Chapter 4 - Beginning phase 2
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It’s the morning after the proposal.
Niko has been thinking about the inheritance all night long. He wants to forget about it and take the time to plan a proper summer wedding. However, he works in showbusiness. Even if he decides to ignore the offer, it does not mean that the world will forget. Someone might bring it up in the most inconvenient moment. So should he tell Liberty about it and risk losing her trust? What if she thinks he proposed only for the money?
After some deliberation he comes to a conclusion. He does not want to keep secrets from Liberty. He has to tell her. Not because of the money. He has to be extra truthful in his personal life, to be sure that anything that’s going on in his professional life, or any piece of information dragged out on his way to fame, will never creep up on his happiness.
Surely she’ll understand that the proposal had nothing to do with the inheritance and everything with his love for her.
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Liberty listens without interrupting him.
Then she tells him how much she appreciates his honesty.
She smiles and says that she loves him and wants to marry him. And if getting married sooner will bring them some cash as a wedding present, then they should do it right away.
This thing - getting married - is made super easy. A quick registration over the internet and it’s official. They will throw a party soon, but for now exchanging the vows in the living room is enough for the two of them.
Niko sends the marriage certificate to the law firm overseeing the inheritance process and Liberty gets her things from the BFF’s household.
The newlyweds spend the day in the bedroom - that’ll be their secret honeymoon.
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Niko is a bit worried what Kaci will say about Liberty moving in - they haven’t discussed this option beforehand. He convinces himself that it’ll be OK. While Kaci might not be happy about the unexpected new house member, she’ll certainly enjoy the extra money they are receiving.
By the end of the day the money is deposited on Niko’s bank account.
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Kaci spends her every waking hour practicing.
She has to work on her lines. For the upcoming audition.
Also, for the upcoming personal discussion with Thorne.
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Thorne stays overnight more often. They have breakfast together almost every morning, and discuss various important topics.
The juiciest gossip.
All the reasons why Thorne admires Kaci.
All the reasons why Kaci agrees with him.
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She agrees with him when he says he wants to spend more time with her. She makes sure to blush when he admits that he admires her assertiveness. Just a bit of blushing, not too much.
She agrees when he talks about how sneaking around and hiding his relationship with Kaci is creating problems in his marriage.
And she strongly agrees when he says he has to do something about it.
With a soft smile she assures him that she wants to spend more time with him too. Her heart breaks every time she sees how unhappy Thorne is when he is heading home. She knows that Thorne has done nothing to deserve any hostility from Octavia. Kaci places her hand on Thorne’s arm when she says that it boggles her mind why Octavia is being so cruel towards Thorne… why his spouse finds it impossible to love Thorne for who he is. He deserves so much better.
It must have been her best performance yet.
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Oh, yeah!
The audition went also well.
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It turns out that in this commercial Kaci will be working with the same director as the last time.
Hitomi Fujiwara, the commercial director, is strict - no drama allowed. All she is interested in, is doing her job well. And that is something you can’t ignore when you are on her set. She has worked in the business for some time and has seen many aspiring actors rise to fame, but also crash and burn.
It might be a good idea to get to know her better.
Kaci calls her and suggests they could meet. Hitomi is rumored to be a loner, so Kaci has prepared some lines in case she needs to be extra convincing, but to her surprise she didn't need them. Hitomi agreed to visit Kaci the same afternoon.
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Kaci says she is delighted that she is able to work with Hitomi again. That working with her in the previous commercial was excellent. She admires Hitomi’s professionalism.
Then, in the middle of the conversation, Kaci is reminded of the embarrassing costume she had to wear. It angers her but she can't show it. Might as well aim the resentment towards the person who gave her the costume - the wardrobe stylist Megumi. Someone has to pay for the humiliation.
Kaci finds the right moment to make a small remark. She makes it seem like she has overheard something about a director acting inappropriately.
Hitomi gets curious.
Kaci remains vague.
The costume distorted the voice and she really did not recognize who was talking. She did see Megumi talk on the phone when Kaci was in the changing room. No-no, Kaci is not saying that it was Megumi who was complaining. To Kaci, the atmosphere on the set was perfect. Even if it was Megumi talking about it, surely she was just advising someone else who was treated unfairly.
Hitomi took the bait.
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We shall see, how she will handle it.
