169 Chapter 169: Gala (2)

(Sorry it took so long. I just finished the rewriting. Still, this isn't fixed yet lol. I may be changing it after my editor take a look at it. I'll tell you if I'm going to make some changes later)

[Edward POV]

"Hey, what'cha eating?" 

The Swedish model was startled and she blurted out, "Mixed food drop?"

"You mean fruit…drop?" I teased her. She blushed as she lowered her gaze to check the name on the tin. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Astrid." 

"Hi, nice to meet you Astrid." I said as I shook hands with her. She smiled and said, "Nice to meet you too. Umm…do you want one?" She picked up one of the candies and gave it to me.

"Sure." I didn't take it with my hand, but picked it up with my mouth instead. Astrid laughed and we talked for a while.

 Like I expected, she had been dieting hard to prepare herself for the show, and the tiny piece of candy was the only sugar-filled food that she had eaten in the last 6 months.

"Damn. You're a very dedicated girl. I would go crazy if I went without sugar for more than 2 days." I said as I patted her head slightly. She was baffled at first, but then she smiled sincerely, "Thanks. I work very hard. "

"Astrid! I told you, if you do cocaine, then you can have as much sugar as you want-"

"Shut up Tiffany!" Astrid yelled at the drug addicted girl behind her.

"Edward, does this seem fake to you?" Another European model approached me while covering her breast with her hands. I rolled my eyes at the forwardness of these girls here, and then I gave up trying to change their attitudes. 

I then changed the topic and asked them about how they got started in this industry, and what it takes for someone to become a model. They replied to me enthusiastically, and even encouraged me to venture into this industry.

They were in love with my proportions, and said that if I didn't become a singer, I could definitely make it as a model. 

They invited me to come to the afterparty, for which I told them I was already on the guest list. Then, they explained to me that they were talking about another type of 'afterparty', but I ignored the subject. 

"Oh, Edward. I'm sorry. They didn't do anything weird to you didn't they?"Gregory came back and asked while looking menacingly at the girls. They snickered as they met his gaze, and one of them spoke up, "How do you know HE didn't do anything weird to us?"

"Oh right. Ed, did you do anything weird to them?" Gregory asked me teasingly.

I was tired from the farce and rolled my eyes, "Of course not."

"Great. I trust you. Let's go. There's a few more people I want you to meet." Gregory said and led me away.

"Wait. Edward." Astrid grabbed my hand and then sneaked the can of candy in it. "What the-" I was confused, and then she explained with a soft smile, "I promised myself to only eat one. So you can take the rest."

The models were looking at me with a soft and kind smile as they waved me goodbye. 

"Maybe I should go to the after party?" I muttered to myself as I waved them back before I left. 

…

[General POV]

"Taylor!!" Selena, who was wearing a shoulderless white dress, ran lightly and jumped to hug her friend.

"Selena! You're late!" Taylor's face was filled with displeasure but her body reacted honestly and returned the hug.

"I'm sorry. The shoot ran late. Where's Ed?" Selena looked around in excitement.

"He's suffering backstage." Taylor replied.

"Suffering? Hanging out with the hot models is suffering?" Selena asked teasingly.

"Not the models, but a chattering old man. Anyway, that's his words, not mine. Like you, I don't believe he's suffering either." Taylor said before breaking into a smile.

Selena then asked, "So, what do you want to ask me about?"

"I… I need your advice…" Taylor said with indecision. She wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn't want anyone to find out about her whole situation, not even her best friend. 

…

[Edward POV]

After the last runway show, we finally got to the main event of the Gala. Basically, a dinner and a show. Versace conducted an award event with some performances in between. 

I sat at a circular table with Pepper, Taylor, Selena, a few models from the fashion show, and last but not least, Anya Taylor Joy.

"Can you say Waku Waku?" I whispered to the young Anya that was sitting on my right. I was planning for Taylor to sit on my left, but she insisted on Selena sitting there. 

"What do you mean?" Anya was confused.

"Waku Waku. Say it?" I asked with a sly smirk. Anya was confused, but she did it anyway, "Waku…waku?"

"Not that way. But, I guess that's the normal way of saying it."

"What's 'Waku Waku'?" Selena asked in confusion.

"It just means 'feeling excited' in Japanese." I explained, causing both Anya and Selena to exclaim in realisation.

Selena lowered her body a bit, making her cleavage prominent. She lazily put her arms on the table and shot me a seductive glance.

"It makes sense that you know Japanese. I don't even question it anymore."

"Hmm? Why do you think that?" I asked in confusion as I mimicked her. 

She was a bit taken aback, but then she showed an intrigued smile, "Well, you're a genius right? You said you know a few languages in your interviews before."

"Oh. How many of my interviews have you watched?"

"A lot of them." She said while slightly touching my forearm. I glanced at Taylor whom I noticed was watching us, but to my confusion, she was smiling. On the other side of me however, Selena was feeling deep chills behind her back, and had goosebumps all over her body.

But I was also bothered by Taylor's lack of reaction to whatever 'this' was. It made me wonder if she either just trusted me a lot, or just didn't actually care about me. It made me want to flirt with Selena more. (Toxic Edward LoL)

While I was mulling everything over, the waitresses entered the hall carrying silver trays and went to each table to present the first course. 

"The entrée" The waitress said while putting the silver tray in front of me and opening the cover, "Devonshire Crab, smoked haddock, and Granny Smith Apple." 

Despite the long name, the portion of the food was actually pitiful. It was barely a bite, and most of the stuff on the plate was for appearances. 

I didn't comment on the food because I didn't have any prior expectations for it, it was the fashion industry. Pepper however smiled brightly as he ate his share.

"Oh, it's a superb combination." He mumbled to himself.

After finishing the entree, the waitresses cleared up the plates to prepare for the next course. I tried to strike up a conversation with Taylor a few times, but she was being indifferent. And when she told me to go talk to Selena, I finally understood what happened.

"Damn, she's jealous." I muttered with a smile. 

"Hmm…Why is she acting so weird today?" I asked Selena after I saw Taylor talking with an actress.

Selena's eyes darted between Taylor and I before she sighed, "Even I don't know."

"Don't you have any clues?" I asked her again. 

Selena thought for a while before saying, "I…Maybe…" She took out her phone and referred to her past conversation with Taylor. Of course, she didn't let me peek at any of it because she deemed the conversation between girls a private thing between them.

I completely understood that. Even I didn't want anyone to check the boys-only chat group I made with Jacob, Abraham, and Finneas. 

Just to be clear, we didn't talk about what women would think we might talk about. But, if any of our cartoon crush discussions leaked out, we would bury our heads in the ground in shame. 

Selena then said, "No. She didn't say anything weird." I sighed and I looked into Taylor's direction with a worried expression. 

The Gala dinner finished after an hour and we could finally walk around the hall. Pepper went to mingle while I got an idea to have some fun.

"Come with me." I grabbed Taylor's hand and escorted her. We got a lot of looks, but I ignored them all.

"Waku Waku." Anya Taylor Joy exclaimed to herself as she watched the drama. We went to the middle of the dance floor as soon as the dance started. 

"My lady, can I have this dance?" I asked with a charming smile while holding her hand.

She giggled with a blushing face and then replied, "You can."

The music was slowly getting started, and we stared at each other's eyes as we danced. 

…

[General POV]

While Edward and Taylor were dancing in each other's arms, one undercover paparazzi that disguised himself as a waiter to get into the venue, was crouching at the second floor of the hall to snap pictures of celebrities.

"Nice! I'm going to make a lot of money from this." He muttered to himself as his camera focused on the sight of Edward and Taylor dancing together.

"HEY! You shouldn't be here!" A security guard caught him from behind. 

"FUCK!" He cursed and tried to slip away, but he stumbled on his own leg, and fell to the floor. His camera fell from the second floor, and shattered.

"NOOO!" He wailed in misery as he saw his potential money-making pictures and data were destroyed.

While the hidden paparazzi was wailing, an independent photographer named Matt Flamhaff (13 going on 30 Movie), who was hired to take pictures at the award ceremony before, saw the scene of Taylor and Edward dancing together.

Then, he subconsciously snapped the picture of the two of them even though he knew that he wasn't supposed to.

"Damn it." He cursed himself. But when he checked the photo, for him, that photo was too good to be deleted.

"What should I do?" He muttered. "Maybe I should call their company and see if they want this picture? Hmm..."

…

[Edward POV]

I could sense that someone was peeping at the second floor, so I alerted the guards to handle them before I went to dance with Taylor as I wanted to give all my attention to her. 

For a few minutes, I saw the most beautiful smile as we danced together. Honestly, it made my heart beat quicker when I saw it. 

But we didn't dance till the end. After the song ended, we went back to our table. Then, I asked, "Want to do something bad?"

Although a bit hesitant, Taylor couldn't hide the smile on her face. "What are we going to be doing?" She asked carefully.

"We…are going to sneak out of here." I replied as I made sure that Pepper didn't notice us.

She widened her eyes in surprise, "What? And leave the gala?"

"Yes." I replied with a sly smirk. "To be honest with you, I'm completely bored here. And the event is already over anyway."

" That's right…But still…Only the two of us?" Taylor was hesitant to leave Selena behind.

"Ah…I forgot about her. Text her to meet us at the parking lot. But…wait, before we leave…should we do something … 'big'?" 

Taylor's eyes gleamed as she heard my plan, and at this moment, whatever had been plaguing her, was thrown out of her mind. She giggled mischievously, thinking about how much of a headache Pepper was going to get after we left.

"Let's go!" I muttered after Taylor had got in contact with Selena and told her about the situation. In front of the venue, a sea of paparazzi was standing by with their hands on the camera shutter as they waited for the guest to leave.

As soon as the door was opened, they snapped their photos immediately. Taylor and I ran quickly while holding our hands together, causing the paparazzi to sense the smell of big news!

"EDWARD! TAYLOR! ARE YOU GUYS DATING?!"

"WHEN CAN WE SEE YOUR COLLABORATION!?"

"EDWARD! LOOK OVER HERE!"

They called out the both of us multiple times. As we ran , a black suv quickly stopped by at the end of the red carpet. The door opened quickly, revealing Selena that was sitting inside. Taylor and I quickly hopped on the car and the driver left the scene quickly while the paparazzis were chasing us.

Taylor laughed out loud and said, "That was fun!"

"Where are we going?" Selena asked with a smile.

I gave the driver the address for the afterparty, which was held nearby. The models gathered inside a standing bar, with adequate lighting, and also a band for entertainment.

"We…need to change first." Selena said. "There's no way I'm going over there in this dress." 

All of us thought the same way. We were kinda overdressed for this kind of party.

"Well lucky for us. I have thought about it before we got in the car." I muttered with a smirk and pointed to the change of clothes in the back seat.

"Should we stop by somewhere to change?" I asked them.

"There's no need for that. I have perfected the skill of changing inside a car." Taylor muttered.

Selena joined in, "Me too!"

"Or, are you too embarrassed to change in front of us?" Selena added mischievously.

"Hmm? Do you think you can tease me like that? How about this? We all changed together at the same time, and the first person to look away, loses?"

"What's the punishment?" Taylor asked.

"Anything the winner says." I replied with a smirk. 

Selena protested, "That's unfair to me! You guys…" then she whispered to make sure the driver didn't hear us, "You guys have seen each other naked before."

We laughed it off, and then we started to change our clothes. And unsurprisingly, Selena was the one who lost the game. Her eyes were affixed on me when I changed my shirt, but she looked away in embarrassment as I changed my pants.

"Edward! You're here!" Astrid, the model that I met before in the changing room greeted me cheerfully as Taylor, Selena and I entered the club.

The band was singing the song, [Blink-182 - What's My Age Again?], after we got in, which made me feel a bit weird. 

"They are not throwing this at me right?" I asked.

Astrid burst into laughter, seemingly a bit drunk. She held my arm intimately and said, "You're just overthinking it. Come on! Let's have some fun!"

Taylor then glared at Astrid, but the model wasn't backing down. Taylor then said to me, "Sure, but Edward shouldn't be drinking."

"I know that." Astrid said with a smug look on her face. However, a few minutes later, I was already on my second glass of champagne as I walked around the clubroom. I danced with Taylor and Selena, and partied with the girls for a little while. 

The party soon became sparse as people were leaving to either have sex or get some rest. There were less than 10 people inside the room, including the 3 band members playing a slow song.

I looked at the slightly drunk Taylor and asked, "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I can still drink–"

"That's not what I meant. You seem a bit weird today." I brushed her stray hair behind her ear. She looked at me with a flushed face– both from the alcohol and being a bit shy.

She suddenly received a text from someone, causing her to pull herself away. I got a text too at the same time, and I smiled as I saw the link to the article that Pepper had sent me.

The photo of Taylor and I dancing together had been viral, and was causing a frenzied reaction from our shippers. 

I turned to Taylor to share it with her, but saw that her face was pale. She stood up and walked out of the club without saying anything. 

"Hmm? What just happened?" I muttered. Selena who was sitting nearby shrugged as she also had no clue about the whole thing.

I decided to follow Taylor outside of the club. I was shocked when I caught her wiping her eyes, and was trying to hide her appearance from me when I saw it. 

"Taylor? What's wrong?" I asked with concern. 

 Taylor tried to run, but I guided her to the wall before releasing her arm. Before she could recollect herself, I placed my hand to the wall, preventing her from escaping.

I gazed intently into her eyes, causing her to gulp her saliva. I asked, "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Her heart beat quicker from anger and she clenched her fist, "Ed, I…I admire you, but, things won't work out between us."

I was confused as to what nonsense she was talking about, but I let her speak and didn't interrupt her. Seeing my silent reaction, she became angrier and said, "I'm breaking up with you!"

"You can't."

"Why not?!"

"Because we never dated." I said. Taylor opened her mouth, but then she realised that what I said was true.

"Then, that makes it easier right?!" She said with a choked up voice I rubbed my chin in contemplation, thinking about why she was acting this way.

"Does this have something to do with your agency?" I asked. She flinched and hugged her body, "I don't know what you mean–"

"Oh. So I'm right huh." I muttered as I could sense I was right based on her body language. 

"Is someone holding something over you?" I asked, causing her face to turn pale. "Or maybe, blackmailing you, and it had something to do with me? Like, they want you to stay away from me?"

"Oh. I'm right. Let's see…Let's see…Got it! That bastard Joseph huh…He's the only one who I can't get to in the negotiation. So I wonder if he said that he's going to ruin your career or–"

I studied Taylor's face, and I shocked myself again when I noticed that I was right at the first guess. 

[Taylor POV]

'What should I do? He's getting too close.' 

The powerlessness I'd been feeling for days made my knees weak and my throat closed up. When he almost guessed it, a glimmer of light shone in my otherwise dark thoughts. However, fake hope hurts more than the cruel reality.

And the reality was, if I needed to choose between my career and being with him, I'd choose my career. I have dreamed of becoming an artist since I was a kid, and I just met Edward a few months ago. 

This was all because I met him too soon. If only I met him later in the future. Then, maybe the situation would be better. Maybe I would have the strength to follow my heart then. 

I ran outside of the club because I got a text from my agency's vice director, telling me that he needed my decision before tomorrow, as he saw the link of me spending time with Edward at the Gala. 

"FUCK HIM! FUCK FUCK FUCK!" I cursed as soon as I got out of the club.

The moment I was blackmailed, I became determined. I would follow the agency's instructions for now, and cultivate my own reputation without depending on anyone else. 

When I finally have enough power to stand alone, I would burn down the agency to the ground. I vowed to enact revenge, and my spite filled me with boundless rage. 

Yeah, I was angry with myself. And I was angry with my agency. I was also angry with Edward. I was angry at everything. I hid my raging heart behind my smile as I looked into Edward's eyes. 

"Huh?" Edward was confused when he saw my smile.

"Ed. It was fun." I muttered as I gave up. Yeah, I gave up for now. I no longer had any hope before I came here.

Edward was silent for a while before he said, "It was." His face was filled with disappointment, and it made my heart ache. 

"But now, we both know that it's over." I continued despite the pain I was feeling.

Edward was looking at me with a worried expression. I brought my arms up and held his face intimately, "It just…wasn't meant to be. I…still want to sing, and if I need to stay away from you…"

"Before you go any further. I should tell you this." Edward interrupted. I looked at him with a hurt smile. He grabbed my hands and lowered them. He said in a cold tone, "It's done. Hendricks already signed the contract. You are now a free artist."

"What?" I widened my eyes in shock. 

"Joseph, or anyone else who's threatening you, don't really have any powers to do anything." Edward continued. "I can show you the contract if you want."

"Ed-Ed." I called his name, but I didn't really know what to say. It was supposed to be a great thing for us, but the situation right now has become awkward because I wanted to break the relationship off before.

Right then, his cold face melted and he showed a teasing smile, "Wait. Are you crying?"

"Of course I am crying, you dumbass!" I shouted at him. How could he be so crude with a girl's feelings? The more he laughed, the madder I felt. 

Then, he hugged me. He patted my back softly as my head was pressed against his chest. "Oh you poor girl." He said, causing me to cry harder and ruin all of my makeup. 

A sense of relief washed all over me. I think that's why I could care about my appearance right now. 

I slowly pushed Edward away, and then looked him in the eye. Then, I leaned in and kissed his lips. 

As we separated, I muttered, "Edward. Thanks. I know there's a lot we need to talk about, but…just for this moment, can we just be together?"

Edward then smiled even though his eyes were telling me that he was hurt. "Come on. I'll accompany you back to your place." 

He didn't say anything, and I felt both guilty and thankful for that. Right now, there was too much on my mind. Maybe I'll get a fresh start tomorrow and be braver. God knows I needed that.