"Mr. Maxwell, you're on in 5,"
Reid nodded his head, his eyes trained on the mirror in front of him. Standing next to him were a few hair stylists who were gelling his hair back. Charlotte stood next to him, taking pictures and uploading them to his social media.
"I think it's odd how your girlfriend blondie isn't here. That's her name, right? American names are weird," She said, his lips stretching into a smirk. It had been a couple of days since he last saw her, and he had spent most of his time in his Presidential Suite in the city. After the show, his chauffeur would drive him back where he would spend his last night before heading back to his manor tomorrow.
The stylists finished with his hair and walked out of the dressing room as Charlotte adjusted his dress shirt.
"Remember what Matteo said. Smile with your entire face, don't let your emotions show. This is national TV. You make one mistake, it stays with you forever," She mumbled, her eyes flickering to the screen on the wall.
"Alright and that's all that we have with Chris Hemsworth, I'm afraid. But our next guest is someone who has been requested on this show by the fans," Jimmy Fallon said, flashing the camera a smile.
"It is time," The producer said, and Reid nodded. Charlotte sent him two thumbs up before the two men walked out. The man guided him to the fake elevator before uttering something on his walkie-talkie. Reid adjusted his suit, releasing a much-needed breath.
"When he calls your name, these doors will open.," He said, gesturing to the doors in front of them. "Oh and Mr. Maxwell, I've been a fan for years. It's an honor to meet you,"
"Thank you," Reid said. "Appreciate it," The man walked out of the elevator, leaving him alone.
"Allow me to introduce The youngest self-made billionaire in Europe, Reid Maxwell!" The elevator door's opened and he walked out, the audience cheering. He waved at the crowd, his pearly white teeth on display.
Meanwhile, after using the bathroom, Diana quickly rushed back to her office. It was 11:35 pm and she was still working, being the DA meant that some nights she would sleep where she worked.
The blonde threw off her heels and sat on the couch with the remote in her hand. She smiled softly to herself, her eyes trained on nothing but the television in front of her.
"It is a pleasure, Mr. Maxwell," Jimmy Fallon assured, as the two men shook hands. Reid took a seat on the couch, and leaned back, letting his eyes wander all over the studio.
"Now in case someone is sitting in the audience and they don't know who this man is, he is a famous Italian painter," He said before turning to Reid. "Now, were you born in Italy?"
"No, I was actually born here. Most people don't know I'm American,"
"So are you Italian?" Jimmy asked. "Ethnically I am. My mother was Italian and my father was from Pakistan,"
"Okay. Do you have your eye on anyone at the moment?" The Host asked. Reid slightly thrust his hips forward on the chair, clearing his throat. "Yeah,"
"Who's the lucky lady? Tell us about her,"
He caressed his beard, running his tongue across his bottom lip. The crowd waited for his statement, some even pulled out their phones to record.
"She's a sassy and witty brat. Oh and that mouth of hers, it'll make you want to throw yourself down the stairs," He said, earning a few laughs from the audience. "But she means the world to me,"
"A sassy and witty brat my ass," Diana lifted herself from the couch and rolled her eyes even though her cheeks were a red color. She sat at her desk, her eyes switching between her laptop and the television.
"So this is serious? Do you see yourself settling down with her?"
"I'm gonna be honest, Jimmy. It's her or it's no one," Reid verbalized earning a few gasps from the crowd. No one would have expected the Italian Painter to settle down especially when he spent the last 10 years in Italy promiscuous.
"So we're going to play a game. It's called Who can paint better—," He held up two blindfolds. "Without actually seeing what they're painting"
He handed the blindfold to Reid as the audience began cheering. Shortly after, they walked to the right side of the stage where two canvases were set up. "So how this game works is once we put on a blindfold, the audience will read the word that appears on the screen and we have thirty seconds to paint that word. If my painting is better that officially means I'm the best Italian Painter out there,"
"You're gonna try and take my spot?" Reid asked playfully, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Maybe not as the youngest billionaire in Europe, but as an Italian Painter, yeah,"
"We'll see about that," He playfully teased, and they tied the blindfolds around their heads so they couldn't see anything. Jimmy ran his hands across the canvas, feeling his body pump with adrenaline. "Okay, 3,2,1,"
The audience yelled the word "Jungle" and the clock began. Almost instantly, the two men began working and for the next 30 seconds, their paintbrushes swiped across the paper repeatedly.
The time went out, and they pulled their blindfolds off, letting their eyes travel over each other's paintings. The camera zoomed in, and Reid found himself chuckling.
"I think mine is better. You painted a monkey yet it looks like it was dropped on the head as a baby," He said, and the audience shared a loud laugh.
Jimmy Fallon placed his hands on his knees, trying to hold his laughter in. "Mine is not bad. You know you got the sun, and you have the trees—,"
"Oh is that was those are?" Reid asked, raising his right eyebrow.
"Okay, we're going to try this again. That last round was a practice round, this is the real deal," Jimmy assured.
Reid found himself checking the digital watch on the wall, and he wondered how much time it would pass before he saw his blondie again. He produced a small sigh before placing his blindfold over his eyes again.
"Ready when you are,"
Diana walked inside the foyer, with tired eyes. She told her husband she may not come back tonight because she had so much work. Luckily, she was able to finish filing her paperwork and head home.
She took off her heels and headed up the stairs. Running her hands through her blonde hair, she produced a yawn while she dreamt about sleeping in her bed.
But when she passed her husband's bedroom, she heard voices. A frown appeared on her lips, as she narrowed her confused eyes. Suddenly, the doorknob twisted and she quickly hid behind a corner. Kenneth exited his bedroom with a woman behind him. Diana's heart pounded against her chest, and she felt her palms grow sweaty.
"She said she's stuck at the office and the staff are sleeping in their chambers. We don't have to hide tonight, the whole manor is yours. How about we get some wine from the main kitchen?"
From the angle she was at, she couldn't see the face of the woman he was talking to. But it was more than enough evidence that her husband was cheating.
The woman wore nothing under her sheer robe, while Kenneth wore his regular boxer briefs. It was obvious they had just finished having sex because they were so comfortable being practically naked around each other.
The Blonde narrowed her eyes, spotting a Rose tattoo on the woman's arm, something that she could use to identify his mistress.
She leaned her head on the wall, a tear falling out of her eye. She wondered why she felt guilty about stepping out when her husband was doing the same thing. Questions flooded her mind, ones that she didn't control.
How long had he been sleeping with this woman? Did the affair start before they started practicing celibacy or after? Did he love this woman? Did he hit her the way he hit his wife?
Diana wiped her tears away and waited until they walked out of view. She took this as her opportunity to sneak into her bedroom and lay on her bed. After crying for a few minutes, she finally realized something important.
Kenneth hadn't been a good husband to her. He forced her to get an abortion, he abused her and now, it was revealed he was cheating. She tried to convince herself that her marriage was decent but that was the opposite. They weren't a good match and it was obvious, that their hearts belonged to other people.
It was time for a divorce.