Begin Again

THREE DAYS BEFORE

In the heart of Hollywood stood The House of Eden, home to many famous actors, actresses, models, producers and et cetera. Naturally, the Cadieux family lives in the penthouse. It was painted white, decorated with thin delicate lines of gold flowers. A Ca'Rezzonico glass chandelier hung from the ceiling with sophistication, lighting up the entire space below.

Everything was going on as usual. Corinne sat elegantly on their teal-coloured Boca do Lobo couch, her silky honey-blonde hair fell gracefully down her back. She was indulging in her new book, occasionally glancing up from her tablet to sip on her Da-Hong Pao Tea. This variety of tea has been declared a national treasure by the Chinese government and dates back to the Ming Dynasty, often presented as a gift to dignitaries and honorable people.

Flavien was busy at work. Cadieux Productions was a 25-storey building, landmarking Hollywood with its awe-inspiring design and its shimmering diamond-embedded walls created by the best engineers and designers. His office too was a masterpiece of black marble walls and world-famous paintings, namely No.5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock and Les Femmes d' Alger ("Version O") by Pablo Picasso. Its Pietra Firma LuxTouch tiles were a definite show off, created by diamonds, mother of pearl, abalone shells and black onyx, with the elegance of a royal palace. Flavien stood by his heavy velvet-draped windows, phone in his left hand, twisting a pen in the other. 

From the look on his face, anyone would have guessed he was talking business, but his secretary knew it too well. 

'Father,' Delano knocked gently on the door and entered the room. Flavien immediately hung up the call. His smile disappearing only to be replaced by an empty expression.

'Mon fils, have you talked to Audette on her role in your new movie?' Flavien lighted a cigarette.

'All is done, father,' the young man answered politely. 'The auditions for the supporting characters will be held tomorrow afternoon. Monsieur Bernard has cleared his schedule to help with the auditions.'

'Good. Carry on.'

And with that, Flavien turned his back to his son, leaving the poor boy expressionless. Delano was used to his father's unconcerned attitude, nothing he did seems to impress Flavien. Those three words were the best praise Delano could get from his father. Maybe this was his way of showing love without losing his professionalism. Delano couldn't care less. Flavien had always thought of his strictness and high expectations as a motivation for his son. But the way Delano's father treated him for the past few weeks had been far more irritating than usual.

The young producer closed the door behind him and let out a deep sigh, his soft smile turning into a slight frown. Though he had utmost respect towards his father for his undeniable success in creating his own brand, Delano felt that the man who had been his role model all these years was drifting away from him.

As he was about to head back to his office, he froze in his tracks. Since he was in the cradle, Delano had been taught about strict discipline and etiquette. He knew deep down that he was going against one of the rules to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it.

'Mon amour, I've missed you,' Flavien's deep French accent echoed in the wide room. He chuckled slightly at the annoyed answer by a feminine voice from the other end of the receiver. 'Well, see you tomorrow.' With that, he ended the call. Never did he guess that his son was right behind that door, conscience striking him like a bolt.

Delano would never have known that the man whom he had been taught to follow, the man who he had never doubted, the man which everyone thought of as perfect, was a cheater.