The Writer's Dilemma

Day In The Life Of Marius Alarie

The next morning came too quickly, the sunrise blinding the tiny guest room, not allowing for a single shadow to befall upon the room. Soft snores were the only sounds being made. The scent of coffee and sizzling bacon had begun to stir in the air. Audrey remained under the sheets, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep for the entire night. The shock of Marius’s words had prevented her from getting even a wink of sleep. Her alarm went off, jolting her into action and waking the snoring Jocelyn who was tangled in the web of blankets beside her. She wordlessly got out of bed, entering the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. There were bags and dark rings around her eyes, making her groan in frustration. She wasn’t going to let Marius get to her. She was quick to shower and put on a layer of makeup that hid the sleepiness in her face. She exited the bathroom, changing into a suitable outfit under Marius’s request, waiting until Jocelyn finished her own morning routine.

                They left the guest room together, walking straight to the kitchen. Marius was sitting at the table, still in his pajamas, a coffee in one hand while a tablet was in the other, that he was scrolling through. An older lady stood waiting in the kitchen, a tray of bacon, eggs, and toast prepared before her. “Help yourselves,” Marius’s deep voice echoed through the kitchen. The older lady held out plates for them, setting cups of coffee for them on the table across from Marius. “The film crew should be here soon. Take your time,” His voice was iced with forced kindness as he stood and took his own coffee mug to the sink. Audrey and Jocelyn filled their plates and took the seats at the table, making some small talk about work.

                They had just finished eating when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the film crew. Marius answered the door, letting the director and a few others into the foyer of his apartment. Audrey hurried over to greet them, shaking each of their hands. The director smiled at each of them, introducing himself. “Hello, Director Renaud. I’m Audrey Taylor. I’ll be writing about today’s schedule. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything you need,” She introduced herself.

                “Ahh, Miss Taylor! I’ve read many of your articles and hoped that I would be able to work with you one day and here we are! Glad to work with you finally,” Director Renaud bowed, a graceful smile that made his eyes squint slightly was placed on his lips. He moved further into the apartment, looking around quietly. “Mr. Alarie! Glad to see you can follow our instructions and remain in your pajamas. The first shoot will be in your room. Like you’re just waking up. It will be the only unreal shot for today. I hope the rest of the day you will go about as usual,” Renaud ushered the video crew to begin setting up.

                “I had coffee and breakfast prepared. Feel free to enjoy yourselves while you are setting up,” Marius modestly motioned to the kitchen. As the crew began their task of setting up their cameras Audrey withdrew to the guest bedroom, firing up her laptop and jotting a few notes down for her Stygian collaboration piece.

                “Audrey! We’re going to begin filming!” Jocelyn’s voice intruded into her thoughts. Audrey stood, walking out into the living room, her eyes roaming around the completely rearranged living room. Everyone’s focus was now in the bedroom in which Marius had removed his shirt, displaying his toned abs and arms, the covers of his bed hiding everything else from the waist down. Filming had just begun and already Audrey wished it would be over. As the filming went on, she remained silent, off to the side, typing away and making sure she stayed far away from being filmed.

                It was Marius’s custom to work out or go for a run in the morning, so the crew, including Jocelyn and Audrey, followed, with a notebook in hand. “It’s important to stay active and healthy,” Marius spoke to the camera; however, Audrey could feel his jet-black eyes on her. She didn’t return his stare.

After the run, there was a break where Marius took a shower during the time the crew took to film the apartment, exposing his over the top lifestyle. At this point, the director approached her. “Audrey… I’ve talked to Marius and your company. For this project, we’d like to get a small clip of you, stating some things about your work and saying some things about why you took on this project to work with Mr. Alarie,” The director looked at her hopefully. It was another shock to her. She didn’t want to have anything more to do with Marius. “The entire nation of Korea knows your work and the truth you bring to the mainstream living of elites. We’d like nothing more than a few statements on film,” He begged her with compliments. She could no longer refuse so she dipped her head in a small nod. “Excellent,” The director skipped away to tell his crew. Jocelyn nudged her, a smile creeping onto her lips.

“This is it. Your big break,” Her agent said, as the crew began setting up in the living room. As everyone was once again in motion around her, she began to get nervous, fidgeting with her hair. “Ok, remain calm,” Jocelyn reminded her, calling over one of the makeup artists. It was the work of ten minutes to get her makeup touched up and to be placed in front of the cameras. Marius arrived back in the presence of everyone, a crisp, new expensive suit adorning his features, shining him in a new light than his pajamas. He took a seat next to her while the director stood behind the cameras. Audrey felt anxious, uncomfortable even, sitting next to Marius.

We’ll begin with introductions. Cue. Three…two… action,” The director began.

“Hello to all the viewers out there. I’m Audrey Marchand, reporting from inside the home of Marius Alarie, the CEO of Stygian Studios. It is my duty and honor to report the truth. Today, we will dig deeper into the life of the prestigious and successful career that he has led,” Her several years of training and experience overpowered her nervousness. “As most of my followers know, I write and speak about what I see. Today’s work is to get to know Marius Alarie a little better. What I can report so far is that Mr. Alarie is a meticulous planner who thinks about the smallest details and the littles of things. He works hard and usually achieves what he puts his eyes on. I hope that this broadcast will reveal exactly what Marius Alarie is like for everyone to get to know what he is truly like and they may see his true nature,” Audrey turned to Marius, giving him an unadulterated smile. She could only hope that Marius would understand what she was saying to the audience. Marius cleared his throat, smiling brightly at the camera.

“I have read and listened to many of Miss Marchand’s works and I was no less than pleased to hear that she would be in charge of documenting if you will, the collaboration of her company and mine, as well as this insert about my daily life. In the short time that we’ve known each other, I can tell she really understands me. For example, she said that I usually get what I want. Very simply, this is true. I always get what I want,” He nodded his head at the camera as the director cut the scene, appraising the both of them.

The rest of the day was a series of movements, off to Stygian’s office building, filming the average workload that Marius carried on his shoulders, to lunch at his favorite nearby restaurant. After lunch, it was checking up on several different stories and following up on different projects. At promptly six o’clock they left the company, filming a modest meal making skit at Marius’s house where they wrapped up filming. The director thanked them several times as the crew cleaned and packed, letting them know that a few clips and photos would be sent over momentarily.

“Shall we eat before the food gets cold?” Marius offered once the crew had left, taking a seat at the table. Jocelyn and Audrey followed suit. As Audrey sat her phone rang loudly, a call from her CEO coming through. She showed her phone screen to Jocelyn and Marius, excusing herself from the table.

“Hello?” She answered her phone in the safety of the guest bedroom,

“Audrey! Great news! Claudel Publishers found out about our collaboration with Stygian. They are also wanting to get involved with Stygian and though that this will be a good opportunity for them. They want Kerem, Pierre, and Marius to do a photo shoot together. There will be a photoshoot meeting tomorrow. That is all!” Her CEO hung up the call without any reply from her. Had Wyatt helped bring this about? A smile appeared as she thought about meeting Kerem tomorrow, and Wyatt. She went back to the dinner table, gingerly taking a seat.

“So, what did he want?” Jocelyn asked her, taking another bite of food off her plate.

“We’ll have another collaboration meeting, between Claudel Publishers and Mr. Alarie tomorrow,” She announced after clearing her throat. Jocelyn grabbed her hand under the table.

“Wow! This is big! I don’t think I’ve done anything like this before. A triple collaboration!” Jocelyn gawked for a short while, continuing to eat in the meantime. They ate in silence for a while when Jocelyn suddenly dropped her utensils, standing up. “I have some things I need to work on! Finish your dinner,” Jocelyn patter Audrey’s arm, darting away to the guest room. An eerie silence fell over the dinner table leaving a drastic change from just a moment ago.

“Good work today,” Marius stood, picking up his plate and utensils, taking them to the sink. Audrey felt the hair on her arms stick up, gulping down the fear she felt stuck in her chest along with the food she had just eaten. “I particularly liked the ending of your speech during the interview,” his breath was on her ear, shocking her. She tried to push back her chair but Marius blocked her exit. His arm closed around her, tying her to the chair she was seated in as his chest pressed into her back. “You want to reveal what I’m like, hmm?” His deep voice rumbled in a low growl. Her body trembled, shaking like leaves on a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm. “I hope you were listening to me too. I always get what I want, and right now, I want you,” his phone buzzed. He took his departure, going around the table to pick up his phone. “The clips and photos have been sent. We’ll review them when you’ve finished eating.”