Novel Palace
One
“A humble actor? That’s an oxymoron I don’t come across very often,” Sandy said with a slightly sarcastic laugh. She was about to leave when her phone rang, and Andrea was on the other side telling her that she needed to clean up her cottage for a long-term rent prospect. “I’m tellin’ ya’, this John Brady is well known for his good attitude, super cool guy, and down-to-earth vibe … everybody loves him Sandy, EVERYBODY!!” her best friend slash property agent slash life advisor sounded ecstatic for her client. “I know John Brady, I haven’t seen all his movies … but an actor is an actor, they don’t come in a ‘humble box’, okay babe? I’ve had actors and actresses, all sorts of celebrities stayed at my cottage and they’re a whole different species,” Sandy said while putting on her sneakers. “No, no, no, you don’t understand, this is JOHN BRADY … you know? Urgh I can’t believe I’m friends with you! How could you not know about this? He’s the ultimate fantasy boyfriend!! He’s the most private guy in the celebrity universe, not much is known about him except the fact that he’s super nice, generous, and kind …” Andrea went on with her praises until Sandy couldn’t keep up with her anymore. “Okay … okay … I get it, jeez, you’re such a fangirl, you said that about all the actors who stayed at my cottage … I don’t mind the rent money, honey, six months sounds like a dream, I’ll even throw in a discount if I have to … so what do I have to do to secure the contract with His Majesty the Ultimate Fantasy Boyfriend John Brady The Humble Actor a. k. a mythical creature?” “Oh God … you’re so going to love this guy! I’m sending you the requirements to your email as we speak! We’re bidding this with four other agents, Sandy, it’s not a sure deal but keep your fingers crossed, let’s hope fate is on our side!” and she ended it with a scream of excitement that made Sandy pull away from her phone. “Fingers crossed, Andrea! Good commission is coming your way!” she yelled to her phone and hung up. She opened the email from her phone and sighed, “Shit! 30 pages?? Gosh Andrea, this better get me a 6-month rent,” she cursed and closed her door to go back to her computer. There goes another day at the gym she had been postponing forever. It’s been several months that her cottage had been rent-less, she’s behind on her payment to the owner. A life investment she didn’t really think about when she took a 20-year lease on a luxurious compound in Bhorma Island, consisting of two cottages to be re-rented for profit. She was instantly captivated by the wooden interior and exterior of the main Villa, the feel of a cabin in the woods with modern glass windows, wide view facing the mountain at the back balcony. She saw herself starting a family there with the love of her life, two kids, a vast grass yard for them to play, a swimming pool. It was a place they didn’t have to take a vacation from. A dream that was too soon to be realized. She used all her savings to make the down payment of the first five years of the lease because she was in love, and thought it was going to last forever. The first and worst mistake she ever did in her adult life, she was 26 at the time. Trevor paid half of the down payment and left her soon after. Her five years is up and now she’s struggling to pay the rest by herself. The only way she could afford to cover the lease was to rent it out to celebrity clients because of how extravagant it was for a single woman with a regular job with little to no savings. Trevor felt like a lifetime ago, but her stomach still turns every time she’s reminded of him, how hard she fell for the handsome blue-eyed young entrepreneur, how hard her heart broke because of how he left without a word. Her jaw tightened, her eyes got watery, she closed her eyes to extrude the memories away. She took a deep breath and moved on, every single time. The first 20 pages of requirements were standard for celebrity guests, the usual cleanliness, security, privacy, maintenance, confidential agreement, and so on. The checklist started to look peculiar on the twenty-first page, Sandy sat back on her chair and thought about it for some time. []Lights out after 8 PM
[]No music or loud sound after 8 PM
[]No children under 6 years of age allowed on the premises
[]No maid or cleaning service allowed inside the property when the client is inside
[]No visiting guest
[]No staying guest
[]No visiting guest Andrea did mention he’s a very private guy, it wasn’t too much out of the ordinary, under the circumstances, most celebrities had even more bizarre requirements. At least he won’t be having parties like most celebrities do, and scratch her wooden floor, smash her window or burn her sofa. She tapped her fingers on her desk, and finally put the ticks on every box that needed it. She didn’t give it a second thought and sent out the document to Andrea.NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.