Chapter 28 #2
Then, for the first time, raised a hand and waved back.
Emma blinked.
That was new.
The door closed.
As the Maybach pulled away, Lawrence's lips slowly curved into a smile.
A real one.
She liked him so much.
Objectively speaking, Adrian's background was at least as impressive as his own.
Lawrence came from a powerful family, but he'd built most of his current fortune independently.
Adrian was different.
He was the sole heir to the Mercer family empire.
One day, all of it would belong to him.
And yet tonight—
Emma hadn't hesitated.
She'd chosen Lawrence.
The thought sent an unfamiliar warmth through his chest.
From the driver's seat came a cautious voice.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you this happy, Mr. Vance."
Lawrence glanced toward the front.
Normally, he would've shut down a personal comment like that.
Tonight, he didn't.
"I'm in a good mood."
After a moment, he took out his phone.
He sent Emma a message.
Baby?
That was...
a little much.
But he was a client.
Ignoring a client was bad for business.
Emma typed back.
As for him calling her Baby?
She ignored that part completely.
Lawrence read her reply.
His smile deepened.
She was worried about him.
Of course she was.
Then another message appeared.
Lawrence's expression changed.
Once upon a time, this was exactly what he'd wanted.
How many times had he asked Isabelle to come home?
How many times had he tried to see her while she was overseas?
She'd refused him again and again.
And now—
she was asking to see him.
Lawrence stared at the message.
Strangely, his heart was calm.
Too calm.
For the first time, he wondered if he still wanted Isabelle as much as he'd always believed.
Another message arrived.
Lawrence looked out the window.
After a long moment, he replied.
"YES!"
Inside the red sports car, Adrian nearly jumped out of his seat.
"She didn't go home with him!"
Ryan stared at him.
"That proves absolutely nothing."
Adrian didn't care.
"I've been inside her apartment."
Ryan:
"Congratulations?"
"She cooked for me."
"Yes. You've told me. Several times."
"Lawrence clearly hasn't been inside."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"How?"
Adrian looked smug.
"I can tell."
Ryan closed his eyes.
There was no reasoning with this man.
Adrian reached for the door.
"I'm going to see her."
Ryan grabbed him.
"No."
"Let go."
"No."
"I want to see her."
"And we just discussed strategy."
Adrian looked miserable.
"But I want to see her now."
Ryan stared at him.
"Then suffer."
Adrian:
"......"
"Sometimes," Ryan continued, "not showing up uninvited at a woman's apartment is the strategy."
Adrian looked personally betrayed by this information.
Ryan pointed at him.
"No chasing. No knocking. No dramatic declarations."
Adrian frowned.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Go home."
"That sounds useless."
"Trust your strategist."
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"Since when are you my strategist?"
"Since you started punching trees over pet names."
Back in her apartment, Emma changed into comfortable clothes and washed off the soft, elegant makeup she'd worn for the evening.
Then she threw herself onto the bed and picked up her phone.
Finally.
Peace.
Another contact request from Adrian was waiting.
This one came with a message.
Emma stared at it.
For half a second, she was curious.
Then—
nope.
She wasn't accepting it.
She didn't want an emotional relationship with a client.
Adrian probably wasn't actually in love with her anyway.
He was just used to having someone orbit around him all day.
Give him some time.
He'd get over it.
Emma opened another notification.
Her senior acting showcase group chat had several new messages.
Then:
Emma opened the script.
For their senior acting showcase, each group had to stage a full theatrical production. Her class had been split into several teams, with each group developing its own piece.
Their production was a historical tragedy set in a fictional European kingdom.
The heroine was the daughter of a disgraced general from a fallen kingdom. In enemy territory, she encountered a prince being held as a political hostage.
The two eventually became allies, working from inside the royal court to take revenge on the people who had destroyed their families.
Chloe was playing the heroine.
No one had objected.
She was currently the most successful student in their class. She'd already landed supporting roles in several major productions and built a social media following of nearly three million.
Emma, meanwhile, had barely been on campus since starting her internship.
That wasn't particularly unusual.
By senior year, students in the acting program were expected to spend much of their time auditioning, working on productions, and gaining actual industry experience.
Professors cared far more about whether they completed their required projects than whether they physically showed up on campus every day.
Emma scrolled farther down.
Her role was the one everyone else had passed over.
Beautiful.
Unstable.
Completely unhinged.
The villain.
Emma stared at the character description.
Lovely.
The group chat filled with replies.
Emma hadn't responded yet.
Then a notification appeared.
Emma stared at the screen.
Then typed:
Across town, Chloe Dawson was stretched out on the couch of an enormous house.
She read Emma's reply and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please."
She tossed her phone aside.
"What is she always acting so special for? She can barely land an extra role."
A heavyset older man walked over, shirtless, and sat beside her.
He wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist.
"Who's making my girl angry?"
Chloe's irritated expression immediately changed.
"Oh, nobody..."
She leaned against him.
Meanwhile, the group chat had already moved on.
Everyone was far more interested in the mysterious guest coming to rehearsal tomorrow.