Chapter 32 - The Ex

Kelsey turned around only to see a very beautiful and elegant-looking woman striding towards the theatre. She was wearing a fiery red dress that was open at the back. It hugged her miniature yet long figure and the dress ended at the mid of her thighs, showing off her never ending legs. Her gorgeous blonde hair was held up in a bun and her make-up was done naturally. She looked like a model that just stepped out of a Forbes magazine. She looked like a real life Barbie doll.

"Who is she?" Kelsey asked in curiosity as she eyed Ella who was sending daggers at the woman's direction. "She looks nice." Kelsey spoke up. It was true, the woman looked kind because she had soft features.

Ella scoffed by the statement. "She is far from nice. Quick, go to my brother before she comes in." She ordered in a rush and dragged Kelsey towards the door.

"What? Why? Is there something-" Kelsey was about to ask if there was something wrong, but she was cut off when Ella pushed her inside the theatre and shut the door.

Kelsey eyed the door for a little while until an arm was wrapped around her waist. She looked up and saw Mason shooting her a curious look. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Ella's just acting weird." She said but Mason dismissed the topic and pulled brought her to their seats. Once settled down, Kelsey glanced at the door again and saw Ella entering the room with Lance in tow. She looked pissed and Kelsey couldn't help but think that the beautiful woman outside had something to do with it.

Lance led her towards the seats next to Kelsey and Mason near the front centre. Ella sat beside Kelsey and calmed herself a bit. Lance made his way to the front of the theatre as the people started settling down. He took the microphone by the podium and tapped it twice.

He cough to get everyone's attention. "Good evening everyone! And welcome to the movie premier of 'The Eclipse of the Fire.'" He welcomed as everyone applauded. "Thanks for coming tonight and as the producer of the film, the crew and I are very proud to share it with you. Three months of filming and four months of nonstop editing and here we finally are! I'm very excited and thrilled to finally launched this film! Please seat back, relax, and enjoy the show!" He said as the crowd applauded once again in excitement. The lights started to dimmed out and Lance took the seat next to Ella.

The film lasted for almost two hours. Kelsey was very excited and she couldn't help but utter a comment here and there. She hadn't watched a movie for the longest time because a. she didn't have the time, and b. it was a waste of money. But it was an amazing film. It was mostly action with a tad bit of romance, comedy, and thriller. Once the film was over, they all clapped and the lights turned back on.

"I hope you guys enjoyed the film." Lance proudly said. Ella was glancing around like a hawk as if she was looking for someone.

"It was amazing. Excellent job, bro!" Mason congratulated him with a hand shake before he wrapped his arm around Kelsey's waist.

"Thanks for inviting us, Lance. It really was incredible." Kelsey added in all honestly.

"Thank you, I'm glad you guys came." He said as Ricky worriedly strolled towards them and join their mini circle. Ella eyed him with scrutinizing eyes and she knew that Ricky noticed the presence of a certain witch.

Ricky whispered something to Mason and Kelsey thought that it might have to do with the gorgeous lady she saw earlier. Mason's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the news. He quickly looked around and let go of Kelsey's waist when he saw the beautiful woman strolling down the steps.

Mason unconsciously moved and his legs brought himself towards her. He couldn't control his limbs, they seem to have a mind of their own. Ella tried calling for him but he couldn't hear anything. Everything around him faded and his only focus was on the woman he had been looking for, for the longest time. Now she was there, right in front of him.

She didn't seem to notice him as she was walking pass him. He quickly grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "Claris?" He asked in disbelief as the smile on the woman's face faltered.

"Mason?" She said back. "You're here." She stated the obvious and Mason couldn't believed his eyes. She was right there. She was finally here.

"Claris, dear? Is that you?" Victoria's gentle voice asked as she and Edward join the two.

Claris shot the couple a warm smile. "Victoria, Edward." She greeted them politely and she couldn't help but missed the times she was with Mason and his family.

"What are you doing here?" Edward asked in bewilderment and soon enough, Ella, Lance, and Ricky joined them.

"I'm an old friend of Dave Franco. He invited me for the premier." Claris explained to them. She felt tensed, however, when she noticed Ella glaring at her. Mason's older sister never liked her and she didn't know why. She had been trying her very hardest to get closer to her when she and Mason were still together but Ella always ignored her.

"Oh, puh-lease!" Ella muttered under her breath and Victoria rapidly glared at her. Ella was the type of person that if she didn't like someone, then she wasn't going to pretend and be fake about it. She was very frank and honest.

"Ella!" Victoria hissed as Ella rolled her eyes in response. She didn't know why, but there was something about Claris that she didn't like. Ever since they first met, she already didn't take a liking on her.

"Oh, look, babe!" Lance butted in when he felt the tension growing between the two. "I think Mr. Emerson would like to congratulate me. Why don't we go and I'll introduce you to him? Excuse us." He finally said as he dragged a whining Ella towards the front of the theatre.

"Good evening." A gentle voice greeted politely that seemed to have snap Mason back to reality. He quickly let go of his grasp on Claris' arm and scoot over to give Kelsey some space to join the circle. Mason avoided everyone's eyes and focused his attention on his feet. "I'm Kelsey-"

"Kelsey Parker." Claris finished off as she shot Kelsey a very stunning smile. "I've heard about you. I'm Claris Morgan." Claris introduced as she stuck her hand out for Kelsey to shake.

Kelsey could sense that Claris was, in fact, a very kind person. She looked sincere and nice, Kelsey didn't know why Ella didn't like her. Kelsey took her hand and shook it gently. "Nice to meet you."

"So the tabloids are true?" Claris asked which sounded more like a statement to Mason. "I'm happy for the both of you." She told them.

"Thank you." Kelsey muttered and she suddenly felt out of place. She didn't know why but she felt insecure looking at the beautiful creature in front of her. Just by the looks and the way Claris spoke, Kelsey had no doubt why a girl like her might be of an interest to Mason. She seemed like the woman any guy would love to be with.

"Well, it was nice seeing all of you again." Claris said glancing at the King's. "And it was a pleasure meeting you." She warmly told Kelsey. "Please excuse me, my manager has been calling me nonstop. Please feel free to contact me if you feel like catching up." She suggested, particularly glancing at Victoria and Edward.

'They must have been really close.' Kelsey thought and she couldn't help but be envy of Claris. Although she wasn't liked by Ella, Victoria and Edward seemed to adore her. Then Kelsey remembered the argument Edward and Mason had because of her and she once again felt guilty. Pretending and lying to them was hard enough, causing them to fight was just taking their lie to another level and Kelsey felt like a douche.

Mason was left fazed and bewildered. "Will you excuse me? I need some air." He said at no one in particular and started strolling out of the theatre.

Victoria tried calling after him but to no avail. Then she glanced at the poor little Kelsey who was trying to wrapped the commotion around her head. "Kelsey, please don't be too hard on him. It's been almost five years since they've last seen each other. I hope-"

"Don't worry." Kelsey cut her off and shot her a reassuring smile. "I completely understand." She successfully said without her voice sounding broken. It looked like Mason still loved her and Kelsey knew that she was soon to be kicked on the curb with no money and a broken heart. This was exactly why she didn't want to grow attach and have feelings for him. She was trying to prevent herself from digging herself a deep hole with no way out. "I think it's better if we go. I hope you enjoyed the film." She told them as she bowed in respect before she left the theatre.

She tried looking for Mason everywhere but she couldn't find him. She then decided that he might be at the underground parking lot. She made her way there and didn't see Mason's car anywhere. She didn't ride with him earlier so she didn't know whether he took his car or got a limousine for himself. She saw her driver, Enrique, waiting patiently in the car.

Kelsey hopped in the car and asked Enrique if he knew where Mason was. "He didn't say where he'll be going, ma'am. But he did tell me to make sure I drop you home." He simply answered, unaware of the problem that was currently occurring.

Once Kelsey arrived home, she quickly went to their room, the kitchen, and his office to check if he was already home but he wasn't there at all. A pin drop could be heard in the quietness of the house. A feeling that was strange to Kelsey since her house was never dull because of Ace's nonstop talking.

She took a ten minute shower and changed into a pair of black tights and a long, oversized sky blue shirt that belonged to Mason. She went downstairs and sat on the couch to wait for Mason. She was really worried about him. Even though they were just pretending, she couldn't help but feel concern, especially now that she was starting to fall for his charm. She tried calling him several times but to no avail.

Kelsey felt tired and sleepy so she decided to drink a cup of coffee while waiting for Mason. After she finished her drink and hang around the living for another two hours, she felt the tiredness overcome her as she dozed off on the couch.

It was almost two o'clock in the morning when Mason arrived home. Surely he was drunk, but not to the point that he couldn't drive himself home. He was still in the right state of mind. He carelessly pulled his necktie off and unbutton the top two buttons of his dress-shirt.

Mason plopped himself down on the one-sitter couch and it was only that moment that he noticed the beautiful woman sleeping on his couch. He watched her chest rise up and down steadily as she sleep peacefully. He had completely forgotten about her if he had to be honest. Seeing Claris again just brought so many memories that he felt as if he got transported to the past and had fully forgotten the present.

Kelsey stirred in her sleep as if she felt someone watching her intently. She lazily opened her lids and met Mason's stunning orbs that were already staring at her. "You're home?" She stated as she quickly sat up from the couch. She felt a bit dizzy from standing too rapidly and she felt a bit nauseous.

"Why are you still awake?" He asked with a hoarse voice and Kelsey just fully realized how tired and beaten he looked. His eyes were bloodshot red and there was sadness behind them.

"I wanted to make sure you get home safely." She honestly answered and didn't bother asking if he was okay. Of course, if she was in the same position, she wouldn't want anyone pestering her about it.

Mason regarded her with scrutinizing eyes and she felt uncomfortable with his intense stare. "You're curious about it." He stated as if he could read her mind. "You wanna know who she really is." He added, sounding annoyed and angry at the same time.

"I just want you to-"

"Stop it, Kelsey!" He barked, taking her off guard as her body leaped from the booming sound of his monstrous voice. He was furious, that she was certain. But she knew he wasn't exactly in the right mind either. "Stop trying to meddle!" He continued as he stood from his seat and glared at her.

"I hired you to pose as my wife, not act like one!" He screamed and Kelsey's heart dropped from her chest. She could feel the pang of pain in her chest as his words broke her heart. She knew what was about to come. It had happened multiple times now and she should have really been immune to it. She should have been already prepared for the accusation. It was, once again, rubbed in her face how much of a gold-digger she really was and where she really stood in Mason's life. She knew it was too good to be true but her heart was the stubborn one that kept pestering her about her feelings for him. She felt crushed, used, and broken-hearted. However, she couldn't really blame Mason for it. Right from the very beginning, he had already told her his expectations and motive. Kelsey was only there for one reason and that was to pretend to be his wife in the eyes of the public. Nothing more, nothing less. It was a done deal with rules that even consisted of not falling in love with him. But stupid her had to break the number one rule she thought was the least thing to happen. If she knew she would be this hurt, she wouldn't have said yes to him in the first place.

"Your job doesn't state that you can try to dig information out of me! This is not a fairy tale, Kelsey! Stick to the end of your bargain and stop acting like you care!" Without sparing her another glance, he stomped his way up the stairs to the room leaving a tearful Kelsey on the couch.

Completely shattered and crushed, Kelsey couldn't even say the words she wanted to say in the first place before she was cut off.

I just want you to know that I'm here for you.

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