"You sure?" Arnold arched an eyebrow at Leon.

"Yup, I'm not changing my mind about needing a month-long break."

"Your new album launch is due early next year and any delay now will do us no good."

"One month won't hurt one bit," Leon placed his elbow onto the table and rubbed his forehead with his palm.

"Avon's not gonna be happy about this," Arnold cautioned.

"Avon, Avon, Avon this and that! I'm gonna lose my mind if I hear one more of this Avon crap! Haven't I been bringing in the money and making y'all rich, especially for that dreaded CEO whom I shall not name? Haven't I already paid all my debts to Avon? Cut me some slack, yeah?"

Arnold shook his head, "You know, Leon. You're really not yourself anymore since that Ariel moved in."

"What has this gotta do with her? I already have enough issues of my own!" Leon hissed, clearly displeased with Arnold trying to judge his personal life. Even though they knew each other since the start of his career, Leon never liked anyone on his team to get too personal with him after learning the hard way when the then naive and impressionable artiste succumbed to every massive demand to change into the entertainment persona that he is today.

"You work hard non-stop and you're ruthless in pursuing anything where the money lies. You never sacrifice your dignity for anyone. First, your contract with Mia Marlene ended. Now, your friendship with Martin Carter is over, all because of Ariel."

"You call all that 'dignity'?" Leon flashed a look of disgust at his way-off definition. "Mia assaulted her and Martin almost raped her!"

Arnold ignored his criticism, "Avon got pretty upset when you cancelled the collaboration with Mia Marlene and it cost us a fortune in cancellation fees. Even though Fujita's paying good money, we can't just rely on that one. We need more performances, more projects to bring in more money to surpass last year's figures."

"We were on a world tour last year, for goodness sake! And we travelled again this year for my paid appearances and endorsements. Oranges and apples can't be compared."

"You know Avon."

"Fine!" Leon scowled and kicked at a chair.

Arnold remained calm, already accustomed to his temper before adding, "Anyway, I've good news for you."

"What is it?

"Famous Hollywood director, William Jones would like to you to appear in his lead role for an upcoming dystopian romantic film. He wants you to play the lead."

Leon rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger and thought for a whiles.

"Give it a pass. I'm in no mood for anything pertaining to romance."

"Are you crazy? This is one opportunity of a lifetime! William Jones' last movie, Wild Cats from Manhattan won him an Oscar and he wants your new music and you in his new film. It'll be great to have the movie and your new album launch around the same time next year. The lead actress in his film will be A-lister, Jasmine Ferne. Quite a hot and sexy beauty, that one."

Leon raised his brow. It was not so much the mention of Jasmine Ferne that caught his attention, but rather, a new project that would keep him occupied and stay away from Ariel, stay away from hurting her again. Perhaps, it would help him forget her for real this time.

"Alright, I'll star in it. Get Jones to send me the script. This better be a good one."

"You betcha!" Arnold flashed an 'OK' sign to him and proceeded to call the director.

------------

"Are you SERIOUS?!" Ariel almost choked.

"He asked me what kind of flowers you like which I thought was strange at first, so he bought the bouquet from me. Then, we read the tabloids and knew straightaway it was for you," Rita nodded with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah! Why did he buy flowers for you anyway?" Camila eagerly asked.

"Guys, I don't want him to touch me one bit from now." she voiced out with firmness, touching her upper arms where the scratches used to sit, although they had now vanished without a trace.

"From now?" Rita gathered her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

Ariel hesitated on whether to share the drunken incident with her friends, right after the Martin Carter incident. They always shared anything and everything together, but the contract clauses prevented her from revealing too much as she'd wish, even though her friends were also bound to iron-clad confidentiality themselves.

"Let's just say he had a go at me very bad, real bad. The flowers were his apology gift," she sighed.

"Leon's so sweet! How many bosses would do that anyway? It's common to have bad days at work, but surely that doesn't mean you need to hate him after he tried to make amends with you," said Camila

"It's not that I hate him, it's just-"

"You know what? I think he's the right fit for you. Not ripe at this moment, but I've this strange gut feeling that you two may end up together," Rita suggested.

"Oh puh-leeeeeese," Ariel shook her head in disbelief at the ridiculous ideas her friends were throwing at her. "Won't you guys stop this sick joke? You know how much I am soo done with love! Leon Waltz? Yucks! It makes me nauseate to even fantasise the idea of dating him!"

She flashed a grimacing look of disgust.

If only you guys saw what he did with the ladies at Roam...

"That's true," Beth shrugged.

"Like I said, Ariel, Leon's not ripe yet, as in it's not the right time to pursue him now," Rita explained.

"Don't run away from love when it comes to you, Miss Beautiful. Don't let the past stop you. You need to let loose, girl," Camila encouraged.

"Enough!" Ariel snapped. "I never mention anything about pursuing him. I'm just not interested so stop this ridiculous match-making before it ruins my life!" She stormed off to the washroom.

"Look at what you guys did now," Beth threw her hands up and shook her head at the two ladies.

"Anyway, just let her be. One day she'll realise her true feelings for him. She's been single too long," Rita sighed.

———-

"Leon's heading to Los Angeles, so there's no need to prepare his meals for two months," Vinny announced to Ariel.

"Two months! May I know why I'm not needed?" Ariel gave a questioning look.

"Needed?" Vinny scrutinised her through raised brows.

"Well, isn't it in the contract that I've to prepare his meals during his travels too? Besides, we still need to show that he eats food with Fujita sauces."

"Oh, that. You're dismissed-"

"I'm really fired?!" Ariel exclaimed in fright.

Vinny giggled, "No, no. You're dismissed from cooking for him for two months except to feed Anna and some of the bodyguards who'll still be here. As for the food, we'll just keep taking pictures and post them as usual. It's not like he needs to be in every picture to show he's eating them."

"That's true. But I don't understand why I'm not needed at L.A..."

"I don't either, but that's our boss' request. He'll be in Hollywood for a new film project."

"Oh? What kind of film?" Ariel got curious.

"Some romance with a very hot A-list actress."

"Oh...I see."

The mention of a "very hot" co-star made her stomach go queasy. Another fresh meat on the plate for him. Vinny smirked, hoping to catch a glimpse of any jealous reaction from her.

"On a positive note, it's a very good kind of break."

From him.

"Oh," Vinny expressed surprise by her casual reply. "Anyway, back to work. I'll be off to prepare for his stay in L.A."

"Yes, right. I better get busy then."

Ariel hurried to the seaside market with Evan to stock the supplies. She did not like lying to millions about the mountain of wasted food posing as Leon's daily meals, but she was looking forward to a much-needed semi-break from that weirdo boss.