"I’ve seen plenty of people like you. But you know, child stars only have a short window of fame. If you don’t cash in now, when will you?" Miss Flores did not bother to hide the disdain in her eyes. Nina, however, didn’t even look at her and instead started chatting with Lulu about where they should go for lunch after the shoot. This completely infuriated Miss Flores.Just as she was about to lash out, the director on her set shouted, seemingly frustrated with an actor’s poor performance. Miss Flores quickly rushed over to handle the situation.Lulu seized the moment to warn Nina, "Try not to confront her directly. It won’t do us any good. Please, Nina, be more careful next time.""Am I making things difficult for you? I didn’t think it through. I’ll pay more attention to that in the future," Nina replied, glancing at Miss Flores, who was now fawning over the director. The contrast between her behavior towards them and her attitude with the director amused Nina. This was real
"Yes, yes, and remember to smile," Pharaoh reminded him gently."Yes, Grandpa!" Orion cheerfully responded before diving into Pharaoh’s arms, laughing.The moon hung high in the sky, and the rooftop echoed with their joyful laughter. Nina and Nash exchanged smiles from below."About that agent you mentioned, the one giving Lulu a hard time... Do you want me to step in?" Nash asked as he closed his laptop. "How about this? Tomorrow is the first day of the variety show shoot. I could arrange a dinner for the whole crew in Orion’s name. We could do it at the downtown hotel."Nina shook her head, not wanting to reveal Nash's identity as Orion’s father just yet. "I can handle this. Plus, we have Lulu. It’s her job to manage these kinds of relationships. If she can't, it would only show that she's not up to the task.""I don’t care about anyone else’s abilities. I just don’t want you and Orion to get hurt," Nash said, holding her hand. "I know you can handle it, but I want to be your sa
Nina did not want to argue, so she nodded in agreement. Just then, the director called for everyone to gather. She took Orion’s hand and started walking toward the meeting point, but Miss Flores stepped in front of them. She pulled Nina aside and took Orion’s hand instead. When Orion tried to pull away, she tightened her grip, causing tears to well up in his eyes.Nina quickly intervened, pushing Miss Flores aside and sternly asking, "Are you trying to hurt him on purpose?"Miss Flores looked hurt and defensive. "Orion’s mom, you’ve misunderstood. I was just trying to bond with him, I didn’t mean to hurt him." She crouched down to Orion’s level and added, "I’m sorry, Orion. Did I hurt you? That was my mistake. I’ll be more careful next time and won’t grip so hard."Nina didn’t give her another chance and scooped up Orion, heading directly toward the director. The film crew was much larger this time, with many more people involved. Miss Flores quietly approached Nina, subtly re
Now Orion understood that Miss Flores had taken him to this unfamiliar place without his mom knowing, and he realized he needed to contact her quickly. He looked around, then darted towards a nearby elevator.Miss Flores, busy explaining things to Nina over the phone, didn’t notice that Orion had entered the elevator. By the time she realized, he was already gone.Orion followed a group of people into one of the buildings in the complex. When they exited through the back door, he followed them outside. The street was busy with people, and Orion didn’t know what to do next.Suddenly, a woman approached him, grabbed him tightly, and exclaimed, "Son, my sweet boy, Mommy finally found you!""Let me go! I’m not your son! I need to find my mom!" Orion cried, tears streaming down his face.Though he hadn’t been scared when Miss Flores took him, being held by this strange woman terrified him. Fear overwhelmed him, and all he could do was scream for help.Orion’s cries attracted the atten
"I think the same," Nina agreed. "I'll let the company know right away."Just as she pulled out her phone, Nash stopped her. She looked at him, puzzled.Nash sat on the edge of the desk, thinking for a moment before saying, "Here's what you should do. Text Miss Flores and arrange a meeting for tomorrow at noon. Let's see how she handles it."Confused but trusting him, Nina sent the message to Miss Flores.They met at a coffee shop, where Miss Flores had already arrived, accompanied by Rosie, the assistant to the agency’s boss. As soon as she saw Nina, Miss Flores stood up and greeted her, "Nina, you're here.""Take a seat. Have you ordered coffee yet?" Nina asked as she called over a waiter and ordered a mocha. "About yesterday, I thought about it all night, and I'm still shaken up. I've decided to pause working with your agency for now."Both Miss Flores and Rosie looked panicked. Miss Flores quickly pulled out a gift she had prepared in advance."Nina, these are the latest D
The director considered that Orion was still a young child, so they kept the game simple. When it began, there was an issue with the number of participants. One of the guests had an early flight the next morning, so they needed someone to fill in on the spot. The director scanned the room and decided to have Nina join the game. This would not only help Orion feel less nervous but also make the segment more engaging for the audience.The order of turns was determined by drawing lots. Orion and Nina were the last group. The previous three groups had performed well, with one group guessing four correct answers out of five, and the other two guessing three.When it was Orion and Nina’s turn, Orion drew while Nina guessed. The clue was the phrase "Piece of Cake." The room filled with whispers as people wondered how Orion would represent the idiom.Orion quickly drew a slice of cake on a plate, adding a fork next to it. Nina squinted at the drawing, thinking hard. "Is it... birthday c
Realizing they could not prank Orion, everyone decided to return to playing the game as usual. After dinner, Orion started fussing about wanting to go home, and Nina couldn't say no. She asked the director for leave.At first, the director wasn’t happy about it since there were plans for early morning filming the next day. But Nina was firm, and eventually, he agreed, on the condition that she return promptly in the morning.After a heavy rain, the rural road was muddy. However, Nina, being an experienced driver, handled it with ease. The bumpy ride eventually brought them to the main road. Nina sent a message to Nash, suggesting they meet at the downtown shopping district.There weren’t many cars on the road, and Nina drove steadily. Suddenly, from the opposite lane, a large truck veered toward them, smashing through the median barrier. The truck swerved and headed straight for their car."Mom! Watch out!" Orion shouted.Nina had already reacted instinctively. She floored the g
Nina called Nash, her voice urgent. She did not want to wait for a passing car. Who knew when those two would wake up?If they did, and she was still there, she would have to fight again. She wasn’t afraid of fighting, knowing full well that ordinary people couldn’t match her. However, she was worried they might bring reinforcements.Nash picked up while driving."We ran into some trouble. Can you come get us?" Nina said immediately."I’m on my way. Stay safe," Nash replied, not hanging up as he sped towards them.As the rain began to fall, Nina felt her body growing heavier. She knew it was a fever from her injury, and regretted not bringing her bag. There was medicine in it. They had been walking for nearly half an hour without seeing a single car pass. Luckily, those two men had not followed them. Maybe they were still unconscious, or maybe they thought Nina and Orion had already left.Just as Nina was about to collapse, a car pulled over."Nina, Orion!" Miss Flores excla