Makayla spent the next day lying in bed. She was too wound up to go back to class like normal, but also she couldn't get herself to rest. The reality of how her life was going to change left her shaken.
She hadn't told anyone yet, as she wanted to make sure it actually went through. Still, she managed to set up a consultation with a lawyer.
Her idol messaged her throughout the day. The man was kind to her and made sure to reassure her that she didn't need to decide yet.
They could just meet up with their advisors to read everything over for future reference. This helped her feel better and allowed her to build up enough strength to respond to him more casually. Like a friend.
With their carefree conversation came more information as the walls broke down, and he treated her with patience. The man was on a break from writing his newest novel and had even moved to another state.
He lived two hours from her college campus and spent his days in a slow lull. He seemed unsure of himself, which drove her insane. It was a shock that someone so wealthy was so deeply depressed.
He didn't have many friends who liked him for his personality, not his money or reputation in the writing community. He explained a tough lesson he had to learn: that the majority of his friends were fake.
They didn't need him once his new novel was getting delayed behind the scenes. They gave up on him, and those that stayed were the ones who pushed him to create his own space for the creatives who were lost.
Creators like her. "I saw your work and how hard you were pushing yourself out there. I felt a kinship with you." He explained to her with such a sweet tone over the phone that her eyes began to water.
"I think you're talented. You just need more support, whether it be monetary or emotional. I'll help you along the way even if you don't sign the contract. You have my word." This made her get choked up.
"Why?" It was too good to be true. "Why help me so much?"
He chuckled over the phone and sighed. "Because I've grown attracted to you. It is unprofessional, but I find you very pretty."
Makayla had fallen to her knees at that point. They'd been wobbly the whole time, and her stomach was rolling in waves. Once she heard that he found her to be seductive, her body couldn't handle it anymore.
The man who was worth millions and had spoken at top universities had seen her out of the thousands. He had seen her and desired not only her body but also her mind and her intelligence. It made her start to cry.
Still, she had to acknowledge the fact it was alarming that he saw her that way. It left her to wonder if he was only offering so much help because of her body.
If she didn't have her curves or her pear-shaped figure, would he really have invited her to dinner? It left her sitting on the ground with her knees quickly being brought to her chest. Her mouth was dry and her throat itchy as she debated what to even say.
"I know that saying that is inappropriate as your boss. But it's the truth. I've never met someone who can write as whimsically as you do while looking and sounding as you do. You're the full package."
"So, if you weren't attracted to me, you would've still offered me a spot?" Makayla needed to hear him say it. She needed to hear him.
He answered instantly but not bluntly. "Of course I would have."
She melted like butter, and her heart became a warm pool of goo. The twenty-three-year-old felt like something in her rose up from the dark waves that served as her self-esteem.
It became bright like her hope for the future as she teared up. A whimper left her mouth that she thankfully was able to muffle by shoving her hand over her lips.
This feeling of self-assuredness fueled her to go ahead with their official meeting. The lawyer she set up the consultation with was a friend of her brother's who was willing to read over the contract free of charge.
If she wanted anything further, he wanted her brother to provide him a check at his base pay, which she found very fair.
She was shaking as the older man walked with her into her idol's office building. It was larger than life, with the woman finding the man's description to have been incorrect.
It wasn't just a small place that had been cobbled together in a hurry. The building looked to be decades old, with dozens of employees walking in and out. Everyone there she also recognized from writing events and conferences.
Bubbly podcasters, editors who functioned more so as influencers than experts in their field, and authors who'd swept awards she'd dreamed of even being in.
The man had siphoned off some of the best fresh faces in the industry, and she felt the pressure hit her full force. Her brain was screaming to her that she didn't belong in this place. That she was an outsider, a thief who stole her way into their glory.
Here she was wearing an outfit that looked stripped from someone's TikTok page while everyone was in suits and ties. She struggled to avoid the eyes glaring daggers in her back as people whispered about her presence.
It was obvious nobody knew that a meeting had been set up, and those that did expected more. They thought she would be very memorable, someone who would knock them off their podium.
This feeling left her nauseated as a secretary guided her upstairs to the office area. Her lawyer trailed behind with a stony expression. The sandy-haired man did much better keeping himself together.
