Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

This is such a mess! I don’t know how this could happen or why Mallory would think Alan and I were a couple. I know Laird is mad at me, but I bite down hard on the inside of my mouth and hope we can resolve this misunderstanding in the end.

I mean, I want to chase after Laird as soon as possible, but Mallory West herself is holding me back! She keeps engaging me in conversation with her cheerful demeanor.

“You know, I think you’d be perfect as the model for the music video of my title track. You’re the perfect match!” Mallory excitedly explained her new project to me.

“Really? Haven’t you always been the actress in your own music videos?” I asked with a pounding heart.

“Yes, but I feel like you’d be a better fit. After Alan showed me your photos and commercial videos, and then I saw you walk on stage myself, I immediately said, ‘She’s the one; I want her’ to Alan,” Mallory flicked her fingers.

“The concept album for next year is already set, and only a handful of people will know. Imagine a castle, then you running in its vast courtyard, then another scene where you stab your ex’s cheating portrait with a knife,” she demonstrated the scene with a fist jabbing her other palm.

“Ugh, if only I could do that in real life. My ex also cheated, and I could only throw beer cans at him,” I growled in frustration.

“Oh my gosh! Tell me more!”

Mallory and I talked about Tom. About how he left me for his secretary, how he messed up my party because of misunderstandings, and everything.

“Well, Alan won’t cheat. He’s just emotionally cold, but if he’s with you, he might warm up,” she shrugged.

“Anything about Alan always surprises you, huh?” I chuckled sarcastically.

“Yeah, true,” she laughed.

“Are you guys talking about me behind my back?” Alan asked, sitting back next to me.

“Of course! You love it, don’t you?” Mallory asked him, and we laughed again.

Ugh, really. I feel like this is all fake.

I held on as long as I could to entertain Mallory. Although my mind often wandered to Laird, who was looking at me disappointedly, I would laugh again at every joke Mallory made.

This is Mallory West! She even considers me her best friend now! We took photos together, and she promised to post them later after she got home-she never wanted to disclose her real-time whereabouts to avoid fans.

About an hour and a half later, Mallory felt like she had had enough fun. She went back to the hotel with her boyfriend after making sure I would make time to discuss her music video project later, when we returned to New York.

After Mallory left, I immediately left the club and ordered a taxi.

“Fenella!”

Ugh, son of a bitch. Alan chased after me and grabbed my arm tightly.

“Where are you going? The party’s not over, and Jemima’s still inside,” he yelled loudly.

“Let go of me. You’re hurting me. I want to go back to the hotel,” I growled, restraining myself from being rude to him.

“You can’t go back!”

“Yes, I can. Let me go.” I struggled to break free from him.

Alan is taller and stronger than me. The muscles in his arms are not just for show. He pulled me with all his might and pushed my body to the side of the club building, into a quieter and darker parking area.

“Let go of me, Alan!”

The man wouldn’t listen to me, and he restrained me. He trapped me between his body and the club wall. Both of my hands were firmly gripped beside my head and pressed hard against the wall.

“Why are you doing this? After everything I’ve done for you, are you just going to ghost me?” Alan hissed with a fierce look in his eyes.

“Don’t you know how hard I worked to persuade Mallory to like you? I did all of this for your success.”

Oh, hell no.

“Yeah, thanks! But you should’ve told me before you made a public lie about us. You know I’m dating Laird!” I finally dared to voice my disappointment to Alan, no longer caring about his sacrifices for me or my debt to him.

This is beyond outrageous!

“To hell with Laird! I only did what I thought would catch Mallory’s attention, and that’s what matters now. Every girl dreams of getting into Mallory’s circle of friends, and when you’ve made it, you’re going to mess it up just to keep up with Laird’s feelings?” Alan wrinkled his nose.

“Besides, you just need to explain all of this to him later. He shouldn’t be angry, and he should support you. This is all just pretend.”

“Alan, I appreciate you, and I know I owe you, but you’ve just messed up my private life. I love Laird, and I don’t want to lose him.” I stopped resisting and just stared at Alan.

“If entering Mallory’s circle means losing him, then I would never dare to think about jumping into it,” I hissed.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Now, let me go.”

Alan looked at me in fury. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. Really, I was scared in my heart facing him. This is the first time I’ve seen Alan like this.

“A good man wouldn’t stand in your way to shine. If he truly loves you, he’ll understand,” Alan growled in a low voice this time.

I shook my head. “I think this is too much, Alan. This is such a mess. So stop all your messy persuasions and let me go right now.”

We stared at each other for a long time, as if silently battling. His breath was rushing, and I could feel his cold breath looming. A notification on my phone rang loudly, interrupting our thoughts-a sign that the taxi I ordered had arrived to pick me up.

He took a deep breath with his lips tightly closed. Then he stepped back and released my hands. I hurriedly walked away and headed to the taxi queue area that was waiting.

***

I was panting, and my heart was pounding fast. I ran as fast as I could to reach my hotel room. When I opened the door to the room, I immediately looked around for Laird but found nothing.

I saw his backpack was no longer on the shelf. There was only my small suitcase there. I paced around the room, looking for clearer signs. Finally, I realized he had left, taking everything with him.

‘Laird, where are you?’

‘Give me a chance to explain it. Alan trapped me.’

I tried several times to call him, but he didn’t pick up. My messages were left unread too. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Several times, I sighed in panic.

Without further thought, I quickly packed my things into the suitcase. As I went to the bathroom to grab all my cosmetics and skincare, my phone rang with a message notification.

I hurriedly went to the table under the TV and read the message. Sure enough, it was from Laird.

‘Off to NYC.’