Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

Although confused, Laird eventually complied with me. He pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked it. When the car finally came to a safe stop, he finally looked at my face closely.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No, I’m not okay,” I said, shaking my head.

He then looked at me with a furrowed brow. The corners of his eyes drooped, and he gazed at me with a mix of sadness and confusion.

“Sorry, Fenella. You must be disgusted with me for lying and being too scared to confront Rebecca,” he said as he gently reached for my hand.

I shook my head again, and tears slowly began to flow uncontrollably. My tears streamed down my cheeks, and I unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Hey, Fenella, honey.” Laird also unfastened his seatbelt.

His warm embrace welcomed me without hesitation. He hugged me tightly and let me bury my face in his sturdy chest. I let out all my cries, and he accepted them without reservation.

He tenderly rubbed my back. His lips then kissed my temples and shoulders. I sobbed freely in his embrace, feeling like that was all I could do at that moment.

The past events could no longer be rewinded, erased, or stopped. I felt like I only had myself to heal all these wounds together.

Apparently, many people out there have experienced similar instances of sexual harassment. It could be as simple as harassment on a crowded train, at the office, or other places. It could happen anytime, anywhere, and couldn’t be avoided.

I trembled and held onto him tighter. My hands hung onto his shoulders as minutes passed and my tears slowly dried.

“Thank you for sharing with me, Laird. It means a lot to me,” I whispered to him in the hug.

“Thank you for listening to me,” he whispered back softly.

I slowly released my embrace. His hands slowly wiped my damp cheeks and dried my tears. My hands held his, gripping them tightly.

“I have experienced something similar too,” I told him.

“When?” he asked.

“When I first came to New York, I applied to many agencies before Gene.” I swallowed and continued my story.

“Then, one day, there was an agency office that invited me to join, gave me their business card, and asked me to be photographed for my first portfolio. Of course, I was thrilled because I finally saw a golden opportunity, but it turns out I was trapped.” My voice choked.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

“When I was having my photo taken, the photographer suddenly asked me to unbutton my shirt more. They yelled at me to undress completely and insisted on taking photos of my naked body. They said all models did it and had such photos in their portfolios.” I rubbed my temples as I recalled the horrible incident.

“I was alone without any friends, and I didn’t know what to do at that moment. It turned out to be an agency office for models and adult film actors. I know, I was very stupid for not doing more research about the office before coming.” I chuckled bitterly for a moment.

“So, what happened next?” Laird asked, full of concern.

“When I was terrified there, suddenly the son of the office owner appeared. It turns out he was the mafia boss’s son, the owner of the adult film production studio, and miraculously, he saved me.” I exhaled a long sigh.

“He said he liked me and didn’t want to share my body with anyone else.” I bit my lower lip, worried that this might trigger new anger in Laird.

“The mafia boss’s son, owner of the adult film production studio?” he asked, puzzled.

“Yes, I know. Things happen unexpectedly in this world, right?” I asked rhetorically with a small chuckle.

“So, he saved you during the photoshoot?” he asked again.

“Yes, when I was scared, he came and stopped the shoot. He freed me, and, long story short, we became lovers. Then he introduced me to Ms. Lola and Gene. Since then, my career has started to flourish,” I recounted slowly.

“That’s why I told you; it hasn’t been easy for me to be in this position. Gene was the only one who would accept me, an amateur model, despite some pressure from the mafia boss’s son, but Gene accepted me. Jessy helped me, and I owe them,” I said quietly.

“I’m sorry, Fenella. I had no idea about any of this. Apparently, you’ve been struggling all this time,” he said, taking my hand and gently kissing the palm.

“Yes, that’s why, Laird. All of this slowly feels so meaningful to me. I hope you will continue to support me in this career journey,” I said softly.

“Yes, always,” he nodded.

“But you have broken up with the mafia boss’s son, right?” he asked suddenly, with a furrowed brow.

“Of course. It turned out he gets bored easily,” I chuckled softly.

“Does anyone else know about this?” he asked.

“Well, uh, almost everyone at Gene knows, especially close model friends like Greg. While people like Kiara, who don’t know anything about me, spread rumors that I slept with a rich man to boost my career,” I shrugged resignedly.

Laird mumbled as he nodded. He seemed to be thinking about something, but he didn’t disclose it further.

“Well, at least you have found a place that you truly like. Thankfully, everything turned out well for you,” he said as he stroked my temple.

“I don’t know how Rebecca will react to you after this.” I bit my lower lip, feeling burdened with worry.

“Don’t worry. I think now I can face her more bravely after seeing you courageously confront her,” he chuckled.

“Oh, come on. Be serious for a bit. What if she sues me? You’re my personal lawyer, remember?” I nudged his arm gently, and he just widened his grin.

“As a matter of unwritten ethics, we can’t represent a client to go against a lawyer from the same firm, and vice versa. Rebecca wouldn’t be too foolish to sue you because it’s clear she provoked you first,” he explained to me slowly.

“Are you intending to sue her?” he asked curiously.

“Jessy said that should be the case, but I didn’t want to further ruin your relationship in the office. So I will just swallow it all and heal myself.” I shook my head as I touched the scratch marks on my forehead.

“I told you not to worry about me at the office. Besides, I never really liked being a lawyer. This job was forced upon me by my father,” he said, gazing at me deeply.

He rubbed the scratch marks on my forehead, cheeks, and chin. Then he kissed them one by one softly, as if his kisses would soon heal my wounds.

“Even if I skip work every day, he still wouldn’t fire me from the firm,” he scoffed.

“Have you ever imagined that if you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be doing? I think you would be a pro baseball player competing in the MLB,” I said.

He fell silent for a moment, staring at me intently. Then he cleared his throat and positioned himself back in front of the steering wheel. He fastened his seatbelt again and turned to me.

“Let me show you,” he said.