Chapter Text
Jude was going to get arrested tonight because she was going to fucking murder him, how the actual fuck could that jackass be late to his premiere.
Jude sighed frustratingly , rubbing her arms impatiently waiting for Cardan and trying to come up with an excuse as to why the literal star wasn’t at the premiere for his own drama. The frustrated staff kept asking her where the fuck Cardan Greenbriar was and they were not impressed with her lame ass excuses.
Her eye twitched when her phone finally vibrated in her pocket, telling her “king” was calling. “You better have gotten into a car accident,” Jude barked into her phone, stepping away from eager ears wanting something to gossip on . “Or, better yet" she continued " you got kidnapped, or your father died and you have so much money now that you can pay me for the rest of my goddamn life because I’m never going to be able to get another job after this!” Jude wanted to scream she was so,so very mad.
“darlingg” Cardan whined and Judes eyes twitched again at the sound of the other who was obviously very drunk. “Why are you yelling at me?”
“I’m gonna fucking strangle you with your entrails, i swear on it” Jude hissed. "You would never you liar"cardan dramatically gasped, making Jude want to get run over by a truck. Of course she shouldn’t have trusted the driver to get Cardan to the event . “Where are you?”
“In bed” she could hear the smile on Cardans lips, “my darling God you should join me~” “never in a million fucking years Greenbriar ” jude snapped. “If I did, I’d rip your dick off your fucking body-”
“Why are you so mad at me?” Cardan asked and jude just knew he was pouting on the other end.
“You’re literally supposed to be on the red carpet ”
“When?” cardan questioned,feigning innocence alike to a child. “Right now!” jude yelled so loudly, several people turned to look at her. She smiled as sweetly as she could before turning back to the phone. “How drunk are you right now?”
“Hmm,” she could practically see cardans soft lips pursing as he thought. “I think… I had maybe five drinks.” Cardan wasn't a lightweight so considering that ,it wasnt that bad “Okay, I’m gonna come get you right now and maybe we can get here before the premiere actually starts. Get your suit on and-”
“Five drinks from Garrett ” cardan interrupted, sounding like he was counting, “three drinks from valerian, five drinks from locke, five drinks from-”
"Cardan!" Jude cried out, annoyed, while questioning all her life choices and how she got here - babysitting the most infuriating man in the world. He was infuriatingly talented, infuriatingly rich, and infuriatingly handsome - all while being infuriatingly stupid.
She can't believe she was actually excited when she heard she'd be working for the Greenbriars. She was expecting to work with Dain or rhyia or even the devils spawn ,Balekin...But, noooo, they had handed her the youngest and most annoying one , fucking cardan Greenbriar, to babysit because apparently he was incapable of doing anything on his own .
Cardan Greenbriar - ridiculously successful actor who no one expected would blow up but what can she say..the man looked like a fairy prince ,his face was literally everywhere.
Jude had worked for him for two entire years now -she was at Cardans beck and call ,by his side at all times. She got calls late at night and on holidays. She couldn’t even take a sick day without that fucker calling her , asking if she could get out of bed and come into the office for absolutely nothing other than annoying her and making her miserable .but at least she was paid well and the sadistic part of her practically keened when seeing drunk Cardan trip on his own feet.
Sometimes she misses her life before working for Cardan. Hell she even misses Madocs family dinners that she dreaded so much. she misses her elder sister Vivienne ,she misses her younger brother Oak and she her whiny twin sister Taryn...........its been 5 months since she last saw her family.
"please drink water and sober up cardan" jude practically begs through the phone.
“Yes, my sweet villain, my darling god. I will be as sober as a stone carving, just as soon as I can.” cardan says ,making judes heart clench.
“Why do you hate me?” she asks for no reason, “I don’t hate you-i loathe you” Cardan coos at her.
“Be up, suit on, teeth brushed, in ten minutes.”
“Yes my sweet” Cardan giggles and with that she hangs up ,practically running to where she put her purse and fishing around for her keys.
At first, it was flattering how Cardan flirted with her and called her pet names But, Jude very quickly realized he flirted with everyone-Jude had thought she was special at first - that she had actually caught the actor’s attention.
When they met, Cardan had softly held her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips, he would always give jude smiles when she came to work and he would talk to her as if he was a lover but not even a week after ,she realized cardan was just playing with her,
cardan loves playing with her in the cruelest ways possible,it brings him joy to see jude miserable and struggling so he and his friends always make sure she is miserable and struggling. Vivi had asked her why she hadn't quit already once but jude was stubborn as fuck and kept the job to spite cardan and his friends.
Luckily, Cardans house wasn’t very far away from the venue. Jude rolled up almost exactly ten minutes later, tapping her foot in annoyance as the elevator took her to the penthouse. Jude grimaced at the state of the place - empty alcohol cans and bottles everywhere, everything out of place, and even the furniture moved around like a damn college house party. Thank goodness Jude wasn’t expected to clean up after Cardan (but he might make her, who knows).
“Cardann!” Jude yells angrily, “Get your ass out here!” she barges into the other’s room, glaring at Cardan who was still curled up in his sheets, blinking at the bright light of the hallway that Jude was letting in. she tugs her hair with a frustrated sigh and pointedly ignores the other body curled up in the bed.
Cardan pulls the blanket over his head. “Why are you so loud today?”, “What part of ‘get up’ and ‘get ready’ are you not understanding?” Jude practically growls, walking over and throwing the blanket off of the actor, ignoring that he was butt naked. she scowls as Cardan attempts to grab the blankets and insisting he was ‘so cold.’ she grabs Cardan by the biceps, preparing to yank him off the bed when he immediately leans into jude, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his nose into her stomach because hes 'cold'.
“juddeee" Cardan whispers - or, tries to, hes actually very loud in reality- and brings a finger to his lips. “Don’t be rude to my guest - she’s still sleeping.”
Jude pinches the bridge of her nose , she really doesn't want to murder two people today. “I literally could not care less about the comfort of your one night stand - you needed to be at the venue an hour ago.”, “Welp, I’m already sooo late, I should just.....not go...” Cardan says stupidly ,reminding her of her brother Oak. “It’s your premiere!” Jude screams“You need to be there!”, “Why is a premiere at 10am anyways?” Cardan complains.
“It’s 4 in the afternoon "Jude deadpans.she shoves cardan into the bathroom, telling him to brush his teeth, and tries to find the suit she had picked up from the dry cleaners , before Cardans one night stand wakes up, probably because of judes screaming and Cardans protesting. she looks incredibly hungover and her hair a mess. jude tosses a robe her way ,she at least looked a little embarrassed as she wraps it around her and practically sprints out of the room.
The actor was so used to being dressed, he barely even helped , just held his hands up as Jude buttoned him up, tucked in his shirt, and pulled his suit jacket on-a simple black suit with a golden bowtie to go with his eyes. When jude tells him his companion had left he asks "wasnt she pretty jude"with a lopsided smile, earning a scowl from her
"what you dont think so?"Cardan frowns acting as if i offended him “Yes, yes, she was so pretty, good job,” Jude deadpans, “Really glad you were picking up pretty girls rather than getting ready for your premiere last night.”, “I think it was this morning,” Cardan says with a shit-eating grin that makes jude want to smack him hard .
she thankfully manages to get Cardan down to the car in record time, even getting the actor to sip on a bottle of water, and they were back to the venue with just enough time for Cardan to get his hair and makeup done, walk the red carpet, and sit his ass down for the premiere. Judes already going over and over and over the schedule in her head - trying to think of what questions Cardan needed to be prepped on for the Q&A event afterwards(even though that is not apart of her job).
she didn't get a chance to dwell over it much before Cardan snatched her phone , Jude gritted her teeth so hard she thought they might break. "what the fuck is your problem Cardan?!", "darling please mind your language, its inappropriate"he says lazily, "plus i prefer prince charming" -Cardan likes when Judes full attention is on him...actually hee likes when everyone’s full attention is on him. Instead of arguing, jude settles on “You smell like alcohol,”, reaching over to grab some perfume to spritz on the actor’s neck and over his suit when she suddenly smells his breath that reeks of alcahol“I told you to brush your teeth.” ,“I did,” Cardan pouts but jude doesnt believe him.
"and would you care to explain as to why there was a whole orgy happening in your apartment ?”, “We didn’t have an orgy,” Cardan smirks, which tells otherwise ,“It was just a party - it was fun, not that you’d know what that is.” “I don’t,” Jude says simply, “you’ve sucked all the fun out of my life.” -he must be extremely proud at that. “You look so sexy today my sexratary” Cardan says reaching forward but jude make a disgusted face and moves out of his reach "i swear to god ill cut your hand off if you try that again", "you lie as easily as you breathe dont you darling"jude does not deny that.
when Cardans finally ready jude quickly rushes the other to where he is supposed to be - the red carpet. she watched as Cardan instantly slid into his 'actor mode'...he looks like a total asshole, jude thinks ,which he is. Jude trails a little far behind him , wearing a simple silky black dress that hugs her body perfectly, keeping her head down as they pass a group of fans and press who all yell as camera flashes go off. - if there was anything she hated more about this job than Cardan, it was this .
Once she was accidentally captured in photo while she and Cardan were at his favourite bakery ,wearing casual clothes (looking way too comfortable) causing fans to wild, accusing jude of dating cardan-she remembers Cardan calling her ,telling her to drop everything and run to his penthouse- worried and gullible she ran to his apartment wearing sweats and when she arrived Cardan laughed at her for 10 whole minutes before dragging her to get a pastry for himself.Jude had been so freaked out during the week that the scandal was going on, while Cardan just shrugged like it was no big deal. So, now, she mostly tried to keep her head down and keep an appropriate distance from Cardan.
She quickly stepped to one side once Cardan had finally stepped up onto the red carpet, hands clasped behind his back and a small, handsome smile on his lips as cameras began flashing so fast.
Jude was surprised when she heard someone call out from the ocean of cameras - the press was usually quite respectful during times like these, knowing that questions should be saved for the Q&A session. But, a voice asked, “Cardan Greenbriar! where is your date?” Jude froze, head whipping up, as she saw Cardan look over at her with a raised eyebrow and eyes asking the same question, while his lips stayed in that perfect smile. Jude fucking knew she had forgotten something, she mentally cursed herself and Cardan ofcouse because she wouldnt have forgotten if cardan wasnt being such a royal pain in the ass. Jude nodded her head, conveying a silent message that he did not have a date. “I don’t have one today,” Cardan hummed, turning back to the cameras as his mouth pulled into a broader grin. “Instead, I brought my favorite person.” Jude should have known what that pretty little head was planning as Cardan strolled towards her with that shit-eating grin of his. Judes eyes widened as she felt Cardans hand encircle her waist , pulling her forward. “My secretary and assistant ” Cardan introduced, pulling jude to his side. “she’s my date here today.” People laughed as if Cardan told them an extremly funny joke. Jude was absolutely terrified and wanted nothing more than to be ten feet under as she was tugged onto the red carpet, eyes round as she stared at Cardan shocked. Cardan was back to smiling at the cameras, with an arm around judes waist and nodding at the cameras when he felt Jude staring at him in horror. “Smile for the cameras my darling god” he said, turning slightly to grin down at her.
“I hate you,” Jude said through clenched teeth, but pulled her lips back in some semblance of a smile (she probably looked on the verge of fucking tears).
finally when they were off the red carpet Cardan let her go ,laughing loudly at judes horrible state. “I fucking hate you! You dick” Jisung hissed at him as she dragged Cardan to where he was supposed to go to get ready for the premiere. “Never do that again or I swear I will quit on the fucking spot.”, “You’d never quit,” Cardan said looking all smug. Jude swallowed, watching Cardan strut away with that air of confidence. Jude doesnt deny it.