"Ahh!" Sharp cries continuously echoed back and forth in the room, where Monica lay drenched in sweat on the chair, her delicate features twisted together in agony.
"Push, Mrs. Monica, push, you’re doing very well, I can already see the baby’s head," the midwife kept saying. Her tone was very gentle, clearly encouraging, and she was very experienced.
"Did you hear that, Monica? You can see the baby’s head now, give it a bit more strength!" Adrian encouraged from her side, gripping her hand.
"It hurts... ahh!" Monica scread, clutching his hand tighter and tighter.
"Just bear with it a little longer, it’s almost over," Adrian comforted her as he slowly retracted his hand.
"Stay with a bit longer... Ed... please..." Monica, sensing this, wore a pleading look.
"Sorry, baby, Sophie is giving birth over there, too, she needs ," Adrian said with a wry smile, "Don’t worry, I’m nearby, I’ll be right back."
Oh, damn it, why does this have to happen! It’s absurd! Adrian complained inwardly as he hurriedly rushed from one delivery room to another. Having twins wasn’t unheard of, multiple examples abounded, but shouldn’t there be a difference in fetal developnt? Why then were Monica and Sophie’s due dates almost at the sa ti? Okay, sa ti it is, but why did they both react together and then get taken to the delivery room together? Alright, taken in together, but why were the tis of their water breaking not apart by more than ten seconds?!
Therefore, Monica and Sophie were almost simultaneously wheeled into separate delivery rooms, and Adrian was inevitably running back and forth, utterly frustrated. Coincidences happen often, but this was too much of a coincidence.
"Hey, my dear, I’m here, don’t worry, I’m right by your side." Upon entering the delivery room, he imdiately went to Sophie’s side and took her hand.
"I’m in so much pain..." Sophie cried out, her head also sweating profusely in the agony of childbirth, appearing almost unable to bear it.
Of course, it only appeared that way; in reality, Sophie continued to push with the encouragent of the midwife. It must be said that won certainly endure pain better than n, especially since the pain of childbirth is the highest on the pain scale. Although there was the option of a Cesarean section, the thought only circled in Adrian’s head for a mont before being dismissed. Leaving a scar on the abdon was a minor issue, but affecting the child’s developnt was a major one.
For thousands of years, children have been born this way. It’s a necessary procedure, like running a computer program, where upon completion, you naturally get the results. But if you forcefully end it at the last mont, you might get the sa results as if it ended naturally, but who can say for sure there aren’t any hidden flaws that haven’t been discovered?
The chances were very small, but Adrian didn’t want to take a risk with his children. Besides, Monica and Sophie weren’t particularly old, so he had always urged them to have natural childbirths. Of course, he had also made sure they had thorough, regular check-ups, and even if he wasn’t in Los Angeles, he’d have the nanny urge them over the phone to correct their postures to prevent complications like improper fetal position. So, there wasn’t much to worry about.
"Take a deep breath, Sophie, deep breaths, it’s almost over," Adrian constantly comforted her. Having gone through childbirth with Kate, despite having to run back and forth several tis, he remained calm and not impatient.
Finally, the doctor squatting below cried out joyfully, "Alright, it’s out!"
Following that, a loud and strong cry rang out, which should an the baby was very healthy. A nurse beside them promptly walked over, taking the newborn from the doctor to clean up on one side. From a distance, just like when Lily was born, the baby was wrinkled and quite unattractive, but in a few hours would turn very cute and pretty.
"Congratulations, Mr. Adrian, it’s a girl," the relaxed doctor said while tidying up.
"My baby... where’s my baby?" Sophie, catching her breath and coming back to her senses, called out.
"Calm down, Sophie, the baby is with the nurse, it’s a... very cute girl," Adrian cooed as he spoke, Sophie turned her head and saw the infant being cleaned by the nurse and imdiately showed a tired smile, but then she turned back again, only to find Adrian had already retreated to the doorway.
"Sorry, Sophie, Monica isn’t done yet, I have to go... check on her." Adrian chuckled, then pretended not to see her resentful expression and slipped out.
Though the two delivery rooms weren’t far apart, Adrian was still a step too late, he hadn’t even stepped through the door when the crying already reached his ears. Damn it, now he was really in for it. Adrian lanted in his mind, but didn’t stop moving for even a mont.
"Congratulations, Mr. Adrian, it’s a girl," the doctor standing up with the child said with a smile.
Another girl?! Adrian’s eyelids twitched involuntarily, counting Lily, this was his third daughter. But having a daughter wasn’t so bad, after all, sons are close to their mothers and daughters to their fathers.
"She’s a cute little thing," Adrian said as he looked at the little one in the doctor’s arms, although her wrinkled face made her look like a grumpy old man and had nothing to do with being cute.
"Ed..." Monica’s weak voice rang out at that mont, Adrian quickly went to her side, "I’m here, darling, it’s okay, it’s all over. The little one ca out smoothly and is very healthy; everything is finished."
Monica didn’t speak, just looked at him with a woeful expression, like a child with none of the mature charm she usually had. Adrian smiled, wrapping an arm around her to comfort her. Now that Monica and Sophie had given birth one after the other, they were back in the sa double room they shared before, and Adrian finally didn’t have to run back and forth.
However, the two won who could still joke and laugh before giving birth now both maintained their silence, breaking gaze quickly whenever their eyes t, despite this being partly due to the exhaustion from childbirth, the atmosphere had also beco sowhat strange. Adrian had to perk up and joke between the two to attempt to ease the tension.
Fortunately, Monica and Sophie had lived together for so long, and a ménage à trois with Adrian was not unusual; during his absence for filming in New Zealand, the two also supported each other. So they recovered quite quickly.
After resting for quite a long ti, Adrian finally helped them to the nursery, where he looked through the glass at his own children. After the nurses had carefully cleaned them up, although the little ones still had wrinkled skin, they looked much prettier than at birth, with their eyes closed, lying there peacefully, occasionally moving, barely showing Sophie and Monica’s features.
"They’re really cute," Sophie murmured as she watched the children inside.
"Yes, they are our children," Monica also nodded, her gaze likewise falling entirely on the children.
At that mont, Adrian cleared his throat in the middle, "So, have you thought of nas for the children?"
"You’ve thought of them?" Both won looked at him, their faces full of disbelief. He had spent most of the past half a year in New Zealand and had only roughly ntioned nas without discussing them.
"Of course," Adrian nodded, "Monica’s daughter will be called Deva, and Sophie’s daughter will be called Juliet."
After he finished, he lifted his chin and looked at them with a smile, hoping for their approval, but what he received was a series of complaints.
"Deva? What kind of crazy na is that? Don’t you have anything better?"
"Juliet might be a French na, but don’t you think it’s too common?"
Why would this happen? Adrian suddenly looked perplexed, but Monica and Sophie didn’t seem to care at all.
"I think Avella or Veronica are nice."
"I actually feel Zoey has a stronger French flavor."
It was bizarre, why didn’t they like the nas? Adrian was completely baffled, especially since Kate had quickly accepted the na Lily. Though puzzled, he had no intention of compromising. As for the opposition and protests that Monica and Sophie might express, no matter; calming them down was easy. So, the nas of the newly born babies remained as they were.
In the days that followed, Adrian spent his ti revolving around the two mothers and two babies, ensuring he was back in Orange County before nightfall, even if it ant having to deal with business in Los Angeles. He displayed the image of a devoted father impeccably, always the first to respond during the midnight cries of the little ones, groggily bringing the nanny with him to carry the infants to their mother.
"You could have let the nanny take care of it," Monica had said with a touch of pity when Adrian kept yawning during the day.
"It’s fine, I have experience," Adrian dismissed it casually, "Besides, spending more ti with the children will make them rember , won’t it?"
However, he was quite strict with Monica and Sophie, laying down rules for what couldn’t be done within a week or two weeks, regardless of their protests, he didn’t change his mind.
"It’s for your own good. Think about it, the two little ones, such big lumps of flesh... well, they’ve grown inside you for ten months, nourished by you. Their separation from you must have an impact, so proper postnatal care is necessary," Adrian had explained.
In the language of his previous life, this was known as "sitting the month." Of course, it didn’t need to be as long; in ancient China, they would have the mother recuperate for at least a month due to various reasons, including hygiene. Nowadays, that wasn’t necessary. However, it didn’t an that a woman who had just given birth didn’t need to be taken care of, allowing her to eat, drink, or even swim carelessly.
Like he told them, giving birth was a considerable expenditure of energy, similar to needing blood transfusions and rest after losing a lot of blood. One must replenish what was lost. Eating and drinking casually or even swimming might seem harmless, but who knows if it might lead to complications that could arise years later? The practice of "sitting the month" might be old-fashioned, but it also represented the cumulative experience of ancestors.
Having taken care of Kate before, Adrian had considerable knowledge in this area and knew how to persuade Monica and Sophie better. They weren’t truly convinced, but it was mostly because the duration wasn’t long; if it were really for a month, they would definitely find a way to kill the "torntor." Besides, he would soon be leaving, and after his departure, well...
Adrian felt helpless about this situation. After all, the filming in New Zealand had to continue, so he could only supervise as much as possible while he was still at ho. The only consolation was the near absence of dia coverage on this matter; the cover-up was executed well. The doctors and nurses present at the birth had signed contracts, promising a significant amount of money if they kept silent for ten years, or they would face a hefty penalty otherwise.
Queenstown was still the sa old scenario. Without him to lead the work, the shooting progressed quite slowly, even with certain scenes delegated to Jackson.
"Sorry, Ed, I’ve tried everything but can’t match your approach," Jackson had apologized sincerely.
Although Adrian had produced many movies of different styles, it didn’t an he lacked a distinct style of his own. In fact, his signature jump-cut shooting thod was his trademark, sothing no one else could duplicate, not even the top directors of this world. Jackson was certainly no exception; using this thod would only lead to a waste, and shooting in his way was inevitably slow.
"Don’t worry, you did your best, Peter. Leave it to . Although last month I wasted a lot of ti because of too many things, I am certain that the rest can be completed within this month," Adrian declared with confidence.
Of course, just about everyone scoffed at his words. Was the Miracle Director still a miracle without being in Los Angeles? Had he persisted even a week since the beginning of the month? Yet, so facts are always surprising, and for the following two weeks, Adrian stayed continuously in Queenstown and nearby locations, astonishing everyone.
And then, there was no "then." Could the Miracle Director who didn’t return to Los Angeles still be the Miracle Director?
Actually, Adrian didn’t want it to be this way, but there were always issues to deal with, and he wasn’t entirely hands-off.
"I’m glad you support , Ed," Claude said after the eting ended.
"When have I not supported you?" Adrian shrugged his shoulders.
"There was once in July ’94, and another ti in March ’95..." Claude imdiately started counting on his fingers.
"Hey, even if I expressed opposition, it was privately," Adrian quickly interjected.
"That’s still opposition," Claude spread his hands and then burst into laughter in the face of Adrian’s rolling eyes.
"What do you think, Charli?" When Adrian returned to his office and happened upon Charlize, who had just organized the eting records, he asked casually.
"Maxim has potential, but it still needs ti to develop," Charlize thought for a mont before giving her answer.
"Oh? May I hear your detailed analysis?" Adrian couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
The main task this ti was to oversee the group’s acquisition of the United Kingdom magazine "Maxim," of course, it was more about going through the motions to demonstrate he was inford and supportive. AC dia had always had shortcomings in print dia, and though they had acquired several newspapers and magazines, they still couldn’t compare to groups that were strong in traditional dia, so they were very tight with Hearst and Newhouse.
But this didn’t an they would just let things run their course. Traditional dia had been divvied up completely; finding an entry point was not easy. Then Claude discovered "Maxim," a magazine that, though it had only started publishing in the United Kingdom in 1995 and in the United States last year, was well-positioned as sothing n could bring ho and look through in front of their girlfriends or wives. However, when they were ready to make a move, the board of directors had mixed opinions, so it was essential for Adrian to take a stand.
Adrian naturally supported it, not only because he always backed Claude’s proposals, but also because he rembered that this magazine would have great sales in the future, seemingly published in dozens of countries with a very well-known annual Top 100 Sexiest Won feature. But knowing this was one thing; how it developed was another matter. Currently, the magazine’s sales were quite diocre, so when Charlize said this, he was eager to hear more.
"The internet," to his surprise, Charlize’s answer was simple, "There are many issues with this magazine, such as a lack of distinct features or not quite getting the balance right, but the most important issue is promotion. At the current stage, there are many magazines of similar types, so the competition is fierce. Without a unique edge, it will slowly disappear. We may have competitors in other areas, but no one can match us in internet promotions. We already have a news website, and a magazine website won’t be far off. Plus, when I was gathering their data, I found they had this thought as well—this is a great opportunity. The early bird catches the worm, and we are the early birds in this area."
Applause from Adrian’s hands resonated, accompanied by an appreciative look. What Charlize said had struck a chord with him; indeed, their biggest advantage was in the internet, wasn’t it? After the Millennium, online magazines would be everywhere. They could completely acquire a few magazines and then as pioneers, create websites—a move that could naturally boost the sales of the hardcopy editions.
"That was excellent, Charli," Adrian embraced her, holding her face with adoration and said, "You always surprise ."
Although Charlize put on an air of "So what?" and "Don’t flatter ," her grey-green eyes always revealed an indescribable softness she tried to hide. From that day on, their relationship beca even closer, with an unspeakable sothing flowing between them that both understood without words.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out," Charlize said after a long gaze.
"Alright," Adrian gave a light peck on her lips, but as she walked to the door, he called out to her again, "Hold on, Charli."
He pinched his chin with a mischievous grin—not targeted at Charlize, of course.
"I’ve just thought of a great idea, about the magazine, that you need to jot down," Adrian’s mouth curved into a smile, "Our group will take the lead, contact other gaming companies to host a world electronic sports competition, called WCG!"
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