Hollywood Zenith

" What\'s going on? Her makeup was a mess and she refused to say anything to me!" Bella believed Samuel must have done something to her like playing a prank to upset her in someway. Afterall he was known to be a little chaotic!

" Hey, don\'t look at me like that. I swear this time was not my fault!"

" Fine, tell me what happened then." She folded her arms wanting to hear his answer.

Samuel hesitated for a bit, he didn\'t know whether it was right for him to tell her about it. It would have been much better if three of them could talk face to face but he didn\'t see that happening anytime soon.

" Alright but maybe we should go to the living room. I don\'t want her to be hearing about this again." He decided to tell her because Bella was bound to hear about it sooner or later.

Once they sat down, he began to tell everything that happened tonight. That included the fun part first, Bella was pleased to hear Kate was having fun she was a little jealous because Samuel gave her a rough list of celebrities attending the premier. One could hardly meet them face to face, it was a fan\'s dream to be in the same room as them along with opportunities to meet their idol.

" Promise me that you will take me next time!" Bella let her intentions known.

" I could have taken you today, you were just-"

" What\'s done is done, it\'s not like I am a big fan but I like to see what they are like when they are not acting. How else would I be able to see them interact in their natural habitat?"

" We are not zoo animals you know. Forget it, after the movie..." He told her about the after party. Despite him not hearing what exactly Kate and Brett talked about, it must have left a deep scar on her mind.

" I only left her for a second and when I went to join them I saw few men harassing Kate. I didn\'t think much of it, knowing Kate\'s personality she is able to handle herself but I saw her with her head down refusing to acknowledge them."

" She is crass but since she was with you, I am sure she didn\'t want to cause a scene." Bella shrugged. There was not one person who knew Kate better than her.

" That\'s what I thought at first but upon closer inspection she was scared."

"..." Bella thought she was not hearing him correctly. Kate was scared? That didn\'t happen often.

" Don\'t tell me she was crying too?" Samuel nodded. She finally understood why her eyeliner was making streaks on her cheek.

" I knew something was wrong, after sending her away I found out that man\'s name was Brett. He was about same age as her-"

" Motherfucking Green! That bastard has nerves to show in front of her again after I explicitly told him not to do it. I will kill him!" Bella shouted, jumping on her feet ready to go to battle. Samuel could see her burning with fury.

"Settle down! I already took care of it."

"How?"

" I have my ways. Let\'s just say you wouldn\'t be able to find him for few weeks since I took away his mobility."

" You fought?"

" Kindof." He gave her a watered down version of it. It\'s not ideal to show his brutality, she might like it but it would set a bad example.

" That\'s too little of a punishment for what he did to her!" Just as he thought, she wasn\'t satisfied with it either.

" I know that\'s why I am planning something but I need some time. In meantime, don\'t try to do anything foolish." He was afraid she would barge inside his house. She had done it before what\'s to say she wouldn\'t do it again?

" Good, I know I could trust you."

" That\'s nice of you but I am only telling you this because it\'s your job to find out what he actually said to her. I don\'t understand why she wouldn\'t even talk to me but I believe she would open up to you."

" Don\'t worry, I think she is just rattled about this whole thing. It\'s first time they had met in years, it could trigger her past trauma."

" Same, I asked her to go to hospital at first but she was looking fine physically but just in case you have to be there for her for few days." Samuel added.

" What about you? Are you leaving?"

" I think so, it\'s will good to give her some time before opening up the conversation again." Samuel stood up. He was about to say his goodbyes to Kate through the door when Bella stopped him.

" If you don\'t have anything important to do, why don\'t you stay here tonight? I mean, it\'s already so late. She would appreciate it if she was able to see you in the morning." She grabbed his hand and said earnestly.

" I don\'t think it\'s a good idea. There are only two rooms with Kate locking herself in one, we have to share one." Despite Samuel being proactive with Kate around, he thought it was better not to sneak behind her back and complicate things. They were taking things slow after all and her going through this stuff, his head was not in the right place to have fun.

It would only be detrimental if Kate somehow mistook things in the morning.

" Come on! It\'s not like we haven\'t shared a bed together before? If you can keep your hands to yourself, I don\'t see any harm in it." Bella was frank about it. She didn\'t have any ulterior motives, for now she only wanted him to stick around in case Kate started searching for him in the morning.

They both knew how busy he was everyday, there was no telling when he would stop by if she let him leave tonight. Seeing she had no qualms about it, Samuel decided to stay the night.

" By the way, do you have any leftovers? Kate didn\'t had anything other than the snacks during the premiere."

" I will fix something up for her and you. In meantime, you can freshen up and change into something comfortable."

Samuel nodded, he was starving too so there was no harm turning down food. He went inside her room and began taking his clothes off. After few minutes, he came out to see few clothes lying on the bed which he quickly changed into and went outside to see, Bella had started to place food on the table.

" You should eat while I try to wedge my way inside."

" Should I come with you?"

" No, I have few tricks up my sleeve so don\'t worry about it." She proclaimed confidently and carrying a tray full of food to Kate\'s room.

He sat down and started eating, it was normal Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy that she heat up. The portions were smaller than he used to but it was at least some food in his stomach. He kept one ear open to hear how Bella would do it.

In the end he found out something intriguing. It sounded more like a threat that if Kate didn\'t eat food, Bella was going to tell him something. They argued back and forth but ultimately Kate was defeated. What was so embarrassing that Kate doesn\'t want him to find out? It still remained a mystery.

He was relieved and resumed digging into his plate. Just as he finished his meal, Bella came out with an empty tray too. It seemed like Kate was hungry too, evident by the fact that there was nothing left of the plate.

" She was bitching and moaning but in the end, she loves my cooking." Bella said with a smile. It was normal after all she was a professional chef.

" Here, let me help you." Samuel offered to do the dishes.

" You don\'t have to. Just take some rest, I will join you in few minutes." She flat out denied him and began cleaning everything.

Samuel went back to the room and began thinking about everything that had happened today. He never expected to run into new enemy but with sufficient planning, he knew he could find some dirt on them. He knew Jane would come through with something by morning, there was only a question how far was he willing to take it?

It would have been best if he could ask Kate about it but with the headspace she was in, it was best to do everything discreetly for time being.

It was already midnight, he was laying on the bed for some time now with sleep still escaping him. That\'s when he noticed Bella coming into the room wearing a skimpy night dress. For a second his thought did went awry but many people liked to sleep in comfortable clothes or even naked so it was not his place to judge her.

She also acted oblivious to his gaze like it was normal and went to the restroom. After few minutes she came out and simply laid down beside him.