Julian made a reassuring gesture. "If you don't believe me, I'll call right now and prove it."Ignoring the surprised looks from Jade and the others, he took out his phone and dialed a number. Within seconds, the call connected."Hello, it's me." Julian had barely uttered those three words when the person on the other end abruptly hung up. He held the phone awkwardly and muttered, "That was unexpected. Let me try again."He called again, only to be hung up on once more.After several attempts, he was visibly annoyed. "What's going on? How dare they keep hanging up on me?!"Tiffany observed the situation and softly remarked, "If it doesn't work out, just forget it.""No way. Failure isn't in my vocabulary." Julian's pride wouldn't allow him to be belittled in front of Jade. Determined, he sent a text message and counted under his breath, "One, two, three..."Before he finished, his phone rang.Clearing his throat, he answered with a forced calmness. "Finally decided to take my c
In the afternoon, Julian received a call from his friend, informing him that he should bring the portfolio to the set at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. She would arrange for Melanie to meet the director, but whether it would be successful depended on the work itself."Melanie, this is wonderful news! It's a rare opportunity," Tiffany said, sharing Melanie's excitement. If Melanie succeeded, it would be a turning point for her.Jade patted Melanie's shoulder, encouraging her, "Don't be afraid, Melanie. Believe in your talent."Melanie nodded earnestly. "With you all by my side, I'm not afraid."After some laughter and chatter, Tiffany suddenly realized a problem. "We can't have you meeting the director in anything shabby tomorrow. We need to get you an outfit."Jade had the same thought and chimed in. "Tiffany's right."Melanie shook her head. "There's no need. If I buy clothes, I won't have enough for my living expenses this month.""Of course, I’ll buy them for you. I’m counting o
Indeed, one should never judge a book by its cover."The fitting room is this way," the sales assistant said, taking down the clothes and handing them to Melanie. She led her to the fitting room.Meanwhile, Tiffany had no desire to buy clothes. She sat on the side, reading a magazine.The perceptive assistant brought her a cup of coffee.Jade was busy picking through the clothes racks. She hadn't been in the mood for shopping lately, and her old clothes had become a bit tight, especially around the chest area, making her feel quite embarrassed.Jade glanced down at her prominently swelling chest, feeling even more self-conscious. She had no idea when her chest had started growing like inflated balloons."Can you help me with this dress..." Jade was pondering whether she should get an S or M size when a small, pale hand suddenly snatched the dress away. A crisp female voice followed."Wow, this dress is so pretty! I want to try it on. Can you get me an S size?"Jade's outstretch
Others might be deceived by Chenelle, but not Jade.She watched Chenelle's poor performance with indifference, inwardly wondering why Chenelle had come to provoke her for no reason.Just as she was thinking this, a familiar voice called out, "Chenelle, what's going on?"Upon hearing that voice, Jade's whole body stiffened as if struck by lightning. She felt as if she had no strength left to walk.She didn’t turn around but could clearly feel a scorching gaze fixed on her, like a tightly woven net ensnaring her.When Chenelle saw the newcomer, her eyes lit up, and she happily ran over to cling to Caelan’s arm, her voice soft. "Cael, why are you here? Didn’t you say you were meeting a client? You didn’t need to come here just for me. I’m only buying some clothes, so there's need to worry about me."Her expression and tone were not those of someone speaking to her brother, but rather like a lover being coy.Tiffany shuddered, nearly choking at the sight."How pretentious," she mut
Tiffany, worried that Melanie’s words might deepen the misunderstanding, tugged at her arm and whispered, "Don't make things worse. Let them talk it out.""Me, making things worse?" Melanie huffed indignantly, glaring at Chenelle with sharp eyes. "Anyone with eyes can see who's causing trouble. The real worry is for those who are blind in both sight and heart."Chenelle knew that Melanie was using this opportunity to insult Caelan. She was fuming inside but kept her composure, looking at Caelan with pleading eyes. "Caelan, forget it. I don't want it anymore. Let's just leave."Melanie blocked her way, her smile dripping with sarcasm. "What, start a fire and then try to run away? It's not that easy."Chenelle was terrified by Melanie's fierce demeanor and backed away step by step, looking at Caelan for help."Caelan, I'm scared," Chenelle whimpered, clinging to him like a vine and feigning a victimized look. "Caelan, let's go to another store. This dress might suit Ms. Severin bett
Tiffany pinched Melanie hard. "What do you mean 'hasn't moved on yet'? She never even had the chance to move on, and now you're rubbing salt in her wounds."Hearing Tiffany's words, Melanie looked down, feeling upset. Her heart ached for Jade more than anyone else, but matters of the heart were beyond her help.Their commotion had drawn a crowd, and a sales assistant approached with the clothes, asking cautiously, "Would you still like to purchase these items?"Jade snapped out of her daze, feeling a mix of bitterness and sorrow. Forcing a smile, she replied, "Yes, please wrap them all up."The assistant sighed with relief, quickly packing the clothes Jade had picked and those Melanie had tried on into elegant shopping bags.As they left the mall, Jade maintained a faint smile, but Tiffany and Melanie were both visibly downcast. They were not foolish—they could tell Jade was putting on a brave front. However, since Jade didn’t bring it up, they refrained from mentioning anything t
Julian laughed nonchalantly, "What are you afraid of? This is Elena's territory. Without her permission, who would dare come in? Relax."His casual confidence made Melanie and Jade exchange a quick glance before turning to Julian in surprise. "The person you contacted yesterday was Elena Bennett, the new rising star?"Julian stretched his long legs and yawned lazily. "Who else? Do you think just anyone can meet Leo Tolo?"Melanie and Jade were taken aback, suddenly seeing Julian in a new light.However, they had already been in the reception room for half an hour. Apart from an assistant who had initially told them Leo was in a meeting, no one had checked on them since.Jade seemed fine with the wait, but Julian grew increasingly impatient, frequently standing up to look outside the door. "What's going on? It's been so long. Why haven't we seen him yet?"Melanie's anxiety was evident. "Could it be that he is too busy to see us?""Wait here. I'll go ask." Julian wanted to leave a
Elena felt a bit uneasy at the remark. "What do you mean by 'see you again'? Have we met before? Are we that familiar?"The warning in her eyes was obvious.Jade knew she was afraid she might bring up Elena's drunk driving incident from that day.Jade shook her head. "Miss Bennett, I'm sure you know the purpose of our visit today. We are really grateful for your help. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten this far."Jade showered Elena with praise, making her somewhat overwhelmed.Elena's attitude visibly softened, but she still looked at her warily. "Alright, alright, just get to the point."Jade smiled faintly. "Do you know when we can meet Director Tolo?"The longer they waited, the more likely something could go wrong.A flash of discomfort crossed Elena's face. After a brief pause, she said, "I came to tell you about that. You might not be able to see him today.""What?" Julian stood up abruptly, pointing at Elena. "Are you playing with us? We've been waiting for half an h