Chapter 6

The morning sunlight crept in through the thick dark drapes as Trinity fluttered her eyes open. She didn't immediately get up, savoring the feel of the duvet and soft pillows below her neck while running her fingers over the smooth silky sheets.

The room was moderately big, with the walls covered in a dark shade of grey and the floor carpeted with black wool. The only thing that gave the room a little human touch was the large TV screen plastered over the wall above the cool electric fireplace. Trinity stood up, stretching and yawning before slipping her feet into the small fluffy bunny shaped slippers beside the bed.

She was grateful for the warmth of the shower as heated droplets of water sprinkled over her skin. She let the hot water run over her face for a while, letting it soothe her tensed skin. When she was done, she threw on her robe and applied her skin treatment, and luckily she had brought her hair dryer along as well. By the time she was done dressing, Trinity went downstairs, half expecting to see a buffed up moody man with dark hair. The living room was empty, and she realized so was the kitchen when she went to grab a glass of water.

I guess I've got the house to myself then, Trinity thought to herself.

She took her time getting familiar with the spacious apartment until she caught sight of the picture on the ledge again. The woman in the picture, with red hair and green eyes, was smiling so brightly as she gazed far away at something. Trinity wondered if it had been Daniel that took the picture and if they had had a beautiful moment right before the shot which made the woman smile back at him. She looked like a person so in love, Trinity wondered whatever happened to that love.

Did Daniel himself still feel it? Did he ever plan to get back with her?

Trinity held her tummy as it growled from the hours of hunger she had slept through, and decided to make breakfast for herself. There was cereal and milk at least, and she brought out a pack of chips and started munching on it.

The doorbell rang.

Must be Rick.

She went over to the door, opening it for the young man to come in. He smiled so friendly at her.

"Hi Mrs D'alore. Good morning." Rick said

"Hey Rick. Thanks for coming, I was starting to get bored." Trinity said as she made her way back to the kitchen counter to pour milk into the cereal.

"Is Mr D'alore home?" Rick asked, observing the quiet home.

"He must've slipped away very early in the morning." She offered, barely knowing enough to say.

"Would you like me to make anything for you other than…. Froot loops?"

Trinity knew she had a habit of eating lightly, and that was one of the many reasons she was that petite. Another reason was because….well, she was a Hollywood star and everyone was pretty in Hollywood. She shrugged at his question.

"Is this your first time being a…." A gigolo, a fancy man, a cadet. Trinity was trying so hard to find the right words. ".. personal assistant to a celebrity?" She asked, and she hoped it was polite enough.

"I've done some things similar… but it is my first time working with celebrities." He said as he started to make something on the stove. The scents of fried eggs and avocado instantly filled Trinity's nostrils, making her crave whatever it was Rick was making.

"So?." She said, eyes closed and still relishing the aroma. "How does it feel to work with celebrities now?"

Rick smiled. "I think I need a little more time to rate the experience."

"What do you think about me then? Have you seen any of my movies?"

"I loved Little Love. It's still one of my best movies ever. There was something about that character you played, Hollie, she reminded me of someone I used to know." Rick didn't feel an ounce of embarrassment telling her that he had had a deep connection while watching her on TV. In fact he felt honoured to be telling her that. She was something like an idol for him.

"A lot of people tell me they love the movies I star in, but what they don't tell me is what everyone else says. The gossip, the media, the rumours." She opened her eyes and set them on a steaming plate of avocado toast and a glass of greek yoghurt as Rick set them down on the table.

"I haven't heard much of the rumours. I don't follow what the media says, at least not entirely." He responded and sat down beside her, watching with pride as she took a bite out of the meal he had just deliciously prepared for her.

Everything melted perfectly in Trinity's mouth. The bread together with the eggs and cherry tomatoes were a heavenly taste, Trinity had to admit it. "This is delicious."

Rick never thought he would get such praise from a celebrity over avocado toast, but here he was, smiling as Trinity enjoyed it.

"Be honest with me, What's everyone else saying about my marriage to Daniel D'alore?" Trinity asked bluntly. She was tired of pretending she didn't care what people thought of her. She needed to know, especially more about her husband. And she didn't mind engaging in gossip to fill herself in on who she had gotten married to.

"I really don't want to lose this job," Rick said.

"I think this is one of the things you're paid for. To keep me company, am I right?" Trinity leaned in closer to him. "Can't a girl get some of the tea being served?"

Rick examined her carefully and gave an awkward laugh. "Well, there are obviously those who don't think it'll last cause people still believe Daniel isn't over Melanie yet." He blurted out.

Bingo!

"Melanie… Melanie McKay? Melanie Grayson?" Trinity asked desperately.

"Melanie Graham."

"I've never heard of her before," She admittedly said.

"They started off as business partners, actually. See here." Rick brought out his phone and showed Trinity the googled pictures of both Melanie and Daniel together.

Trinity leaned in to take a closer look. She was right after all, it was the same ginger on the picture ledge. The photos were old, dated back to a few years ago. One of the pictures was of the ex-couple laughing together at an event, another one was taken by a random paparazzi as they walked to their car. A tinge of jealousy stung Trinity's heart.

Why do they look like the perfect couple and yet… here I am?

Rick scrolled until a headline popped up with the new photos of Trinity's legal marriage: COULD IT BE TRUE LOVE OR A DESPERATE GETAWAY?

Daniel looked less happy in it, almost like he wanted nothing but to get away from her. Trinity stopped looking at the pictures and continued eating. She silently told herself she didn't care but she wasn't going to deny she felt horrible being someone's second…third…fourth option?

Rick sensed the mood in the room change and waited in silence until Trinity was done eating. He took the plates and did the dishes while she went up to her room and stayed there for the entire day.