Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2024 01:12:35 +0800 From: Shawn _92 Subject: Secrets In Plain Sight Chapter 1 : Audition Dan "Are you sure about this?" "I don't know, but it's probably alright, I think...." My son Vince replied dismissively. Our household income has not been in good condition since the 2020 pandemic. Long story short I got fired from my job and my husband passed away from covid related disease. Since then I had to scrape by any available job to make sure we got a roof above our head. Vince is just 14 but yet mature and understanding about our situation, thank god. He's more than willing to help with our financial struggle in whichever way possible, but I'm pretty reluctant and suspicious about a modeling job, especially with someone as young as Vince. The paycheck could help us a lot but I'm worried about the consequences of the job. "Vince!" Someone opened a door from a room across from where we were sitting. Vince and I quickly got up and headed toward the room. The room is quite spacious with photography equipment and good lighting. The room is equipped with an interviewer's desk, chairs for guests, and a couch in the corner near the camera. "Welcome to our studio. I'm Ben. Let's get straight to the point, you saw my advertisement and here we all are. Payment is exactly as mentioned in my ads, if you agree to proceed, then I will hand out a contract for you to sign." Ben explained everything in a short conversation, I guess he's not into small and pointless chats. "So this is just the first interview? Am I going to get paid for just an interview?" I need some clarification before handing out my son to a stranger to take control. Vince is just sitting beside me, leaving me to handle adult conversations. Ben seems can't take his eyes off Vince. His attention was mostly directly to my son since we entered his room. Vince also locked his eyes with Ben. "Yes, you're going to get paid for the interview, right after signing the contract. Please be reminded that this is just an entry interview, I will hand out his resume to any brands or companies that might be interested in hiring your son for a modeling job. Then I need you to step out of this room and I will take some photos of him." Everything seems alright to me except for the part where I need to get out of the room during the photoshoot session. "Hmm.... I can't stay here during the photoshoot session?" "It's the same for any modeling job, no one is permitted during a photoshoot except for the candidate and cameraman. Do you have any issues with that?" 'It's just that he's 14, and I think I should supervise him..." It seems sketchy to do a photoshoot session with a minor with a stranger inside a closed room. "You don't have to worry about it. Now here's the contract, you can sign it, I pay you, and we can proceed immediately." Ben seemed dismissive and not interested in providing concrete reasoning for my inquiry but handed me a paper contract. He seemed can't wait to kick me out of this room. Vince stays silent during the conversation and occasionally looks back at Ben eyeing him. "You don't have to read the contract, it's just the usual stuff. Just sign and I'll have your money ready" Ben raised his voice a bit, he looked annoyed when I tried to read the terms and conditions. I just signed immediately despite my feeling of uneasiness towards this situation but I'm desperate for quick cash right now. Right after I signed, Ben quickly snatched the paper kept it inside his drawer, and immediately reached for his wallet. He takes out a couple of hundred dollar bills and throws them in front of me. It feels a bit humiliating to be treated like a beggar but I still act like one when I pick it up in front of him. "Alright... So I need you to wait inside the waiting room and please do not come near my office. There's TV and magazines for you... It might take several hours for him to interview and photoshoot session." He takes a deep breath right after our meeting is over and he looks like he can't wait to take control of my son. Ben is not even hiding the fact that he's been looking at my son like a hungry predator since he entered this room. I walked out of the room reluctantly with $200 still in my hand. I don't even have the time to say anything to Vince. My son looked at me for the last time, he was also looking a bit nervous just as I am. Ben's assistant showed me the waiting room, which is quite far from the previous room. Before I took a turn into a corner, I noticed that Ben locked the room, and he glared into my concerned face before closing the blinder curtains. Now it is just both of them, alone in the room. Vince My heart beat even faster when Ben locked the room and closed the blind curtains. He proceeds to sit on the couch behind me and gestures for me to get beside him. He is now smiling and looks friendlier than the last time he talked with dad. I walked slowly and sat beside him. "Hi, Vince right? I saw the photos your dad sent to me. You look even better in person" He tried to ease the tension in the room while moving his arm behind my head and grabbing my shoulder, massaging it softly. He pulled me closer to his body. I can feel the warmth of his middle-aged body and smell his perfume. His hair was almost completely turned white due to aging, and so did his facial hair. His voice was very gentle and almost whispering to my ear. His smile made me change my perception of this man, he might be friendlier than I thought. "Yeah," I replied simply. "Well, your dad didn't send me any photos without your shirt on. Did he say anything to you when I asked him? "Nothing..." I lied. "Are you nervous? I can understand that. But let me tell you, you can make a lot of money doing a modeling job. That 200 dollars is just for him as your parent, but I can give you so much more during our session, but only if you promise not to say anything to him. Hide all the money I gave you and let him be happy with those 200 bucks, deal?" Ben proposed a deal. His hand is now hugging my neck and pushing me closer to his face, which makes me even more nervous. "Hmm....how much?" His deal seems to be intriguing. I get a little excited about the money. "That's the spirit!" He kissed my cheek, which shocked me. "Well, I can give you as long as you follow my directions. I guarantee that your dad going to use all the money for himself while you're the one who doing all the job. I tell you what, here's 50 bucks as a starter. I need you to tell me what your dad said about this job. I know that you hold something from me." Ben takes out a bill from his fat wallet and wiggles it in front of my face, he seems to have a fat stack of dollar bills to spend. "Well... he said something about this job being sketchy... He asked me to scream if I wanted to do something against my will. He also warned me not to take any drinks from you... I need to inform everything that happened while he's not supervising me." I let out all of the information I held against Ben right after I grabbed the money he taunted me with. "Oh...Now do I look like I'm going to do something bad to you?" I'm about to nod until he pulls out another 50 bucks. I just smiled and said no to him. Now I'm making half of what my dad getting earlier. I have a feeling that this interview is going to be profitable for me. I got too excited thinking about what I was about to buy with what I was getting. "Atta boy. Now shall we get ready for the interview?" I nodded to his question. "Now I need you to take this pill and drink before we start" I got nervous again thinking about what my dad told me last night. Ben immediately knew how I was feeling about taking a drink from a stranger. He pulls out another bill, but this time it's 100 bucks. I ignored my uneasiness aside for another easy cash and drank the blue pill along with the drink he offered me. "That pill is to get you to relax, I know that you're nervous. Don't worry, you're not going to pass out or get unconscious. I prefer you awake anyway. Just put all of your money on my desk for now and you can pick it up once we are done. Now, are you ready to make more money?" ............................................................................ Thanks for reading my story, I would appreciate your comments and suggestions through my email bryanrishwan@gmail.com