Mitch Studios , New York.
Marissa sat in the waiting room , scrolling through her phone , looking at the top news that made it to headlines . Her makeup was being done , looks like she has a shoot.
Immediately a message was sent to her . She wanted to open it immediately but stopped .
"Can we take 5?",she asked .
"Sure",Anitta , the makeup artist said .
She made sure all of them were gone . She went to the message app and opened the message.
"Look , you're dog doesn't have a leash on its neck",the message read.
She looked at the picture and sighed. It was a picture of her boyfriend and a lady entering an hotel.
Immediately she placed a call on the sender.
The sender picked on the second ring.
"Hey , are you stalking Leo?",Marissa asked.
"No, I'm not , I can't be stalking a dog",the sender replied.
"Elisa,don't call him that ",Marissa warned.
"Then what should I call him , if he's not a dog , he literally went into that hotel with that bitch",Elisa replied , anger visible in her voice.
"Common , that's his family company and that's his cousin,he told me he had a family meeting at the hotel today",Marissa explained.
"Okay,don't say I didn't give you enough evidence,he's a dead meat if he ever crosses my path ",Elisa said and hung up.
Marissa sighed and switched off her phone signaling the staffs to continue their work.
Neon Lights Studio
The studio was filled with a lots of people - makeup artist , Celebs , photographer , and lots more . A shoot was going on .
"Let's take 10",a male voice said.
"Okay ",the others chorused.
He dropped his camera and headed outside . He took out his phone and dialed a number .
On the third ring , the person picked.
"Good morning , Mrs Elizabeth",He greeted.
"Good morning , Mr Nolan ,how's your day going?",She asked.
"It's going great. I called cause' I want to ask you how it's going, you know the house hunting ?",He said .
"Oh , I'm still searching for the one that suits your taste , I'd definitely tell you if I've seen one , but I haven't",she explained.
"Okay , so how long should I give you?",He asked.
"Let's say , maximum , a month ",she replied.
"Okay,a month it is , I can still wait , but please don't let it exceed one month",he said.
"Sure",she replied.
"Have a great day , ma'am",He greeted.
"You too , Sir ",she replied and he hung up.
He sighed , he's been having issues with his apartment and all that . Now he wants to move but he hasn't seen the one that favors him.
He went back in and they continued the shoot right away .
Around 6:30pm.
Mitch Studios
Marissa was done with her shoot and now she was in the waiting room , getting her face all cleaned up from the makeup . She had also changed her clothes into something more comfy .
Her assistant stood beside her assisting in anyway she can.
"Leslie , can you ring up the driver ? , tell him to get the car ready for movement ",She asked.
"Sure",Leslie replied and was about to place a call when she was stopped by Marissa.
"You know what ?, you can go with the driver,I'll take a Uber , I have to be somewhere",She suggested.
"But he can take you to where you're going",Leslie said.
"It's not necessary, it's a private meeting, I don't need any company",She said.
"Okay ma'am , I'll see you at home then ",Leslie replied.
She dropped Marissa's belongings and carried the ones that shouldn't be with her .
She then headed to the car after bading Marissa goodbye.
8:00pm.
Fifth Avenue.
A cab stopped in front of a building . The door opened and a pair of legs came out before revealing the face. It was Marissa.
It took her about an hour to get here .
She walked into the building , headed to the elevator and entered . She pressed a button and the door closed. She pressed another button which had a number on it .
She smiled to herself. She had planned to give her boyfriend a surprise visit and she was looking all excited to see his reaction.
She had called him earlier to ask if he was home . When he said yes , she told him she'd come the next day but she changed her mind .
Getting to the Fifth floor , the elevator opened and she stepped out .
She walked to a door which had the number "606" on it . She pressed the door code and it got unlocked .
She entered quietly and closed the door behind her .
She walked taking light steps , so as not to be heard .
The lights were dim , so she couldn't see well . She found the switch and pressed the button making the lights full on .
The smile on her face faded a bit when she saw pieces of clothes all around the living room.
"So messy , huh",she said to herself.
But her straight face started shifting into a deep frown . She picked up a piece of clothing which looked like a bra - it didn't look like a bra , it was indeed a bra .
Her hands shook a bit and she headed to the bedroom since that was what her mind told her.
She got near the door and started hearing noises - no , moans .
She palmed her mouth unable to move . After debating for a long time , her trembling hands reached for the door handle . She pulled it opened and what she saw gave her the greatest shock of her life.
Her boyfriend supposed cousin on her boyfriend . He was cheating .
Immediately, they both turned back - shook from seeing her.
"Why , Why , WHY",She screamed scaring the shit out of the cousin.
"How could you ? , How could you?",She screamed , tears rolling down her face.
"I can explain , it's not what you think ",He pleaded.
She raised her hand shutting him up.
She swallowed her tears before speaking up.
"It's fine , I was a fool thinking you were different from other guys , can't believe I got my hopes up , I'm done , this relationship is over ", She said and stormed out.
Leo , her boyfriend , palmed his face not knowing what to do . He quickly wore his trousers and put on a shirt before running after her leaving his supposed cousin confused.
Marissa walked out of the building and hailed a cab.
She was about to enter when someone held her. She turned to look at the person only to see Leo. She landed two loud slaps on his face before he could do anything.
She entered the cab and the driver drove off.
Neon Lights Studio .
Nolan was done for the day . He was about to leave the studio when he heard his phone ring . He picked it up after looking at the caller.
"Hey buddy , how u doing?",he asked.
"Hey dude , I'm good ",the caller replied.
"What's going on?,is anything wrong?",Nolan asked.
"Oh , are you still at the studio ?",He asked.
"Yes , I'm about to leave but I think it's pouring outside",Nolan replied looking at the rain falling outside.
"Okay , it's better you stay there , it has been said on the news that the rain is going to be heavy and people on the streets or on the road should find a shelter or something",He explained.
"Oh , I have something to do at home , I guess I'll have to postpone it then or you can help me with it ",Nolan said.
"What's it about?",He asked.
"There's a USB drive in the locker , I want you to help me insert it into my laptop which is on the table , there's a folder on it titled "Marie 2025",I'm not done editing the pictures , you can help me do that , I have to submit the pictures tomorrow,so I need your help , it's quite much but ... Just help me ",Nolan explained.
"Okay , so what do I get from this ?",He asked.
"Clubbing , I'll settle the bills ", Nolan replied.
"Cool , the laptop , it's the same password right?",He asked.
"Yeah , thanks ",Nolan replied.
"Love you buddy , don't go out in the rain , I can't be nursing a big baby",He warned which earned him a laugh from Nolan.
"Braxton , do you seriously have to bring that up?",Nolan asked.
"Yeah , it's a warning ",He replied.
"Okay sir ",Nolan said.
"Bye, I have to go ",Braxton said and hung up.
"This is the reason why it is good to have good buddies ",Nolan said to himself.
Apparently Braxton came to visit him yesterday and he's probably going to go in few days.
He walked around in the studio and switched on the lights . He went into his office and lay on the couch there . His phone in his hands.
Suddenly the lights started flicking and it went off immediately. He put on the phone flashlight and walked out . He went to the power box to check the problem . He saw that a wire had loosened itself from the entangled ones . He grabbed the tool box and fixed it in no time and the lights came back on .
He sighed and sat in the studio , pressing his phone..
In the Cab.
"Young miss , I don't think I can go any further , the rain is going to get heavier and I can't risk it ", The driver said.
"It's okay , just drop me off here ",she said as she brought money out and handed it to him.
He wanted to say something but he just kept quiet and dropped her off.
She stood underneath a shade - series of thoughts running through her brain .She couldn't think straight.
The looked at the heavy rain which looked like it wasn't stopping anytime soon .
She wanted to make a call to her driver that was when she realized that her phone was off .
Without thinking twice , she stepped into the rain . Her mind was going through a lot . She kept thinking about what she just saw and everything she had been through.
She should have expected this but he gave her true hopes . She felt stupid , used and betrayed .
All the love ,the care , the times they spent together , everything just went down the drain like that . She should have believed what her Cousin Sis said about him but she was blinded by love to see the facade underneath all that.
She kept on walking in the rain in the middle of the road , all drenched, not even minding if a vehicle was coming or anything.
She just kept walking until she was hit - pushed by someone.
They both fell on the floor.
The person that pushed her stood up and started ranting.
"Do you wanna get yourself killed ? , at least if you don't care about yourself,think about your loved ones , you almost put that driver in deep shit , get yourself together",He said .
He was breathing heavily but when he didn't hear anything from her , he bent down to her level and raised her face up.
He gasped . Her eyes were beyond red and swollen . It looked like she had been crying for hours.
"Let's go",He said and helped her stand up before heading to the building beside the road.
They both crossed the road and stopped in front of the building.
Marissa looked at the top of the building and saw a sign "Neon Lights Studio". She looked back down and he helped her enter.
It was Nolan who saved her .
Her body was soakingly wet . Every step she took , water dripped from her clothes.
He took her to his office immediately and pressed a button which opened a secret door . They both stepped in and the door closed automatically. The lights came on as soon as they entered.
It was a mini room in the office . It had everything needed , a bathroom , a toilet and even a wardrobe .
He took her to the bathroom and wanted to leave when her voice stopped him .
"Can you stay? please",she asked.
"I can't , you have to undress and I can't stay here while you're doing that ",he said and turned his back on her.
"Please , I'm too weak to do anything , I just need your help ",she pleaded again ,it looked like she was in her right senses again.
"Fine",he said and turned.
There seemed to be a stool there. She sat on it and looked at him.
He came closer and untied her hair which was in a bun.
His hands reached for her hoodie and wanted to pull it off but he couldn't.
"I'm sorry I can't",he said.
"It's okay , I'll do the rest myself , you've helped me with what I want you to do ",she said and without wasting time , she started taking off her clothes one by one .
He immediately turned after seeing her actions and walked out.
She stepped under the shower and the memories came back rushing in.
Nolan sat in the room , thinking about what had happened earlier.
Few Minutes Ago .
Nolan was about to lock the office doors and lights when he saw the scene in front of him .
A lady all drenched in the rain. At first he wanted to mind his business but when he heard the honk of a coming vehicle, he didn't think twice before going out and pushing her from the way.
End Of Flashback
He kept on thinking about what happened. He knew something was wrong with her and curiosity was starting to eat at him .
10 minutes later .
He knocked the bathroom door after he had waited for minutes and she was not out yet .
He knocked again but still , no response.
He knocked two more times before barging in . She was there under the shower , the water running over her body . She looked far gone. Like her body was there but her soul wasn't.
He immediately grabbed a towel and rushed to her , taking her away from there.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?",He asked out of worry but his face softened when he saw tears dropping from her eyes.
He sighed and walked her out of the bathroom. He sat her down .
"Wear this , I'm coming ",he said and left.
Few minutes later.
She was all dressed and a cup of tea was in her hands.
Nolan was facing her looking at her deeply. He was confused as hell but he had a lot of questions.
"All my life , I've always wanted to be loved , to find happiness and all but this world has taught me something else . My parents were never there for me so I cared less about them , the only person who cared about me and still cares about me is my cousin Elisa . I got into the university . I had my priorities and goals , that was when he came into my life , my first boyfriend, he was so sweet , treated me nicely , took me out on every location, flaunted me to his friends , he was my first , he showered me with love after our first night until I discovered that it was all a bet , I was mad , l was unhappy , I became the laughing stock of the school , I then realized that I had loved him too much and trusted him , yet he broke it and shattered my heart to pieces but that didn't stop me from having crushes and falling in love . I dated all types of guys but they only wanted me for my body but when I declined they all left , it kept on going until this year , I had gotten into 3 relationships just this year but we broke up again coz of this same reason, coz I had promised myself not to give my body out like I did with the first one , until I met him , Leo , The one who promised me heaven and earth , he made me feel butterflies that I hadn't felt in years , he showed me love , showered me with gifts and affection , the bastard even gave me a promise ring only to cheat on me , I caught them red handed and he still had the audacity and guts to plead and beg . I have falling for men's trick over and over . Is it my fault that I fall in love quickly , this shit just keep happening again and again ", she explained with tears falling from her eyes .