“Yeah.” Landon chuckled. “You've got someone to back you up now. If anyone messes with you, just tell me. I'll handle it.”Emma could not help but laugh at that. She did not say anything but smiled at Landon through the screen, her smile tugging at his heartstrings.“It's getting late. You should get some rest. You've got another day on set tomorrow,” Landon gently reminded her.It was Emma's first time acting, so there were bound to be challenges and new things to learn. Rest was crucial for her.“Okay.” Emma nodded with a smile. Just as she was about to end the video call, she suddenly spoke up. “Landon…”“Yeah?” Landon paused, his finger hovering over the end-call button. “What's up?”“Having you around is the best,” Emma blurted out before quickly ending the call.The image of Emma vanished from the screen, leaving Landon momentarily stunned. Then, he broke into a silent smile.Was that… a sign that their relationship was progressing? He realized that while distance could
Edwina nervously spoke up. “They're terminating your contract.”Reina was momentarily confused. “What do you mean, terminating my contract?”Edwina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said outright, “The production team is terminating your contract.”“Why?” Reina was furious.Damien's projects always had great reviews and high ratings, so she fought hard to get into the production. How could they just terminate her contract like that?Edwina did not dare say another word as she faced Reina's wrath.Reina turned to Damien, demanding, “Why are you terminating my contract?”Damien's expression was cold as he asked, “You seriously don't know what you did?”“Damien, I've filmed so many scenes,” Reina argued, realizing that it was Kingsley using his connections to pressure her.Kingsley really did look out for his talent. It would be nice if her agent were as powerful as Kingsley.“Damien, don't worry, I'll give my best performance. Whatever misunderstandings happened before,
Damien looked up and smiled. “Perfect!”“Really? So, I passed?” Sydney asked with a grin.“Passed with flying colors!” Damien laughed heartily. “This role is made for you.”“That’s a relief. Otherwise, Kingsley would have to find someone else,” Sydney joked. “I was worried I might not be right for the part.”“Actually, I wanted you from the start. It’s just that you were busy filming and didn’t have the availability,” Damien said with a touch of regret.“Even if you had wrapped up filming, you’d need some time off, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. You were always my top choice,” Damien added, clearly thrilled to have his ideal lead.Sydney continued chatting with Damien, but Reina did not stick around to hear the details because she had stormed off. She was too upset to care. All she knew was that she felt like a complete fool, utterly embarrassed.Back at the hotel, Reina furiously stuffed her clothes into her suitcase.Edwina, seeing her distress, quickly tried to comfort
“Are you seriously expecting those troublemakers to have a change of heart?”Kingsley could not believe how naive Emma was. In the entertainment industry, everyone was constantly calculating their next move, yet Emma was hoping that her rivals would just back off on their own. Was she dreaming? “Wow, you really have a way with people, huh?” Emma said, still beaming. Then, she nervously asked, “But since you’ve brought in investors and hired a top actress… do you owe a lot of favors?”The thought of that made Emma feel quite guilty.“If I'd handled things better, I wouldn't have upset Reina or put you in this position where you owe so many favors.”Emma felt like no matter what she did, she could never repay Kingsley for what he had done for her.Taken aback, Kingsley stared at Emma for a moment before asking, “How did you and your husband meet, anyway?”“Huh?” Emma was thrown off by the question, which had come out of nowhere.“Weren’t you two childhood friends?” Kingsley in
Kingsley, of course, kept his questions to himself and quietly watched as Emma filmed her scenes.Emma successfully completed her first scene and was preparing for a wire stunt. While waiting for the setup, she asked the crew for tips on handling the wires.However, theory and practice were often worlds apart. The discomfort of being suspended was one thing, and controlling her body was another challenge. Every muscle had to be tense, and finding the right angle was tricky, but focusing too much on controlling her body made it easy to forget her facial expressions and lines.Emma went through the wire stunt seven or eight times but still struggled. By now, the harness was chafing and causing her to bleed.She quickly found Penny and said, “Hurry, put on some bandages! We can't ruin the costume.”Since her character wore all white, any bloodstains would not only dirty the costume but also make it difficult to clean, affecting the shoot.After Penny applied the bandages on her, Emm
[Damien praised me for making progress and improving.] Emma texted with a smile.Almost immediately, Landon replied. [I knew you were amazing, but I didn’t realize just how much. It seems I need to step up my game or I'll be left behind.]Emma’s lips curled into a grin as she quickly typed back a message on her phone. They went back and forth with messages, enjoying their chat.Penny watched the time tick by and finally interrupted, “Emma, you need to take care of that injury and eat something. You barely ate anything for lunch because of the rigging. You’ll make yourself sick if you keep this up. It’s already almost three in the afternoon.”“Okay, okay,” Emma replied, reluctantly putting her phone down after giving Landon a heads-up.As she set her phone aside, Penny teased, “Chatting with your husband, huh?”“Yeah,” Emma said with a shy smile. “Damien complimented me, so I wanted to share it with him.”Penny laughed. “You two are like a pair of lovesick teenagers, even though
Penny brought over some ice packs for Emma and tended to her other injuries.Noticing that Emma seemed lost in thought, Penny asked, "What’s on your mind?""I think I can change how I deliver my next line," Emma murmured, then fell back into her thoughts.Penny paused for a moment before smiling. She found Emma truly dedicated.After Penny treated Emma’s wounds, the food arrived. Penny encouraged Emma to eat first and think about her performance later.Things were pretty calm on Emma's side, but over at Landon’s office, he set his phone down and looked up. He said, "Let's continue."Immediately, the executives refocused on the discussion, but their minds were divided. Half of them were absorbed in the meeting, while the other half wondered about the person who had made their boss so animated.Landon had paused the meeting to respond to a message, and it seemed he had spent quite a while typing. One thing was for certain: they could tell from his smile that it was not a work-
"Huh?" Asher looked up and touched his head. "I’m growing up?"Then, he grinned widely. "When I grow up, I can protect Mommy and Daddy."Landon smiled warmly. It was nice to see Asher thinking about protecting them, even at his young age."That's right. When you grow up, you’ll protect me and Mommy, okay?" Landon said with a smile. "What would you like to eat today?"They had planned to go out for a meal that morning. Landon could not cook, so he had brought their old chef back to help out while Emma was away. Ever since Emma had been taking acting classes, the chef had been preparing their meals.However, Landon had no objections to Asher wanting to eat out, and Emma felt the same way. Eating out occasionally was fine as long as it was not too frequent."Barbecue!" Asher exclaimed, raising his little arm with excitement."Alright, barbecue it is!" Landon laughed. "Let’s go have some barbecue."Landon took Asher to a high-quality restaurant, one that matched his usual dining st
“Of course, marriage is about mutual benefit. You treat me well, and I treat you well in return. You help me shoulder life's pressures, and I offer you support. That’s what fosters a stable marriage,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.“It won’t work if one side keeps giving while the other takes without giving anything in return.“And sometimes, it may seem like one side isn’t contributing, but there are always invisible sacrifices being made.“Otherwise, how could any marriage last?” Landon wrapped his arms around Emma and sighed softly. “You know, what I love most about you is your clear understanding of things.“You give me a sense of security,” Landon said candidly. He knew Emma was not the type to overthink things as she was a very reasonable person.“You see, Asher has grown so optimistic and cheerful because of you. Being with you makes me feel incredibly at ease. That’s something money can’t buy.”Emma thought seriously for a moment. “If you need comfort, I feel like ther
Emma froze, her curiosity piqued. “What did you learn?”She was not surprised that Asher had absorbed her lessons as that was her goal in teaching him. But what had Landon learned? “I learned a lot,” Landon replied with a smile. “For example, your attention to detail and patience, your tolerance for others, and your ability to handle situations calmly—”Emma laughed, breaking his train of thought. “Stop, stop, stop! If you keep going, I might start believing I'm some kind of superhero! I’d be even better than you!” “Then I'd really be lacking in self-awareness if I think that,” Landon said as he wrapped his arms around her. “You genuinely possess many admirable qualities—exactly what I need.”“Alright, alright... what you need,” Emma replied casually.Landon gently tapped her shoulder. “Are you brushing me off?”Emma pouted. “You hit me…”Landon hurriedly rubbed her shoulder. “Did it hurt?”He had not even used enough force to swat a fly but hearing Emma say it made him do
People loved to take advantage of a good deal, and after consulting the owner, the manager anticipated such behavior from the customers when he proposed the solution. Besides, both the owner and the manager possessed a broader vision. They understood that they could not let a small financial loss tarnish their restaurant's reputation.The way they handled the incident turned into a great advertising opportunity. Those diners who experienced the situation firsthand became loyal customers. They now had a favorable impression of the restaurant and would be the first to recommend it for future gatherings or family outings. No amount of traditional advertising could rival the power of genuine recommendations from friends and family.Both the restaurant owner and manager knew how to effectively navigate a business crisis. What could have been a damaging situation had transformed into positive publicity due to their prompt action.“Let Daddy explain the specifics of the business
The restaurant manager politely apologized and thanked them before clearing all the food from the table. Emma smiled. "I really like this restaurant."Landon nodded, recognizing that this was a business that understood customer service. Just then, Emma spotted Asher’s confused expression. "Those dishes we had earlier might have been touched by that lady."If someone used a spoon that others had already used to scoop food for me, would you be pleased by that?" Asher shook his head vigorously. "Not at all!""Exactly! So, the food that might have come into contact with that lady's saliva was removed and destroyed by the restaurant staff," Emma continued. Asher looked concerned at Emma’s words. "That's such a waste!" "It is, but there's no other option," Emma sighed lightly. "If someone were to get sick from eating that food, it would be much worse. That was a terrible mistake that the lady made. "So the restaurant staff wants to make sure that the mistake was dealt with the
Asher nodded energetically. “Yes!”“Exactly! So, making mistakes isn’t scary, and not knowing things isn’t scary either. The key is to admit it boldly,” Emma explained.“When we make a mistake, we correct it. If we don’t know something, and it doesn’t affect others, we don’t have to learn it if we don’t want to.“But if it impacts others, we need to learn from it,” she continued.“Just like that lady earlier, she needed to learn not to use shared tongs to serve food. But for something like not wanting to do someone’s makeup, that’s okay, she doesn’t have to learn that.“Shared tongs are necessary for everyone, and they can’t be replaced. If you don’t want to do someone’s makeup, they can find someone else to help. That service can be substituted.”Asher listened intently and nodded his head. “I understand now, Mommy!”Landon watched the entire exchange and silently marveled at Emma’s approach. She had a knack for using examples from Asher’s own experiences to explain things, m
Asher beamed up at Emma, a sense of pride shining on his face.Emma finally gathered her emotions and turned to Asher. “Mommy makes mistakes too, Ash.”Asher’s smile faltered as confusion washed over him. “Huh?”Emma chuckled softly and ruffled his hair. “It’s not just Mommy who makes mistakes, Daddy does too.”“Really?” Asher exclaimed as he turned to look at Landon. His face was filled with disbelief.Landon smiled, though he was unsure where Emma was going with the conversation. Nevertheless, he cooperated without hesitation. “That’s right. Daddy makes mistakes too.”Asher’s mouth hung open in surprise, clearly shocked to learn that his impressive parents could also err.“Not just your parents,” Emma continued with a smile, “even people who are more capable than us make mistakes.”“Why?” Asher asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “If everyone makes mistakes, then why do we even learn?”“Because we work hard to make fewer mistakes and try our best not to cause trouble
“What disruption? You’re just bullying your customers because your business is big!” The middle-aged woman exploded in anger. “Don’t think I’m easy to push around. I’m calling the police!”The restaurant manager nodded calmly. “Please do. Since your actions have caused damage to our establishment, we will also hold you accountable for those damages.”“Damages? What damages?” the woman shouted, stomping her feet in frustration.Unfazed, the manager responded evenly, “Because of your actions, we now need to remove and replace all the food at the serving stations. You’ll be responsible for covering those losses.“And if any customers request refunds because of this, we’ll refund them in full. If they ask for compensation, we’ll provide that too. All of these expenses will be your responsibility.”The woman nearly exploded at the manager’s words. “You’re deluded!“Come on, son, we’re leaving!” She yanked her son’s arm, pulling him toward the exit.But the restaurant staff was not ab
Since Asher had decided to eat one piece of cake himself, he chose fewer cakes, worried that he would not be able to finish them.‘Look at that! He’s already learning how to make his own choices,’ Emma thought proudly.Emma followed Asher’s lead, picking up the cakes he wanted. Just as they were about to leave, Asher suddenly grabbed her sleeve.Puzzled, Emma looked down and asked, “What is it, sweetie?”“They’re using tongs to feed each other,” Asher said, frowning in displeasure.Emma glanced over and saw a middle-aged woman holding a pair of tongs, about to feed a cake to her son. The boy, around eight or nine, reached out to take the cake with his hand, but the woman pulled the tongs back and scolded him, “Don’t use your hands! Just open your mouth.”Emma felt her face flush in disbelief. ‘What are they thinking?’ she protested quietly.The woman did not want her son to use his hands, claiming it was dirty, yet she was about to feed him with the tongs that everyone used to
Landon smiled. “I like eating too. Our whole family does. But what I enjoy most is eating with all of you.”Asher quickly agreed, “I’m always happy when I eat with Mommy and Daddy.”The family of three arrived at the buffet. Thankfully, Emma had already reserved a spot using her phone while they were still on the road.They headed straight to a small private room, ordered their food through the app, and waited for the server to bring it.“Mommy…” Asher called as he tugged at Emma’s shirt. “I want some cake.”Emma laughed and put on her sunglasses. “Let’s go get some cake.”Asher beamed with excitement. “Okay!” With one hand he held Emma’s hand tightly, while he swung the other one back and forth enthusiastically. He hurried along, and his wide, gleaming eyes searched eagerly for the cake display ahead.“Mommy, over there!” He spotted the table filled with cakes in an instant.Even though he was thrilled to see the cakes, Asher did not let go of Emma’s hand or rush ahead.