Beauty and the Billionaire

Part 1 - The actress

Chapter 1

"Cut!" shouted director Albie, clapping his hand for everyone, "Great take, people!" And to his star, he added, "And, Elysse, as always, you're lovelier than the last take."

Elysse smiled. She would have melted the director's heart with the gesture had he been from Mars. But director Albie was from Venus himself, and this alien standing in front of him was, indeed, a competition. Not just a very beautiful, but an exquisite and angelic competition enough to have Meriam update and add an entry on the lexicon under the letter "E" for Elysse. Its very definition would be beautiful, pretty, lovely, exquisite, and angelic rolled into one.

That's how pretty Elysse was. She was an A-lister in the category. Surveys from top magazines in the country upheld her beauty at the top. Named one of the prettiest, if not the most, she bagged the title "most photogenic star from all angles." She didn't enter the contest and definitely did not win anything, apart from her fans' bragging rights. Nevertheless, her camp was ecstatic about it.

With thousands of pictures on the net and social media platforms, her face eventually entered the international scene. Half a decade ago, she was voted one of the prettiest faces in Asia. A year after, the world. Her instagram and facebook accounts had comments of, "wacky na nga, maganda pa rin!". (even on wacky, she's still beautiful). Even international celebrities follow her account on Twitter and Instagram. Some even admitted they became besotted by the young actress.

And figure? At 34-24-34 on a 5'7" frame, recently transforming from a teener to a young lady, Elysse had been topping the 100 sexiest lists from premier men's magazines despite her wholesome image. She jumped from 54 to the top 10 last year and ran second this year without donning a swimsuit.

A writer claimed beauty was not in the eyes of the beholder but within Elysse. She neither bragged about it nor considered herself to be despite her 'rights'. That was what's beautiful about the whole thing -- with all her God-given looks, she remained walking on mortal grounds.

And lastly, her beauty came with the talents required. In an industry where incomparable looks matters, it's a rare gift when a pretty face comes with such depth in playing her parts. A decade ago, Elysse won the best child actress award barely a year in the business. She received positive reviews for the roles she played. Be it in romance, teen dramas, comedies, and horror films. Audrey Albayde, her manager, started hunting for a project that would bag Elysse the much-coveted best actress award.

Chapter 2

"It's a wrap, guys!" called the production assistant. Before everyone went their ways attending to their duties, most of them lined up for souvenir photos with Elysse. It took another 10 minutes for the actual wrap to start.

Elysse was tired but kept smiling throughout the pictorial. It is one of her self-imposed rules. To be professional and accommodating, not only toward the crew but also to the other people backstage.

And today was no different. With only 4 hours of sleep from the night before and the day's commercial shoot ending a little under three hours before midnight, the energy is slowly seeping away. She went over to her seat and began massaging her shoulders while rotating her head...her ritual after a hard day's work. Shine patiently waited for his goddess's command.

"Josako." It's how Shine called her. It started two years ago when The Star magazine put her on the cover as the most beautiful face in Philippine Cinema. Despite her protests, the assistant prevailed. The name, meaning my goddess, stuck.

Shine is of the same height as his goddess, and he hated looking down at her. From his star-studded viewpoint, it's false. It's wrong. He is the servant to this Venus, so he knelt beside her. "Spa or dinner?"