Luca West was banned from the office. It was a fact, one that Lexi had already relayed to Noelle in exhaustive detail.
Lexi was a firehose of continuous information. She told Noelle everything about anything happening in the office - every piece of gossip, every conspiracy theory, and every possible scenario for any given situation. Noelle wasn't yet certain how much of it was accurate, but Lexi seemed certain enough.
She recounted how Chloe announced it to him, how he reacted, what he told her on the phone, how miserable he was when Lexi met him on the set.
"He was like a kicked puppy," she had said.
Like I'm gonna feel sorry for him!
True to the ban, Luca hadn't made an appearance. She'd been told he still visited the building, but only for scheduled appointments, and he was always accompanied by Chloe or Noah. Noelle thought the measure was extreme, but then again, so were his own actions.
It had been almost two weeks. Two weeks without seeing him. Noelle's office life was splendid. This is what she had selected to believe. That was the narrative she chose for herself.
Following the shock she had endured, her pride compelled her to scorn him completely.
Better if I'd never met him! That arrogant, manipulative jerk.
That was what she told herself. And she was focusing on the one thing she knew well: learning.
She had the opportunity to see the practical applications of the theories she was taught. Unfortunately, few though. She was mainly tasked with answering phones, organizing meetings, copying and filing documents, proofreading and formatting texts—along with other miscellaneous chores. Noelle felt lucky that at least she didn't have to make coffee for visitors.
The most valuable part of her day was her hour-long meeting with Chloe to work on her thesis. Chloe was deeply involved, actively assisting and guiding her. Noelle found Chloe's enthusiasm almost amusing; she exhibited so much excitement, it was as if she were the one preparing the final assignment. Maybe this mentorship was the very reason Chloe had agreed to take on an intern in the first place.
After their meetings, Noelle would gather data: marketing strategies, business plans, project initiatives, financial figures—anything that was shared.
And of course, she had to pretend she knew very little about Luca's career. To that end, she would let Lexi narrate long stories about his past, taking notes on his work as both a singer and an actor.
Noelle would then go back home and try to make a sense out of all these. She had planned everything from before, but she was struggling to make her paper even more interesting. She would ace that paper no matter what. She was so preoccupied with her work that she had little time to think of what happened.
Though, he-who-should-stay-out-of-her-mind was not so easy to get blocked.
Luca West was inescapable.
She was stubborn as a mule and had truly hoped she could just delete him, but how could she when she worked in an office that bore his name? Besides her thesis, every day she had to learn about his new assignments, his new deals, about his schedule. Even if he wasn't there, the place was full with his pictures. His face, aside from the walls, was almost in all documents. And what she hated the most was that every time she was answering phones she had to say: "Luca West unit. How can I help you?"
Noelle couldn't wait for the summer to end. Her original plan—to find a job, gain experience, and travel beyond Nova Bay—was now completely cancelled. All she wanted was to get her damn diploma and go home, away from this place, away from that awful stardom, away from Luca West. She was trapped, and the thought of the long summer ahead was suffocating.
That weekend she had worked her ass off. It was Sunday afternoon and time to cool down. She stacked all her notes and books, and turned on the TV. A string of commercials was playing. How much she had always enjoyed watching commercials. Ever since she was a kid she thought it was something magical. How so many messages, so much information could get packed into just a few seconds! Later, when she found out about the hard work needed to make a commercial, it deepened her admiration. At that specific moment, they were the perfect distraction.
The first commercial was for a cereal brand. It was an animated, funny and cute ad. When that one was over, another one began featuring a beautiful girl promoting a new skin product. She was happily applying a cream on her skin. Noelle thought she would like to try it. Afterwards, another started filmed in a dark studio. It featured a car, that she soon realized it was for a new electric model. The commercial drew attention to the car's strong points. It seemed sporty, but not overly aggressive. The lines and curves of the car were well-designed. A quick look at the interior highlighted the quality of the materials.
In the background, a man appeared, approaching the car. His figure was blurred and then the perspective changed. The viewer could see his back, as he was walking towards the driver's side. He was wearing an exquisite and rather expensive suit. The lens focused on his shoes for a moment - polished Italian leather. He walked by the car, fondly tracing its sleek lines, caressing the metal like it was his lover's skin. He stopped by the driver's seat, and he opened the door.
The camera followed him to the interior, focusing on the steering wheel, the dashboard. Then the lens focused on the rearview mirror.
And there they were. A pair of teasing eyes, somewhat familiar.
Those eyes… It can't be.
Next thing the lens closed up his magnetizing smile.
That smile...
The scene widened and the screen was full with Luca West's smiling face. He started the engine and said with a seductive look: "Let's go!''
Frustrated, Noelle changed channel. She knew that he had done many commercials. This one was the most recent. Chloe was very proud about this one, because she personally landed the deal. Due to his popularity, West was a top choice for ads. More popularity meant more ads and more ads meant more money. Chloe had emphasized that point twice.
Noelle remembered his first commercial - for a juice brand. Luca had gone a long way ever since. Now he was making commercials for luxury brands and cars. It made no difference to her. She just didn't want to see him anymore.
No more commercials!
She switched to her streaming platform. The Fisher streaming platform in particular. She wanted to start watching something new. She selected the 'upcoming' series. The first video was a short from a new science-fiction series, the talk of the town. Based on a best-seller book, it was a guaranteed success. Noelle added it to her watchlist. The first season would have only eight episodes. She would probably have time to watch it all before returning home. After all, her master's degree issues wouldn't be wrapped up until October, or even November. At least she would be home for Christmas this year.
It would be nice to spend time with her brother during his holiday break. She knew she might regret the thought—he had a talent for irritating her. But then again, he had grown up. He was fourteen now. He had talked so little with her online this past year. Maybe he didn't care, as her mother said, or maybe he missed her terribly, as her father insisted. Whatever the reason, she was dying to see him and give him a big hug. He was her baby brother, after all.
Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed when the next video auto-played. A trailer for an upcoming show popped onto the screen—a dark, atmospheric fantasy set. It was impressive, filled with action scenes, stunning outfits, and gorgeous sets. But before the series title even appeared, Noelle felt a wave of helplessness. She already knew the name.
Oath To The Gods.
Luca West was on her screen once again. The most frustrating thing was how compelling he looked in those scenes. The second season of the series was still filming, planned to air in September - they were working fast! Of course she knew about it; she'd seen the series, and knew what he was filming at that moment.
Time to turn it off!
She was afraid he would appear again at any second. He was everywhere. Maybe she would bump in one of his interviews, an old music video, or even one of his movies. Luca had invaded her house. He had been there long before, but then it didn't matter. Now, she desperately wanted to keep him out.
She decided the best way to relax would be to go for a walk. Noelle knew she was risking coming across him on a billboard or the side of a bus, but that risk was lower than on TV or her phone. Outside, she could just look away. She wouldn't miss a second to wrench her gaze free from that face that haunted her.
She remembered the nickname Lexi had given him. Lucafer. So fitting.
You can burn in hell all by yourself. You are not dragging me there.