SHEILA

Sheila drove silently ignoring her ringing phone. She knew it was Charlotte calling and she had no intention of picking up. She swerved to a free lane and hit the gas going over 120 per hour. She had totally forgotten about her interview with GLAM and she knew that showing up late for her first interview in almost a year wouldn't do her résumé any good. It had been slated for 3pm and it was already few minutes after 3. She sighed as bitter memories came flooding back; memories of how she had lost everything she had ever worked for in a week.

After Karl's relocation to France, everyone had thought her world would come crashing down including Charlotte. She was literally an object of pity and when she eventually brought up the idea of flying to meet him in France, it was met with very little donations and even more pity. That attempt failed as well but that still wasn't enough to stop her. At 24, Sheila was turning heads here and there. With the shape of a model and the confidence of a billionaire's daughter, Sheila eventually worked her way up to a social status no one would have expected of her. At 25, she had signed a one year deal with SPICY as a professional model and months after, she was on the cover of all their magazines. No one wanted to see the glorious Amanda Stark again. The ever hot Brianna Gallagher was already fading away. Kim Oprah was the only one who staged a contest but even her couldn't keep up with the latest model in Manhattan. No one could keep up with Sheila Mendez, the ex refugee from the cold Mexican wars who had grown up on a pig farm. In less than three months, Sheila was already counting millions and that she never failed to hide as she lived a very expensive lifestyle. However, things fell apart a week after her 26th birthday. She had gone wild and spent lavishly to make that day memorable for herself. The biggest hotel in France, La Matial was the venue and she had booked first class flight tickets and five star rooms for all her eleven special guests a week to the D- day. Popular latino musicians and Korean live bands performed to keep her guests entertained everyday and everyone present was treated like a king. The highlight of the whole event was on the day of the main party. She had supported "YoungCare", a charity organization based in Australia with the sum of 3 million dollars and her name was on everyone's mouth for weeks; beauty and a heart of gold, but her problem would start just a week after. Her financial secretary had called her over twenty times but she had been hosting a house party so she ignored all her calls. When her phone rang again, she knew it had to be urgent.

"What's so urgent now that you have to call me like this", she said immediately she picked the call.

"Its your financial situation ma'am", her secretary replied over the phone. "We're on a red."

"A red?", Sheila lowered her voice. "How possible?"

"You spent approximately 25million dollars at the La Martial ma'am. Your current savings is barely half", her secretary replied.

"Is anyone there with you Chloe?", she asked looking around.

"No ma'am", Chloe replied.

"So what do you advise we do now", she asked.

"There is a clause I included in your contract with SPICY. You could request for payment in advance for the next 6 months of your contract".

"Would that be enough to cover everything?", Sheila asked hopefully.

"More than", Chloe replied. "I'll trigger the clause if you permit ma'am".

"Of course."

Sheila heaved a sigh of relief and hung up the call.

"Lord knows what I'd have done without that smart redhead", she said to herself. Charlotte who was sitting beside her turned.

"Talking to me?", Charlotte asked.

"No, you fucking blonde", Sheila laughed. "More drinks for our guests!"

Chloe was indeed the best at her job and she had proffered the best possible solution to the problem. Just a few months laying low and spending minimally and everything would be back to normal. Sheila on the other hand may have been the best at her job but sucked badly at her relationship with her superiors and that was partly what eventually fucked her up.

The next day, she had gotten a call from the hospital while she was getting ready for a shoot for SPICY's debut magazine, "RED HOT". Charlotte had been involved in a ghastly accident and she needed blood transfusion immediately. Jon was away on vacation in the Maldives and not answering his calls. She was the next person they had called and luckily, she was O+, a universal donor

"Give me a minute. I'll be there", she said to the nurse over the phone and wore her jacket.

"Where to Miss Mendez?", the director asked seeing her hurry away.

"Charlotte... accident... needs blood...gotta go", she replied.

"Wait", he boomed. "You have a shoot in five minutes. When you're done, you could fly to Puerto Rico."

"Fuck you", she replied showing off her middle finger. "You don't command me."

She turned and walked out of the studio, unknowingly to her that she was bidding her job farewell in the process. She got to the hospital in ten minutes and after signing all the necessary documents, the transfusion was done. Charlotte was steady in the next couple of hours and had her best friend to thank for that but when Sheila got to work the next day, she realized that she had lost it all. A young lady about 21 years of age was sitting on the chair in her office and Chloe stood beside her explaining something to her.

"Who's the rookie today?", Sheila asked. "A fan perhaps. Need an autograph?"

"Knock before entering next time", the lady replied rudely not even bothering to look up at Sheila.

"What?" Sheila was obviously annoyed. "In my office? Who are you, puta!", she cursed.

"Chloe, get this under fed foul tongued brat out of my office before I call the security", the lady said standing up.

Sheila was too stunned to move or even utter a word. An unknown person had called her, Sheila Mendez the face of America's biggest modelling company an under fed foul tongued brat right in her own office. She watched as Chloe walked closer to her.

"Ma'am, I'll advise you leave now. We could talk later", she said.

"I'm not leaving my office", Sheila screamed. "And if you don't get that bitch out of here now, I'll do it myself and fire you."

"Ma'am"

"You're fired." Sheila walked over to the executive chair where the lady sat with the intent of dragging her by her hair out of the office but just then the door bursted open and the owner of SPICY came walking in.

"What's all this noise about?", he queried. "What's she doing here?", he turned to Chloe.

"Good question. What the hell is she doing in my office?", Sheila shouted red with anger.

"I'm referring to you", he said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

"I..I don't understand", she stuttered. He turned to Chloe.

"Didn't you tell her?" Chloe bent her head down.

"Tell me what?", Sheila asked. "What's going on here?". He turned to face her.

"Do you know what happened yesterday?", he asked. Sheila thought for a while before replying.

"I'm not sure. What happened?"

"For the first time in eight years I was off the list of the top ten richest men in America", he replied.

"So she's here to remedy that?", Sheila asked.

"Kind of", he replied. "Do you know why I fell off?"

"No. Why?"

"Because a certain someone decided to go donate blood rather than do their job. I lost a collab worth billions of dollars.", he said.

"I couldn't allow my friend die", she countered. "Have you no human feelings?". He shook his head pitifully.

"You signed a deal Mendez. Work over anything. And I believe you were at work?". Sheila kept mute, getting where he was heading.

"So what now?", Sheila asked defiantly.

"You're fired. Don't you get it? She is your new replacement, the new face of SPICY. You are to drop all properties of SPICY in your custody immediately and that includes the clothes you've modeled with."

"And my salary?", she asked. He frowned.

"I believe we've paid you for the six months of your service. Your contract has been terminated with immediate effect and we do not owe you a dime. Goodday Miss Mendez." He turned and walked out of the office. Sheila beckoned to Chloe and the two of them walked out of the office.

"What does this mean?", she whispered to Chloe once they had left the office.

"I'm afraid it means you have no salary to settle your debts", Chloe replied.

Sheila gasped, reality dawning on her. "Any other options? Come on Chloe, help me out. You've got something up there."

"Em, there is but you might not like it", Chloe replied.

"Tell me", Sheila pleaded. "Once the creditors realize my contract has been terminated, they'll all be on my neck and I'll be fucked up".

"You could mortgage all your landed properties and cars", Chloe said.

"But they're all in the company name", Sheila replied.

"No", Chloe shook her head. "I added another clause in your contract to protect you in situations like this. If your contract gets dissolved in less than a year, the company properties initially given to you remains yours. Its a form of compensation." Sheila heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sell whatever I have to pay the rest. I want it done today", she said.

"Yes ma'am", Chloe replied and walked back to the office.