The billionaire’s true love

Part 4

I stared at Trent aka Allan as he rounded his desk and sat down on his high backed chair. He gave me an arrogant smile which told me that my career as a model was about to be extinguished before it even ignited.

“Take a seat, Ms. Lawson.” Trent or whoever the hell he was gestured to the visiting chairs across him.

“Why don’t you answer my question first?” I eyed him skeptically.

“I thought I was the one conducting the interview.” Trent arched his eyebrow.

“Well, I think it’s only fair that I get to ask you some questions as well, since you’re not the only one meeting a stranger,” I countered.

“Excuse me?” Trent looked taken aback, but he composed himself quickly. “Ms. Lawson, you might not realize it, but some people do not have the privilege of time, and I’m one of those people, so if you can just put your irrational demands aside, we can get started with the interview.” I knew this guy was not Allan; he was Trent, he talked just like I remember Trent doing.

Maybe he is the evil twin.

“You can ask me all the question you want, Mr. Benson, but I need to ask mine first,” I stated. I knew the idea of me confronting the man, who had my career in his hands, about his true identity was asinine, but I couldn’t help myself.

Trent cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing me with those penetrating eyes of his, that made me feel both naked and stupid. “All right, since one of us has to be the smart one here, I’ll let you ask your question. Shoot.”

I ignored his jibe. Instead, focused on the question. “So tell me, Mr. Benson, am I talking to a liar or the evil twin?”

“Excuse me? What exactly are you trying to ask me here, Ms. Lawson?” Trent questioned.

“I thought you were smart. I guess you are the evil twin and not the man himself.” So this man was really Allan and not Trent. How come I didn’t see him at the family dinner?

Allan-not Trent-narrowed his eyes at me. “Cut to the chase, Ms. Lawson, what are you implying?” He demanded.

“All right, I’ll tell you in words that you can understand. You told me your name was Trent, but now you go by Allan, so were you lying or are you Trent’s twin, does Trent even exist?” I queried.

“Would you sit down, you standing there is not going to get you the information you want,” he said.

“No. I’ll keep standing until you answer my question,” I said firmly.

“I’m not going to answer you until you sit down,” he stated.

“Okay, guess we’ll just stare at each other for the rest of the day.”

He laughed out loud. “Rest of the day? You’re clearly delusional if you think I am going to waste my time here. You only have five minutes, you either take a seat or I’m leaving and telling Darla that I’ve rejected you, the choice is yours.”

He called me delusional, he really was Trent. And he was not a nice man. But then again, his personality was something he never really lied about; he was a douche bag then and he was being a douche bag now.

Throwing him a glare, I pulled up a chair and flopped down on it, making sure to let Trent know how I was not happy. But being the douche bag he was, he didn’t even bat an eye at my childish behavior.

“Right. Now that we’ve established the fact that you are capable of understanding and carrying out simple instructions, we can talk about the matter at hand.” The bastard was really asking for it; my hand was itching to make contact with his face.

“Who are you really, Trent or Allan?” I asked, finally done beating around the bush.

“Both,” he answered. Now it was my turn to be taken aback.

“You have a personality disorder?” I couldn’t remember the name of the disorder, but I knew there was one where a person had more than one distinct personalities.

Trent arched his eyebrow. “You really did fail Psychology, didn’t you?”

“Would you get over that?!” My eyes widened as the memory of Trent stating that I flunked Psychology flashed in my mind. “You are Trent.”

“Of course I am. I can’t believe you have such a weak memory.” He just didn’t know when to stop insulting me.

“But you told Darla that your name is Allan.” If he didn’t lie to me, why did he lie to Darla?

“It is.” Okay, now I was really confused. His name was Trent and Allan? How could one person have two names?

My confusion must be evident on my face, because Trent immediately elaborated, “My name is Trent Allan Benson. Trent being my first name, and Allan is my middle name.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Why go by your middle name? Why not just go by Trent?” I knew it was a personal question and I had no right to ask him, but the words were out before I could slap a hand over my mouth.

“Because when it comes to secondary businesses, I use my middle name,” Trent answered.

“Why?” I needed to learn to stop prying in people’s lives.

“Because it’s my name and I can use however the hell I want,” he said bluntly. “And now, you are officially done asking questions and it’s my turn now. Ready?”

I gulped before nodding slowly. Oh boy, here we go. He was now going go interview me and then tell Darla how I was not fit to model for the company. I should just leave and kiss my modelling career good bye.

“All right, Ms. Lawson. Have you worked at a modelling agency before?” Trent questioned, switching to business mode in a blink of an eye.

I nodded. “I did a couple of photoshoots, nothing big,” I answered.

“Why did you pick this company to model for?” He inquired.

“Actually, Jose told me to come here,” I responded.

Trent frowned, which was not a good sign. “So what you’re saying is, you came here because your friend told you to, and not of your own accord?”

“Not really. I mean, I came here because I want to be a model-”

“I didn’t ask why you were here, Ms. Lawson, I asked you why you picked our company?”

I never knew Trent could be so intimidating. Right now, as he waited for me to answer him, I found myself speechless. Unsure. Scared. I felt scared.

“I told you, Mr. Benson,” I said softly, not knowing what else to say.

Trent sighed. “You may leave, we’re done here.”

“No wait, Trent-”

“That’s Mr. Benson to you. And since you can’t give me a proper answer, I don’t think I need to waste my time here, you can see yourself out.” Trent stood up.

“Please, Mr. Benson, give me one minute. Please,” I pleaded. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to become a model so badly.

He sighed again. “You have sixty seconds.”

I took a deep breath before speaking. “Look, I only told you the truth. Jose searched for companies that I apply to, and when he told me about your company, I saw it as another opportunity and I took it. I’m sorry to say but I really have no idea what to say in regards to your questions.

“I can’t lie and tell you that your company is wonderful and modelling for you will be a dream come true for me, when I didn’t even know your company existed just a few days ago. I can’t lie about modelling-my career-my passion.” I finished my speech and waited for Trent to speak.

“Are you done?” God, he was the epitome of an asshole!

“Yes,” I said.

“Good. Your sixty seconds were over ten seconds ago. You may now leave. If we are interested in you, you’ll get a call from Darla.” He was so rude.

I nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Benson. Good bye.” I didn’t know why I bothered with pleasentries, the idiot definitely didn’t deserve it. But I had made up my mind, I was not going to model for Trent’s company.

Opening the door, I prevented myself from making a scene and calmly exited the studio with Jose. It was only when we were a good distance from the studio did I allow myself to explode.

“That fucking son of a bitch! I swear I could just kill him with my bare hands! Who the hell does he think he is?! Just because he is the owner of some stupid company, he thinks he owns the bloody world! Narcisstic pig!” I shouted, not caring if anyone saw me.

“Woah, who took your chocolate?” Jose eyed with a mixture of surprise and concern.

“That jerk, Trent,” I seethed.

“Who?” Now Jose just looked confused.

“That boss guy,” I reminded him.

“You mean Allan Benson?”

“Yeah him. Trent Allan whatever the fucking hell his bloody name is!”

“Okay, he must’ve really pissed you off if you’re swearing like a sailor.” Jose chuckled.

“Yes! He did more than piss me off, he made me wish I was a murderer, so I wouldn’t feel guilty about actually killing him,” I hissed.

“Let me take you to your favorite ice cream parlor and cool you off. My treat.” Taking my hand, Jose dragged me to the ice cream parlor.

~*~*~*~*

“So what he say?” Jose asked as I helped myself to my third ice cream sundae. I was somewhat calm now, which was why I didn’t bite Jose’s head off for asking about Trent. I had already told him everything that transpired in Trent’s office.

“He said if they’re interested then I’ll get a call from Darla.” I told him, shoving a spoonful of yummy ice cream in my mouth.

“Well at least he didn’t reject you outright.” Jose took a spoonful of his second cup of ice cream.

I laughed bitterly. “He might as well have. Trust me, I’m not getting that call.” I stabbed my spoon in my ice cream, trying really hard not to cry.

“Don’t lose hope, Mandi. I’m sure you’ll get that call,” Jose said softly, trying to sound reassuring.

Shaking my head, I couldn’t stop the tears escaping my eyes. “No, no. I’m not going to get that call.” I sobbed and covered my face with my hands. “I’ll never be a model. I would never be able to fulfill my mother’s wish.” More tears spilled but I was past the point of caring.

Jose wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. “Don’t cry, Amanda. So what if you don’t get selected, there are other jobs out there for you. You are going to be a model, I know it,” he said with conviction.

“No I’m not. Models are not just pretty and slim, they are smart, too, and I’m not smart, I’m stupid.” The fact that I would not be able to fulfill my mother’s wish was so depressing that I had forgotton my ice cream.

“You are not stupid,” Jose stated.

“Yes I am. Trent keeps calling me stupid,” I said in between sobs.

“All right, this is not on. You are not going to let some rich bastard call you stupid. He doesn’t know you, and his words shouldn’t matter to you. You are bright, funny and incredibly beautiful, and don’t let some pompous ass tell you otherwise, understood?” Jose hugged me to him, stroking my hair.

“What if I never become a model, what then Jose?” I wanted my mother to be proud of me. I wanted her to smile up in heaven as she looked down at me.

“You will become a model, Amanda. I promise you. And if Trent does not choose you, that’s his loss. There are better companies out there, and I’m not going to rest until you become a famous model.”

“Thank you. You are the best, Jose,” I said softly.

“I know.” I hugged him tightly.

Jose and I soon went our separate ways. He had to deal with his brother while I wss exhausted from the long day. I offered to accompany Jose but he shook his head and ordered me to go home and get some rest.

When I arrived at my apartment, I felt the loss of my best friend. I missed Hailey, and needed her right now. I wanted to tell her about my shitty day, and wanted to sit on the couch with her and abuse Trent with all my heart. But Hailey was married now, there were other people she loved. And I couldn’t call her at this hour of the night.

With a tired sigh, I dragged myself to my bedroom. Taking a quick shower, I put on a pair of sweats before climbing in bed and dozing off. And when I did not get the call the next morning, I gave up on Trent’s company. I had to find other modelling agencies before I got too old to be a model.

The day passed with me lazying around my apartment. Trent’s rejection yesterday really hit me hard. It wasn’t that I was expecting him to hire me, I just didn’t expect him to hurt me so much. He had really damaged my self esteem.

All I wanted was to make my mother’s dream come true. When she died, she told me to make sure that I did my best to become a model. When I was growing up, my mother told me that I would be the perfect model. She always told me that the camera loved me and my confidence gave me a certain glow.

It was the third day when I got an unexpected surprise. I had gotten up and made breakfast for myself. I planned to call Jose and ask him to help me look for other modelling agencies. I was drinking coffee when my phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, I picked up the call, expecting it to be Jose.

“Hello?” I asked while taking a huge bite of my sandwich.

“Hello, is this Amanda Lawson?” A lady asked from the other line.

“Yes, who is speaking?” I asked, wondering who the lady was.

“This is Darla Vince. You came for a trial photoshoot,” she said.

My heart picked up speed. “Yes, I remember.” Trent said if they were interested I would get a call from Darla; was it possible that she was calling me because Trent had selected me?

“Congratulation, Ms. Lawson, you have been hired to model our newest spring collection. You can come by tomorrow and set up a schedule with our photographer and discuss other things,” she responded.

I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be a model now. Trent didn’t reject me. I thought he would’ve burner my application by now. But he told Darla to call me back. Maybe he wasn’t so bad.

He insulted you. Don’t work for him.

My subconscious was right. But I couldn’t let this opportunity go. Maybe, I should call Jose and discuss it with him.

“Hello? Ms. Lawson, are you still there?” I didn’t realize I had spaced.

“Yes, I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll be there tomrrow. Thank you so much,” I said and hung up.

A small smile curved my lips. And my heart felt light after three days.