Chapter 162 - Cruising Around

The cruise trip was a sorely needed one for both girls. It felt like a terribly long time since they relaxed at all with all the work and packed schedules. While they frequently travelled the world for work, it didn't feel like a holiday even if they took breaks.

"It's beautiful!" Alex screamed and ran on the spacious deck. The cruise wasn't very crowded because Orita booked it during an off-peak season.

The heiress smiled and enjoyed the sunny weather and salty sea breeze. They were finally cruising away to the Caribbean or two weeks. Most of the journey would be at sea with some occasional stops at some islands but neither of the girls was interested in shopping. They were more interested in spending their days indulging in idling or pleasure.

"Calm down girls, this is only the starting. We have two full weeks to enjoy ourselves. Why don't you girls check out what facilities there are and perhaps make some lunch reservations? Claire and I will head to the suite room first to rest," Orita suggested.

Alex grabbed her sister's hand and ran off before Claire could get another word in. The head maid shook her head. Although Scarlet and Alex were on hiatus from work, they would still have occasional jobs coming in from commercials to photoshoots. Golden Frost's face and model was Alex, she couldn't allow the girl to be too reckless even if this was a recreational trip.

Scarlet had never been on a cruise before and was awkward. On the other hand, Alex acted like she owned the place, not caring if there were VIP entry requirements or not as she hopped from one place to another.

The cruise liner was a prestigious one and lived up to the rich heiresses' expectations. They had everything from cinemas, arcades, karaoke rooms, swimming pools and their favourite – spas. Once Alex heard the word spa, she immediately made reservations for three. Scarlet couldn't stop her sister but she was thankful the model didn't include Claire to make reservations for their head maid as well.

"Can I also ask about the kickboxing class and the gym?" Scarlet asked the receptionist politely.

The receptionist blushed at the adorable girl who was about a head shorter than her. Scarlet was dressed in a white sundress with a large straw hat on her head. It would be rather difficult for anyone to recognise her as Liu Xie Wen in this casual dress because the actress Liu Xie Wen was often dressed in classy expensive brands, looking more mature than her actual age despite her short stature. Scarlet was also not wearing make-up and her natural youthfulness shone through.

"You can register for the kick-boxing class using this website. There is a pamphlet for all our classes if you wish to attend on the dressing tables of all rooms. Alternatively, you can give the reception a call to make arrangements for the classes once you've decided. The gym is twenty-four-hour accessible to all and that is required is the room card for identification purposes. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Alex nodded. "What are the restaurants here that you'd recommend for lunch? My mother asked us to make lunch reservations for today but I'm not very familiar with these names…"

Scarlet agreed. She was more familiar with the names of convenience stores than restaurants. In fact, she was tempted to go to the fast-food restaurants that they had on board. It had been way too long since Scarlet and Alex had any junk food or fast food. Being actresses and models was difficult and now that they could loosen their belts a little, everything looked tempting.

The receptionist laughed awkwardly at the sight of the two girls salivating a little at the names of their restaurants. Still, she remained polite.

"We have Asian restaurants, European restaurants and one that has seasonal exotic food for reservations today. May I know what kind of cuisine you prefer?"

Scarlet looked at her sister before turning back to the receptionist. "Do you think we can call the reception later after we've decided?"

"Of course! However, please make your reservations before eleven. All reservations are first come first served. For the dress code, please come in smart casual wear and covered shoes or heels. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

Alex smiled and thanked the lady. "That's all for now, thank you so much!"

Once they were out of sight, Alex turned to her sister with sparkling eyes. "I want to eat meat! Lots of it… Claire has only been feeding me organic and vegetables or fruits for so long I can't even remember the last time I had a good steak."

Scarlet laughed. "I actually want rice. As weird as it sounded, I've never touched rice for the whole time I was in China."

Alex felt her jaw drop. "Are you serious? You work in China but you're not allowed to eat rice? What did you eat?"

"I was on a low-carb diet so I only ate fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken for most of the time. No bread, no rice… I'm dying for a burger as strange as it sounds."

Alex thought about it. "Hmm, I think we should head back to check what they have in those restaurants. You poor thing, at least I had bread. I don't know how you survived at all… those fruit smoothies that Claire made me drink every morning don't taste good…"

Scarlet smiled bitterly at the memory. "I can't have anything apart from black coffee in the morning. You have no idea how hard it is to stop my stomach from making noise until it was lunch and even then, on diet days I can only eat two hard-boiled eggs for lunch."

The model looked horrified. "You put up with that treatment? No wonder you're not growing any taller! Don't worry. We can fix it on the cruise. Let's eat until we explode!"

Scarlet laughed at her sister's choice of words. Yet, she couldn't find anything more fitting. "Alright. We'll eat a lot and play even more. There is still some time before lunch and the spa is at three in the afternoon. Want to try the ice-skating rink? I've never ice-skated before so it sounds interesting."

Once more, the model hugged her sister and made strange noises consoling what she thought was a shame.

"You poor thing," she lamented. "Don't worry. I will teach you how to ice-skate, it's not very difficult. Didn't you try skating while in Europe?"

Scarlet grimaced. "No time. Mr Le Beau's treatments took up most of my day and then there were many social gatherings to attend. Pamela didn't give me extra days to relax so once I'm done with business, I will fly back to Singapore or China depending on what's next."

Alex didn't look happy. "They're definitely mistreating you. How could they work you so hard? And I thought the schedule that Claire planned for me was tough. At least I had breaks in between to breathe. Tell me, how many hours of sleep do you get every night on average?"

Scarlet thought about it. "Four on the days I don't film and maybe two on the days I have music tours?"

Alex looked horrified. "That's it. We're pampering you till you rot this trip. Nobody can change my mind and I'm telling mom."

Scarlet didn't think it was a big deal but to Alex, it was as if she heard it was the end of the world. How could Scarlet endure such harsh working conditions? She didn't understand. On top of that, Alex now knew that Scarlet was also working on uncovering evidence of the mafia boss' activities so that she could put him behind bars where he would never threaten their family's empire again. It was simply too much workload for one person, especially a person as small as Scarlet.

When people say that the grass is greener on the other side, Alex always thought that it was true. Now that she heard from her sister about the treatment received, Alex didn't think that was the case. Maybe it was the difference between being an independent artiste and a contracted artiste but Alex didn't approve. Celebrities should be treated with more love and care for all the hard work they put in behind the scenes.

Thankfully, this was now over. Scarlet was no longer a contracted artiste with Jupiter Records. As an independent artiste, at least Scarlet would receive the same treatment that Alex received from Claire who was an excellent manager.

With that, Alex made a secret plan to pamper Scarlet and shower her with lots of love. As the older sister of a few months, she couldn't allow Scarlet to carry the burden of the Wilde family alone. The model might be immature and childish but she wasn't selfish. If there was a need for her to step up to the role of a protector, she would.

Right now, nothing was more important than deciding the most nutritious and satisfying lunch for a severely deprived Scarlet.