19 "I Don't have money."

"Miss, here is your order." The waiter kept down the tray he was carrying and served the cup of coffee to the trio.

"Thank you." Lucia smiled at him warmly. Liam took the cup directly and did not even bother to say anything and as for Ash he was busy scrolling through his phone to notice the waiter.

'Strange combination.' The waiter muttered as he walked away towards the counter carrying the empty tray. A young girl, a gangster and a man in suit….That for some reason did look weird.

"What are you looking at Ella?" The waiter noticed the girl on the counter was smiling and snickering alone looking at her cellphone. Ella who was lost in her own world was brutally woken up by his voice.

"Ahh..Ohhh nothing nothing….hehe…" She hurriedly hid her phone behind her back as fast as she could.

"You better not slack off…in case some weird people might come." He eyed the trio before entering the kitchen backdoor. 'Keep an eye on them.' He signaled to the girl using his index and ring finger.

"Okay!" Ella gave an okay sign with her another hand that was not hiding the phone.

"Hmm..you better do that." He gave her a stern look before heading in. As soon as he was out of sight Ella took out her phone. "Dang….too cute. Too handsome..'' Ella sighed looking at her phone where the premiere of a movie from last night was being broadcasted.

"My baby Ryan..UwU.." She was totally smitten by the handsome actor on the screen who was answering the questions of the reporters flawlessly. The air around her was pinkish and bubbly as she continued her fangirling.

Meanwhile...

The atmosphere was calm and a little tense in the table at the corner of the café.

Taking a sip of the warm tea from the cup Lucia looked at the man who was smiling at her. There was no sign of the cry baby from before.

"So what you said earlier…Is it legit?" Lucia raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner. She was not going to trust someone without getting a 100%...nah 100% was too little, she needed 200% guarantee to trust someone in this life.

"As you can see the card I showed you earlier is exclusively only for the managers. Trust me you will never see another one like this. We do business in a regulated and strict manner." Ash watched her every expression as she checked the card, turning it back and front.

Liam who felt left out of the conversation suddenly spoke. "That alone is not enough for us to trust you. You don't seem very trust worthy." He eyed him from top to bottom hoping to see any sign of abnormalities and trickery since that was his job: Straightening scamming people.

"Shut up! Moron." Lucia side kicked him on his feet. "You are the most suspicious one here."

"Why are you even here?? Don't you have any work?" Lucia rolled her eyes at him. She really wanted to get rid of this tag along of a tail as soon as she could.

"Hmmm…work you say?" He slightly leaned towards her decreasing their gap at a speed visible to naked eyes. "But I am doing my work." He smirked at her at a distance of approximate 15 centimeters from her. He stared into her eyes without blinking.

"And what that might be?" Lucia maintained the eye contact not backing down a bit. 'The one who blinks the eye first is the loser.' Lucia had turned it into a competition totally ignoring the agent who was watching them silently.

"I am looking after my debtor. What if you run away? Hmm?" He flicked his finger on her forehead. Lucia was not expecting this and subconsciously blinked her eyes her hands flew up to directly cover and protect her head.

"You!.." Lucia glared at him her cheeks puffing. 'Why the hell are the men these days so childish?' She figured it was better not to banter and squabble with him. She decided to just focus on her tea.

"Excuse me! If you are done flirting can we move on to our discussion . By that I mean the important business we were talking about." Ash looked at them as he raised the glasses from his high nose bridge with his finger eyeing them suspiciously.

'Spurt...'

A mouthful of warm tea flew out of her mouth. She coughed violently as she wiped her mouth with her towel. " What?? Cough…" Lucia wanted to speak but she was coughing like an old lady suffering from asthma.

Liam wanted to refute them flirting in her place but felt things were more interesting this way. He liked seeing the silly girl get flustered angry and irritated. 'Maybe I am going nuts from working too hard.' Liam wondered in his head.

"Here." He handed her the tissue paper to wipe the table.

"Thank…" She took the tissue and was about to thank him but she changed her mind with in a fraction of second. "Humph..whatever.." She snatched the whole tissue box without giving him a face.

After her cough subsided she took a deep breathe.

"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING." She yelled at Ash whose fake glasses almost flew away. "My my.." Lucia almost had her soul taken away from her when she heard what was just said. "Where did you even get that idea from??"

"And where did you get that glasses from? Stop acting like some romcom detective." Lucia was confused if she really had gone through Rebirth or Transmigration to a parallel world. "Business..let's—let's just talk about business okay?"

"As I was saying Miss, I want to recruit you to our company as a rookie." Ash took of his glass and regained his friendly business man composure. "And I will be personally assigned to you." He added in the end smugly. He had quiet confidence in his own skill and reach.

Lucia remembered if there had been any top actors with a manager called Ash or not. "Since you seem so confident in your skill….Hmm...tell me about your achievements. I need some kind of proof." Lucia asked him in a serious tone.

"My-My ach-chievements??" Ash seemed taken aback.

"Don't you have some?" Lucia thought it was a simple question to ask.

"Umm..about that…" Ash turned beet red on the root of his ear. "Do I have to say this?" He nervously asked her his fingers nervously tapping on the table matching the rhythm of his legs.

"If I am to join your company then you too need to show me some of your expertise…don't you think so? Just for the sake of maintaining trust??" Lucia squinted her eyes. In fact for her, the chance to Join ST company was the best thing that could ever happen to someone wishing to be an artist.

ST Entertainment provided their artists the best resources and best facilities. Even the third rate artists were treasured as an important resource for the. From training to debuting, from promotion to security and even the salary given to the artist was something to drool on. But the better the things were more terms and restrictions were there.

The field was competitive and until one got a responsible and devoted Manager, being the top was out of question. In her last life she could finally enter the company through a merciless audition but ended up getting the worst manger she could have.

'ROY CALEB.'

She could not and did not want to make the same mistakes she did in her past life. Blinded by the love of a heartless idiot and the hate comments of few internet trolls were more than enough to ruin her career and her life.

Lucia looked out of the glass wall of the café staring at the people who hurried to open their shops and go to their offices. Everyone seemed to be grinding for their life hoping if not today tomorrow will be better. With that alone as motivation people moved forward in their short lived cruel life.

"Lucia?"

"Miss?"

The two men called out to her at once.

Out of her thoughts and past she looked at the people who despite all these sufferings and hard works and even though they were unaware of the future they would get, they smiled.

She moved her eyes away from the street and focused them on the man before her.

"I have dream and a goal to achieve in this life. I need someone capable, someone strong enough to lead me and show me the way. Do you think you can do that?"

"Ermmm.." When met with such a deep and serious tone of Lucia he was at loss of words.

"You are not sure? You don't believe in what I am saying?" Lucia questioned again.

"No no…It's not that I am doubting you." Ash spoke interrupting her. "It's not like that…" He sighed.

He was not doubting her but he was doubting himself. He was a new agent hired in the ST Entertainment and he only had a single artist under him but….

"I have had only one artist under me before but she changed me for someone else." Ash spilled the truth since Lucia had told her plans and dream. It was a matter of trust now.

"I am a newcomer in the entertainment business but I have great eyes for talent. I am.... just not getting the chance but as soon as I saw you toady I had a feeling you were the one for me." Ash who was speaking in depressed tone suddenly got excited as he spoke about her.

"Feeling that I am the one?" Lucia raised her eyebrow. That was one cliché dialogue but it did not feel bad to hear that expressed towards her.

"Aheemm.." Liam cleared his throat so as to aware them about his presence. "So how did she become your "THE ONE" ?" Liam really thought this man was a scam artist.

"The main reason will be since you are pretty." Ash told honestly. "You have a nice temperament and your aura feels different….You have aura of an actor."

Ash noticed that Lucia was staring at him with a complicated gaze and thought if he had said something out of line.

" I am sorry miss if I am crossing the line." Ash apologized to Lucia. "But I have never been wrong and I know you have it in you."

"Please think this through. I hope you will contact me soon." Ash looked at his watch and got up.

"Well that's my cue now. I hope you will have a nice day. Miss Lucia." Ash bowed down and walked out of the café.

"Let's go." Liam stood up.

"Wait." Lucia was still sitting on her chair clutching the card. "What is it? Are you constipated?" He asked worried.

"Not that moron." Lucia jumped up from her chair. "The money..."

"What about it?" Liam asked confused.

Lucia had forgotten a teeny tiny detail. Ten years back in time meant there was no online payment method available and since she was the one who brought them to the café, she had to be the one to pay but she was penniless at the moment.

"Did you lose something?" Seeing that her complexion was not that good he asked her again.

"The money…..I don't have money to pay the bill." She gave a pitiful look.

"What?"