Crossed paths

Chapter 1

Allena

"Boom Boom Boom, I say Boom Boom Boom!"

The loud, obnoxious alarm vibrated through the entire room, rattling my skull.

I rolled over in bed, rubbing my aching head, and groaned as I blindly swept my hand around to find my phone. "Fuuuck! What was I thinking putting this stupid ringtone?"

I searched the entire nightstand, but it wasn't anywhere on the cluttered surface. Then, I saw a faint glow radiating from underneath the bedside lamp table. I lunged from the mattress to grab it, nearly slipping and crashing onto the floor. I swear, I am so clumsy at times.

Dropping to my knees, I stretched my arm under the table, blindly fishing for the device. After a good ten minutes of struggling and scraping my knuckles, I finally caught it. I tapped the screen to turn off the alarm, and my heart instantly skipped a beat.

One missed call from my agent. And the time? It was seven in the morning.

How is it already seven AM? I felt like I had just closed my eyes.

My gut immediately twisted, telling me this call was not going to end well. Heart pounding, I dialed my agent back right away.

"Hello, good morn—"

"Stop wasting my time," my agent barked, cutting me off. "I told you to reach the set by six AM. Since your sorry ass isn't here, you can go find a new job. You're fired."

The line went completely dead.

Rubbing my eyes, I sat heavily on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the screen. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I had only fallen asleep at four AM after grinding through a brutal night shift at the bar. Just one hour of sleep. I hadn't slept for more than four hours a night for the last fifteen years, running myself ragged. And now, the one time I actually oversleep by a single hour, I'm suddenly jobless.

I absolutely couldn't afford this. Between my basic expenses and my crushing debt installments, I was already barely able to put food on the table when I had two jobs. What was I supposed to do now?

Hell of a good morning. My life officially sucked.

"Boom Boom Boom, I say Boom Boom Boom!"

Not again. My phone ringing twice this early could not mean good news. Dammit, my head was throbbing.

I glanced at the caller ID and felt a tiny wave of relief wash over me. This time, it was my best friend, Ziya.

"Hey, sugar bubble!" Ziya said, her voice bursting with cheer. I truly couldn't comprehend where she managed to get this much energy so early in the morning.

"I lost my day job," I blurted out, skipping the pleasantries. She was my only real friend, my ultimate source of strength, and right now, I desperately needed her.

"What? Not again," Ziya said with a heavy sigh. "Did you get angry at another actress's tantrums?"

I rolled my eyes. Granted, this was my fifth job this month, but managing high-maintenance actresses is no cakewalk. It is so damn annoying.

"Hush! I only did that once," I defended myself. "That skinny b***h threw her coffee at me because it wasn't exactly fifty-eight degrees hot. Can you believe it? How did she even know it wasn't? And if her allergy list didn't mention strawberries, how was I supposed to know she'd blow up? It wasn't my fault her face swelled up to the shape of a football."

Even remembering her total lack of basic human decency made me cringe. She treated the crew like disposables.

"Yeah, okay, that part was hilarious," Ziya said, hardly managing to speak through her laughter. "So what was it this time?"

"Go ahead, laugh all you want," I grumbled. "I just overslept and couldn't reach the set on time. But what am I going to do now, Ziya? I can't afford to be jobless. I have a debt installment due. I need to find something else immediately."

I poured my heart out, but she already knew how broke I was. She had tried to lend me money before, but I couldn't accept it. No one knew better than me that money has a nasty power to destroy relationships, and I couldn't risk losing her.

"Why worry when your guardian angel is here?" Ziya replied smoothly. "I actually have the perfect job for you, which is exactly why I called."

Hearing those words, my mood lifted instantly. "Tell me," I demanded, clinging to a sudden surge of hope.

"AVTVss is organizing a new reality show called 'LOVE HUNT FOR THE BILLIONAIRE,'" Ziya explained in one massive breath.

"Basically, there’s this incredibly rich hunk who chooses his queen from ten girls. But here’s the good part: each contestant gets a personal assistant for the duration of the show, and my sources told me each assistant gets paid eight thousand dollars, plus a daily allowance! And now for the absolute best part—guess who is selecting the assistants? My friend Jordan. And you, my friend, are officially on the crew."

A wave of pure, unfiltered relief rushed through my body. It was a temporary gig, sure, but I would be making more than my previous two jobs combined.

"I will definitely take it! You are an absolute lifesaver, Ziya. I owe you big time," I said, barely containing my excitement.

"No need. Just be at the Saint Theater at ten AM," she said, quickly rattling off the rest of the job requirements and details.

The absolute best part that Ziya had forgotten to mention in her rush was the location. The company was flying us to Miami with all expenses covered. I was going to see the ocean for the very first time in my life.

Ziya really was my guardian angel. This was the best thing that had happened to me in a long, long time. We had been best friends for ten years now. She was the one who held me together when my mother died, and she was there when my heart was completely broken. She helped me survive the darkest times of my life, and I would take a bullet for her without hesitation.

I finally hung up the phone and took a deep, steadying breath. It was wild how a single phone call could change everything in a matter of fifteen minutes.

Looking at the bigger picture, I now had a job that paid double my previous income for half the hours.

I practically danced out of bed to get ready. I took a lightning-fast shower and pulled out my absolute favorite blue dress and a pair of heels, the ultimate outfit that never failed to double my confidence. I swiped on some mascara, applied a layer of lip gloss, and checked my reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with the girl looking back at me, I grabbed my bag.

To save every penny I could, I bypassed the temptation of a taxi and headed straight for the bus stop.

Saint Theater, here I come.