Love Me Or Leave Me



Stacey was speechless. 'Have I really liked eating meat since I was a kid? But Mrs. Hoggard, why would you tell Jeremy something like that?' she thought to herself, squatting down in front of Jeremy with a small duck in her hand. Meeting his gaze, she smiled and asked, "Jeremy, do you like eating meat too?" She thought, 'It can't just be me who likes to eat meat; Jeremy must like to eat as well, right?'

Upon hearing this, Jeremy nodded immediately, and Stacey felt a wave of relief at having a companion who shared her taste. She glanced up at Hayden who stood beside her, then back at Jeremy. 'Jeremy is not shy at all. This is our first meeting, and he is already so attached to me. He is really adorable,' Stacey thought to herself. Unable to resist, she gave Jeremy another hug and kissed his cheek. Jeremy's eyes lit up with joy as he looked at Becky.

"Let's go find Joshua and ask the kitchen staff to prepare more meat for our lunch, okay?" Stacey suggested with a smile. Jeremy nodded enthusiastically in response. Stacey then stood up, gently took Jeremy's hand, and led him downstairs. Hayden watched them with a thoughtful expression. Stacey paused for a moment, then could not help but ask, "Mr... Mr. Hoggard, is there anything specific you would like for lunch? Jeremy and I can let Joshua know."

"Joshua knows my preferences," Hayden replied succinctly.

Stacey nodded, understanding that it made sense; after all, this was Hayden's home, and the butler at Hoggard Villa would undoubtedly be familiar with his likes and dislikes. She said, "In that case, I will take Jeremy downstairs now." Hayden gave a nod of approval. "All right."

Stacey smiled and exchanged a warm glance with Jeremy's bright eyes before they cheerfully headed downstairs. Hayden watched them intently until they disappeared down the stairs. Stacey led Jeremy down to the lower level, instinctively looking for Joshua. However, Jeremy took her directly to the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen, Stacey was surprised to find not the elderly lady she had expected, but a young woman in her twenties. The woman had delicate features and flawless skin, and her presence radiated a serene charm. Hearing the noise at the door, the young woman turned around.

Stacey's eyes widened as she took in the girl's stunning appearance. This girl is so beautiful!' she thought to herself. The young woman, seeing Stacey and Jeremy, was momentarily surprised but quickly focused on Jeremy, offered a warm smile, and asked, "Jeremy, is there something you need from the kitchen?"

Jeremy opened his little bag again, took out a writing tablet and pen, and drew the same picture as before - meat. Stacey glanced at Jeremy's board and then at the young woman, smiling. "What Jeremy wants to say is that we would like more meat for lunch today," she explained.

"Sure." The girl looked up at Stacey and smiled. Her voice was pleasant, gentle, and warm.

"Thank you," Stacey said earnestly.

The girl's smile was soothing as she shook her head. "It is my job. No need to thank me," she said.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

Stacey smiled back, nodded to the girl, and said, "If there is nothing else, we won't take up any more of your time. You can continue working, and I will take Jeremy outside to play."

"All right," the girl replied with a nod. Stacey nodded back and then led Jeremy outside, who followed obediently.

Lynn saw them and quickly approached. Although she had managed many top stars, the scene at Hoggard Villa was a first for her. Even the most popular stars she had managed had endorsements that paled in comparison to those of the Hoggard family. Most importantly, the Hoggard family's attitude toward Becky gave Lynn a surreal feeling, as if she were truly experiencing the presence of a top-tier family.

"Becky, what is your relationship with the Hoggard family?" Lynn could not help but ask quietly.

Stacey thought for a moment before providing a simple explanation. "When my grandma was alive, she and Mrs. Hoggard were very good friends."

Lynn was speechless after hearing this. Becky's explanation was too brief, but it summed up everything. In short, the Carter family had connections. Looking at Stacey, Lynn felt a pang of envy and jealousy even as an agent herself, not to mention how other stars must feel. After leaving the Mitchell and Edwards families, Becky's life had taken a beautiful turn since returning to the Carter family.

"Okay, I got it," Lynn finally responded after holding it in for a long time. Knowing the truth, Lynn was not as anxious as before. On the contrary, she began to look forward to the afternoon's shoot. She thought to herself, 'With the Hoggard family's close relationship with Becky, even if she does not perform perfectly this afternoon, they probably won't blame her. The Hoggard family might even allow Becky a few chances to mess up and permit her to have more takes?'

Lynn knew Becky's capabilities well. Although Becky was not formally trained and lacked professional acting experience, she had a natural talent for the craft. As long as she received the script in advance and had time to practice before the official shoot, she could deliver a flawless performance. The key was ensuring she had some rehearsal time before the actual filming. With this thought in mind, Lynn glanced at the staff of Hoggard Technologies seated around the nearby couch, all frantically typing away on their laptops.

Lynn's first thought was to get the script from the staff to Becky as soon as possible so she would have time to rehearse. However, she quickly dismissed this idea.

Given the circumstances - Hayden's last-minute decision to film at his home and include Jeremy in the script - Lynn realized that the formal and backup plans previously designed by the Hoggard Technologies planning department would likely need major revisions. If they could manage to have the script ready by 3 p.m. as Hayden requested, it would be impressive enough. Getting the script ahead of time was already unrealistic.

Then, Lynn's gaze shifted to Jeremy, who was clinging to Becky. 'Luckily, this kid seems very attached to Becky and really likes her. It should not be too hard for Becky to work with him in the shoot, right?' she thought to herself. Squatting down to meet Jeremy's eye level, she said seriously, "Hi, Jeremy. My name is Lynn, Becky's agent."

After seeing this, Stacey also squatted down, watching Lynn and Jeremy talk. Upon hearing Lynn's words, Jeremy was momentarily stunned but then nodded at her. Lynn smiled and said, "Jeremy, could you help take care of Becky for me during the shoot this afternoon?"