RBAVS: Chapter 21

At the crack of dawn, on the outskirts of the city, between the dense and towering trees, laid an unassuming pathway that camouflaged itself to its surroundings. A black car steadily pulled up.

“Young master, breakfast is ready,” said the butler, standing outside the bedroom door. 

A groggy voice sounded from inside. “Hmmm.”

The butler calmly left after hearing the response and went to finish another task on the agenda for the day.

Ryan, who had just awoken, pulled himself out of bed. His gorgeous, freshly awakened face was evidence of him winning the genetic lottery. While absentmindedly standing on the balcony of his room, he saw the black car slowly pulling over in front of his door. His good mood from taking in the breath of nature quickly turned sour. 

Below, the newly arrived Alex was ushered in by the butler. Dane, still with his unfazed look, took Alex’s car key and coat from him with a standard polite smile. “Welcome home, sir.”

The Davidson family has a rule wherein the family must share breakfast together as long as they live under the same roof, except for unavoidable business travel. In the past months, Alex had made the shooting of “The Fall of Eden” an excuse to not partake in this family bonding activity. 

But with the launch of the movie and his father’s insistence that he should go home, there was no more excuse that he could throw to circumvent attending this meeting. 

The family has always enforced discipline on its members, and with that comes the mandate of rising early and having breakfast early. No matter what their daily routine was outside the house, as long as you were within these four walls there would be no exception. 

Ryan, now out of his pajamas, unhurriedly descended the stairs and was met with two pairs of brown eyes upon his arrival at the dining table. 

“Good morning, Mom, Dad.” 

His dad nodded in response while his mom greeted him back. This was the usual interaction between the three of them, so it stirred nothing in him. 

Then, his gaze landed on the dark haired man at his father’s left side. 

From the moment he was able to think for himself, Ryan was aware of how his looks stood out from the masses. Having been at the receiving end of every compliment from childhood till the present, he took great pride in his looks. 

That was until he was compared to this man in front of him. 

In his senior year of high school, Ryan had long been numb to the piles and piles of love letters that would magically appear upon entering the classroom; he grew irritated of it.

One time with his lackeys with him, they set a fire in the school ground and burned all the letters he received for everyone to see. He found it funny enough to post a picture of it with the caption:

[Turns out they’re useful after all.] 

Safe to say that after the fiasco, no girl in the school had the intention of delivering a letter to him anymore. Plus, with a parent that the school leaders pander to, nobody dared to criticize him. 

He ruled for three years until his hegemony was overturned. 

While at the vending machine, Ryan overheard two girls gossiping about a handsome freshman.

“Did you take a pic of him?”

“No! Are you crazy? What if he notices me angling my camera at his face? Just kill me if that happens.”

“Come on! What’s the use of dragging you there if you just chickened out? Huhuhu”

“If you have the guts, then you should’ve done it yourself.”

“But he was really handsome. Those cerulean eyes could drag you into hell, and you would never notice it.”

“Kyaaahhh, hehehe…”

“Kyaaahhh, heheh…”

“I would pick him over Ryan Davidson in a snap.”

“Same..”

*Clang!!!*

“AHHH!”

“AHHH”

A soda can that collided with the trash can snapped the two girls out of their reverie. A slight blush trickled to the cheeks of both of them at the thought of someone hearing their conversation. 

With no words needed, the both of them simultaneously bolted out. 

Ryan, who threw the can seconds ago, felt his temple throb with anger. It’s him again!

Now, seeing the owner of those cerulean eyes, not even acknowledging his presence lit the anger in him. 

Following her son’s gaze, Eleanor knew exactly what he was thinking. She clasped her son’s hand and urged him to sit. 

“Come, come. I specifically told Dane to make your favorite dishes. Come have a seat.”

To describe it in a word, breakfast was “tolerable” at best. For how many times this family of four had breakfast together, the atmosphere plateaued at being tolerable, especially to a certain someone. 

***

[Netizen A: gotta say, this clean up took way longer than I expected lol

Video link: #############   ]

In the video, a guy wearing a white shirt sat in guilt. 

“I have been in the industry since the day I left college. Whether it be my words or actions, since then, I have always run after success. Unfortunately, throughout the years, my definition of right and wrong has changed and morphed into just what’s beneficial for me and what’s not; that includes smearing Lilian’s name with fake controversies.”

“I am sorry to Lilian for the pain and suffering that my actions have done to you. I was blinded by what’s in front of me and I failed to see what the consequences would be and how it would impact the lives of many.”

“I am truly, truly sorry for all that I’ve done. From today onwards, I vow to reform myself and never step foot in the entertainment industry again. My time in the land of the stars was dazzling, but it has also cost me to become blind to reality.”]

[Netizen B: Where are those haters of Lilian now *rolls eyes*]

[Netizen C: probably blind AND deaf haha]

[Netizen D: My heart goes out to Lilian, shame on those who didn’t believe you]

[Netizen E: I believe people are missing the point about this video, “I was blinded by what’s in front of me”, so what was he offered with? I smell some kind of conspiracy brewing here.]

[Netizen F: sh*t the commenter above has touched something forbidden, be careful out there]

[Netizen G: I have always believed in my goddess Irene]

[Netizen H: you should be sued] 

[Netizen I: I have always believed that Lilian isn’t what the controversy portrayed her to be, and I’m right]

***

Standing at 6 ft, as Ryan descended the stairs, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Alex in the living room in amusement and mockery. 

He passed by Dane, who handed him his car keys, then paused when he was shoulder to shoulder with Alex. “Ah what a heartless a**h*le, targeting the newbie now, aren’t we? Pathetic.”

Alone in his bathroom, Ryan’s words kept looping in Alex’s mind. He felt as though his heart grappled. His breath was erratic and he could not help but punch the wall of his bathroom. 

Crimson red liquid splattered on the wall. 

Alex looked at his bloody and trembling hands. His legs gave out on him and he sat on the floor, letting his head rest on the edge of the tub and staring at the ceiling in a daze. 

***Flashback***

In what looked like an unending stairs inside the Big Star Entertainment sat a man hunched over. 

He had just received a call from his wife’s doctor. And what the doctor brought was anything but good news. 

His wife needed surgery, unfortunately no hospital in the country had the technology to safely do it. They could wait for a month at best for the order of the hospital to arrive but by then it would be too late for his wife. The only path was to send his wife abroad for surgery.

After hanging up the call, the man cried in helplessness. He could not afford to send his wife abroad. His wife and him were living paycheck to paycheck. With her being in the hospital for almost a week, their savings had dried up. And now, this…

He was scared.

If he could not find a way to send his wife abroad, he could lose the love of his life. 

The thought of it filled him with dread.

His cries echoed in the hallowed walls, evoking pity in anyone who heard them.

It took a while for him to calm down.

He remembered the business cards carefully hidden in his office drawer. As an entertainment company with lots of high profile celebrities under its belt, and as its employee, it was not uncommon to receive offers from reporters trying to sniff some dirt.  

He knew a handful of people humoring those reporters, and he saw how much they would pay for just knowing where a celebrity had their lunch. From what he could see it was harmless. A fat paycheck for something insignificant. I can do it too… 

While mulling over the next steps he could take, he heard crisp footsteps ascending the stairs. The footfalls grew nearer and nearer until he saw those distinct blue eyes.

If you looked closely, the man who was on the phone with his wife’s doctor just now looked exactly like the man in the video who plunged Lilian into a controversy.

***End of Flashback***

Alex just got out of the shower. With his hair still wet, he plopped himself onto the bed without care. 

Inside this dark bedroom, where only the moon and the stars illuminated it, Alex allowed his mind to wander, to be lost in his thoughts and fantasies. 

A half-hour in and he still could not sleep. Alex shifted his body only to be met with his phone on his bedside table. 

He didn’t know what it was, but there was no sense of the word “restraint” governing his head. 

He reached out for his phone and, on autopilot, scrolled through his contacts until he saw the name he had been looking for. 

He sent a message at the speed of light; his brain not registering what he had just done, nor what his actions implied. 

But to his surprise, he received a reply in an instant.

A smile made its way to his lips upon reading the message. 

Alex bolted upright in bed, ready to change out of his pajamas into a cozy, casual attire with a hoodie over his shirt. 

He went over to the mirror, carefully styling his hair and inspecting his outfit. Then, his phone received another message. 

His attention was quickly diverted by the notification. His eyes could not help but soften when he read what was on it. 

Alex quickly tidied up to leave and spend the night with Irene. 

The creased bedding and the soaked pillow, the only witnesses of tonight’s event, were left basking in the moonlight.  

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