CHAPTER 3: SCRIPT READING

"You should always wash yourself properly after the activity to avoid a fever. This is basic knowledge." The doctor sounded annoyed as he lectured Brewster while checking his pulse. "You are not that young anymore. You should learn to take better care of yourself." He pressed on. 

Brewster, with a red face, stared at the middle-aged doctor attending to him. He had opened his eyes to meet himself in the hospital, his nose filled with medicinal scent and his ears with the beeping sound of machines. 

He still remembered vividly how his vision had turned black during the sex earlier, and for a moment, he thought that would be his end. He feared Ace would not attend to him and might leave him unconscious on the ground until he died. But when he opened his eyes and met himself in a hospital, he subconsciously felt grateful. 

At least, he wasn't left for dead...

"Take this. Go into the bathroom to wash yourself and apply this medicine to heal." The doctor instructed. His tone was still filled with annoyance.  

He seemed to have been forced to treat Brewster. With a glance, it was obvious he was a doctor with large pride. 

Brewster nodded. He forced his weak body up the bed and walked toward the bathroom. A tearing pain persisted from his back hole, and he couldn't help but flinch with each step. 

He gritted his teeth, and without looking back, he entered the bathroom to clean himself. 

Dipping a finger into his hole made him feel an unprecedented shame. He closed his eyes, his finger moving inside his hole to clear every corner. 

After that, he applied the medicine around the hole and walked out of the bathroom. 

He was soon discharged from the hospital, and a Mercedes-Benz drove him home. The driver didn't say a word, but Brewster knew Ace had sent the car, which confused him a bit. 

Entering his one-room apartment, Brewster saw Jim pacing around in the room with a worried expression. He raised his head the moment he heard the door open, and his eyes flashed when he saw Brewster. 

"Brewster, are you okay? Where have you been?" His crispy voice cracked as he questioned. His hands on Brewster's shoulders. 

Brewster, feeling dizzy from the shaking, smiled and tried to move back. "I was with Mr Ace. He wanted to speak to me concerning something." He lied. 

Jim's brow furrowed, but his panic dimmed. He dropped his hands beside him and nodded. "Okay. You should have called me." He sighed. 

Brewster rubbed his forehead. "I forgot. I'm sorry." He apologized and walked toward the only table in the room, which had a package on it at the moment. "Is the food for me?" He asked, but his fingers had already opened the food. 

Jim nodded. His expression was grave. "I ordered it when I got here in the afternoon. It should be cold already."

"It doesn't matter. I'm hungry." He was indeed hungry. He hadn't eaten for many hours!

"Thank you." Brewster appreciated as he mooched on the food. 

A week went by, successfully becoming the slowest week Brewster had ever encountered. He had waited around his phone, keeping his phone on sound and vibration so he would know whenever Ace messaged him, but nothing had entered for a whole week. 

Brewster sat in the conference room, ignoring the chatting of the actors around him as he focused on his phone. 

"FESTERED HEART." An actor muttered. "I cried when I read the script. How could someone be so pitiful?" 

"It's very sad." Another said. "What do you think, Brewster? Your character was pitiful, too." 

Brewster, who hadn't been paying mind to them, jolted when he heard his name being called. "I... sorry. What were you talking about?" He asked, feeling embarrassed. 

The actors and actresses looked at each other and shook their heads. "What are you thinking about? You are so young." A veteran actress asked. She seemed to be the oldest in the room, and her words, laced with concern, made one want to confide in her. 

Brewster let out a deep breath. He lowered his eyes, staring at the only message under the name he had saved a week ago, and he felt sick from within. "I'm... I'm just thinking about something." He responded and rubbed his forehead. "I'm fine." He lied. 

He wasn't. 

He was scared. 

Mr Ace hadn't messaged him since a week ago, and his heart felt sick because of that. He wondered if Mr Ace no longer saw his worth and had thrown him aside. What would be his fate then?

He needed Ace. He needed that ruthless man...

"You..." The actress stopped. 

A sound had interrupted her, and everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound___

Standing at the entrance was a stunningly attractive mature man with a stern expression. Right beside him was a shorter man with a delicate facial feature, and the stern man's hand could be seen on his waist, rubbing gently while the shorter man leaned in shyly. They were hugging publicly. 

The stern man's expression was indifferent. He didn't seem to care about anyone in the room as he led his companion, the delicate-faced man, toward the center of the room. 

"Mr Ace..."

"Mr Ace..."

The stars in the room all stood up as they greeted the stern man. They looked like they were ready to grovel at his feet, and none of them minded the little star beside him as if it were something entirely normal. 

However, not everyone felt the same. Someone's heart was beating rapidly, and his face had turned pale. 

Brewster looked at Ace, who hadn't spared him a glance since he entered, and he felt a pang in his heart. He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles whitened. 

"Mr Ace is here during this script reading because he is our investor. Isn't he handsome? I wish he would take a bit of an interest in me~" The young actress beside Brewster whispered. She seemed really excited. 

Brewster's lips curled slightly. He felt depressed. But he had no idea why he felt that way. 

He stood up and bowed a bit, "I need to visit the bathroom." He said, his voice low and hoarse. 

Without waiting for anyone's reply, he stepped out of the room and rushed toward the bathroom. His chest ached. It ached terribly, and he needed to settle down. 

"I can't make a fool of myself before him. He doesn't care." He mumbled, pressing his lips tight as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. 

He was handsome. He was extremely handsome, and he stood out even in the entertainment industry that was known to have countless handsome stars. But what was the use of his good looks, if he couldn't even...

Brewster shook his head and splashed his face with water. He sighed as he wiped his hands and arranged his collar, preparing to leave the room. 

He couldn't stay for long. He was the least popular in the room, and he had no right to keep those stars, the director and investor waiting for him. 

Brewster stepped out of the bathroom with his head lowered, his fingers setting his pants right until his head hit a hard surface. 

"Get back into the bathroom." 

The familiar cold and deep voice rang in Brewster's ears, and before he could react, he was pushed into the bathroom. 

"What..." Brewster was shocked and even tried to struggle. 

"Shut up. I want to fuck you." Ace pushed him against the wall and began removing his pants. "Strip." He ordered firmly.