For three consecutive days, the buzz around David Locke and Mary Scott remained high, elevating their comrcial value to unprecedented heights.
David Locke’s previous works have beco the most popular on major websites, and the upcoming work "The Geisha" has beco the most anticipated project of the year.
Investors who previously couldn’t wait to avoid the two of them were now flocking back to David Locke like flies to a carcass, but they couldn’t get in touch with him anymore.
As for Mary Scott, she took the opportunity to announce on Twitter that she was joining Best Actor Michael Piers’ studio, becoming the first artist signed under Michael Piers Studio, and the buzz continued to rise, with countless invitations pouring in.
The invitations were a mix of good and bad, but her new agent Michael Jeas rejected them all regardless. Among them was one with a million-dollar paycheck that made Mary Scott’s eyes gleam, but Michael Jeas dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
Mary Scott’s small face almost scrunched up like a dumpling when Michael Jeas calmly handed her a docunt, "This is your career plan for the next five years."
"A five-year career plan?" Mary Scott hurriedly took it, opened it, and glanced through it, her eyes filled with shock, "Reach Best Actress in five years?"
"No, at the latest, five years," Michael Jeas corrected her.
"Will I be able to?" Mary Scott looked at the detailed plan, which analyzed her personal traits, image, and acting shortcomings, and then mapped out her future based on these characteristics.
Mary Scott was left in awe after reading it, while also realizing she had only signed for three days, yet the other party had produced such a ticulous plan, leaving her both respectful and apprehensive.
"No way, terminate the contract after five years." Michael Jeas was rather blunt.
Mary Scott choked, paused, "But in five years, I still have to have kids. Won’t ti be too tight?"
This ti it was Michael Jeas’ turn to be stumped, he turned to Michael Piers, "Why didn’t you clarify when signing an artist?"
Michael Piers looked at Mary Scott in disbelief, "Are you sure? Marriage has already made you lose your edge. If you have kids, your acting career will barely have any ti left, especially since once female celebrities have children, their market and roles will beco narrower. Think about it yourself."
Mary Scott’s face turned slightly pale after hearing this, realizing a problem: she was about to join the filming of "The Doctors" and then record the studio’s fantasy drama three months later. However, during this period, she and David Locke hadn’t been using contraception, so she might already be pregnant, aning she might not be able to seamlessly join the group in three months.
This ant the five-year plan ticulously designed for her by Michael Jeas might be rendered useless.
Standing there, Mary Scott felt like she had been struck by lightning, unable to recover for a long ti, not knowing what to do until she finally left Michael Piers’ office in a daze.
Michael Piers glanced at Mary Scott’s departing figure, uncharacteristically sent David Locke a private ssage, "Co and pick up your wife."
David Locke had been very busy these three days, not even touching the ground. With the buzz and the push from netizens, the scheduling issue of "The Geisha" had been brought to the forefront. GD there felt the pressure too, and the matter was resolved smoothly, it was re-scheduled for the May 1st Slot, and even the pre-sales just launched were very popular.
With a major issue in his heart resolved, David Locke only needed to focus on the preparations for "The Doctors." He was about to finalize the ti for the second script eting when he suddenly received a private ssage from Michael Piers, feeling very surprised, but when he saw that the other party asked him to pick up Mary Scott, David Locke jumped up and dialed Michael Piers’ number as he walked.
Michael Piers wasn’t surprised when he answered, and he briefly explained the matter to David Locke.
After listening to it, David Locke’s eyes darkened, and his pace quickened.
But when David Locke arrived at Michael Piers’ company, he couldn’t find any trace of Mary Scott, and he couldn’t reach her by phone.
This made David Locke, already travel-stained, show a drastic change in expression, and he directly stord into Michael Piers’ office.
Michael Piers frowned, "She was just here, maybe she went to the training room. I’ll have soone take you there."
...
Downstairs.
Mary Scott’s mind was in chaos. She wore a hat and mask to buy a cup of coffee downstairs, just about to return to the company when she heard a familiar yet strange voice. Her body stiffened slightly, slowly turning around to see Linda Nelson dressed in dull gray.
This was the second ti in ten years that Mary Scott saw Linda Nelson.
But every ti, her heart ached heavily.
She took a silent breath, her eyes cold and solemn, "Looking for ?"
Facing Mary Scott’s cold attitude, Linda Nelson seed a bit uneasy. Wearing a worn-out brand na, and with a face slightly aged by ti, she still looked out of place.
This was completely different from Mary Scott’s previous impression of Linda Nelson.
In her mories, her mother was always beautiful and poised, wearing the latest season’s designer clothes, noble and elegant, with ten fingers unstained by sun and spring water, always looking at them, the siblings, with gentle, even indulgent eyes.
Most of the ti, she was busy—busy playing cards, busy drinking afternoon tea with her girlfriends, attending parties, and only occasionally accompanying her and her brother in her spare ti.
She used to think her mother must love them, until her father had a misfortune, and her mother left her and her brother, absconding with money.
Later, she worked as a servant in a wealthy M Kingdom household, watching the hostess take care of cats and dogs, suddenly realizing how the way the cats and dogs were treated was very much like how her mother treated her and her brother.
Rather than being her children, they were more like her pets, occasionally teased when she felt like it.
It was also from that mont that she completely let go of her illusions about her mother.
She thought there would never be a chance to et her mother again in this lifeti, but the world is indeed small.
Looking at the woman who had finally aged after ten years, no matter how hard Mary Scott’s heart had been hardened over these years, there was still a faint pain, especially when she thought of the words this woman said the first ti she saw her.
"Moll, please help Mommy, just ten million, I only need ten million, help your uncle, and your brother..."
If Linda Nelson hadn’t imdiately asked for ten million, Mary Scott might have considered acknowledging this mother, but she asked for ten million right off the bat, to help her uncle and so-called brother... she didn’t even know when she gained an uncle and a brother.
And while she kept saying help her uncle and her so-called brother, she never ntioned Alfred Scott, her true brother, from beginning to end.
So Mary Scott only found it laughable.
"What have you considered? Moll, Mommy knows you’re a big star now, and you’ve married a great director, ten million isn’t much to you. Can you help Mommy, please?" Linda Nelson looked extrely uncomfortable under Mary Scott’s cold and assessing gaze, but thinking of her husband and son, she still spoke in a low, almost pleading voice.
Mary Scott abruptly lifted her head from the emotions just now, her eyes growing colder, her gaze on Linda Nelson devoid of any warmth, "I haven’t considered it well. Is ten million not much? Sorry, I really don’t have it."
With that, Mary Scott turned to leave.
Although she wouldn’t be as distressed and unable to cope as last ti, her heart still hurt like it was being pricked by constant needles, the pain causing her body to twitch slightly.
But Linda Nelson was unwilling to give up, desperately rushing forward to grab the back of Mary Scott’s collar, "Moll, help Mommy. How can you not have ten million? Don’t lie to Mommy! I know female stars are rich, just the villa you’re living in is worth a billion..."
Mary Scott felt a chill in her heart upon hearing this; she didn’t expect that Linda Nelson, who returned ho not long ago, had already found out the value of her house. Didn’t she also find out that Alfred couldn’t even afford surgery half a year ago?
Sigh!
Mary Scott struggled to steady her emotions, took a deep breath, and turned her head to gradually pry Linda Nelson’s hand off her clothes, her voice filled with a tinge of hatred, "Don’t say I don’t have it, even if I did, why should I give it to you?"
"But you are my daughter, I carried you for ten months, is this how you repay ?" Linda Nelson, seeing that Mary Scott really wouldn’t give her money, raised her voice in agitation.
Mary Scott noticed quite a few people around were watching, her face darkened as she pushed Linda Nelson away and jogged into the elevator.
Once inside, she couldn’t control herself, taking deep breaths, the suffocating feeling of nausea causing goosebumps all over her body.
She leaned against the elevator for a while before regaining her composure, feigning indifference as she avoided people and headed to the physical training room.
By this ti, the physical training room was empty. Mary Scott removed her coat and changed into her dance clothes. In an almost cathartic manner, she danced the routine taught by her dance instructor today seven or eight tis until her body was too exhausted and collapsed against the cold glass, breathing heavily.
Like a fish out of water.
Images of Linda Nelson’s face alternated in her mind, along with mories of her and her brother from when they were young, intertwined with the days they relied on each other alone in the M Kingdom, and Michael Piers’ words echoed endlessly in her mind: "Think it over carefully."
Think it over, think it over...
She wanted to have a child with David Locke, but saying she wanted to have a child with David Locke seed more like she was compensating herself, wanting to have a beautiful child belonging to her and David, to give him (or her) lots and lots of love.
But today’s conversation with Michael Piers, as well as Linda Nelson’s sudden appearance, left her feeling lost.
If she beca busy after having a child, how would she take care of the child, how would she give the child lots of love, wouldn’t she beco the next Linda Nelson?
Wouldn’t having a child be a kind of harm to the child?
But she had already agreed with David Locke not to use contraception and promised Mrs. Locke...
When David Locke found Mary Scott, she was sitting in the training room for the physical class dazed, feeling a heavy aura around her, and didn’t react even when he ca in.
It wasn’t until he was close that Mary Scott suddenly looked up.
Mary Scott blinked, eting David Locke’s eyes full of worry, and subconsciously called his na softly.
David Locke’s heart ached. He strode forward and picked her up, "Is the training over?"
Mary Scott made a soft sound of affirmation but didn’t know how to face him at that mont. Having a child was her idea, but working at Michael’s studio was thanks to David’s connections. Now, if she focused on having a child, she couldn’t focus on her career, and if she focused on her career, she might not have ti for a child.
Especially since there might already be a little life in her womb.
Yet she hesitated.
Not just because this was the biggest opportunity she had co across in her years in the entertainnt industry, but also due to her doubts, triggered by Linda Nelson, about whether she could be a good mother.
Having a child requires responsibility.
Thinking of the tough days after she and her brother were abandoned, Mary Scott felt a bitter taste on her tongue, yet she didn’t know how to express these feelings to David.
She didn’t want to break her promise to him, but she couldn’t ignore the dense shadow that had suddenly risen in her heart.
"Let’s go ho then." David picked up Mary Scott’s clothes, covering up her graceful figure in training gear, and led her outside.
Mary Scott dropped her eyes, opened her mouth a few tis but didn’t know how to speak, and ultimately let him lead her out of the company without saying a word.
As she went downstairs, Mary Scott’s nerves beca involuntarily tense, fearing Linda Nelson would suddenly appear sowhere and confront David Locke.
Fortunately, until they got in the car, she never showed up.
This made Mary Scott breathe a sigh of relief, even though her background was already known to David and was public knowledge. For so reason, the thought of Linda Nelson asking David for a million dollars as if it were a small amount made her not want David to witness it.
She had already had too many embarrassing monts exposed in front of him, and if Linda Nelson asked David for money, Mary Scott really didn’t know if she could handle it.
"Cold?" David Locke sensitively picked up on Mary Scott’s anomaly, asking gently.
Mary Scott shook her head instinctively, but David still instructed the driver to turn on the air conditioning.
Once the warm air started flowing, the temperature in the car quickly rose, helping Mary Scott finally suppress her cold tremors, though her heart felt even more chaotic.
As Mary sat in her confusion, David reached out and enveloped her small hand with his large one, a mix of helplessness and affection in his tone, "I know everything."
Mary Scott’s body snapped taut, her instinct was to look at David, her mind filled with thoughts of what he knew exactly.
Seeing Mary Scott look so startled, David snorted and flicked her forehead, "Is it that scary? You don’t want a child right now, do you think I’d eat you if you didn’t?"
"I..." Mary Scott wanted to explain, but when the words reached her mouth, she didn’t know how to explain them to him, so she lowered her head even more.
David gently patted her on the head again, "Michael Piers has already explained it to . I’ve seen the career plan Michael Jeas made for you, it’s done quite well. But if it were up to , three years, at most three years, you could get the Best Actress award, then we can start planning for a baby. How does that sound?"
Mary Scott’s mouth slightly opened, her eyes filled with disbelief, "Dobbin Locke..."
"Touched?" David Locke looked at her shocked expression, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Mary Scott shook her head and then nodded, but soon thought of two problems, "We’ve been not using contraception lately, I don’t know if I might already be pregnant. And three years, I’m not sure if I can win the Best Actress award in three years, it’s... it’s too difficult!"
"Did you forget your period just ended a week ago? Under normal circumstances, you should be in your safe period this week, with a small chance of pregnancy. As for three years, do you really lack faith in yourself?"
"But... what if?" Mary Scott was still uneasy.
"If I’m that good, then have it. If the ti cos and you’re busy, I’ll take care of the child. It’s just a kid, can it really be that difficult for us? Look at the second Piers’ sickly child and how he’s raising Teddy, do you think I’m not strong enough to take better care?" David said, squeezing Mary Scott’s constantly wrinkled nose.
Mary Scott winced in mild pain but suddenly felt a sense of calm, her eyes luminous as she looked at the man in front of her, suddenly realizing all her previous worries and concerns were unnecessary.
She wasn’t Linda Nelson, nor was David Locke a power-driven father, they weren’t them, so why fear, she could give her baby a complete ho and complete love.
Why be afraid?
Seeing Mary Scott’s previously troubled face finally starting to relax, David’s heart softened, yet he inwardly cursed her as a fool.
Who knew that Mary Scott, who had seemingly co to her senses, suddenly exclaid, "What about your mother?"
David froze, what did she have to do with it?
Reviews
All reviews (0)