Shermaine did not wait for Clarissa to respond before she turned and strutted off.
Even if Jamie somewhat expected to be ignored by that usually pompous woman, she did not feel good about it.
That confrontation appeared to be a challenge of sorts to Clarissa. There was a sense that there might be trouble brewing on the horizon.
“The only thing she can look forward to is my ass. Does this woman have an ax to grind with us? Now that we know what sort of person she is, we’ve to be really careful around her when on set. Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”
Clarissa was touched by Jamie’s concern. “As I remember, you got the short end of the stick getting mixed up with her the last time. It’ll be better for both of us to try and stay out of trouble. As all things considered, we would only end up at the losing end.”
Reality was a pain in the a**, and that got Jamie fuming.
She exhaled. In her heart, she longed to find fame and recognition for herself in show business.
Clarissa understood Jamie’s aspirations and rested a comforting hand on the latter’s shoulder. “Don’t be anxious. Your time will come.”
Jamie bounced back quite quickly. Due to Clarissa’s fondness for her, she brought her around and introduced her to Yaala and Quentin. Even though she was not that well acquainted with the two leads herself, the duo came across as mild-mannered and relatively easy to talk to. It would not be a bad thing for Jamie’s prospects if they took a genuine liking to her as well.
Indeed, not everyone was like Shermaine. Yaala, Quentin, and Jamie clicked well enough to connect themselves on Twitter. All in all, it was a positive enough starting point for Jamie to build upon.
After the costume fitting had concluded, Clarissa informed Justin of her desire to tag along with the film crew. When the two chatted away by the side, something must have tickled Justin. Their exchange may appear a little flirtatious when observed from afar.
Shermaine was not happy to bear witness to this scene. Thus, she had secretly snapped a few photos of them. Her plans for these were unknown except to herself.
It was apparent that Clarissa remained oblivious while this was happening.
Over the next couple of days, there were only some remnant tasks that Clarissa had to see to, such as finalizing the contract with Yael, banking in a few checks, or the likes.
Thus, Clarissa felt a little dispirited when her thoughts came to Ellie.
She tried to reach her through Damon. Even though he was not sure what the whole disagreement was about, he was more than willing to help.
That same night, Clarissa met up with Damon. However, Ellie was not expecting her and did not seem pleased. Though the atmosphere was awkward, Ellie showed no inclination to get up and leave.
Meanwhile, Damon did his best to play peacemaker. “Alright, we’re all grown-ups, so I’m sure we could work this through without bickering. So long as you’re not stealing each other’s boyfriend, there’s no conflict of principle. Come on. How about we start off with a smile?”
Ellie snorted, but otherwise stayed silent.
Damon shrugged as he looked to Clarissa, who relocated herself to sit opposite Ellie. Her attempt to reach out and hold the latter’s hand was resolutely blown off.
Clarissa retreated and had this to say, “I understand why you’re upset, as it’s my fault for holding out on you. Hit me or berate me if you want, Ellie. I only ask that you don’t ignore me as I don’t want to lose my best friend.”
Their relationship was one that she treasured. She did not want to be reasonable when face with this impasse.
She wanted Matthew’s love as much as she wished to retain Ellie’s friendship.
Neither was something she would be willing to forsake even if Ellie were to make her choose between them.
“It’s going to be me or him. Your call,” Ellie stated plainly.
Damon appeared astounded as he listened in.
Huh? Was Clarissa’s newfound romance at the heart of this conflict?
He could not help but feel sorry for Clarissa when he looked upon her face.
“Why are you being so hard on Clare? Are you also interested in her boyfriend?”
“Shut up! It’s none of your business,” Ellie snapped.
The man’s brows knotted. “What’s really going on here?”
Clarissa looked to Damon. “Could I talk to Ellie alone for a minute?”
With that, Damon pliantly stepped out of the room and left the two women to themselves. This was when Ellie was about started to get snarky.
“Look, this situation involving Uncle Matt and yourself is absurd and disappointing. I know that you’re not in it for the money, being friends with you for as long as I have, but of all the young and handsome suitors out there, why do you have to date my uncle? You’re my bestie, but that’s my uncle we’re talking about!”
Clarissa listened with eyes reddened. She sobbed quietly, deeply saddened by her friend’s anger and lack of understanding toward her.
The two sat in there amidst her silent tears for some time before Clarissa wiped her eyes and lifted her head to regard Ellie.
“I won’t lie to you, Ellie. I don’t want to part from Uncle Matthew on your accord.”
“You-”
Ellie was flabbergasted. She swiftly got to her feet as she refused to listen to another word from Clarissa.
Yet, she found her path out being blocked.
“Would it be easier for you to accept Matthew if he wasn’t your uncle?”
“But he is.”
“Love cannot be subject to reason. I’ve never expected to end up in a relationship with your uncle coming into D City. Though I can’t disavow my own role in this, I found it easy to fall for him, so he and I are both complicit. I value you as much as I do him. Call me greedy or selfish, but I hope to be able to continue our friendship and still be with him.”
“Then don’t come talk to me about this.”
“I know this may be too much to ask, but I hope to be able to gain your blessing.”
“Hmph. You are one to talk. Have you considered the consequences? Sooner or later, you’ll come to regret this.”
Though Ellie’s words were partly spoken out of spite, there was a modicum of truth to them.
The color drained from Clarissa’s face, but she nodded as she eked out a bitter smile. “I’m aware of that.”
“Then have it your way.”
This time, Ellie shoved right past her and stormed off.
Damon stepped back in shortly after. His heart ached when he saw Clarissa mournful and vulnerable, and wished for nothing more than to hold and to comfort her. However, he just could not muster up the courage to do so.
“Don’t be sad, Clare. You know how pigheaded Ellie is, but she’ll never sever ties with you. She’s probably just a little upset at the moment. I’m sure she’ll be fine once she gets over it.”
Clarissa twitched her lips. She wiped the tear from beneath her eyes and smiled.
“I know that. Thank you, Damon. I’ll be away for work for some time. If you were to meet up with her, would you let me know how she is? I…”
“No worries. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
He tried to change the subject to something less unpleasant. “You’re really doing great for yourself now, even becoming Mr. Justin’s screenwriter. In future…”
Her mood markedly improved when her thoughts shifted to her work. The two of them did not stay on for long and left together.
Inside the elevator, they ran into a middle-aged man who might be an elder.
Damon addressed the man as Uncle.
Clarissa found him familiar but was too self-conscious to keep eyeballing.
“Is this your girlfriend, Damon?”
“Nah, Uncle. We’re just friends.”
“Haha… I see.”
As the elder exited, he appeared momentarily stunned when he took another glance at Clarissa, as though he had come to some realization. However, he recovered quickly before he departed.
“Don’t mind him, Clare. He’s my father’s elder brother.” “I thought he looked a little familiar.”
Damon chuckled, “Did you see him on television before?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, that’s right. He’s actually…”
An important official!
“Right on. Members of my family are all pretty accomplished people, except for me.”
Despite saying that, it was quite apparent that he was proud of having a family like this.
Damon’s uncle from before, Jacque, arrived home.
Hannah was still awake. It seemed that she had a lot on her mind.
Jacque knew that his mother was not one for rumination. There were few causes for her to do so anyway and certainly not within these few years. The only possibility was that which concerned her younger sister.
“Why are you still up, Mom?”
Hannah had been widowed since she was middle-aged. She had always been a strong-willed person and took care to raise her sons well. However, she blamed herself for spoiling her daughter, Kayla, which led to the latter running off with a man.
Many years had passed since. Even though she never mentioned her estranged daughter, she dearly missed her. Her yearning to reconnect grew the more she got older.
“The Smallwoods visited today.”
It was no wonder then.
Jacque sat across from his mother, paying quite some attention to subtle shifts in her expression. “James Smallwood has been great to Kayla and also done quite well for himself. Their daughter too. Though an international star in the entertainment business, he is independent and managed to maintain a solid reputation for herself. Their family has also good relations with the Tysons, and it would seem that a marital union between the two families might also be in the pipeline. We’re planning a huge party for your eightieth birthday, Mom. Do you think we should invite Kayla and her family?
His mother’s silence told him all he had to know.
He smiled. “Will do. You should turn in early.”
“And you as well. You’re no longer a young man, so you ought to take better care of yourself.”
“Got it. I’ve only shared a few drinks with some friends. Nothing too crazy. But interestingly, I ran into Damon there. He was with a pretty young lady who looked quite familiar, but I just can’t seem to recall where I might have seen her before.”
“Have you met previously?”
Jacque shook his head. “I doubt it. It just eluded me whose kid she might be.”
That conversation was discontinued as they both variously returned to their own rooms.
