Chapter 5: A request for a contract
Adeline and Augustus were sitting across each other on the luxurious patio furniture of great Augustus Dumas by the side of the pool.
Adeline nervously bit on her lower lips, not having enough courage to look up at him already staring at her for a long time. It felt awkward to start the conversation.
She didn't expect the tall figure to be turned out as her golden key, she even said a stupid thing on his face with no sense. "How can you look so stunning handsome?" she mumbled in a low voice that was only audible to Augustus. Adeline liked hiding her red face somewhere in embarrassment.
"I have asked only for an hour, Ms Elsher. Can I know why you wanted to meet me?" he asked in a straight tone. No expression on his face no mood in his voice but a never breaking off gaze stuck on her face as if he has no other fascinating thing to look aside from her.
"I was here to talk about the contract you signed earlier with Mr Yang," she said, responding to him quick enough to soften his gaze.
Augustus tilted his face with crooked eyebrows, "I wonder what was so important for you to drive here long to talk about it. Please continue further."
"You signed the contract with some other model, I guess it was me whom you wanted to sign?" Adeline started being as professional as he wants her to be. "Can I get the contract back to me, I bet there won't be any model as compared to me for the growth of your business."
Augustus chuckled once again making her bewildered. He finally looked away from her and leaned back on his chair, crossing his legs while taking a sip from the cup of tea in his hand.
"Tea tastes better when hot, please drink it," he said to her.
"Sorry I don't drink tea," she clarified instantly as if she was answered back to him in a bitter way.
"Sure," he smirked before continuing with sipping his tea and again sticking his gaze over Adeline, capturing every feature of her in his eyes until he was done with his drinking. He didn't care to ask her for something else to eat or drink once she denied his request.
Meanwhile, Adeline hoped that she will be getting back her contract as she was being professional the way she was taught to be before the head of companies.
"When did you start your career?" Augustus asked her while keeping the empty cup on the table.
"It will be 8 years in a few months."
Augustus nodded to her before jumping on his next words, "Serena Winton was the goddess at that time, do you know her?"
Adeline knows her very well. Serena Wilton was also known as madam sir for her straight, manly and cold behaviour. But what ruined her career at the beginning of her new journey was her trust in the people around her.
"Yeah, she was the goddess of our nation at that time. Why?"
"What if the goddess Serena was in your place and you were in the girl's who got her first contract signed?" he kept her in a situation. "Would you like that already famous celebrity to be trying to get her place in something you deserve?"
"I'm sorry, what?" her eyebrows met in puzzlement.
Augustus scoffed before he continued. "Serena Wilton was famous but was taking all her chances that someone else deserved, just like you. And you are Serena here, who isn't letting any new ones give a chance to prove their capabilities. And I like to work with the people who love their work more than loving the money they earn through it."
He was straight with his words, with nothing left behind to be confused about. "The girl I have signed is capable of being the ambassador of my company, why should I replace such a worthy girl with you who didn't care to show up on such an important day of her life? Tell me one good reason for replacing the girl with you and I will do it"
He didn't bring up the marriage and scandals about her, she was quizzed. While every single person was gossiping about her scandals, he sat before her upset about she didn't come to sign the contract.
"Come on Adeline, he might not be willing to talk about it in this conversation," she thought in her mind, unknowingly staring back into his smoky grey eyes that were magical to lure any woman.
"Do you have any reason or not?" Augustus dragged her out from the thoughts. "fifteen minutes have passed already"
Adeline took a deep breath, she has to get the contract at any cost and staying quiet won't bring her anything. "It seems that you haven't worked with a better model than her ever before. I have won many awards and I'm listed as the top model in this nation. You work with me will only bring you more profit in your business. And, this year is my last year in the MSc of luxury management and marketing.
Augustus nodded, "I know that." wasn't surprised rise by her answer. "Anything else? or do you have only this to say?"
Adeline has no answer which made him chuckle bitterly. Taking the tablet in his hands that was kept on the table, he began to scroll through the screen as he spoke up, "Are you a top model of our country anymore?"
Augustus gave her the tablet to have a look at it, her name was not on the top 5, not in the top 10, not even in the top 20 but in the top 100. It stung her heart seeing what happened to her position within minutes.
Due to the scandal, she can not even tell him that she is famous anymore to get any work or she is better than the girl he chose.
"I have no interest to know what happened between you and your boyfriend or why you chose to not work on your career anymore. If you already decided to not come, you should have informed others about it and not wasted my time waiting for you to come. Take it as some punishment for betraying your career Ms Elsher" Augustus said.
The fiery look in his eyes increased and he looked dangerous wolf right now that could hunt her if she dares to speak something beyond her limits.
"I- I'm sorry" she gulped looking down nervously.
"Too late, Ms Elsher. If you have nothing to say more, you can leave" he stated before buttoning the two buttons of his blazer and standing in his place.
Adeline looked at her watch, she has still half an hour left and this can not pass by with her failure. "Adeline you should do something, you still have a chance and you can't lose it" her inner voice churned inside motivating her to do something that could make Augustus give her back the career she is losing.
"No wait!" she quickly stood in her place, hitting her foot on the leg of the table but still managed to step towards him while limping. "Please give me a chance, I- I will not go from here until you replace me with her."
Augustus shrugged his shoulder. "Will you be okay staying here alone? I ain't coming back here for weeks"
"Please Mr Dumas" Adeline held his hand in her hands, she just wanted her to sign the papers at any cost. "I will do anything you say, but please you are my only hope. don't turn your back on me, please!"
Adeline kept her arrogance aside for the first time in a while after joining her management company. The last time she pleaded to someone like this was Ellen, and now it is Augustus.
She never begged anyone to give her work, she was confident enough about her skills to bring the opportunities that almost made her overconfident about herself.
However, Augustus was amazed by the last sentence she said. She said exactly the same words he wanted to listen to. "Think twice before you speak Ms Elsher, someone can take it as a different meaning from what you just said"
"I mean it, Mr Dumas, please let me do anything for you but give me back the contract. My career only depends upon you, please"
"You make me doubt about the rumours of you Ms Elsher" he suddenly pulled her closer to him by grabbing her waist. She gasped. "What can you do for me?" he asked in a deep mesmerising voice of his.
"I-" Adeline felt uncomfortable with his closeness that she didn't even look up at him than looking away from his piercing gaze. "Don't get me wrong Mr Dumas, but this isn't what I mean" she tried to pull off his hands from her waist but instead he wrapped his arms around her back pulling Adeline more close to him.
"I know. That's why I told you to think twice before you say something which you don't do" he continued leaning closer to her ear and his hot breath sent chills down her spine.
"Now listen Ms Elsher, let me be clear to you that I have no interest in you to do anything with you without your will and as I have half an hour left, let me keep a proposal before you with a timing of one full day to think about it" he pulled back from her before picking up a file from the table and handing it to Adeline.
"Take a look at it" he requested.
Adeline was confused about a file already prepared by him as if he was ready with his proposal and waiting when she comes to him requesting about her replacement.
"Adeline Elsher, who left her home started to work from the age of 16 in the fashion industry and got her first luck at the age of 19 after getting rejected by hundreds of brands just because you said no to the owner of Williams. After that, she didn't lack with any work and her schedule turned to be busy but still continued her studies from home" Augustus continued while puzzlement crossed Adeline's face.
She didn't look at the papers but stared at him in confusion.
"She tried her best to go back to her parents and prove herself that you were worth being a fashion model than a doctor. They still rejected you so you planned to participate in Miss Universe that your mother is obsessed with watching every year. You went back, they still kept the doors close for you" he chuckled. "Now, you planned to marry a rich man and give up your work because somewhere you thought this would be good for your family to finally forgive you but they still didn't forgive you and it was too late until you realize the boy is not good for you"
"Now, all the people who kept their wrath inside their hearts for the years about you finally got the chance to defame you with a lot of rumours that you can not prove to be fake as the proof only goes against you. The top model is now listed below the top 50 models and no one wants to work with you. All the contracts you signed are terminated by now and no one wants to work with you for the fear to lose their name with you except for Mr Yang who treats you like a daughter. He has sent me a mail requesting with lots of please to accept you but why should I? I don't want to take the risk"
"How do you know about my family?" Adeline's eyes sparkled with tears. she has never brought up about her family to anyone except Ellen.
"Before working with someone, I prefer to keep all the details safe with me" he sneered. "At this stage of your life, I think you should get married to someone or wait until everything is back to normal which will take three to four years or more"
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