Leia frowned. "I can't say that either. What we have now should be extraordinary because we feel like killing each other." Adam assumed that she was purposely showing off her romance, and he smirked at her. "Don't worry, Miss Osborne. We're adults; I get it. I just want to ask if you're interested in the entertainment industry. Do you want to get popular?" "Popular?""Yeah, like being a fixed guest on this show. I'm sure we only need one season to make you popular given your character," Adam said confidently. He wanted to do Xavier the favor, and he also wanted to be successful. After all, he had directed so many shows, and now he had reached a bottleneck. If he could promote someone at this point, his career would grow to another level."What benefits will it bring me if I'm popular?" Leia raised her brows and asked him with a smile. "There are a lot of benefits. You'll gain fame and profit, and when people slander you, your fans will help you fight them. What's more, you can
"You like Santiago too? He's very nice and charming. What's more, he's professional, humble, and virtuous. In short... he's my idol, the one and only one!" When Leia thought of Santiago, she smiled and thought, 'Xavier, so what if you have your first love? I have an idol I admire too.'"Mr. Jiminez, do you know Santiago? I heard that he's pretty aloof and rarely befriends people in the entertainment circle," Leia asked him curiously. At first, she was not very interested in the shrewd director, but when she heard that he admired Santiago too, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. Her mood improved too, and she was friendly to him now."We're way more than that—we're close friends. I'll let you in on a secret… Santi owes me a big favor, so he'll surely come here if I invite him," Adam raised his head and said proudly.If a person could pacify such a difficult character in the entertainment circle, they were truly capable regardless of how wide their connections were. It was
Leia frowned, worried. "I just hurt Shirley. Everyone avoids me and sees me as a wicked woman, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get along with them."Leia felt anxious when she recalled how the other guests treated her that morning. Those people were fickle—if they saw Xavier and Shirley together, they would curry favor with Shirley and regard Leia as their enemy. If she had to shoot for the show under such circumstances, she was afraid that she might end up fighting with them on camera. "It's fine. You can fight with them if you can't get along with them. You can fall out with whichever pretentious person you want. Just be yourself, you don't have to pretend to like them. I hate pretentious people the most too." Adam took a fancy to Leia because he found her an unaffected person. She was unlike the stars who had been in the industry for many years. They were different in front of the camera and in private. As a result, the show became a platform for their hypocrisy. It was meanin
Leia was enraged by his words, and snapped at him, "Why? Do you want me to cry and kneel at her feet? Should I go throw myself off a hill to make up for it?""That's unnecessary, but you can't just pretend like nothing happened," Xavier said seriously. Everyone had been fussing over Shirley, and if Leia, the person who had caused the accident, didn't seem concerned, people would surely gossip about her."Yeah, that's not happening. Do something about it if you can't accept it," Leia said smugly, then placed her book on her face and swayed on the hammock, shutting everything out.She might be rude, but she could not be polite to a pretentious diva like Shirley. Shirley walked towards them, flanked by the others, and held Xavier's hand intimately. "Xavier, Miss Osborne is sleeping. Let's not disturb her. We'd better go back and rest. I said that I had forgiven her and that I don't blame her for what happened. Let's not dwell on that accident any longer." Everyone would surely prai
"Mr. Stuart, hold on tight. These mountain roads are rugged, so don't fall out of the car!" Adam yelled at Xavier as he gripped the car railing tightly.Xavier was speechless. His thick dark hair had become messy because of the wind, and it made him look even more attractive. "Who is Santiago?" Xavier finally asked Adam, unable to contain his curiosity."Santiago is an actor, Mr. Stuart, and a very good one at that. He keeps a low profile and only appears while shooting films, so it's normal that you don't know him," Adam said loudly over the roaring wind, grinning widely at Xavier."An actor?" When Xavier heard that, he felt even more frustrated. "How old is he? What does he look like? What kind of man is he?" "I guess he's two or three years younger than you. He's very handsome, and was definitely born to be an actor. He's a refined, melancholic Prince Charming. He's very attractive, so he has a lot of loyal fans even though he keeps a low profile. Miss Osborne is also a fan o
Santiago walked over to Leia and tilted his head, smiling boyishly at her. "Are you Miss Leia Osborne, the young lady Mr. Jiminez finds interesting?" "Ah, yes… That's me!" Leia looked up at him shyly, struck dumb when she met his bright gaze. She sighed dreamily. 'He's so handsome… TV doesn't do him justice! He's so perfect and charming that I can't look away.""I hope we'll work together well." Santiago extended his hand to her, a warm smile on his face.Leia held his hand with trepidation, and felt her heart flutter when her sweaty palm touched his cool skin and slender fingers. She decided not to wash her hand for a week."Yes, I hope so too!" Leia said nervously, then immediately handed the bouquet to him. "These are wildflowers I picked by the road. It's... for you. I hope your future is as free and bountiful as these wildflowers." "Wildflowers?" Santiago took the bouquet from her and sniffed it. He broke into a happy smile, looking charming amidst the beautiful wildflowe
"There's a drain there. Help yourself!" Leia snapped at Xavier grumpily. Xavier's face fell. Even the stray dogs in the village got better treatment than him. Upset. he jumped out of the pickup and followed Leia.They both entered the store, and Leia meticulously picked water for Santiago. "Give me two bottles of pure water. I want the best and most expensive kind."She knew that Santiago needed that much since he watched his diet and drank only plain water from a high-end brand. However, this store had a limited selection, so they only sold ordinary mineral water.Leia became anxious. She took out a ten-dollar bill and urged the cashier, "Help me get some high-end pure water next time you restock. My idol loves to drink that." Xavier leaned against the cabinet and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her mockingly. "It's just water, doesn't it all taste the same?" "You don't know anything!" Leia rolled her eyes at him. "There are different kinds of water. Some are pure lik
There were only two seats at the back and one seat beside Leia on their way back.Leia blushed and said to Santiago, "Mr. Dalton, you can sit with me if you're okay with it. Don't worry, my driving skills are very good. The car won't turn over, I promise."Santiago was amused by Leia. He sipped his water, his perfect facial features even more attractive under the sunlight. He scratched his thick hair and said, "It's fine. I'm not afraid of the car turning over.""How coy!" Xavier brushed past Santiago and took the front seat casually. "He's a star who earns money using his charms, so he can't take such a risk. I'd better sit here. After all, I don't need my face to earn money."His actions and words made everyone feel awkward.Leia clenched her fists angrily and gritted her teeth. "How shameless!"Santiago looked at Leia and Xavier, then raised his brows and smiled. "Mr. Stuart, I'll sit at the back since you like this spot so much.""How sensible of you." Xavier glanced at Sant
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b
"You're playing with fire!" Justin leaned close to Renee's ears and said fiercely, "What do you think there is in the wine? Maybe I'm not someone who will take liberty on women, but I can't promise that the wine won't make me so." "So, you're saying that the wine…" Suddenly, Renee realized the wine was not as simple as she thought. She also understood why Rose had behaved in such a mysterious manner. "Stay…away from me!" Suddenly, she became frightened and wanted to keep some distance from Justin. She knew that people could not be trusted completely, especially under the effects of chemical reactions. Things would certainly get out of control. Justin probably did not want to do anything to her, but both of them would lose their minds under the effect of the wine and do something that would fill them with regret. The only way to prevent such an incident was to avoid each other."You want to stay away from me, but it's too late now. I'm no saint. I'm just a normal guy!"Just
"I'm so thirsty!" The burning sensation of the wine made Renee thirsty. She wanted to drink some water.In the dark, she heard some rustling. The next second, something was on her lips. It seemed to be someone else's lips. She wondered if someone had secretly kissed her."Who are you?" Renee grabbed the person in front of her and interrogated angrily, "How dare you kiss me without my permission! Do you know who I am? I'll cut off your lips!""Let's see if you can do that or not." The man sounded dull and drunk, but he was also overbearing.Although Renee was drunk, she could discern who it was. She called out in the dark and tried to confirm her doubt. "Haze…?" "Yeah, it's me," Justin admitted, but he did not plan to let her go. He used a more overbearing manner and trapped her between him and the door."What do you want?" Renee panicked. She wanted to kick him away, but she did not resist when she learned that it was Justin. After she had done so many things to hurt him, s
The servant walked forward with trepidation and helped Justin back to his room. Austin's eyes were dark. He whispered to his assistant, who nodded and immediately carried out his order.After two glasses of strong wine, Renee felt dizzy and could not stand steadily. "It's weird. Is this wine this strong? I just had two glasses of it, but I feel quite dizzy." It was hard for her to exit the hall. She could not stand properly, so she supported herself against the wall."Ms. Everheart, you didn't seem well. Let me help you to get some rest." Austin's assistant caught up to her and stood behind her. He even sounded respectful. "It's… fine. I can go back to my room." Renee waved; she didn't want to trouble others. Besides, she did not want others to see how miserable she was. She had assumed that she was good at drinking and would not get drunk, but it seemed like she had overestimated herself. After two glasses of wine, she became quite drowsy. She would not easily leave if s
Renee blinked and smiled brightly at Justin, asking him, "Are you worried about me?" "No, I'm not worried about you!" Justin said angrily. "I don't want you to get killed here. I can't explain it to your brother and kids. It's hard to handle the three of them."He was not lying. Although he had befriended Quinton, Adie and Abby might make a scene there if they realized that Renee had drunk so much wine at the party. They were witty, always full of ideas.Hence, it was better not to cause trouble. Before they could make a scene and things get out of control, Justin must stop Renee. He wasn't worried about her at all. "So, you're not worried about me?" Renee's gaze turned dull as she sighed. "It looks like you didn't forgive me. So, I must drink this glass of wine." Something was wrong with Renee, or perhaps she just wanted to torture herself. It seemed like she insisted on drinking the wine. She swung off Justin's hand and gulped down the wine."You're out of your mind!" Justi
The aged white wine was strong. Ordinary people would find it hard to drink a glass of it. Yet, Renee had drunk two glasses of it consecutively. It was a little dangerous. Everyone at the dining table was initially watching the fun, but they showed Renee some pity after she drank two glasses of wine consecutively. After wiping her lips clean, Renee staggered and said to Justin, "Let me toast to you now. I've wronged you the most." Justin, sitting there, said with a poker face, "You don't have to say sorry to me. We don't hold each other any grudge. After all, we can't make others fall in love with us.""No, I must apologize to you. It's for my sake." After that, Renee used a bigger glass and filled it with wine."Whatever!" Justin frowned and ignored Renee. He had no idea what was wrong with her. He had yielded and let her off, but she stubbornly wanted to keep drinking the wine.He wondered if she had forgotten the fact that she had just recovered from a serious illness. She
Suddenly, Justin became mature and stopped making jokes. He talked steadily and was no longer emotional. It filled Austin with worry because it made him feel like Justin was an emotionless robot.In comparison, he liked Justin's previous self better. At that time, Justin was simple and sentimental. He was the grandson Austin doted on the most.Sophia grinned and commented, "Dad, you don't have to worry about Justin. Men will change. Previously, he was just a childish kid even though he was in his twenties. He didn't know how to see through people's pretense. But he's all grown up now. He knows what's right or wrong. That's a great thing!" As a mother, she naturally did not want her son to get hurt. Although she favored Renee and wanted the latter to be her daughter-in-law, she would give up since Renee had let her son down and harmed him. All she wanted was to see Renee get away from her son."Yes, you're right. People need to grow up. He has grown up a lot lately, but the price
After a while, a servant quickly came back with a bottle of wine tied with a piece of red cloth. "Sir, Madam, this bottle of white wine was brewed more than ten years ago. It comes with a rich taste and is strong. I'm sure it's suitable for Ms. Everheart to toast to everyone as a form of apology.""That's good. That's what I want." Rose accepted the heavy bottle of wine. Although it was yet to be unscrewed, she could smell its pungent scent. "I won't easily let anyone drink this. Plus… Believe it or not, a glass of this wine can knock out anyone here." Rose carried the bottle of wine and walked around the table. Finally, she stopped in front of Renee. "I'm letting a sinner like you enjoy such a great thing today. You must drink all of it. You can't waste it.""Huh? Does she have to drink it all? I'm afraid she'll vomit from drinking.""People will lose themselves with only three to five glasses of this wine. If they drink half of it, they might get alcohol poisoning no matter
If any Baldwin demanded an explanation from Renee, she would not resent them."Fine, I won't go easy on you since you said so." Rose laughed recklessly, looking malicious. Everyone knew Rose was fierce and malicious. But none of them said anything, including Justin. They behaved like onlookers and wanted to see how Rose would punish Renee. "Please go ahead." Renee nodded and sounded very calm. "Don't worry. Regardless, you were the only woman my dear grandnephew had loved and wanted to marry. So, I won't be harsh on you. If not, he won't forgive me." At that point, Rose purposely paused and wanted to see how Justin would react.However, Justin merely sat there indifferently and had no intention to get Renee out of the predicament. Hence, Rose became bolder. "Well, let's do this. You've wronged not only Justin but everyone in my family. Since you're here to apologize, you should toast to all of us. Then, we can forget about this."After that, Rose turned to Austin and asked