Maya Kim stirred awake to the faint hum of city lights filtering through the half-drawn curtains. A heavy throb pulsed through her skull, each beat dragging her further into the fog of confusion as she blinked against the unfamiliar luxury around her.
Slowly, she pushed herself up on her elbows. Blinking against the dim glow of a chandelier overhead.
The room was immaculate. High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a breathtaking skyline. In the center was a sleek marble table, set with unopened bottles of champagne. This wasn't hers, not her apartment. Not her world.
Her heart thudded as the realization sank in. "Where am I? "
She tried to recall the night before. Her mind too busy yet to notice the luxurious business card resting on the drawer beside the bed. But her memories were still fragmented. Teasing her with the laughter, flashing lights from camera and paparazzies. The bass of music thrumming in her veins.
Faces blurred together, all tinted with champagne haze and dizzying adrenaline. Her throat was dry, her limbs heavy.
Maya swung her legs off the bed, noticing the trail of her clothes scattered carelessly across the floor. Her heels by the door, her silver clutch tossed onto the couch. The glittering dress she had worn, crumpled like discarded starlight. Panic clawed up her chest.
"No… no, no. I wouldn't… would I?"
She pressed a shaky hand to her forehead, trying to steady her breath. But even through the haze, the warmth of a man's touch lingered on her skin. Like shadows of a fire that had already burned out.
Turning, she saw the faint outline of a figure still in bed. A man. Broad shoulders, hair tousled, his face hidden in the half-light. She froze. Her pulse hammered so loud it drowned out everything else.
Who is he?
She didn't wait to find out. She didn't even want to know. All she cared about was getting out of there. Carefully, she collected her dress, her bag, her phone and every piece of herself she could gather until she was almost at the door. Her heels dangled from her fingers as she tiptoed across the suite.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, startling her. She clutched it tightly, silencing it before slipping out into the hallway. Her chest still aching with questions she wasn't ready to answer.
Sliding into the back of a cab, Maya leaned her head against the window. Forcing her thoughts to clear. She told herself it had been nothing. A mistake. Just one night of bad decisions she would bury and never speak of again.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, her fingers froze. One side was bare. Her diamond drop earring, her mother's gift for her first red carpet. It was gone.
Her stomach dropped. One earring was with her. The other… then it clicked, it had caught her eye somewhere in that suite. Yes, on the marbled table. A small diamond drop earring.
But it was too late. There was nowhere she was going back in there for it. But then, she needed a good excuse to clear any questions it may raise from her mother.
A sighed, escaped her lips. Resting her back on the seat, she briefly shut her eyes. Recalling how she got herself into this mess.
It all began has an innocent evening.
Earlier that Night;
The party had been exactly the kind she wasn't supposed to attend. Exclusive, intoxicating, glittering with the industry's elite. Maya hadn't planned on going, but the invitation had come through a fellow model. And the temptation was irresistible.
After weeks of juggling university lectures, auditions, and runway shows. She craved an escape. The music was loud, the drinks stronger than she intended. And for once, she allowed herself to breathe without the weight of expectations.
It was then, that she saw him.
Not a celebrity she recognized. Not one of the actors or producers she had met on set. But a man whose presence seemed to command the room without even trying. His gaze had met hers across the floor. Steady, unreadable, yet piercing. And though she told herself she shouldn't, she found her steps drifting closer.
Words blurred into laughter. Laughter into touches. And soon, the party faded into a haze of champagne, secrets, and decisions she had never dared to make before.
The last clear memory she had was the weight of his hand guiding her out of the crowd. The press of his voice low against her ear. And the wild flutter in her chest that warned her she was stepping over a line she could never uncross.
Maya pressed herself against the seat as a sigh escaped lips. Her mind racing. She didn't know his name. And all she is hoping for is a vise versa situation.
After a 30mins drive, she pushed through the cab's doors. The early morning air hitting her like a slap. The city was just waking. Streets still quiet, the sky painted in pale hues of lavender and gray. She tugged her coat tighter around herself. Shielding not just from the chil, but from the weight of what she had just done.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, she looked.
Mom: Don't forget, class at 10. And call me. You sound distant these days.
She exhaled, guilt pricking her chest. She was still her mother's daughter. Still the scholarship student expected to excel at university even while her face was starting to appear on movie posters and magazine covers. And yet here I am, sneaking out of a stranger's bed.
By the time she reached her apartment, the world demanded she switch roles again. A pile of textbooks waited on her desk. A garment bag from her agency lay across the couch with a note reminding her of the afternoon's photoshoot.
Her best friend and roommate, Jina, peeked out of the kitchen, hair tied in a messy bun. "You're alive! I thought you had bailed on me. Where were you?"
"Out," Maya muttered, slipping past her. She wasn't ready for questions.
"Out?" Jina arched a brow. "Like… out out?"
Maya forced a laugh. "Don't be dramatic. Just a party."
Jina rolled her eyes but let it go. "Well, you better shake it off. You've got class in an hour. And your agency's driver is picking you up straight after. Two lives, one Maya. Good luck keeping them both."
Maya closed the bedroom door behind her, pressing her back against it. Two lives. One reckless mistake threatening to unravel them.
She dropped her clutch onto the vanity, pulling out her phone again. For a second, she considered calling the hotel, asking about her earring. But her fingers froze over the screen.
No. Better to forget.
She shoved the phone aside and headed to the washroom. Preparing for her day's activity.