THE HEADLINE AFTER.

"CANCEL IT!"

His voice was laced with ice that she felt goosebumps rise up her sleeves. Though she half expected him to be happy and congratulate her this time, she was also expecting the same reaction from him. The solid reaction of him not wanting her to take up those roles. Most times, he reminded her of her father. She really like Hugo but it would matter a lot to her if he'd support her in her decisions.

Hands wrapped and pressed against the steering wheel, she raced home. Not ready to spare another minute in her boyfriend's house. With the way he reacted to her gaining a big role from "Wonder Prism Studio" drained her system, she wondered how he would react if she broke the news of sleeping with a guy she met at the bar.

She raced home while absent in her train of thoughts, her mind drifted back to the heated argument she had with him. Jane was the type what wanted to keep her boyfriend happy at all time but just today, she couldn't explain where the strength to wrangle words with him came from.

"I can't cancel it," she responded. Trying to sound firm.

"What did you say? You won't cancel it?" Hugo's eyes glinted with surprise before it turned stern, his brows pulled together and his lips pressed in a thin line. The look he was throwing her way made it seemed she said the most outrageous scandalous words said in planet earth.

"You heard me, I'm not going to cancel it." Jane brazed herself, standing firm on the ground and staring him dead in the eyes. She wouldn't let herself loose this golden opportunity because of some insecure boyfriend. She wouldn't reject this offer that would make her fulfill her dream of acting alongside Toro Wilson.

"I tried hard to get where I am today," she went on. "I worked hard, I struggled hard to get this gig and you are telling me…..I should cancel it?"

"Baby, whatever I do is for our sake. I don't want to lose you," his eyes softened as he leaned closer to her– closing the gap between them. He reached out to wrap his arms around her waist but she pulled back, away from his touch prompting Hugo to slightly pull a brow up in surprise.

"I know you won't have time for us because you will continue to get bigger roles and with time you will forget I exist." Hugo added and the little sad tone in his voice made her feel weak in the knee.

One thing she wanted from him was for him to have faith in her instead of doubting her. What was he so afraid of? That she may one day find another guy and toss him aside? He should have that notion that she wouldn't leave him for any reason.

"Hugo." She called him by his name softly which made him raise a brow, looking startled.

"It's Hugo now?"

She ignored the accusation in his eyes and proceeded. "I want you to have faith in me..." She paused, gathering the right words to put out without worsing the scenario.

"I want you to have faith in us, I give you my word that no matter the bigger roles I get in the future, I will always make out time for us. You'd always be my first priority."

"No need acting insecure...." She trailed off when she noticed something shift in his eyes. A dead look appeared in his eyes, sending chills down her spine the second time.

"Oh," he sounded hurt when he spoke up. "I'm sorry….you think the reason I never let you accept big gigs was because YOU THINK I'm feeling insecure?" His eyes accused her as he laid emphasis on 'you think'.

'Is there any other reason?' She whimpered under her breath, casting her gaze on the marble floor. Her gaze remained there for some minutes before she raised it to meet the dead look in his eyes. She quivered slightly at his cold, condemning gaze.

"Listen….." She bit her lower lip before resuming. "All I'm asking you is to support me, in every decision I make— just like I supported you. This role will be the peak of my acting life. Quit acting like my father!" She raised her tone a little. "I rejected so many good offers in the past because of you, why? Because I wanted to make you happy."

"Can't you be happy for me for once and let me take up this role? Most importantly, the actor who I'd act alongside with is a famous one. I don't want to miss it. I'm sorry but I can't cancel it."

"I bet you did something to get this role, didn't you?" He arched a brow and accused her.

"I don't get you. What do you mean by that?" She threw him a surprised look.

"I bet you must've let the director have his way with you to obtain that role?" He accused, causing Jane's mouth to drop open. Her eyes widened in despair at his accusation. "Because you and I know Wonder Prism Studio is in partnership with Royal Wings Film Production and they are famous productions in the industry."

"Are you by in any way insinuating I slept my way in to obtain this role?"

"Isn't that the case."

Disgruntled at his accusation. She didn't know when her palm came in contact with his cheek. "One thing I won't tolerate from you is accusing me unnecessary and for your information I obtained this role because of my acting skill. And the director of the production reached out to me first."

"So don't accuse me with no evidence." Jane felt terrible for slapping him but she felt more terrible and hurt having him utter those words. "I won't have you question my reputation."

"I shouldn't have come here," she grabbed her bag and dashed out. Expecting him to come after her and apologize for saying those words but he didn't.

Pulled back to the present by a car horn behind. It dawned on her that she had been waiting for the traffic lights to signal go when it already said go. Jane could feel the impatience from the driver behind and resumed the engine. Trotting home. But from her side windshield, if she wasn't mistaken— she bet she got a glimpse of that masked guy from the bar.

Okay, maybe she was thinking too much. It could be someone else.

She brushed it off and headed home. Not letting Hugo or the mysterious guy she slept with or the masked guy steal the peace of her mind.

●●●●●●●●●●

She reached home, her parents house and pulled her car in one corner of the house. She alighted from the car and strolled in. Ivy or her stepmother wasn't in sight and she didn't try to worry about that. She raced the stairs to her room, ready to relinquish on her soft bed. She landed on the bed in a loud thud, dropping her bag and car keys beside her. She stared at the ceiling aimlessly, letting the conversation she had with Hugo flood her mind. And thinking back now, she couldn't fight back the tears building in her eyes.

Did she went to far as slapping him? But still he had no right to accuse her that way.

A knock came on her door, jolting her a little but she didn't get up to open it or to know who was at the door. Probably Ivy or her stepmother. The door opened, revealing Ivy.

Jane let out a tired breath and darted her gaze to her before returning it to the ceiling.

"Umm…. Can I come in?" Ivy asked but got no response back.

A minute passed before she walked in on her own accord and sat down on the bed beside her. "Sis, are you okay? I didn't notice your presence."

Jane kept mute.

"Is something bothering..." Ivy's voice trailed off as she peered closely at Jane's face. Gasping at the liquid that rolled down her eyes. "Were you crying? Talk to me, did something happened? Why are you crying? Did you lose your big gig?"

Jane shook her head and blinked. "I had a heated fight with Hugo."

"Why?"

"I told him about the big offer offered to me but he told me to cancel it. He said I should contact the Studio that gave me that work and tell them I won't be doing it anymore."

"WHAT?" Ivy sounded more startled than her when Hugo spewed those words. "Is he alright? Why would he say a thing like that?"

●●●●●●●●

"I told you I won't be doing this, contact someone else," Jane prompted. "I'm not interested. It isn't my thing."

"You reached out to me first," the male figure, standing before her gave her a stunned look. "Now you are backing out?….."

"I'm sorry….. but I won't repeat myself, I won't be doing it."

"CUT!!!!!" The director's voice cut through the air. Silencing both her and the male actor. Here she was, trying to say her lines in the script but her argument with Hugo yesterday kept bothering her.

"Jane, are you alright? You seem a little bit under the weather, like you didn't have a good night sleep yesterday. Your acting today looks a bit off. Lacks depth and emotions."

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"I want you to give more life to your character like you always did, okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay, let's start from...." The director was cut shot when one of the crew rushed to him with a tablet. Showing him some stuff on the screen. The director's eyes widened and it caught Jane's attention to what might've startled the director this much but then her body froze when the director startled face looked at her.

He signaled her to come over and when she did and saw what played on the screen of the tablet, her face and body turned blue. Her whole body froze as she read inwardly the headline and a video of her in a messy look hurrying out of the bar upper room to the elevator.

"Actress Jane was found leaving a room in the bar in a hurry after a steamy night with a mysterious guy..." The headline read. "Now who is the mystery man, she spent the steamy night with?"