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
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.
"That's unnecessary." Justin stood in front of Renee, his face cold. He said firmly, "She's unwell and can't have wine." "Is she unwell? I didn't see that." Jovan sized Renee up before he sized Justin up. Then, he sneered, "And who are you to her? You can't stop her from having wine.""It's none of your business who I am to her. I said she can't have wine." Justin always kept peace with others, but at that moment, he was dominant. He didn't always want to control Renee, but she had drunk a lot of wine that day. It might have hurt her belly. Hence, he felt it better for her to abstain from wine lately. However, Jovan was unaware of that affair. He simply found Justin purposely showing his ownership over Renee, which disgusted him."Waiter, get her a glass of milk. She only wants that," Justin instructed a waiter, showing his consideration for Renee. "It's okay. I can have a little wine. Plus, I'm rather good at drinking. It's not easy for everyone to get together tonight. I do
They danced for around ten minutes. Renee danced to the song heartily. Her initial gloomy mood also improved.Renee drank some water and took a few deep breaths. Then, she sincerely praised Leia, "Alright. Your welcome ceremony is bizarre, but it helped relieve my stress. I like it very much!"She could tell that Leia had painstakingly prepared that gift for her. After all, it was not easy to ask the Zambawi people from primitive tribes to sing an English song. "I'm glad you like it. I did this because I wanted you to relax and stop taking things seriously. You need to stop being so hard on yourself and get rid of all the pressure!" Leia said honestly. The Zambawi hand-drum dance came with the charms of a primitive dance. Its goal was to set people free. Of course, it was suitable for Renee to relieve her stress."Yeah, your stress is relieved. From now on, you'll start afresh. This is for you. I'm sure it'll be one of your happy memories." Liam handed the previous Polaroid to
"This is your welcome ceremony. This hand-drum dance is to help eliminate bad luck." Leia held Renee's arm, satisfied with her arrangement. She said happily, "Listen to their song! It's a great song!""Is there a song?" Renee frowned; she felt that Leia was always doing bizarre things. She wondered how Leia could come up with such a preposterous welcome ceremony."Mm, listen carefully! It's English. You can understand it." At that point, Leia said to the Zambawi people, "Put on your microphone. And sing louder."The Zambawi people gave their cooperation. They used their typical Zambawi singing to sing the English song. While listening to the song, Renee found it very familiar. "The flowers will bloom in spring, and the birds are free. I'm still waiting, waiting for my love to come back. Hurry home!""Isn't that Spring Flowers by Curtis Harrett?" Renee finally recalled what song it was. It was a song with a happy beat. It could make people happy. The Zambawi people made th
"I don't know, either. All I ever remember from when I was young is that I led a very painful life. I once tried my best to make the Garcia family accept me. I did all the dirty and tiring jobs. I went out to work at an early age to get money for them. I also did all the house chores. "But my foster parents were never nice to me. They would always beat me up or scold me. My elder foster brother also saw me as an eyesore. He always tried to get me killed…" Quinton calmly described his past. He no longer seemed to be in pain. All that was left in him was numbness, as if he were talking about someone else.However, Renee was always in pain whenever she heard him talk about his past. She felt like she had returned to his past with him and experienced those painful things. It was normal for her to feel that way because they were twins. A lot of their thoughts and feelings were synchronized. "I suddenly recalled that I would inexplicably become gloomy many times when I was young. I