Chapter 9
The morning sun poured through the massive glass walls of the talent agency's lobby. Karina strode through the doors wearing a black windbreaker and heavy tactical combat boots.
Her sleek black hair moved with her aggressive, ground-eating strides. Her bare face was half-hidden behind oversized black sunglasses, concealing her identity.
Trainees and staff members stopped in their tracks, captivated by the cold, lethal aura radiating from her. No one recognized her.
"Oh my god, is that a new top model the agency signed? That presence is insane!" two assistants whispered excitedly in the corner.
Karina walked straight to the front desk. She bent her long fingers and rapped her knuckles twice against the black marble counter. "What floor is Rachel Webb on?"
The receptionist jumped, startled by the freezing tone. "Uh... 12th floor, Section A. Do you have an appointment?"
Karina didn't bother answering. She turned on her heel and walked straight to the elevators, leaving the receptionist too intimidated to call security.
The elevator doors chimed open on the 12th floor. Several actors gossiping about Candice's trending topic instantly shut their mouths, watching with awe as Karina walked past.
She reached the door to Section A. Without knocking, she grabbed the handle and pushed her way in.
Inside, Rachel was screaming into her phone at a PR firm. "I don't care how you do it! You have to get Karina's assault hashtag off the trending list!"
Hearing the door open, Rachel snapped her head up, furious. "I told you not to just walk in-" Her voice died in her throat.
The phone slipped from Rachel's hand, slamming onto the desk. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the incredibly cool, intimidating woman standing in her office.
"Who... who are you looking for?" Rachel stammered, completely failing to connect this person to the aesthetic disaster that was Karina.
Karina pulled off her sunglasses and tossed them onto the sofa. She revealed those signature eyes, now completely devoid of warmth. "You."
"Jesus Christ! Karina? !" Rachel shrieked. She shot up from her chair and sprinted around the desk.
Rachel circled Karina like she was examining an alien, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch the black hair. "Did you... did you get plastic surgery? No, wait, you just took your makeup off? !"
"Stop screaming. I washed my face," Karina said, annoyed. She walked over to the water cooler and noticed the jug was empty.
She glanced down at the sealed, five-gallon water jug sitting on the floor-a solid forty pounds of dead weight.
Rachel was still rambling. "God, your bone structure is insane! If you had just shown this face to the world, Kole wouldn't mean shit! I swear-"
Rachel's words cut off abruptly. Her eyes widened in pure horror.
Karina had casually reached down and grabbed the plastic handle of the forty-pound jug with one hand.
Without bending her knees, without bracing herself, and without a single grimace of effort, Karina lifted the massive jug straight up into the air like it was an empty plastic bottle.
Thump.
She slammed the heavy jug perfectly onto the cooler. Water bubbled loudly into the reservoir.
Dead silence filled the office. Rachel's jaw was practically on the floor. She looked at the massive water jug, then at Karina's slender, pale wrist.
"Did you... did you just... with one hand..." Rachel pointed a shaking finger at the cooler, unable to form a coherent sentence. "My God... did you join a secret CrossFit cult? Where the hell did you get that kind of strength?"
Karina pulled a paper towel and wiped her hand, her face completely blank. "What? You've never seen someone change a water jug?" In the war zone, sprinting with fifty pounds of ammo was a daily routine. This was nothing.
"No... I haven't..." Rachel swallowed hard. Suddenly, she realized that when Karina said she was going to 'tear them to pieces' last night, she wasn't using a metaphor. She meant it physically.
Rachel took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. A fanatical light ignited in her eyes. "Karina, listen to me. Keep this exact energy!"
"As long as you don't do anything stupid on that show, with this face and this aura, I guarantee you'll make a massive comeback!" Rachel slammed her hands on the desk, hyped.
Karina had zero interest in her motivational speech. "Give me the contract and the itinerary. Is the car downstairs?"
Rachel immediately grabbed the documents with both hands, offering them up respectfully. She escorted Karina to the elevator like a servant sending a queen off to war. "The car is ready. Go give them a little shock."
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