Nathan smiled, accepting the cutleries Melody handed him. It was exactly this kind of thoughtful gesture that made him appreciate her even more. To him, it was not necessary for them to develop a romantic relationship as it would be more comfortable to have her as a friend."Miss Melody, online traffic is king right now. I think it'll be beneficial to the movie if we can generate some attention by pretending we're together," said Nathan.Melody frowned slightly. She understood where Nathan was coming from, but…"What you're saying makes sense, but if we gather too much attention, it might bring some negative impact to the movie itself."Despite being relatively new to the entertainment industry, Melody understood some of the rules of the trade after having experienced numerous setbacks.Some private interactions were unavoidable since the two of them played a couple in the film. After all, the aim was to create a film that was both well-received and commercially successful.Howev
[Didn't you see it was Nathan who placed the food on Melody's plate? I laugh at how ignorant you can be!]Even if someone wanted to criticize Melody as a resourceful person, Nathan's fans were not in the position to do so. Both of them were newcomers, and the fact that Shaun would simultaneously promote two newcomers meant that it was either their excellent acting skills that made him do it, or because they had strong backers behind them.[Can you all vapid fans stop embarrassing yourselves? Look at how happy Melody and Nathan are, eating together. Are you all not afraid that your mindless bickering will affect them?]Many of Director Shaun's loyal fans found the fan wars hard to watch. The majority of Melody and Nathan's fans were just casual fans who liked them for their looks. Thus, Shaun's fans decided to opt out of the discussion after seeing so many arguing in the comment section.Moreover, it was not like Melody and Nathan had a lot of fans to begin with. What was the point
Melody laid on the sofa in the break room for a while, contemplating the situation. After careful consideration, she felt it was necessary to clarify the matter decisively.At least on the surface, they needed to show a stance and not let the situation escalate unchecked. It would not be a big deal if the matter only concerned Melody, but she was Beatrice and Cedric's granddaughter-in-law, albeit in name only.She could not be so selfish as to only consider herself and the cast, and neglect the dignity of Beatrice and Cedric.Melody got up decisively and went to find Nathan to discuss the matter. Both of them needed to post something online to make it clear that they were not a couple.It would be easy to clarify things, but difficult to word them in a way that would not hurt the feelings of their fans. After all, the success of the movie still depended on them, so Melody did not want to upset them too much.Knock, knock!"Miss Melody, are you inside?"Melody opened the door in
Based on what Nathan understood, the Riveras' old lady ought to belong to the latter group. The Riveras intentionally handed over all the good scripts to Melody, as she was their new and hard-sought granddaughter-in-law. However, Melody had no intention of exploiting her privileges in such a manner. She wanted to land a role in the movies fairly.Then again, everything he heard was nothing more than hearsay. Discerning the veracity of the information thus became a challenge. Those who had a longstanding involvement in showbiz would have forged some connections, and Nathan was no different.Melody nodded without the slightest hint of reservation. There was no point in her trying to hide her status since it was already common knowledge. Doing so would give her the impression that she was being too petty.Furthermore, it worked to her advantage for outsiders to know that she was the granddaughter-in-law of the Riveras since she was still under contract with Lucas. She was well aware of
Melody recoiled in fear and took two steps back. She then hastily reached forward and grabbed Lucas' hand in a desperate attempt to halt further violence."What are you doing, Lucas?! Stop it—" Melody pleaded as Nathan got back to his feet and struggled to contain his rising temper.Melody knew that Lucas was strong enough that Nathan stood no chance against him in a physical confrontation. To avert escalating tensions, Melody disregarded her safety and positioned herself in front of Nation. Lucas ceased his aggression after being hugged tightly by Melody."This is a misunderstanding, Lucas! Calm down and hear me out!" Melody then turned and said to Nathan, "Hurry up and leave! I'll—"Before she could finish her sentence, Lucas dragged her away by force.Clearly seething with anger, Lucas held Melody's wrist like a clamp. His grip was so powerful that she hissed in pain."It hurts! What's gotten into you, Lucas?! Let me go!" Melody stumbled as he dragged her away and attempted to
"Me? Out of my mind? Did you have to react so dramatically to me? Why didn't you react that way with that other guy?" Lucas narrowed his eyes threateningly."What did you think Nathan and I were doing in my lounge?" Melody gestured to herself with a perplexed expression. Lucas offered no response, yet his silence spoke volumes."What do you take me for, Lucas? Just because you don't respect me doesn't mean you can assume that others won't either!" Irritated, she took two steps back and distanced herself from him.The lounge door was wide open when he entered. If she had harbored ulterior motives, she would have been an idiot to leave the door open like that. They had merely signed a contract, and he had no right to attack another man as if he was her boyfriend—which he clearly was not."What does this have to do with respect? Do you think it's appropriate for you to be so close to that man?" Lucas asked coldly.His arrogant, condescending gaze only fueled Melody's anger. "That has
There were times Lucas could feel as though Melody had feelings for him, so he could not understand why she was that reluctant to reconsider their relationship.Melody cried and shouted, "Why should I be with someone who doesn't know how to respect me? Do you even know the meaning of the word 'respect'? Just because you are the Rivera Group's president doesn't mean you can treat me badly."Melody's shoulders were trembling, and she closed her eyes to try and stop herself from crying. Lucas's mind went blank for a moment. He raised his hand to wipe away her tears, but she avoided it by instinct."Enough! Stop playing games with me. And don't lie to me anymore..." Melody whimpered, feeling drained of all energy."Lie? When did I lie to you? I don't understand what you're accusing me of!" Lucas retracted his hand. His expression soured, and he gazed down at the crying Melody.Melody smiled bitterly. "You don't understand anything, do you?""Yes, I don't," Lucas answered frankly an
Melody turned around in frustration and said, "This has nothing to do with Nathan! It's about you assaulting Nathan for no good reason! He is my colleague! We're at work! You don't even know what we're talking about!""I might not know what you were doing with him, but I have eyes, Melody! I'm not blind!" Lucas yanked his tie in frustration."So, you think I'm cheating on you and having an affair with another man?" Melody found his logic extremely absurd. She never questioned him about his relationship with Thalia, yet he was jumping to conclusions about her relationship with Nathan!'What does Lucas think of me? A pet to keep at home and entertain only when he's in a good mood? He listens to me when he's in a good mood, but he can't even let me finish a sentence when he's unhappy!'Melody became angrier the more she thought about it. She raised her arm and pointed at the door. "I don't care what you think! It's not like you're going to understand whatever I say anyway! Please leav
Sherman could not help but feel fearful when he recalled the incident.Rita gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "I knew you'd come to rescue me, just like all the times you did. I love you, Sherman."Previously, Rita confessed her love to him when she was groggy. At this moment, however, she was clearly awake, even sporting a faint smile on her face as she confessed.Sherman immediately blushed. "I love you, too."Rita did not stay long in the hospital; she quickly returned to the Parr family's mansion. Just as Sherman's grandparents had said, Rita did not have any major injuries, so there was no need for her to stay in the hospital that long. In fact, she might even recover faster emotionally under the care at home.Not once did Sherman bring up Rita's job, but she surprisingly resigned from New Capital Times on her own accord. It would be difficult for her to investigate cases with her current condition; not to mention Sherman had handed over the evidence to the police. The polic
"Sherman, I like you. I love you," Rita finally confessed.Sherman, deeply pained, pulled Rita into his arms. "This is all my fault. I should've looked for you quicker. I've never blamed you. All I want is to see you smile. It's enough for me as long as you're willing to let me stay by your side."You don't have to confess to me. I know it's hard for you to do that because of your family. I've seen the way they've treated you, and…"The bodyguards who had barged in with Sherman felt a bit awkward to see their company president in tears. However, the priority was to get Rita to the hospital for a check-up. Being tied up for hours could cause circulation issues, and it could be dangerous if her limbs did not regain feelings soon.In the end, they got the bravest among them to convince Sherman to let them take Rita to the hospital. Instead of letting them do it, Sherman wiped away his tears and, with ease, lifted Rita as if she was as light as a feather.Fortunately, after the hospit
With that, Karen left without looking back. She was carrying Vince's baby in her womb, so how could she pin all her hopes on Sadie? Since Sadie was obviously unruly, she would have to rely on her son.'Sadie can spend the rest of her life with Esmond since she likes him so much. God knows it had been exhausting enough to raise her. Plus, it's only fair for Esmond to take care of her since I've done my part taking care of her until now,' thought Karen.Meanwhile, the only consolation for Sherman was that Esmond did not try to put up a fight. It seemed that he still cared about his daughter Sadie.Sherman led his men to a dilapidated house. Esmond had been cautious enough to choose a rundown house situated at the end of a village.When Sherman barged in, he found Rita lying on the floor while Esmond's men ignored her. Esmond's men had followed his orders, and since he did not instruct them to do anything to Rita, they left her well alone.Before the men could react, they were surrou
Karen cried and silently knelt by Sadie's side without trying to defend herself. Sadie, on the other hand, feebly tried to explain herself. Alas. Vince refused to listen.There had been many occasions before when he had chosen to believe Karen and Sadie, but at this moment, he realized he had been terribly wrong to do that.Rita used to be so kind, understanding, and well-behaved. However, ever since Karen and Sadie moved in, Vince felt like his daughter had become manipulative, always trying to compete for attention, and stirring up jealousy in front of him.Unfortunately, it took Rita's disappearance to make Vince realize that Rita was not trying to compete for attention. All Rita wanted from him was to treat her the same as Sadie.Vince used to think that Rita should give in to Sadie more since Sadie was younger, too."Why don't you go live with your biological father since you prefer him so much? I never want to see you show your face around here anymore! As for your mother, s
Sadie was so anxious that she wanted to jump out. "Mom, don't tell me you fell for it! Why did you call Esmond? Now they all know where Rita is. You've ruined everything, again! What were you thinking?"Karen could not care less. She cried and slapped Sadie. "You nearly scared me to death! What would I do if something happened to you? I didn't raise you just to watch you die. I told you not to meet up with Esmond, so why did you secretly meet up with him? How can you ask him to get rid of Rita?"Are you out of your mind? All I want is for us to live out the rest of our lives peacefully, so why didn't you listen to me?!"Sadie was furious. Karen had stopped trying to get rid of Rita ever since she got pregnant, so how could Sadie not be angry? Rita was like a thorn in her side, and Sadie would never be happy unless Rita was dead."Don't you know I like Sherman? How could you ask me to do nothing when Rita has stolen him from me?! I was the one who liked him first. It's either Rita g
Karen wanted so badly to slap Esmond through the phone.'What good are his pompous words now? We wouldn't be in this mess now if he hadn't hit me back then! What's more, he's saying he's doing this for Sadie. But has he ever thought of what would happen to me and Sadie if he got rid of Rita? Rita's the heiress of the Russell family. Not to mention, she's married to Sherman, so that makes her owner of Parr Group too! What makes Esmond think he can get rid of Rita so easily?'Karen's breath was ragged as she said, "If you don't believe me, just listen to your daughter's screams. I can't save her now; you will literally decide her fate! Plus, I'm pregnant with Vince's baby, so even if I lose Sadie, I still have a kid—which is more than what I can say about you!"Sherman could not help but be impressed by Karen a little. Even in this dire situation, she did not forget to express her heartfelt feelings to Vince, letting him know that she was always on his side. It was certainly not an ea
"Sherman raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a minor injury, maybe just a finger. There shouldn't be any major issues. A sprained joint takes only a hundred days to heal, and it might take her even less time to heal if you take very good care of her while she's recuperating."Karen's heart ached upon hearing that. She lunged toward Sherman, wanting to hit him, but the bodyguards stopped her before she could get close.Vince, still worried, held Karen tightly beside him. "Calm down. I'm sure Sadie will come out unharmed if Rita's kidnapping has nothing to do with her. But if it does, then you should know very well that…"Vince's voice dropped an octave. He could not believe his daughter's disappearance had anything to do with his stepdaughter. However, he was not utterly naive.He continued, "How could a girl like her take Rita away? Even the car window was smashed. Others must've been involved. Does her biological father have anything to do with it?"Sherman nodded
"Yes, it's true I met up with my biological father, but it was just a one-time thing. I don't want to go back to him at all! Otherwise, I would've done it ages ago. Dad, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in and looking after me all these years. That's why I feel like you're my real father, even more real than those who share the same blood."How could you unjustly accuse me and Mom like that? Sherman is the one spouting nonsense here. He's trying to push all the blame onto us. Dad, you have to wake up and see the truth!"Karen nodded along, but her heart was racing. 'When did Sadie meet Esmond? How did Sherman know when I don't even know? Seems like Sadie does have something to do with Rita's kidnapping. I have to settle things and get Sherman out of here.'Karen never had the thought of rekindling her relationship with Esmond. The only thing she wanted then was to peacefully give birth to her son. Everything in the Russell family would eventually go to her son, and she would
Sherman detested people pointing their fingers at him when they spoke. He stood up slowly, towering over Vince instantly."You claim to be Rita's father, yet if I were you, I'd choose to shut up and stand aside. I can't believe you're scolding me for threatening Sadie when she's not even your real daughter!"Look at her guilty expression; it's clear she's involved. If you don't believe me, use your brain a little. No wonder Russell Group is declining under your leadership. It's only a matter of time before the company goes completely bankrupt!"Sherman showed no mercy, causing Vince to retreat with every word. Vince clutched his chest, struggling for breath.Karen, despite her weakness, stepped forward to support him. "How could you speak to your father-in-law like this? What has Sadie done to offend you? She has nothing but admiration for you. Plus, she's just a child. How could you treat her like this?"She went on and on, but Sherman stood his ground. Meanwhile, the burly bodyg