She had been hiding in her room, avoiding everyone, including her manager, especially the press, who had somehow discovered her whereabouts.


    The only person she wished to see was her assistant and room service. Of course, she had to eat, and someone had to help her with her errands.


    "That is your brother again, Serena," ire informed her after hanging up the phone. "He is asking if he coulde and visit you."


    She thought about it for a split second but already knew the answer. She missed her brother, even Rose, but she could not face them yet.


    "No, tell my brother that I am busy. I will call him..." She paused, thinking. "... whenever..." It meant she had no indefinite n of talking to him.


    She was not ready to see anyone or talk to them. Her assistant would have to make some usible excuse about it.


    "What about Mr. Mason? What should I do about him?" Her assistant asked as she walked toward the small kitchen to prepare a drink.


    She did not need a second to think about this one. She knew the answer to her question immediately.


    "Tell Mr. Mason I don''t wish to talk to him if he calls again." She tantly rejected Adam''s attempt to talk to her.


    She already told him that she needed some space. She thought she was ready to deal with whatever woulde between their rtionship. But clearly, she was not.


    Now, she felt torn between running away again or staying to fight for him. Did she make the mistake of taking a chance on him?


    Should she give up on him after what she learned about him? Was he just another douchebag pretending to be a good guy?


    Or should she reconsider listening to his exnation and decide from there if she should forgive him? However, history showed that she was not a great judge of character.


    "Ok," ire answered, but she could see from the expression on her face that she disagreed with her.


    Somehow, she had grown fond of her assistant, treating her as a friend. Last night, due to a slight emotional breakdown, she told ire the story about Adam and her.


    ire seemed to side with Adam more than her. She insisted that she should talk to him before shutting him out. But her experience still held her back, afraid of falling into the same trap.


    "In case Nora calls, tell her to send the scripts she mentioned earlier. I want to check them out." Serena had decided that working might be a good way of distracting herself.


    Nora had been bugging her to look at the projects she had aligned for her, but she kept pushing them back forter. Now, she wondered if it was the right time to return to the saddle.


    Maybe instead of focusing on finding the right man, she should return to her first love, acting. She should rearrange her priorities and stop getting sidetracked.


    "Sure. I think that would make Nora very happy." iremented with a smile, approving of her n.


    She guessed she could not keep sulking in her room. It was not good for her mental health. She had to start being productive and doing something.


    "Anyway, I am going out to buy a few things. Do you need to add to the list?" She asked as her assistant grabbed her bag on the counter.


    She thought about it, but she hardly needed much. She shook her head, not able to think of anything she would like her assistant to get for her.


    "Just go and lock the door," Serena instructed while she returned to the couch in her pajama and buried herself on the throw pillows.


    At the moment, she had nothing else to do but stare at the nk, dark screen of the television. The remote was just on her left, but she did not feel like watching anything.


    "And tell room service I don''t want to be disturbed." She added, not wanting anybody knocking on her door to ask if they could clean the room or if she would need anything.


    She only wanted some peace, even for just a few minutes. She did not want any unwanted visitors or strangers walking through her door.


    "As you wish," ire said. "Why don''t you have a rxing bath?" She suggested.


    Her assistant had been bugging her to get out of her baggy ensemble since this morning but did not have the energy to do so.


    She guessed she felt morefortable in her sleeping attire than wearing her designerbel clothes. She felt more at home.


    "Maybeter." She responded, not making a move to stand from the couch. On the contrary, she shifted from sitting toying t on her stomach on the soft cushion.


    She thought if she stared long enough at the nk space, she would doze into oblivion. She believed it might be better to sumb to darkness than to keep getting reminded of Adam and his transgression.


    She felt ire move around her before she heard the door close behind her assistant. Then, there was only silence, making her realize she was finally alone.


    "Now, what?" She asked herself after almost a quarter of a long hour and was still wide awake.


    She could feel her frustration as her mind conjured his face repeatedly despite her continued effort to forget him. Was there any other way to not just think of him?


    She knew she would have to face him, but she was not ready.


    Not yet.


    Minutes passed, then an hour. Or was it more?


    Finally, she heard the doorknob wiggling and the door opening, indicating that someone just entered the room. But, of course, she did not bother to look into the intruder, knowing it was just ire, back from her chore.


    "You are back so fast." She remarked, continuing to stare at the ceiling this time.


    She guessed she was still not in the mood forpany, feeling gloomy and uninterested in life. She could not seem to find the strength to want to move.


    "I have to check if you are still breathing." ire looked at her concernedly.


    She was usually shy and did not share much of her opinion unless asked. But now, she was bing bolder in calling her out on her actions.


    "I did not even know you can be funny." She uninterestedly answered, ignoring her assistant, who was looming over her.


    Although she knew she had a point since she was wasting her life away by brooding in her hotel room, feeling sorry for herself.


    But still, she was not ready to face the truth, whatever it was.


    "Why don''t you just call him and clear this up?" ire continued to nag at her, but she did not want her unsolicited advice.


    She turned her back on her, burying her head in the pillows. The darkness and the silence seemed to be a wee reprieve.


    "It is not helping." Suddenly another voice echoed around her. She wondered if the pillows changed her assistant''s tone. It sounded different. "If you keep hiding from the truth."


    She could finally tell it was not her assistant, but whose voice was that? And if that was not ire, what was she doing in her room?


    "What the fuc..." She was about to question her assistant when she moved the pillow away and faced the unknown trespasser.


    But she had to stop her words when her mouth dropped upon seeing who she was. She did not expect to see her in her room or ever.


    "I am sorry. I did not mean toe here unannounced." The woman who stood by the closed door said. "I did not mean to intrude."


    She could see that she was having difficulty exining her presence to her. She guessed this was as ufortable for her visitor as it was for her.


    She could feel the awkwardness in the room increased as the second ticked by. But at least her guest tried to look her in the eye despite their situation.


    "Sorry, but I found her outside the door." ire dered, looking apologetic with her big brown eyes. "She said she would never leave until she had a chance to talk to you."


    Sometimes, she could strangle her assistant for having such a big heart. She would drag every stray dog and cat in the street if she could, feeling sorry for their situation.


    But she guessed she was just the same. She remembered wanting to adopt all those orphan children if she could.


    "That is ok." She finally decided to let it go. She could not get mad at her anyway. "Why don''t you sit down..." But she seemed to miss remembering her name thest time she saw her.


    "Roseann..." She supplied the missing line. "Call me Roseann." She repeated.


    "Then, call me Serena." She was never great at being a bitch in real life, unlike in her movies. "Please..." She encouraged her to enter the spacious room and join her on the couch.


    She could not fathom the purpose of her visit. But she supposed it had something to do with Adam. What else could it be?


    But did shee here to see her personally to stake a im on him and tell her to back off? Or was she here to relinquish her hold on him and promise to stay away?


    "You must be surprised to see me." She uttered in her calm voice, appearing like she was fighting the nerves that she could read in her eyes. "Well, I believe shock is the better word."


    She certainly had strong feelings about her sudden intrusion into her privacy. However, she also sensed confusion and curiosity, an interest to know why she dared to show her face to her.


    What was it that she wanted to discuss with her? What was her purpose for seeing her? But moreover, would she like it or not?