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"Call me whatever you like—girlfriend, good friend, ex-girlfriend, it's up to you."
David smiled as she spoke.
"You scumbag! Got what you wanted and now I'm suddenly your ex? I can't believe I fell for your crap. I'm gonna bite you to death!"
David rolled his eyes. What, like you're the one who lost out? With my skills and assets, you really think I didn't give you the full VIP treatment?
She had never gotten bad reviews in that department.
Girl, you're not eighteen anymore. Stop kidding yourself.
"C'mon, sis. I'm just some newbie in the entertainment world. You're at least a known name. There's no future for us."
"You're into my face, and I'm into your body. Let's not talk about feelings. We're just trading resources and having a good time—isn't that enough?"
Trading resources, huh?
Nicole was speechless. She couldn't argue with that—she had enjoyed herself.
This guy really knew how to deal with women.
Criticizing him for that would just be straight-up lying.
"What if I spend money on you instead? Can't I just keep you?"
"My lovely sugar mama, let's go shopping tomorrow!"
David's attitude did a full 180. If we're talking money—hey, now I'm wide awake!
"Scumbag!!"
Nicole was so mad her chest hurt.
This damn guy only cares about money, not people! With a body like hers, he just wanted a one-time sample and then dipped?
What a jerk!
David just gave her a cheeky grin and lit up a cigarette.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Nicole shot him a glare, sat up, and plucked the cigarette right out of his mouth before taking a drag herself.
"Oh? Not pretending anymore?"
"Hmph."
She let out a sulky little snort.
Please—they were both old pros at this. No point playing dumb.
That whole act earlier? Just her trying to keep David in check.
Let's be honest, guys like him—young, hot, and rare in the industry—were hard to come by.
If she could lock him down, she could have her tasty treat whenever she wanted.
But now that David showed his true colors, if she kept pretending, she'd be the joke.
"Believe it or not, you're only the second man I've ever slept with. I've only loved one guy in my life—and he was a scumbag, too. Now I'm stuck with you? Guess I just have bad luck."
She exhaled a puff of smoke.
"I've been dried up for ages. During this shoot, let's just keep doing our thing. Once it's wrapped, we go our separate ways. No strings."
"Cool with me."
David shrugged.
He liked women who were upfront like that.
As long as there's no drama, it's all good.
And when she said he was her second man—he believed her.
You could feel it.Tight.
Whatever the gossip said, Nicole's body made her a goddess to a lot of guys. Staying close to her meant he wouldn't be starving during the shoot either.
Set couples, as they called it.
Happens all the time in showbiz. It's just one of the unspoken rules.
A production can take months. You've got handsome men and pretty women all packed together, and when you're meat-deprived that long? Well, some people just can't resist sneaking a taste.
People say this industry is wild, but only those inside know just how messy it really is.
What the public sees is just the tip of the iceberg.
Nicole rolled her eyes flirtatiously.
"Lucky you."
David pulled her into his arms.
"Right back at you. You telling me my face doesn't make your heart skip a beat?"
"Tch. Narcissist."
David flipped on top of her, looking down with curiosity.
"You were doing great as a host. Why'd you suddenly switch to acting?"
"What else? Money. Hosting doesn't pay as much as acting."
She placed a hand on his chest, her expression serious.
"Yeah, I had a stable gig at the TV station, government benefits and all, but the salary was pitiful. On top of that, I had performance quotas to meet, and younger girls waiting to take my spot. I had to find a new path."
"If I make it big as an actress, I could earn millions a year. Who wants to be a host then?"
David:
"But you're not even trained. What kind of roles can you actually play?"
Nicole blushed, her breath soft and fragrant.
"Hey, I'm not clueless. They brought me in for one reason—my body."
"Men are all the same. Bunch of pervs. You think I don't know why they invited me?"
"But it's a big project with serious money behind it. If I've gotta be a little sexy to get noticed, so what? I don't care. As long as I get famous, that's all that matters."
"You… don't look down on me, do you?"
Her voice faltered a bit at the end.
David chuckled.
"Making money isn't shameful."
"This whole industry runs on fame and profit. When an opportunity shows up, you grab it. Who knows if you'll ever get another shot?"
"You've got the goods. So what if you use your body to move up? It's your body, not someone else's."
His words hit her right in the feels.
Nicole nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! I'm just showing some curves, that's nothing. Way more women in this industry flash way more—and they got famous too, didn't they?"
"Let's get famous first. Who cares how? As long as it works, it works, right?"
She tried to convince herself.
David just smiled, letting her keep the illusion, while quietly distracting her in his own way.
But the truth was, the cost could be huge.
Sure, plenty of women had stripped down and shot to fame—but how many actually stayed at the top?
Once you go that route, the label sticks with you for life. Doesn't matter if your family's cool with it—your boyfriend or future husband definitely won't be.
What guy can watch his girl "sacrifice for art" on screen and feel okay about it?
Still, Nicole's case wasn't that extreme. Just showing off her figure—not going fully explicit.
On red carpets, actresses wear all kinds of revealing outfits: low-cut, see-through, you name it.
If she got lucky, blew up from this role, and transitioned into serious acting—her whole status would change overnight.
She could make more in one drama than most people make in a lifetime.
Low risk, high reward.
So honestly, it wasn't just Nicole. Almost any woman in the industry would make the same choice.
Once you're famous, the money, the attention, the lifestyle… it's all yours.
David suddenly felt like being a female celebrity was actually kinda easy.
As long as you were willing to go all in—Anything was possible.
"....."