Chapter 30
Despite Ryo and Ellie’s hectic schedules, they still squeezed a phone call or a video call in between. Ellie’s voice was Ryo’s stress reliever. The sound of her laughter relieved him of his tiredness.
He loves watching her bake. Ellie would prop her phone on a tripod and do her thing while Ryo watches. Ellie loved listening to Ryo’s stories of how his day went. His world fascinated her.
It has been a week since Ryo returned to Japan. He and Ellie somehow developed a routine. In the morning, she would send him a voice message. If he’s awake and is not busy, they would talk while she bakes, or he would watch her do her this. He called her at night no matter how busy he is. It does not matter if their conversations were short. He needed to hear Ellie, or his day would not be complete.
In the rare instances when their schedules synched, Ellie would teach Ryo how to bake or she would listen to him read his lines. Ellie’s input on his acting surprises him sometimes. She would give him suggestions on how to better approach a character or a scene. Her suggestions gave depth to his characters.
Ryo wore one of Ellie’s hoodie. It’s peach and has a cake printed in front. His stylist could do nothing to change Ryo’s mind. In the end, he appeared in the talk show wearing a girly hoodie.
“Interesting choice of clothes, Matsuda-san.” The host commented.
Ryo laughed and pulled the hems of the hoodie down. His action showed the cake print in front of the hoodie.
“Are you into girly clothes now?” The host joked.
“I am but only if they’re my girlfriend’s clothes.” Ryo answered, his eyes directed at the camera.
The studio fell silent. Ryo Matsuda has a new girlfriend? After his breakup with Sofia Jones, Ryo went under the radar. He was not seen hanging around a woman for the longest time.
“Whoa! That’s big. So who is this girl?”
“She’s not from the industry. She’s a private individual.” He smiled and gave the host a knowing look.
The host got his hint and did not probe further. Ryo is among the people no one could afford to offend in the industry. Yes, he playful and keeps it cool, but he means business. It’s a known secret that he’s the heir of the underground group, The Clan.
The host expertly maneuvered the interview back to Ryo’s projects.
After the 30-minute talk show, Ryo’s team whisked him away to shoot his movie. He sat in front of a vanity table and a makeup artist busied himself with his hair and makeup.
“Mr. Matsuda, a delivery for you.” A man in a black suit approached him. He’s one of his security detail. Ryo swiveled his chair to face him.
His brows furrowed when he saw the insulated bag in his hand. He took the bag and opened it.
He could not be mistaken. The cake box inside the insulated bag bore Ellie’s shop logo. He opened the box, and his eyes could not help but twinkle. Ellie’s chocolate cake was in the box.
Ryo read the note that came with the cake.
Mahal ko, I miss you so much. Know that every crumb of this cake carries my love for you. Enjoy your cake!
XOXO, E
Ryo admired Ellie’s delicate handwriting. She wrote in flourish—who still does that? He could not help but smile at his girlfriend’s many cute quirks. Just a week ago, Ellie said she would find a way to ship him a cake. Well, she succeeded. Her marvelous creation is now in front of him. Teasing him when he could not take a bite at all.
Ryo gestured for one of his men to come forward. He gave instructions to bring the cake to his penthouse. His make up for this shoot is so detailed he could only take sips of water. He picked up the note and kept it in his coat’s pocket.
Seeing Ellie’s cake brought warmth to Ryo’s heart. Truly, Ellie showed her love more in actions than words. Her actions were not grandstanding, but they never failed to touch him.
Before Ellie, he already felt he’s the luckiest man in the world when his former lovers would buy him gifts. Gifts purchased using his own cards. He could not help but sneer at the memory.
Ellie played in a different league than them. She gave him time. She put her heart in all she does. He knew how rigorous her day was and how each hour of sleep mattered to her. But she carved time for him. She called him or leave him a voice message every day. For the first time, Ryo knew what love meant.
He looked forward to going home at the end of the shoot so he could gobble down on a slice of Ellie’s chocolate cake. Ryo fished out his phone to send her a message.
RM: Your surprise floored me, mahal ko. Thank you so much. I love you!
Sweetie Patootie: I love you too. I hope I’m not messing up your diet. I remember your movie needs you to be yummy. *drool*
Ryo chuckled at Ellie’s message.
His makeup artist had been observing him, and he couldn’t help but be amused. From the moment he received the cake, Ryo had been all smiles. It’s quite a rare sight to see Ryo Matsuda smile behind the camera. He always sported a smirk off cam. But now, he’s smiling like a schoolboy in love. He wondered who he’s sending messages to.
He craned his neck to peek over Ryo’s cellphone but to his disappointment, he already closed his messaging app and returned to playing his game. Darn it! A big scoop slipped from his grasp.
Ryo Matsuda’s dating life has always attracted intrigue. Although he’s the prince of the entertainment industry, he was never a playboy. He always dated exclusively. And whoever he dated owned the world.
If she were an actress, she could get any project she wanted. Her stardom is guaranteed. Look at Sofia Jones. That talentless starlet shot to stardom when she dated Ryo Matsuda. Her popularity further increased when she played the pitiful girlfriend card when Ryo broke up with her.
After Sofia Jones, everyone held the edge of their seats and waited for the next lucky girl. Just this morning, Ryo made an explosive revelation that he’s in a relationship with somebody outside the industry. A “private individual,” as he succinctly put it.
Now, everyone’s on a sleuthing mode trying to find out who Ryo Matsuda’s girl is. Media outlets would pay handsomely to whoever has this information. And he almost had it. Darn it!