The Stars Trilogy (75 page)

THIS TIME, CELINE ENTERED a huge A-list gathering in Dare’s arm and it left no doubt in everyone’s mind that they were a couple.

The press at the ballroom entrance went especially frantic when they arrived. She was very nervous but Dare kept whispering sweet stuff to her, holding her hand and that made her feel reassured amid the flashing cameras and the scrutinizing stares. He was looking quite relaxed and happy and despite her jitters, his demeanor rubbed off on her.

She had to remind herself as they entered the huge ballroom full of the most important people in the world of cinema, that Dare was proud of her. He was showing everyone that he was with HER. She was basking in the euphoric high of the moment. Finally, she was where she wanted to be. Beside him. In public. There was no doubt now who she was in Dare’s life. She was THE one true significant other of Dare.

When she saw Steve Goodwyn, she broke into a huge smile.

“Hello, beautiful,” Steve said when they approached him.

“Uncle Steve!” she squealed in delight and launched herself into the old man’s embrace.

For the second time that night, Dare watched, totally astonished as Celine hugged Zenith’s CEO, mega-producer Steve Goodwyn.

What the...? Why the hell was she hugging him? They knew each other?! Uncle Steve?! Uncle?!

She doesn’t have any elicit “uncles”. You’re her only “uncle”, you lecher. Or “daddy” if you please.

Okay, there must be an explanation for this.

“You’ve been a bad, bad girl, Celine. Your father is pissed off. He asked me to bring you back to America ASAP,” Steve was saying.

She grinned unrepentantly. “But of course you won’t do that, would you, Uncle Steve? I’m having a great time here. Cannes is so fab!”

Dare cleared his throat.

Only then did Steve shift his attention to him. “Dare, glad you could come.”

They exchanged handshakes.

“How…did you know each other?” he asked without preliminaries, adamant to get the puzzle solved.

“Oh, Celine is my goddaughter.”

His jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

He had trouble believing this. Celine was constantly throwing him curve balls. Steve G was her godfather, to boot? Why in hell didn’t she tell him this?! “How did this happen?”

Steve looked amused. “His father was one of my bestfriends in college, at UCLA way back in the day. We still are. My family spent last summer at their family resort in Palawan. Have you been to those parts in Asia? You should, boy. Paradise. My grandchildren had a great time.”

He looked at Celine, peeved. He hated surprises like this. This particular surprise made him less significant, in her career plans, at least. She wouldn’t even need him to get around Hollywood if she was practically a relative of Steve G. The man was his boss, too. He’d made only a few movies for Zenith but all of them very noteworthy and critically acclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me, baby?” he tried to sound casual.

“I didn’t want your judgment to be influenced by my errr connections,” she replied teasingly.

“Mr. Goodwyn, Kelsey Styles, Dare and Celine’s agent and manager,” Kelsey interrupted smoothly, extending her hand toward Steve.

“Hello, Ms. Styles. So, you’re managing Celine’s career, too?”

“Of course! She’s going to be a superstar!”

Steve laughed in agreement. “I have no doubt about that. I have a project, still in the drawing board, a sci-fi. I had Scarlett Johansson in mind for the lead actress but now that I know Celine wants to act in films…” Steve smiled at Celine like a proud, indulgent father. “We can talk about it when we get back to the US, Celine, Ms. Styles.”

Kelsey nearly jumped in her six-inch LV pumps. “That would be fabulous!”

“Uncle Steve, I’m overwhelmed! I don’t think I can handle…” .

“Yes, I think you’ll be fine, darling. Your Aunt Emma will love the idea.”

“Oh, is Aunt Emma here?”

“Unfortunately she had to stay in LA. One of our grandchildren was hospitalized a few days ago and you know how she dotes on the little ones. She’s still waiting for you to come visit, though.”

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll come and visit once we’re back in LA.”

Dare cleared his throat “Does this movie have a lead actor in it?”

Steve’s forehead furrowed at his question. “Oh, yeah. Henry Cavill. He’d said yes.”

Dare swallowed and nearly choked on his saliva. Henry Cavill, huh?

Over my dead body, Steve.

Alana was a no-show at the gala.

Celine couldn’t help but feel smug. This night was definitely hers.

Dare introduced her to the who’s who in the biz–– award-winning directors, producers, actors, writers, cinematographers. It seemed that all of international cinema’s bests were present that night. Since she studied film, she knew most of the people she’d met from reading and watching a lot of movies.

“I think you know more movies than I do,” Dare commented while they were sipping drinks at their table. She especially avoided the alcoholic ones, mindful of her pregnancy.

She glanced at him coquettishly from under her extended lashes. “Impressed?”

“Quite. Why aren’t you drinking wine? They’re serving the best.”

“Uhm...I just don’t feel like it,” she said evasively. It was all she could do not to blurt out her condition to him right then and there. She was bursting with it. It was really time to tell him. She couldn’t hide her condition for long. Keeping it from him was also not right. He’d surely get pissed off if he found out she’d known she was pregnant for some time and didn’t tell him. “Is there somewhere we can go to? I need some fresh air.”

“Me, too. Come. I wanna show you something.”

They made their way among the guests, stopped several times for chitchat. Everyone seemed to want to be introduced to her. Talk about being the current squeeze! She was beginning to warm up to her new  infamous title.

Finally, Dare talked to one of the hotel attendants and the man directed them toward a discreet exit.

Cruz materialized from nowhere.

“Hi, Cruz! Where’d you come from?” she greeted the stoic-looking bodyguard cheerfully.

“Just around, Ms. Celine.”

They rode a private elevator going up. The doors opened after a few seconds.

They were greeted by sea breeze.

“Wow!” was her awed exclamation.

The
Croisette
view at night was nothing but spectacular from the rooftop of the JW Marriot. The long stretch of seaside boulevard was aglow with lights coming from the different buildings and the street lamps lining it. The
Côte d’ Azur
glistened like millions of white crystals as dozens of yachts floated over it.

Celine took in the scenery with more emotion than she used to. She had been to France several times with her family and she had been to Cannes, too, but not during the festival.

This was different. She was in France with Dare, attending the Cannes Film Festival and it was the stuff dreams were made of. It was still hard to believe this was happening to her, at last. This was better than her fantasies!

It was already near midnight and there were only a few guests meandering at the roof top.

She was holding on to Dare’s arm, leaning lightly on him as they strode around leisurely, enjoying the soft wind and the sights. Cruz was surprisingly out of sight again. The man could appear and disappear like a magician.

“Thank you, Dare,” she said, drunk in happiness.

“For what, baby?”

“For this wonderful, wonderful time.”

He stopped walking and faced her. “Care to show me how grateful you are?”

She looked at him blankly. He wiggled his brows suggestively, grinning with mischief.

She gave him a scandalized look. “What...here? You can’t be serious! The paps are everywhere! There are still people here!” she said in a hushed voice.

“Don’t worry, Cruz is around. He won’t let anybody see us.”

“And you have no shame when your bodyguard is guarding your wicked deeds!”

“He knows me.” He embraced her. “Come here. I’ve missed you all day.”

He kissed her and her entire being melted. She just felt so wonderful, so happy and so in love. She kissed him back. “I missed you, too,” she whispered in between nips and nibbles and licks.

Pretty soon, they were both very hot and bothered and breathing fast.

“I want you, baby,” he muttered urgently and then guided her toward an alcove.

He was raining kisses on her neck, his hands roaming her body.

“Dare...honey, wait...wait!”

“What…?” he said impatiently. His hands found their way under the yards of cloth that made up her gown, molding and squeezing her derriere.

“I want to tell you something...stop for a minute, please!”

“Then tell me now! Don’t tell me to stop. I can’t.”

“I...Uhm...I...” His fingers crept inside her flimsy underwear, homing in on where she was already moist with honeyed anticipation. As they sat next to each other at the theater earlier, Dare was languidly caressing her hand, playing with her fingers until her body was humming with arousal. Just his fingers drawing circles on her palm could make her wet.

“I’m pregnant!” she gasped in his ear as she felt his fingers skim her slick folds.

He froze.

Time seemed to stand still. As still as he had become in her arms.

“What...?” he whispered raggedly. Faintly.

She smiled and kissed his cheek lovingly. “We’re going to have a baby.”

He let go of her like she was a burning object, so abruptly that she momentarily lost her balance.

She smiled. The poor thing must be so shocked. His eyes were wide in astonishment.

But her smile faltered when she really saw the look on his face.

He was not shocked.

He was...angry. No, not angry. Furious. His eyes were blazing with the kind of fury that she had never seen on him, not even in his films.

And she was the one who was shocked with the next words that came from his lips. “Who’s the father?” he uttered icily, his voice low but cracking like a whip in the stillness of the night.

She couldn’t speak. What a question!

“Who’s the father?!” he rasped again. He could have been shouting now with the burning look in his eyes and the tendons rising from his neck but his voice remained low despite the harshness.

“Dare...what are you talking about? Of course, it’s you!” she said, bewildered that he would ask her such a silly question. And it hurt, that he would even ask her.

He shook his head. “No,” he stated flatly.

Her shock escalated. “What do you mean...? This is your baby!”

He shook his head vehemently. “No...No.”

She totally lost her ability to speak at his reaction. This, she had never expected.

She was anticipating an ecstatic father-to-be. He would shout in joy and whirl her around, then he’d kiss her belly tenderly, frame it with his palms reverently. And then he would thank her.

But not this.

He stared at her, his eyes full of condemnation…. and betrayal….and she could only guess at the thoughts that he wanted to verbalize. But he didn’t say anything more.

He chose to turn his back and walk away.

She was left there, unable to fully process what just transpired. Dazed, her mind raced, along with her bewilderment.

Dare walked out on her.

He didn’t want the baby. He didn’t want...

Full realization hit home.

The sudden onslaught of pain was so crushing that she dropped to her knees, shaking.

He said no. The look in his eyes was repulsive. He denied being the father of her baby.

He didn’t believe that he was the father of her baby.

Her emotions shifted to anger. What did he mean he was not the father?! How else would she get pregnant? They’d been having sex almost everyday since she came back to the US! Was he accusing her of cheating on him?!

Her adrenaline shot back up. She struggled to her feet. Cussing, she lifted the heavy hem of her gown and removed her high-heels. She ran after him.

How dare he even think that he was not the father of her baby?! That she’d cheated on him?! That she’d slept with another but him?! How dare dare dare him!!!

Cruz suddenly appeared.  “Miss Celine...”

“Where is he?!”  she snarled.

“He went down. We should go,” he answered calmly.

“No! I want you to take me to him!”

“Miss Celine, this is not a good time. Please, come with me. We should leave the place.”

“No, you listen to me, Cruz! I need to talk to him, now! Now! Bring him back here!”

“Dare already left with the other men. He went back to the Carlton.”

“What?! Why would he do that? Why would he just leave me here?!”

“Miss Kelsey is waiting for you now. We must leave. You and Dare can talk in your suite at the Carlton. But we must leave, now.”

Cruz’ tone brooked no arguments. He’d never used that tone on her, too.

Fuming and breathing like her chest would explode with her turbulent emotions, she wordlessly went with the bodyguard.

Minutes later, she entered the presidential suite like a mad Valkyrie. She had been very silent inside the limo with Kelsey on their ride back to the Carlton. Kelsey had repeatedly asked her why she was crying but she kept silent. She was saving her wrath for that bastard!