Chapter 14

The next morning, Orm was deeply asleep, enjoying a restful slumber, until she was rudely awakened by a rough shaking.

Groggily, she opened one eye, grumbling and mumbling in protest.

"What the heck?" she muttered, her voice thick with sleep and dazed confusion.

Lingling, standing beside Orm's bed, shook her awake again, her voice loud and irritated.

"Where's my breakfast?" she demanded, her arms folded in annoyance. "I can't start my day without a proper meal. And it's already past 9AM."

Orm, feeling the remnants of sleep still lingering, shot Lingling a grumpy look.

She propped herself up on one elbow, her eyes narrowing as she responded.

"I'm not your personal chef, you know, get your own damn breakfast."

Lingling, her irritation and impatience mounting, crossed her arms and gave Orm a sharp look.

"Remember the deal we made!" she exclaimed, her tone demanding.

"You agreed to help out around the house, right? So that includes cooking me breakfast."

"Are you serious?" Orm said incredulously, her voice full dripping with frustration and mock compliance.

"You're gonna pull the 'deal' card on me for breakfast? Really?"

Orm, feeling the weight of Lingling's death stare, let out a loud huff.

"Fine, fine," she conceded, reluctantly getting out of bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I'll make your damn breakfast. But, I swear, if you keep waking me up this early, I might poison your meal."

She grumbled under her breath as she headed toward the kitchen.

"This woman is driving me insane...Demanding a five-star breakfast like she's royalty."

Lingling's voice followed her, echoing down the hall.

"I heard that! No more dawdling. I need my breakfast, and quickly!"

Despite the bickering and the demands, there was a sense of excitement and liveliness that filled the air.

Lingling, as demanding as she was, couldn't help but feel a subtle thrill in the chaos.

It had been a long time since her life had felt this interesting and unpredictable.

Lingling decided to follow closely behind Orm, watching her every move with anticipation.

She leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, a sly smile playing on her lips as she observed Orm's preparations.

On the other hand, Orm was feeling amused by Lingling's persistent presence and glanced over her shoulder as she started cooking.

She couldn't help but taunt back with a dose of sarcasm.

"Why are you staring at me like that? If I didn't know you're utterly obsessed with Prigkhing, I might start thinking you're actually interested in me, you know."

Lingling, unfazed by Orm's retort, fired back.

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself. I'm just keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't burn the house down."

After a comfortable moment of silence, Orm tossed a question to Lingling, curious about the actress life.

"Hey, Lingling. Do you have a free schedule these days? You don't seem to be wrapped up in work much."

"Getting tired of me already, are you?" Lingling teased, her tone filled with mock indignation.

"Don't worry, I'll be around to annoy you some more."

Orm chuckled at Lingling's response, shaking her head in mock irritation.

"Oh, you're impossible. It's like you get off on irritating me or something."

"Seriously, I'm not having much work at the moment," Lingling confessed, her voice tinged with a hint of boredom.

"It's starting to get a bit monotonous. But I do plan to go to the gym later on," she added, regaining her usual nonchalance.

"Oh, so you're one of those fit gym rats, huh?" Orm quipped, a smirk appearing on the corner of her lips.

"Well, at least you're not bringing a bunch of girls back here like I was worried about."

"Oh, worried you'd get jealous?" Lingling taunted, her voice filled with teasing mockery. "Can't handle a little competition, can you?"

Orm, feigning nonchalance, shot back with a sarcastic reply.

"Jealous? Not at all. I just prefer my house drama-free, that's all. No need for your fan club and their shenanigans here."

********

Lingling's phone suddenly rang, breaking their playful banter.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and saw it was a call from her manager, Namtan.

Namtan's voice came through the phone, her tone a mixture of irritation and concern.

"Lingling, where were you last night? Why didn't you answer my calls? I've been trying to reach you all night!"

Realizing that explaining the truth to Namtan was impossible, Lingling quickly pivoted the conversation, trying to hide any hint of their true situation.

"I was, uh, out with friends last night. My phone was on silent, so I didn't hear it ring."

Namtan's voice grew more frenzied as she spoke.

"No, you weren't! I saw the news, Lingling. Your pictures were all over the internet!"

Lingling's heart skipped a beat at the revelation. She felt her stomach drop, her surprise evident in her response.

"Uh, pictures? What pictures?"

"Lingling, there are pictures of you in a car in the middle of the night with some girl! It looked like you two were kissing. Explain yourself!" she exclaimed, her tone a mix of shock and anger.

The silence on Lingling's end of the phone spoke volumes.

She struggled to find her voice, trying to come up with a convincing excuse.

Finally, she managed to stammer out a response. "I-it's not what it looks like, Namtan. It's...it's a misunderstanding."

Namtan, undeterred, continued pressing Lingling for answers.

"A misunderstanding? What the hell do you mean 'misunderstanding'? Did you or did you not have a girl in your car in the middle of the night, looking like you two were about to devour each other?" she demanded, her voice stern and unwavering.

"We didn't kiss! I mean, come on, do you really think I would do something like that?" Lingling retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You wish, Namtan. You wish."

"Lingling, those pictures looked pretty damn convincing," Namtan argued, her voice filled with skepticism.

"You can't just dismiss it like that. The public is already going crazy over them."

"Aren't they used to it already? Paparazzi and their wild claims, it's nothing new. They'll forget about it soon enough."

Namtan, growing more frustrated, interjected firmly.

"Girl, these aren't just random paparazzi claims. They have actual pictures this time. It's all over the internet. This isn't going to blow over easily. "

"If so, did you do anything to appease the situation?"

"Of course I did! But the damage is already done," Namtan exclaimed, her tone sharp.

"The pictures are out there, and people are going wild. This might take more than just a simple PR stunt to fix."

Namtan's words were met with silence from Lingling's end of the phone.

"Lingling, we need to discuss this in person," Namtan insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Come to my office, right now."

Lingling, after a moment of contemplation, finally hung up the phone. A hint of worry flashed across her face, and she turned to face Orm with a grim expression.

"We're screwed," she muttered, her voice tinged with unease.