Chapter 3 By A Thread

• The rubber ball wasn't helping Chris relax. That was its purpose, but that idiot Eduard had been lecturing him for half an hour as if he were still 15 years old. Christian knew he was troublesome and didn't listen much to his agent, but what could he do when troubles always found their way to him?
• "Are you even listening to me?" Eduard questioned, stopping his frantic pacing and looking at him with concern, while Chris thought about things that weren't his problems.
• He felt tired of it all, of leaving his house and doing his job. The years had only made him more stressed, so he had some terrible ideas and made mistakes that the media uncovered.
• "I bet you're in another world."
• "You're a smart guy, but... you annoy the hell out of me." He put the ball aside and stood up from the chair he was using as a swing. Eduard stared at him, wishing he could punch him, but Chris was twice his size with huge muscles, a result of strict diet and rigorous training. "I can't catch a break. They chase me, they spy on me. I can't even have a cup of coffee without it showing up somewhere on the internet."
• "Seriously? Are you saying it's me who's annoying?" Eduard tried to take it lightly, but he was about to have a fit. "I've talked to some people, and the news isn't good." He took a deep breath before uttering those words.
• Christian had no idea that all that stress was justified. As far as they knew, he had to toe the line, or he would be sidelined.
• "What news?" He narrowed his eyes, getting closer to his agent. "Who are these people?"
• "Christian, you're very talented, you've won many awards, but..."
• "But what?" He became thoroughly irritated. "I work my ass off in my projects and follow everything rigorously. I stay in shape because if I gain a few pounds, I'm judged or put in irrelevant roles. Damn it! What more do you want from me?"
• "Your reputation is at stake," Eduard emphasized.
• "When isn't it?" Looking outside, he saw the chaotic city that looked like a painting. It didn't help ease his stress. He believed nothing would.
• They didn't know how discouraging it was. After a while, it became a prison. He couldn't have meaningful relationships, and he couldn't even blink without being on the cover of a magazine or blog.
• "I've been surrounded by this shit since I was a kid. What do you want from me? What do they want me to do?"
• "Some producers are... avoiding you." He felt that would trigger Christian's anger, but it was the truth. Well... the short guy was right. Chris turned with fire in his eyes, as if it were the most absurd thing in the world. "I didn't make it up. That's exactly what they said. Thankfully, not all of them, but gradually, you'll lose your relevance. If some of them..." He noticed the gradual change in his client's expression. He knew something would be thrown at some point, so he avoided standing in front of him. "Getting angry won't get you anywhere, you have to take action."
• "How should I take action?" He found it amusing.
• Christian was already doing a lot. He was in his best physical shape and had numerous trophies and fans. What else would he have to do? Besides, everything he did was just trying to live his life, even though he understood that sometimes, when he drank too much, he crossed the line, like drunk driving, getting into fights at clubs, and having a lot of sex. The problem was that he had always lived like that. Since the beginning. Life there was stressful, chaotic, and he didn't have the option to be like Mother Teresa.
• "Tell me, what do they want from me?" It was hard for him to form that sentence and say it calmly.
• "Normalcy," Eduard was brief and confused Chris.
• "Normalcy?" He furrowed his brow. "What kind of normalcy?"
• "Staying out of the tabloids. No more drinking, racing, women..."
• "They want to put me in a chastity belt?"
• "They want you to stop appearing with a different woman every day."
• "Now there's that too." He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He didn't know how to solve this problem.
• It was true that he was tired of always being cast as a playboy. It was a surprise when he was cast in that role in the recent romance film alongside Sophia.
• Then Chris stopped, as if he had a sudden realization. He smiled again, took a deep breath, and looked at the city, which was illuminated and more beautiful after he remembered the woman with brown eyes who resisted him.
• "A relationship."
• "Yes!" Eduard got so excited with the word that he thought he had lost his composure. "Yes." He cleared his throat. "A girlfriend. Someone who is not in the same position as you. Someone who provides security."
• "Sophia Thompson." He savored her name on his lips. His lips enjoyed the word, and his body remembered the way it felt whenever she was around.
• "It would be a good idea if Sophia wasn't so difficult and didn't hate me."
• "Hate can turn into love if it's well mined." He came up with ideas that she wouldn't like.
• "I don't think you should make it a conquest."
• "Who said it would be a conquest?" He looked back at the balding man. "It will be good for both of us. She's the princess of the moment, a magnificent woman who attracts me more than I care to admit. She's determined, connects with the young audience, has significant power on the red carpet, and... people already think we're dating."
• "You know she always denies it, right?" he reminded him.
• Christian laughed. He knew. And it would be even more fun when they found out.
• "Good thing we still have plenty of events to attend. We'll have time to build our story."
• "Christian, you'll need a lot more than your charm to get her to accept."
• He knew that, and worse, he felt motivated to provoke the girl. She was young, beautiful, daring, and always resisted him. That was a combination Chris thought he would never find. He never thought he would see an opportunity like this to explore as a challenge, even though he knew he shouldn't see it that way.
• "She'll accept," he was convinced. Thinking, he tried to find a way to win her over. "Everything will be aboveboard. She'll know what she's getting into, and so will I. After that, we'll be done."
• "You'll only cause more buzz," he warned. "If you mess with the girl and it goes wrong, it'll be a disaster. They'll bench you."
• "I'll never sit on the bench, unless I want to," he snapped. "Now that you've told me the news, leave me alone to think about what I'm going to do."
• "God, you're going to sink."
• "Then learn how to swim, shorty. If that happens, you're coming with me."
• His confidence was envied by Eduard. The guy had absurd luck or was incredibly privileged. The agent ended up agreeing with the latter part. Being good-looking had earned him his fame, but of course, he had the talent for it.
• Few times had Chris deviated from the curve, playing characters who weren't the rich guy or the playboy. He wanted to explore those other places more, being other people. However, Eduard was right, but of course, he would never admit it. He needed to prove that he wasn't just another handsome guy playing ripped characters on TV.