torn between feeling awestruck and irritated, the makeup done to Clare by the stylist was undeniably exquisite, but seeing it on her face ruined her mood.

It highlighted the upper area of her face.

She decided to move her eyes away from the mirror and study her outfit. Never in her wildest dreams would she think that she would wear something like this all her life.

Really? A sexy sailor?

Clare wanted to berate the organizer for not coming up with a better idea but she remembered how she was not in the place to criticise.

Anyway, she was lucky that her outfit was a bit conservative compared to the other girls with her in the dressing room. Clare silently thanked Stella for pulling some strings.

Though a bit of her bottom would be revealed if she bent her body down, it was okay to wear a bikini. She would be mortified to wear something like that elsewhere than on the beach and in the presence of strangers.

Men, to be exact.

Clare stood up as she was called in by the manager in charge of the gig. The five girls, who were her companions, formed a line to head out of the hallway. She followed them with a wildly beating heart.

'Shit. It's really happening.'

Stella briefed her on where and what she would be doing. The event was a bachelor's party arranged by a high-profile individual. She said he was an executive at a famous company and shared other details Clare wasn't really interested in.

Clare didn't have to guess the theme of the party, but she was appalled to learn that they would be enclosed in a large gift box to be transported into a five-star hotel by the sea.

Why did it sound like human trafficking?

Luckily, she just had to pour drinks and talk to the guests at the party. According to Stella, only a few close acquaintances of the groom will attend, so this information gave Clare a hint of relief.

In addition, the girls who were with her did not look that nervous and weren't really paying her much attention. She was afraid to be scrutinised for being inexperienced.

After all, the salaries were negotiated. Therefore, they did not have to worry about being affected if any of them messed up.

Of course, Clare did not want to ruin the opportunity given to her.