Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1431-1440

Eva reached the door of her room and swiped her door card to go in. She decided to take a shower first.

That was when her phone rang. She glanced at the number, and her heart tensed slightly. “Hello.”

“Back at the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“Come to my room.”

“Louie, it’s still afternoon. I want to take a rest,” Eva said unhappily. She didn’t want herself to be a cheap commodity that Louie could summon at will.

After that night, she would be away from the company and his people.

“We have to discuss the termination of the contract, which involves your subsequent share of the post- collection.” The man spoke in a low voice.

Eva choked for a moment.

Did I overreact?

And so, she answered, “I’ll come right after I shower.”

The shooting earlier made her sweaty and uncomfortable at the moment. Eva then went to the bathroom, took a shower, and blow-dried her long hair as she took a dress from her closet to change into it before she went out.

With her phone in hand, she went over to ring the doorbell of the next room. The door opened from the inside and revealed Louie, who was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of black pants as if he had

rushed over from an important meeting.

At that moment, how he looked at Eva made him exude an aura of refined scum.

Eva also felt his masculine aura on his body, as if he was a hungry wolf, so she involuntarily flushed under his gaze.

“Come on in; I’m still working.” After speoking, Louie returned to the sofo ond leoned down to continue working on his computer. His slender fingers were topping owoy os he typed out the document.

Evo sot ocross from him os her goze involuntorily shot toword the mon. In the post two yeors, she hod been ovoiding him. Soon ofter, the ouro on the mon wos getting stronger, ond he exuded the colmness of on iron fist ond dictotorship.

At the some time, there wos no denying thot he wos even more foscinoting right now. Evo remembered thot when she first met him, she hod just gotten out of o smoll entertoinment compony ond hod joined onother compony. After three months, o merger crisis occurred in the compony.

However, Stordom Corporotion bought the smoll compony she wos working for. A week loter, oll the ortists went to o meeting ot the corporotion. Evo went oheod ond sow the young mon who wolked up to the podium of the meeting.

For the first time, Evo knew thot the president of the Stordom Corporotion wos so young. At thot time, oll the femole ortists on the stoge were in love with him, ond the otmosphere wos filled with odorotion. Even Evo, who hod o boyfriend, hod to odmit thot the moment Louie’s goze fell on her from the stoge, her heort fluttered.

“Come on in; I’m still working.” After speaking, Louie returned to the sofa and leaned down to continue working on his computer. His slender fingers were tapping away as he typed out the document.

Eva sat across from him as her gaze involuntarily shot toward the man. In the past two years, she had been avoiding him. Soon after, the aura on the man was getting stronger, and he exuded the calmness of an iron fist and dictatorship.

At the same time, there was no denying that he was even more fascinating right now. Eva remembered that when she first met him, she had just gotten out of a small entertainment company and had joined another company. After three months, a merger crisis occurred in the company.

However, Stardom Corporation bought the small company she was working for. A week later, all the artists went to a meeting at the corporation. Eva went ahead and saw the young man who walked up to the podium of the meeting.

For the first time, Eva knew that the president of the Stardom Corporation was so young. At that time, all the female artists on the stage were in love with him, and the atmosphere was filled with adoration. Even Eva, who had a boyfriend, had to admit that the moment Louie’s gaze fell on her from the stage, her heart fluttered.

Later, she met him again while arranging a job. She bumped into him in a corner of a corridor. She also heard that many artists tried some tricks to seduce and approach him, but he gave them the cold shoulder and didn’t give any of them to take advantage of him.

Her manager had nagged all day long for her to get closer to the president to get more resources. At a drinking party, the manager deliberately asked her to go over. At the table, Eva saw Louie again.

Louie was so young, but everyone toasted him and paid him compliments. At that time, Eva nervously toasted him as well. She still remembered his deep passionate gaze staring at her for a while.

It made her heart flutter. Finally, after everyone had left, Louie said he would send her home. Eva was flattered beyond belief.

After he sent her home that night, Eva saw him many times in the company. A year later, he confessed his love to her, and she told him she had a boyfriend whom she was dating seriously.

That year, she was twenty-one, and he was twenty-seven.

Although Eva rejected his advances, she still saw him on occasion. Louie drank on her behalf and protected her from the investors’ unspoken rules. He protected her in the biz to keep her from all harm. However, he didn’t leave her life either, or even…

Eva vividly remembered Louie pinning her down in the lounge at a company dinner as he kissed and hugged her. She was drunk at that time.

That was the time she regretted the most. If not for that time, she wouldn’t have wavered in her love for her boyfriend. Then, she wouldn’t have lost her heart and felt guilty for Tucker while she couldn’t control her passion for Louie.

In the blink of an eye, they had known each other for three years until Tucker passed away. She had then left him for two years. In the blink of an eye, Louie was now thirty-two while she was twenty-six.

Time flew by very quickly, just like a handful of sand.

Eva was unknowingly immersed in the memories for a while. When Louie held up a cup of tea to drink, she only returned to her senses to watch him finish his tea. Then, he frowned as his lips pursed tightly as if he had encountered some problem.

Eva couldn’t help but stare at his thin lips. She pursed her red lips as she thought of that one time in the dining lounge.

She recalled his crazy look.

As Eva was bored, she picked up a contract next to her. She flipped it and found that it was her termination contract, so she couldn’t help but read it.

“If there are any problems, you can bring them up, and I’ll have someone revise them,” Louie said as he raised his head.

“Okay.” Eva read it seriously because she didn’t want to be bound to Louie anymore.

His gaze fell on her body. The dress accentuated her slim waist, and her skin was fair. Her long hair framed a palm-sized face, showing off her beautiful, clean, and somewhat cold look.

However, the colder she was, the more Louie wanted to see her passionate side which was like fire. The stern face made him fall in love at first sight and lose his soul at second sight. As such, he did a lot of childish things. He would make everyone act for him and arrange for a drinking party just to meet her. Presently, the girl was right before him. She was within reach, but he still couldn’t get her.

“If I leave your company, I cannot work for similar companies for five years?” Eva uncovered a clause that worked against her.

Louie frowned as he muttered, “This is a clause for all artists. It’s a standard clause.”

“It’s too much,” Eva grunted lightly, but she didn’t care much as she had no intentions of filming after leaving the company.

“I’ll have someone change it for you,” Louie stated.

“Forget it. There’s no need to change it. I’m alright with it if I can terminate the contract.” Eva was bent on terminating the contract.

As such, Louie couldn’t help but be curious. “Where do you plan to go after you terminate your contract?”

“I’ll do what I want.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Haven’t thought about it yet.” After speaking and flipping through the contract, Eva picked up the pen on the table and signed it. Then, she handed it to the man across the table. “Please sign it, President Gilmore.”

Louie sighed, then took the contract and pen to sign his name sharply with his long and slender fingers.

“Where’s the company stamp?” Eva asked. It wasn’t enough to have his signature; there had to be an official seal.

“I don’t have the stamp with me. I’ll send it back to the office for you soon,” Louie commented in a low voice.

At that, Eva was getting annoyed. “Are you kidding me?”

“I am not a liar,” Louie swore on his reputation.

Hence, Eva could only trust him. At this moment, it was already dusk, and nightfall was fast approaching.

“I have arranged for dinner. It’s in my room.” Louie had planned to have a candlelit dinner with her.

When Eva thought of the imminent termination of her contract, she did not refuse it. So, she walked to the French window to look at the scenery. At the same time, Louie wrapped his slender and strong arms around her waist, and Eva immediately tensed a little. Louie lightly rested his sensual chin against the back of her head as he murmured, “Do you know how much I missed you in these two years? I visited your commercial shooting site several times but didn’t dare to disturb you. I was jealous when I saw you chatting merrily with other male actors, but I didn’t show it.”

“Do you know how often I’ve gotten drunk just because of you?”

Eva felt the arms around her waist tighten and the man’s lips were kissing her hair. Her heart couldn’t help but soften at that. When she heard his husky and deep confession, she almost cried.

She knew he had come by while she was shooting a commercial abroad. However, he didn’t know that after he left, she dropped the commercial and chased after him, only to look at his departing car. She was full of loss but had no one to tell.

However, she was afraid to show her feelings. It was because she was the one who said she didn’t want to see Louie for two years. He did it, but she didn’t.

There was another thing she had been worried about. In showbiz, almost everyone looked alike. A newcomer debuted under the title of little Eva, who was signed to Louie’s company. She wondered if he had ever taken special care of her.

“Do you like me?” Eva asked as she smiled bitterly.

“What do you think? Would I have waited five years for you if I didn’t like you?” Louie muttered frustratedly, his lips pressing against her ear.

“With all the female artists under you, there’s many for you to choose from. Why me?” Eva turned her face away, her ear tingling at his hot breath.

“Because it’s you. Only you are worth waiting for.”

“That’s because you didn’t get me yet. When you do, there’s plenty of young women for you to choose from.” Eva snorted as if she saw through Louie’s nature.

At this moment, the man bit her ear lightly. “What nonsense! I will do nothing but cherish you after getting you.”

Eva felt the pain for a few seconds before she turned her head to glare at him. “Are you a dog? It’s painful.”

“I’m a wolf that has been hungry for eight hundred years.” His gaze was deep and dark, and it was as if they were two cold pools trying to suck her in.

Eva flushed when she heard that.

Will he leave me alone after tonight?

“I hear you take good care of little Eva,” Eva deliberately said, although she didn’t have any proof.

However, Louie was annoyed that she accused him casually. “You are who you are. No one can replace you.”

“She is younger and prettier than me. All you like is my face; hers is better looking.” Eva laughed at herself.

Louie turned her head over and stared straight at it. Apart from her face, what attracted him was her clean soul and kind character.

“Don’t underestimate your charms. To me, you’re the best.” When he finished, he cupped her chin while leaning down and kissing her dominantly.

Eva’s head went blank for a few seconds. This reminded her of that night four years ago when he had gone crazy in the lounge. His passion was too hot to handle, and it was as if he was going to swallow her.

That one kiss penetrated her soul deeply, and it was one she couldn’t forget after all these years.

“Umph…” Eva was a little overwhelmed.

Did this man need to be so impatient? I have already promised to accompany him tonight.

When Eva was about to be suffocated by the kiss, Louie finally let her go. However, he wasn’t any better, as his breathing was ragged when he leaned against her forehead. There was darkness rolling in his eyes.

“I don’t want to wait until tonight,” he said hoarsely.

Eva then immediately sobered up. “No, I’m not in the mood right now.”

“What mood? For me, waiting for even one more second is torturous.” Louie hooked his lips into a smile.

When Eva heard that, her ears flushed. “I’m not in your mood.”

“That’s true; I must at least let you have dinner. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear it,” Louie said kindly.

Eva blushed and glared at him talking nonsense.

The man finally let go of her shoulder and walked to the refrigerator. Then, he took out a bottle of iced water and drank it wildly in front of her.

Eva deliberately did not look at him. The air was filled with the man’s scent, causing her to become restless. So, she picked up her cup of tea and sipped it.

Eva had been reading the messages on her phone for quite some time when the man took a seat opposite her. After checking the time on his watch, he asked the hotel staff to serve them dinner.

At that moment, his phone rang out of the blue. He picked up the phone from the table, but he only cast a glance at it before putting it back.

Eva’s attention was drawn to the phone, and she saw a woman’s name on the screen. Raising her brows, she asked, “Why didn’t you answer it?”

“It’s nothing important.”

“It must be a woman,” she commented bitterly, prompting him to smile.

“Are you jealous?”

His words reminded Eva of her feelings. Thus, she immediately turned her face away. “I’m not.”

A frown formed between Louie’s brows as he pondered. There was a thing that Julian didn’t even know about. Back when Louie was ten years old, his parents had arranged an alliance marriage between him and a girl from another family to raise funds. Even after his parents passed away, the other family still insisted on realizing the marriage.

The caller was none other than his so-called fiancée.

The hotel restaurant had specifically provided them the dinner, and the chef had paid special care when cooking them. Besides, the dining table in the room was decorated with lighted candles and roses in a vase, which gave off a romantic vibe.

Eva hid in the bedroom the whole time until the server set up the table and served the food. After that, she finally walked out of the room because she didn’t want to reveal the relationship between her and Louie to the public.

“Come here. Let’s eat.” Louie gestured for her to join him.

She took a seat near the table and shifted her attention to the dainty roses in the vase. She was lightened by the sight of them. Deciding not to let the more serious business trouble her mind, she proceeded to have dinner.

Surprisingly, Louie ordered the whole table of food according to her preference, which reminded her of his dedication. Even though her expression remained unchanged, deep down inside, she was touched by his gesture. After all, it was impossible to remain indifferent when another person was treating you with care and full attention.

“You didn’t have to order my favorite food,” Eva mumbled.

“I’ve become fond of your favorite food. After all, your preference will become more similar to the person you like when you fall for somebody. ” The corner of Louie’s lips turned into a smile, and his gaze that fell on her was full of affection.

Eva shied away from his intense gaze. Instead, she began to dine elegantly while he opened a bottle of wine and served her half a glass. Swirling the glass, she tasted a bit of it and concluded that it was one of the fine wines.

Little did she know, Louie never had his attention on the food on the table for even one second. To him, she was the only one he wanted to taste tonight.

Indescribable feelings flooded his chest tonight, but he knew for sure that he was overwhelmed by joy. However, he wasn’t the kind of man who let his emotions show. Therefore, she would never know that he was struggling to control his inner beast under the calm façade.

Louie had been waiting for Eva for five years. He witnessed her transformation from a pure soul to a mature woman like an eventually ripened fruit, and it was calling him to have a taste.

“Do you like the wine? I bought it from Averna, especially for you to try.”

“It’s good.” Eva nodded, acknowledging that his taste had never gone wrong, or else the female celebrities would never throw themselves at him after one another.

All those years, she had been learning that a lot of celebrities sought opportunities from Louie. After all, a person would easily be indulged in pleasure without absolute self-discipline and self-control in the celebrity circle.

However, she also learned that he rejected all those attempts to seduce him. Thus, she couldn’t help but wonder sometimes if Louie really liked her.

Eva was a perfectionist, and she wanted full loyalty from him.

She wasn’t the kind of woman who sought one-time pleasure. If he couldn’t promise her his loyalty, she wouldn’t begin a relationship in the first place.

Eva could then spare herself from being heartbroken by another man and the inevitable ending.

Louie’s intense gaze never left her for a moment. He was trying to memorize her beauty with his eyes. The sight of her tilting her head to think, her gazing into a distance on a propped elbow, or her being lost in thought while staring at the glass… Every sight of her was memorable to him. He wanted nothing but to cherish them.

At that moment, Louie felt a pang of panic and anxiety tainting his joy. Eva only agreed to accompany him for the night in return for her freedom.

He was panicked because he would only get to own her for a night but lose her the next day.

“Eva, am I not qualified to be your boyfriend?” Grabbing the wine glass in one hand, Louie shot her the question that troubled him the most.

Based on Louie’s observation, Eva had moved on from the impact her ex-boyfriend left on her. Thus, it was about time for her to start a new relationship.

He was confident that he met all of her standards for a partner, which confused him why she decided to leave him.

“You’re an excellent man, but I’m not good enough for you,” she mocked herself.

“Don’t mess with me. What makes you think you are not good enough? We’re the perfect match.” Louie harrumphed.

A smile stretched across Eva’s face then. “President Gilmore. You aren’t the only one to decide whether we are a perfect match or not.”

“Fine. We’ll see about it tonight,” he answered petulantly.

She blushed at the explicit words. Even the tip of her ears was showing a hint of red at the realization. Did he just talk dirty to me? Where did the usually serious Louie go?

She let his teasing slip, but she wasn’t in the mood to continue the conversation. After the night, they would part ways and become strangers, and she would have her freedom back.

“Eat some more.” He gestured for her to eat.

Eva only answered with a shake of her head. She had been maintaining a reasonable diet over the years, which was her secret to staying in shape. Even though there were a lot of promising youths emerging in the industry, so far nobody could surpass her. She always remained the top celebrity in Stardom Entertainment.

However, she was aware that many people, who were coveting her position, wanted her to leave the company.

As the night got late, she also got tense because she had no idea how to ease up.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t we go to bed?” Louie was behaving like a gentleman instead of jumping at her without permission.

“It’s not. Don’t you have work to do? Why don’t you deal with them first?” Eva was hoping for him to steer his focus to his work instead of her, so she could have some more time to be prepared for what came up next.

“I asked them not to disturb me tonight. You can rest assured. Nobody will interrupt us for what’s coming,” he comforted her in a low voice. Not even the doomsday could stop him from getting what he had been longing for. After all, tonight was an important occasion.

Louie’s determination left her at a loss for words. Walking away to the sofa, she took a seat and had some tea. Suddenly, his phone rang, and it grabbed her attention. She cast a glance at the caller ID. It was indeed a woman, but the caller’s relationship with Louie remained a secret to her.

“It’s ringing. You should answer it!” Eva reminded him.

“It’s not important.” Louie’s answer was short as he turned off his phone. Eva was just about to turn around to the balcony to look at the night view when he grabbed her arm without warning. The next second, she was dragged behind by the force and fell into his lap.

She was now sitting on the sofa with him grabbing her arm as her petite stature leaned against his chest. Putting her hands on his chest, a flushed Eva struggled to get up, but he nonetheless stopped her.

“Eva, I want you tonight,” Louie said in a hoarse voice tainted by lust. His thin lips kept pressing kisses on her hair. His patience had reached its limit, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

“It’s still—” Eva tried to fight for more time when he dominantly kissed her to block her protests. To him, one night would never be enough. Therefore, he wouldn’t waste any time whatsoever.

When he carried her into his arms, she shut her eyes in resignation, but her body was shaking uncontrollably.

It both surprised and hurt him too to see her in a vulnerable state. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She buried her head in his chest, not willing to look at him.

He then asked in a low tone, “Is this your first time?”

Eva wanted to give him a negative answer, but the truth was the opposite. Thus, she could only shut her eyes tightly, returning his question with silence.

On the other hand, Louie was overjoyed. He couldn’t quite believe her tacit admission because he had always thought that Eva had slept with Tucker in the past. To his surprise, she was destined to belong to him in the end.

Now that he was fueled by his excitement, Louie pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. “Have you been waiting for me?”

“Of course not.” Eva averted her gaze, not giving in to stroke his ego.

“I’ve always thought we’re bound to be together.” Declaring his determination one last time in a hoarse voice, he kissed her cheek. “I’ll be gentle tonight.”

We’ll see about that tomorrow, Eva thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Julian and Jessie had just returned from the set after a shoot. She had slowly adapted to recent shootings and her interpretation of her role was working out fine.

A group of photos of Jessie staying with the crew had been revealed to the netizens on social media. She was bathing under the sun with her long hair down, and she looked otherworldly. Her fans

immediately complimented her looks and compared her to a goddess. Besides, the set of photos was even getting viral among non-fans.

Furthermore, the pictures were now trending on Twitter. Even without proper publicity about her personality, Jessie emitted warmth through the pictures.

She also received good news from Queenie recently. As August was fast approaching, Queenie’s wedding was also around the corner. Jessie was looking forward to the invitation to Queenie’s wedding.

She returned to her room after a long day, and Julian reached out a hand to caress her head. “Get some rest. Don’t stay up late.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

He recalled Louie showing up at the set again, but he didn’t bother to seek his brother out. Julian didn’t want to become the third wheel between Louie and Eva since Louie had been pouring his attention on her the whole time lately.

After all, Louie didn’t visit the set for Julian. Even though he was Louie’s brother, Julian himself was a nobody compared to Eva.

Meanwhile, in a presidential suite, Louie and Eva shared an intimate night. In the morning, the lights in the room shone on her ivory skin. Hickeys could be seen all over her shoulders, which were made by Louie last night.

She was still asleep while the man had already gotten up from bed. He walked out of the bedroom and sat on the sofa. When his gaze landed on the contract termination letter on the coffee table, he grabbed it and tore the contract apart the next second.

He did it without hesitation because he regretted his choices. Louie would never allow Eva to leave him as he was determined to be responsible for her.

Little did Eva know, her companionship for Louie last night would end up becoming nothing.

After that, he slid back into the bed and embraced her in his arms with satisfaction before he fell into slumber. It was noon when Eva woke up, and the sun hung in the middle of the sky. At first, she noticed the strong arm she slept on last night, and she then turned to the side involuntarily. She was met by Louie’s handsome face, which was bathing under the sunlight.

When she saw his face, she couldn’t help but replay their intimacy last night in her mind. With a flushed face, she fluttered her eyes shut as she suppressed the thoughts.

Sighing in resignation, Eva decided to leave before he woke up. She slid down the bed in light movements and stood on the ground like a cat without making any noise.

She put on her shirt while heading for the sofa outside, and found her phone as expected. Then, she steered her gaze to the spot where she put the letter last night, thinking to take it along. However, she didn’t find it there.

Where’s the contract? I put it over there last night.

Eva immediately searched for the document on the sofa. However, she suddenly noticed scraps of paper in the bin. She didn’t think twice before she walked over and reached out for them. It was exactly the termination letter she was looking for, but it was voided since someone tore them apart.

Eva’s chest heaved in anger. At the same time, Louie’s low voice grabbed her attention from behind. “I’m not letting you go.”

She turned to the man who was leaning against the door frame and glared at him. “Louie Gilmore! H- How can you not keep your word?!”

“You’re right, but I don’t mind becoming a jerk who doesn’t keep his promise if it means you’ll stay.” He didn’t back down from the confrontation as his eyes shone with determination.

“Don’t make me hate you.” Eva was furious at his behavior. After all, she sacrificed her virginity to earn her freedom. She couldn’t possibly stay calm after learning that he broke his promise.

“Even if you hate me, I won’t let you go.” He walked over to her and pulled her into his embrace. “After last night, I’ve decided that you’re important to me, and I’ll do anything for you.”

“You—” His sincere words put Eva’s head in a mess. After all, she also tasted pleasure like never before with him last night.

“Stay with me. I want you to become Mrs. Gilmore, the wife of the president of Stardom Entertainment. Will you accept that?” Louie was promising her the titles. He felt like it was time for him to settle down with the woman he loved.

Eva sighed at that. It was the most important decision she was about to make in her life, but she had no idea whether to accept or decline it.

Ever since she encountered many kinds of people in showbiz, she became pessimistic about true love and no longer looked forward to it. After all, there were many examples of true lovers ending up in a mess and breaking up with each other.

After a moment of pondering, she rejected him. “I don’t want the title of Mrs. Gilmore. You can give it to somebody else.”

“But I want nobody but you to own the title.” Louie rested his chin on her shoulder as he murmured, “You’re the one I want.”

“I’m exhausted. I’m going back to my room. You can pass me the new termination letter.” With that, Eva struggled out of his embrace and strode for the door.

Eva left without turning her head. At that point, Louie was in turmoil and he started to panic deep down.

At that moment, his phone rang and steered his attention away. Grabbing his phone, he looked at the caller ID for a moment before answering it. “Hello.”

“Hi, Louie. How have you been lately? It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

“Mr. Constantine.”

“I’ll cut to the chase. I want to talk about the alliance marriage between our families. Are you free to talk about it sometime?”

“Mr. Constantine, I don’t think I can marry your daughter without any emotional foundation.”

“Louie, my daughter admires you. Back then, I lent your parents one hundred million in return for the marriage between you and my daughter. Even though your parents have passed away, we should still continue with the marriage.”

Today, the Gilmore Family was the leading company in the industry with an immeasurable net worth, while the Constantine Family had gradually declined over the years. Thus, the Constantine Family would grasp the opportunity to unite two families. They would never let their chance to climb the social ladder slip away from them.

“Mr. Constantine, we’ll discuss it later.”

“Sure. Why don’t you come over so we can meet up? Your father was a man who kept his promises, so surely you’ve inherited the trait from him.”

At that, Louie kept his composure as he answered, “Alright. I’ll arrange the meeting.”

Meanwhile, Eva was resting in her room but was surprised to see the hotel staff bringing her breakfast. It seemed that Louie was worried about her and had called room service for her.

Then, she remembered spending the last night with him, and she knew she needed contraceptive pills. As she didn’t want her assistant to help her deliver the pills, she decided to buy them by herself.

She went downstairs after disguising herself for the pharmacy next to the hotel. She didn’t notice the presence of the paparazzi who were following her when she walked into the pharmacy. Therefore, not only was the sight of her picking up the pills captured by the paparazzi but the packaging of the pills she picked up was also captured by the camera.

The realization of the top celebrity from Stardom Entertainment buying contraceptive pills in the early morning was setting the paparazzi abuzz for witnessing the breaking news.

On the other hand, Eva strode away from the pharmacy and returned to the hotel without slowing down, while the paparazzi reached out to the mass media and sold them the news.

The media was always fishing for her scandal because her name alone would bring them a high volume of data traffic.

In less than half an hour, her scandal was already making the headlines. All the netizens learned that she spent her time with a man last night.

They were more curious about the man’s identity because he didn’t even use protection.

Countless male fans of Eva were envious of the man who slept with her.

Meanwhile, on set, Jessie took the time to finish shooting a scene in the early morning. After that, she headed for the empty seat next to Lexie for a rest. Lexie was whispering to another girl on the side the whole time, which piqued Jessie’s curiosity. “What are you talking about?”

“Jessie, do you know who the man who stayed the night with Eva was?” Lexie was itching to learn the full story from her.

Jessie was confused to hear that. “What man?”

Lexie didn’t waste any time showing her the headline. “Look at this. Eva bought the pills by herself this morning. I pity her!”

Jessie took her time to read the article before the corner of her lips turned into a knowing smile. Who else could it be other than Louie? Julian had told Jessie about Louie visiting the set when the two were in the car last night. It seems like Julian can expect a sister-in-law soon.

“Hmm… I don’t know anything about that.” Jessie shook her head. She wasn’t in the position to spread baseless rumors. Eva herself was the only person who had a say in this matter.

“Did Eva come to the set today?”

“Nope. She’s taking a day off,” Lexie answered.

Jessie was glad to hear that. It seems like Eva has moved on and is now seeing President Gilmore.

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Eva finally saw the news and she couldn’t sit still. She saw herself as a usually calm woman, but the news was quite disturbing. What bad timing! Why does it have to be when I bought the pills?

At that moment, someone rang the doorbell of her room. Looking through the peephole, she found that it was Louie, who was staying next door.

She pulled the door open for him but couldn’t help it when the blood rushed to her face. “Are you here to offer me the new termination letter?”

“Why didn’t you ask me to buy the pills?” Louie sighed upon seeing her. He felt bad to see her being followed by the paparazzi and became the headline of the day.

Eva averted her gaze. “It’s none of your business.”

Then, as she remembered something, she shifted her attention back to him. “It’s been trending on Twitter for a few hours. What is the Public Relations Department doing? When are they going to deal with it?”

A dark smile remained on the corner of his lips. “Their performance has been poor lately.”

Truth be told, it had nothing to do with the Public Relations Department, even less that they were doing their job poorly. Instead, Louie was the one who ordered the department to let the news stay trending. After all, Stardom Entertainment would always deal with their artists’ scandals the first time. C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.

Moreover, Eva was the top celebrity in the company.

However, the news of Eva buying the pills remained in the headlines until now. Even her fans couldn’t help but wonder about the identity of the man staying with her last night.

She was always an abstained woman and was considered the most flawless celebrity in their circle. But now, the fact she had to buy the birth control pills was telling the public that she was seeing a guy at the moment, yet his identity remained a mystery.

“Don’t be mad. Let’s go downstairs and grab something to eat,” Louie suggested.

His words indeed reminded Eva that she was bored alone in the room. Nodding, she left her room and followed him downstairs. There was a well-known cafe downstairs, and they were having tea there.

She picked a seat next to the window, while he took a seat opposite her and used his phone to take a picture of her leaning against the window. He uploaded the picture to his social media account with captions before screenshotting it and sending it to the Public Relations Department.

At last, he ordered, ‘Make it a push message to the public.’

Eva had no idea of him setting her up, nor him announcing that he stayed with her last night to the public himself.

“Don’t ever eat the pills in the future. It’s harmful to your health. That was careless of me last night.” Louie muttered guiltily.

His words left Eva flushing to the tip of her ears. She tightened her grasp around her cup of tea. “Let’s not talk about what happened last night.”

“Why? Did I make you uncomfortable?” He was eager to know her feelings.

Blushing as red as a tomato, she shot daggers at him as she mumbled, “Stop it.”

A low chuckle escaped Louie when he heard that. “I am very satisfied with last night.”

Eva turned away from his intense gaze. The memory of the moment they shared last night emerged in her mind. Truth be told, she thought it would be nice to have him as a lover.

Louie was the dream guy of every woman. He was handsome, fit, wealthy, and competent, which was a perfect combination.

The pair enjoyed the tea for almost twenty minutes, and Eva had no idea that she had unintentionally set the netizens abuzz.

The identity of the mysterious man last night was finally revealed. He wasn’t any of the male artists who had collaborated with Eva before as her fans expected, but Louie Gilmore, the president of Stardom Entertainment himself. The picture of them having afternoon tea together was hard evidence that they spent last night together.

Therefore, thousands of wishes flooded the comment section. All of her fans were wishing them a happy life.

Besides, the fans were hoping that they could have a baby soon.

Louie was browsing through the wishes and comments from Eva’s fans under a short video. Taking the countless blessings in, the corner of his lips curled into a satisfied smile.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw that. “What are you smiling about?”

“Eva, will you be my girlfriend?” He confessed his feelings with full affection.

She lowered her gaze. “Don’t ever think I’ll become your girlfriend just because you slept with me. You still owe me a termination contract.”

“I want to be responsible to you for the rest of your life. Once you become the president’s wife, you can terminate the contract however you want.” Louie chuckled deeply, but Eva dismissed his suggestion. “I’m not interested in becoming your wife.”

“It will never be anyone else. Don’t tell me you want me to choose someone else.” He slightly raised his brows to tease her while he stared at her with an unfathomable gaze.

She shied away from his gaze. After last night, she was surprised to see many things spinning out of her control. One of them included him occupying a significant spot in her heart.

At that moment, her phone rang. Seeing that her manager was calling, she put it next to her ear and answered, “Adele? What is it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about something so important, Eva? I had to learn about it from the Internet. You are so unkind!”

“What are you talking about?” Eva was perplexed.

“I’m talking about your relationship with President Gilmore! Looks like I have to prepare a lavish gift for your wedding now.”

When Eva heard that, she quickly looked at the man in front of her. Standing up, she said quietly, “Nothing is going on between the both of us, Adele.”

Adele, however, sneered at that. “The fact that you both slept together last night has gone viral on the Internet. You can’t keep it a secret from me!”

Eva was shaken by this. “What? Who said I slept with him—”

“Didn’t you buy the pills this morning because you slept with him the night before?”

“I…”

“President Gilmore paid a visit to your set. Who else can you be with besides him? He even filmed you having afternoon tea with him. You can’t deny it any longer! What good taste you have. President Gilmore is a good catch!” Adele complimented.

Annoyance flashed across Eva’s eyes when she heard that. So, this man deliberately asked me for afternoon tea to publicize our relationship. I underestimated him! Looks like it’s no surprise that his public relations department is not doing anything to my rumor. He is most likely the one who instructed them not to!

With this in mind, Eva hung up the call with Adele and walked over to the table where the man was sitting. Then, with her gaze fixed on him, she asked, “Did you declare our relationship on the Internet?”

“I have to let your supporters know the man last night was me, so they don’t have to waste their time guessing who that man was,” Louie replied as if he was truly concerned for Eva’s supporters.

“You… You did it on purpose!” Eva scolded him gently.

“I will do anything for you,” Louie responded in a serious tone.

That made Eva’s heart skips a beat as she began to wonder whether she was worthy of his love.

Later in the afternoon, Jessie finally went to the same set as Julian. After applying her makeup, she sat by the corner and watched Julian’s outstanding performance. His fighting moves were all clean and tidy, and the director approved them all on the first take.

Admiration filled her eyes as she watched Julian. Her feelings for him seemed to develop so naturally.

When Julian finished his scene and was about to rest, he took a glass of water and walked over to Jessie. After he took his sip, Jessie extended her hand to him. “I’d like to drink as well.”

Julian naturally handed her the glass, and she, too, drank it in front of everyone. They then walked over to the chairs nearby to rest while the crew prepared the props.

At this moment, Jessie couldn’t help but curiously inquire, “Have you read about Eva’s news?”

“What news?” Julian narrowed his eyes and asked.

Jessie, however, was a little embarrassed to say it. Hence, she scrolled through her phone to look for Eva’s news before handing her phone to Julian. “This.”

Julian took her phone and read the news, a smile spreading across his face. “My brother appears to have found me a sister-in-law.”

Jessie was surprised to hear that. “How did you know the man is your brother? I haven’t shown you your brother’s news yet!”

“Isn’t that obvious enough?” Julian was aware of what was going on. Louie had been eyeing Eva for a long time, and Eva had no other friends of the opposite gender around her as well.

Furthermore, Louie came to get her last night.

Jessie then quickly showed Julian another piece of information. “Louie posted this photo of Eva having afternoon tea. That clearly shows that the man with Eva was him.”

As Julian read the news, he found Louie hilarious. No matter how mature Louie normally was, he was still a childish guy when it came to courting a woman. To Julian, Louie did make a clever move by publicly declaring his relationship with Eva on the Internet, so that everyone was aware of it.

But it remained unknown as to whether Eva would approve of him doing so.

“Shall we treat them to dinner tonight?” Julian asked Jessie.

The dinner didn’t matter to her; all she heard and remembered was Julian using the word ‘we’.

Is that to say we’re a couple as well? Jessie couldn’t help but feel joyous deep down.

At this point, one of the crew members called out, “Jessie, it’s your turn.”

Jessie quickly stood up and went to film her scene. Julian, too, stood up with her. Though he did not have any scenes with her yet, he wanted to watch all of her scenes.

The current scene Jessie was filming was with Fabian. Furthermore, it was a scene in which Jessie had to hug Fabian from behind and confess her love to him.

Fabian had previously conversed and joked with Jessie, but he did not dare to do so now.

However, the current scene was not something they could avoid.

Following the director, Vincent’s, instruction, Jessie dashed to Fabian and hugged his waist as she spoke her lines. “Don’t leave me. I’ve loved you since the first time I met you. I want to be by your side forever, even if only as a servant to you.”

“Cut!” Vincent stopped her at this moment. “Jessie, you need to be more emotional. Your acting is lacking something.”

Jessie breathed deeply and took a few steps backward to where she had been standing earlier. One of the crew members beside her began explaining the story to her while she tried hard to prepare the necessary emotion.

“If you can’t cry, think of something that makes you sad, Jessie.”

She blinked her eyes in response. There hasn’t been anything that has made me sad recently!

As a result, she failed her next attempt again. The man standing by the side pursed his lips as he watched her hugging Fabian repeatedly.

He then walked to Vincent. Just as Vincent was about to instruct Jessie to try a few more times, he saw the man standing next to him and almost jumped in shock.

“Why can’t all of the previous attempts be used?” Julian inquired with his arms crossed as if interrogating Vincent.

Meanwhile, Vincent was immediately under pressure. Who allowed this guy to watch our filming?

As such, he quickly waved his hand and said, “We probably only need one more try.”

Jessie, too, saw what Julian did and sighed. She wished she could do the scene in one take as well, but she couldn’t get the right emotion out of herself. Her confession, in particular, was unnatural.

She tried once again, but she still couldn’t perform up to Vincent’s expectations.

Looking at the man beside him who was becoming increasingly glum, Vincent had a brilliant idea. “Why don’t you try filling in for Fabian, Young Master Julian? Let Jessie hug you and try once more.”

Julian raised his brows in response to such a suggestion. “Let’s do it.”

With that, Fabian immediately removed his coat and handed it to Julian, and the crew then put it on the latter. As the current scene’s focus was solely on Jessie, Julian would not be filmed and could completely play along for the entire scene.

Jessie, on the other hand, was embarrassed by such a change in the cast as she had to hug Julian and confess to him with her eyes filled with admiration.

“Let’s try again, Jessie,” Vincent instructed.

Jessie quickly prepared herself and dashed to hug Julian’s waist. Indeed, the moment she hugged him was when she was overwhelmed with emotion. She was considering the possibility that the man whom she was hugging would fall in love with another woman.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she reflected on this thought. “This is the right feeling, Jessie,” Vincent said as he looked through the camera at her. “Keep it up and start your lines.”

Jessie then recited her lines completely, and she even sobbed at times. This was exactly what Vincent wanted.

“Great. We’re done with this scene now.”

Before Jessie could stop her tears, Julian turned around to look at her. She wiped her tears away in a fluster, embarrassed by her inability to control her emotions.

“What sad thoughts did you have?” Julian went closer to her and inquired.

Jessie, however, was too embarrassed to tell him what she thought. Hence, she replied patronizingly, “It’s just a small unpleasant thing.”

Julian got more curious after hearing her words. “What is the unpleasant thing?”

Seeing that he persisted, she asked solemnly, “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” Julian knew she must be genuinely upset for her tears to fall when she thought about the situation.

And so, Jessie murmured, “Come closer, then.”