Shane Sterling’s palm was warm, but Isla Prescott no longer dared to covet its heat.
She shoved his hand away and glared at him coldly. "Young President Sterling, you act like you don’t know in public, but then you’re all caring behind the scenes. What gives? Do you get so kind of thrill from flirting with your ex-girlfriend right under your current girlfriend’s nose?"
"There’s no current or ex. You’re the only one I’ve ever had."
"Is that so? Then what about Miss Quincy?"
Before Shane Sterling could answer, soone else ca down the hallway.
Isla Prescott instinctively held her breath. She grabbed the lapels of Shane Sterling’s suit and pulled him further into the shadows.
No matter who it was, she didn’t want them to see her with Shane Sterling. Any misunderstandings or rumors would only be detrintal to her participation in the rest of the show.
Seeing Isla Prescott proactively close the distance between them, Shane Sterling couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from turning up. His hand found its way back to her stomach.
Isla Prescott rolled her eyes at him, but for fear of making a noise and being discovered, she could only let him be.
"Sue, I’m suddenly feeling so discouraged. I feel like there’s no point in being on this show," ca Iris Tierney’s voice.
"Weren’t you just gearing up yesterday, saying you were going to use this show to make a brilliant coback? How did you lose your confidence so quickly?"
"Yesterday, I didn’t know the investors had planted soone with connections."
"Who? You an Genevieve Quincy?"
"Who else could it be? I thought it was strange this afternoon. How did she dare to show up late to the first eting and make the director wait for her? Turns out she’s Young President Sterling’s girlfriend. With him backing her, what’s the point of us even trying?" Iris Tierney’s voice was listless. "We could dance ourselves to death and end up with just a few seconds of screen ti, all while making the future president’s wife look good."
"We’ve co this far, we can’t just quit the show. Don’t be so negative."
"..."
The voices of Iris Tierney and Sophie King gradually faded away.
Isla Prescott waited until they were far away, then shoved Shane Sterling back with all her might.
"Did you hear that? Anyone with eyes can see what’s going on between you and Genevieve Quincy," Isla Prescott said.
Shane Sterling took two steps back to steady himself and looked at her with a smile. "So jealous, and you still say you don’t love ?"
"Who’s jealous?"
"Whoever loves gets jealous."
Isla Prescott couldn’t stand him. She turned to leave, but Shane Sterling blocked her with his arm.
"Isla, a lot of the ti, what you see with your eyes isn’t necessarily the truth," Shane Sterling said, his tone suddenly serious.
"Then what is the truth?"
He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "What you feel with your heart—that’s what’s real."
Shane Sterling stood at the junction of light and shadow in the hallway. His eyes seed to be filled with a mist, hiding too many emotions that were impossible to discern clearly. But his heart beat like a war drum, thundering in his chest—a presence that Isla Prescott could feel with absolute certainty.
Isla Prescott was srized for a few seconds before she snapped back to reality. ’Why am I standing here feeling his chest and listening to his heartbeat?’
She pulled her hand back and looked up at him. "I know you’re good with words, but don’t think you can fool with just a few sentences. You can choose not to tell anything and co find after you’ve handled everything according to your plan, but I can’t guarantee I’ll wait for you to handle it all."
"What do you an?"
Isla Prescott raised an eyebrow. "Who knows? I might fall in love with soone else in the anti."
"No, you won’t," Shane Sterling said with certainty.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because no man can please you better than I can." Shane Sterling leaned down and whispered in Isla Prescott’s ear, his warm breath tickling the space behind it. "You admitted it yourself just now—I’m very good with my mouth, aren’t I?"
Isla Prescott was speechless. "..."
’This guy is unbelievable. He can twist anything, black or white, into sothing dirty.’
’That’s not what I ant at all!’
--
By the ti Isla Prescott returned to the private room, her face was completely flushed.
Fortunately, everyone else at the table was happily chatting with the director, Evan Shaw, so no one noticed her.
For the second half of the dinner, Isla Prescott completely avoided the scorching, aningful gaze from across the table.
After dinner, the director, Evan Shaw, created a group chat for everyone and said he would post updates there. Then, everyone dispersed.
Genevieve Quincy made a high-profile exit, leaving in Shane Sterling’s car.
Isla Prescott took a taxi back to her rental apartnt by herself.
Since the show’s production team required all the guests to move into their assigned dorms starting the next day, Isla Prescott didn’t even have ti to worry about her still-aching stomach. As soon as she got ho, she started packing her bags.
Annabelle Leighton’s show had already started filming, and she was frantically complaining to Isla Prescott over WeChat about the complicated social dynamics of the influencer world.
"It’s only the first day of filming! People are already forming cliques and hooking up. It’s ridiculous. I miss the simple, clean work atmosphere of our studio so much. I want to go ho!"
Isla Prescott comforted Annabelle Leighton for a bit. Just as she was about to take a shower, the doorbell suddenly rang.
She instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten o’clock.
Ever since she moved here, she’d had almost no visitors besides her mother and sister, let alone soone showing up this late at night.
She grew a little nervous and tiptoed to the door, peeking through the peephole.
To her surprise, the person standing outside was Shane Sterling’s assistant, Justin Wyatt.
Isla Prescott opened the door.
"Miss Prescott." Justin Wyatt grinned, showing off a set of pearly whites.
"Assistant Wyatt, what are you doing here?"
"Young President Sterling sent to give you sothing."
"How did you know I live here?"
Justin Wyatt was honest. "With Young President Sterling’s resources, finding out where Miss Prescott lives isn’t difficult. The problem was, my GPS led the wrong way, which is why I’m so late. Sorry, I hope I’m not disturbing your rest?"
"I was packing, so I’m still up."
"Oh, good, good." Justin Wyatt handed Isla Prescott a paper bag. "Young President Sterling specifically asked to bring this to you."
"What is it?" Isla Prescott was hesitant to take it.
Justin Wyatt scratched his head. "You should probably see for yourself."
Isla Prescott took the bag and glanced inside. It contained motherwort heat patches for nstrual cramps, brown sugar, and a box of painkillers.
A warmth spread through her heart, but her words were still sharp. "The pharmacy downstairs sells all this. Young President Sterling really knows how to order people around, making you co all this way for nothing."
Justin Wyatt remained completely loyal. "Things from Young President Sterling are definitely different from what you’d buy at a pharmacy."
"How are they any different?"
"These represent Young President Sterling’s love!"
Isla Prescott shuddered. "Assistant Wyatt, you must get paid a lot, right?"
"Why do you ask, Miss Prescott?"
"Because most people can’t say such cheesy things."
"I’m telling the truth. You don’t have to believe my words, Miss Prescott, but you can’t doubt Young President Sterling’s love for you." Justin Wyatt paused, his tone suddenly lancholic. "Miss Prescott, the truth is, our Young President Sterling..."
"What about him?"
"He’s been having a hard ti recently."
Justin Wyatt was by Shane Sterling’s side constantly, so he best understood the hardships Shane had been facing lately.
Chloe Kerr’s car accident had unearthed a pile of mysteries. The deeper Shane Sterling investigated, the closer he got to the truth that his father was a demon.
No matter what, Victor Sterling was his biological father. Even if Shane Sterling wasn’t particularly close to him, as a normal son, he would inevitably have to go through an intense internal struggle before resolving to bring his own father to justice.
Besides investigating the car accident, Shane Sterling also had to put on a show with Genevieve Quincy to keep Victor Sterling and the Quincy Family at ease. At the sa ti, right under Victor Sterling’s nose, he was sorting out the Sterling Group’s ssy accounts and secretly cutting ties with his father’s dealings. If sothing were to happen to Victor Sterling, the Sterling Group would undoubtedly be thrown into turmoil. Shane Sterling had to prepare a foolproof plan in advance to protect the livelihoods of everyone in the company.
These matters could be summarized in just a few sentences, but carrying them out was another story entirely. Every step presented its own hurdle.
Justin Wyatt felt especially bad for his boss. And on top of everything, his boss had just had his heart broken.
"What exactly is wrong with him?" Isla Prescott pressed, trying to get more information.
Justin Wyatt really wanted to just tell Isla Prescott everything, but after a mont of sober reflection, he didn’t dare.
"There are so things I can’t speak about carelessly. It’s better for you to wait for Young President Sterling to tell you himself, Miss Prescott. You just need to know that he really, truly loves you."
"Assistant Wyatt, do you get a raise for saying cheesy things?"
"I’m really telling the truth! You have no idea, ever since you moved out, Young President Sterling has been sleeping in your old room every day."
"Okay, I have the things. Thank you. You should head back and get so rest."
Justin Wyatt nodded. Just as Isla Prescott was about to close the door, he suddenly spoke again. "Miss Prescott, Young President Sterling is quite busy lately. If you need anything, you can contact ."
"Did he tell you to say that?"
"Yes. He said you can order around as you please."
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