Chapter 152: Chapter 150: You’re My Woman, So I’ll Naturally Dote on You (Part 1)
Ethan Ellsworth hummed in agreement. "Once the news breaks, all you have to do is clarify that I’m your agent."
Nora Ainsworth’s lip twitched. "So that’s how these rumors get started. I’m finally starting to understand."
"Once you enter this circle, you naturally have to understand some of the unwritten rules."
Chloe Marshall chimed in, "Boss Ellsworth, what about the... ’casting couch’? Have you ever been on the receiving end of that?"
Ethan Ellsworth glared at her. "Idiot. Do you think I need to do something like that?"
Zeke Marshall protested, "Why are you calling my sister an idiot? She’s actually really smart."
Ethan Ellsworth said, "She’s an idiot, and you’re a moron."
Zeke Marshall looked mortified. "You’re just being a bully! In that case, Boss Ellsworth, you must be a deviled egg!"
Nora Ainsworth clapped. "That’s a good one! I love deviled eggs."
Ethan Ellsworth’s face had just darkened, but hearing Nora Ainsworth’s words, he burst out laughing. "So you like to eat me, is that it?"
Nora Ainsworth burst out laughing. "So you admit you’re a deviled egg, then?"
Chloe Marshall and Zeke Marshall clapped together. "Boss Ellsworth walked right into that trap!"
After checking the time, Ethan Ellsworth said, "It’s about time. The company van should be at the entrance. Let’s go."
The other three agreed, and the four of them left the private room together. But Ethan Ellsworth, who was walking in front, was the first to stop in his tracks. Then Chloe Marshall froze, followed by Zeke Marshall, who also stopped walking. Seeing the three of them motionless, Nora Ainsworth followed their gaze, and her smile froze on her face as well.
The four people walking out of the elevator were none other than Jean Grant, Marlon Marshall, Charlotte Young, and Quentin Grant.
Four against four. They stood only a short distance apart, but it was as if their feet were glued to the floor, unable to move.
They hadn’t seen each other for a day, and it was as if he had completely erased her from his memory. He wore a cool, detached smile as he greeted Ethan Ellsworth amiably. "I got engaged today. I called you, but you didn’t show up. Not cool, man."
Ethan Ellsworth glanced at Nora Ainsworth, then chuckled lightly. "I got a new junior today. Our boss wouldn’t let me leave the company for even a second. When I get married, I’ll be sure to return the favor."
His gaze drifted over her, just for a moment. If you weren’t watching closely, you would have missed it. That single glance seemed to cross an impossible distance. Finally, he said, "I see. That’s good."
His voice was nonchalant, yet carried a profound, hidden meaning.
For a moment, the atmosphere was heavy with silence.
Nora Ainsworth suddenly laughed. "Well, well, I was wondering who it was. It’s Young Master Grant, here for hot pot with his fiancée. My senior and I just finished, so we won’t keep you. We have to get to a show taping."
Her tone was so calm and composed, it was as if they had never been together. It was the same way she had spoken to him when they first met, and it made Quentin Grant’s heart sink with displeasure.
Charlotte Young flashed a smile, one that was meant to be sophisticated and superior, and Nora Ainsworth took it all in.
"So, Miss Ainsworth has become a performer now," she said. "Not too long ago, you were so arrogant in front of Quentin. What happened to all that bravado?"
Nora Ainsworth turned to Ethan Ellsworth. "Senior, is this the legendary fiancée of Young Master Grant? I thought she must have crawled out of a sewer."
Ethan Ellsworth chuckled. "Junior, why waste your breath on a third-rate woman like her? Let’s go. We have to get to work. Unlike some people, who couldn’t even sell their looks, let alone their ass."
Ethan Ellsworth’s words were vicious, and saying them in front of everyone made Charlotte Young feel completely humiliated.
She glanced at Quentin Grant and clung to his arm coquettishly. "Quentin, listen to Ethan Ellsworth. How could he say something so nasty?"
Quentin Grant started walking. "Let’s go eat."
As he passed by Nora Ainsworth’s side, he didn’t spare her a single glance. He just walked straight ahead until he reached the door of a private room, pushed it open, and went inside.
In the instant that they passed, it wasn’t just Nora Ainsworth’s smile that suddenly vanished; Ethan Ellsworth’s expression also grew dark and uncertain.
Chloe and Zeke Marshall looked at the two beside them, not saying a word.
It was Nora Ainsworth who finally broke the silence. "Let’s go."
She stepped forward and pressed the elevator button. The other three followed her in, and the car was completely silent.
No one spoke. Even Zeke Marshall, who didn’t know the whole story, chose to remain silent.
Once they were out of the hot pot restaurant, they could immediately see the company van parked a short distance away.
Since they had already reviewed the script, they went straight to makeup upon arriving at the television studio.
Ethan Ellsworth and Nora Ainsworth’s chairs were close to each other. Soon, only the two of them and their respective makeup artists were left in the room.
Ethan Ellsworth glanced over at her, then settled back into his chair for the makeup artist. "You handled that very well back there. Just what I’d expect from my junior."
Nora Ainsworth replied, "You weren’t so bad yourself. Worthy of a famous movie star."
Ethan Ellsworth then said something only the two of them would understand. "Even if you don’t feel it, it’s better to laugh than to cry."
"You too."
A little over half an hour later, when the makeup artists were finished, they looked at each other and were both struck by the other’s appearance.
The heating was on full blast in the recording studio, making it as warm as a summer day.
The stylist had brought a brand-new outfit for Nora Ainsworth: a strapless, rose-red cocktail dress that gave her a bright and enchanting new look.
Ethan Ellsworth was already wearing a suit, so he didn’t need to change.
After running through a rehearsal with the host backstage, the official taping began.
「A little after eleven that night, once the variety show taping was finished, Nora Ainsworth went home with Chloe and Zeke Marshall.」
Ethan Ellsworth, however, went to their usual spot, a place called Chunchunyudong.
He pushed open the door to the private room and saw Quentin Grant sitting motionlessly on the sofa, lost in thought.
He closed the door, and the sound startled Quentin Grant from his reverie.
His voice was a little hoarse, his expression full of weariness.
"So, what’s the deal?"
Ethan Ellsworth sat down, crossed his legs, and pulled out a cigarette. With a CLICK, he lit it and took a deep drag. "What else could it be? Our President Harding has taken an interest in Nora."
Quentin Grant’s eyes sharpened. "What?!"
Ethan Ellsworth explained, "I wasn’t finished. Our President Harding saw the beverage commercial Nora and I filmed together. He thought she had great screen presence, so he signed her to the company."
"So what’s your angle, getting engaged to Charlotte Young?"
"There’s no angle. I just figured it doesn’t matter who the woman is. They’re all the same."
Ethan Ellsworth snorted. "You’re not actually going to marry her, are you?"
"Tell me, if I really go through with marrying Charlotte Young, do you think she’ll come and crash the wedding?"
Ethan Ellsworth scoffed. "I wouldn’t risk it. I saw her all day today, and she seemed perfectly fine. Not affected by you at all. Especially tonight, she didn’t show a single negative emotion. I don’t know the specific reason you two broke up, but I think it’s best to just have a clean break."
Seeing Quentin Grant remain silent, Ethan Ellsworth raised an eyebrow and spoke in a grave tone. "You two... it wasn’t a matter of... incompatibility, was it? You couldn’t satisfy her?"
Quentin Grant immediately glared at him. "Do you really think that’s possible?"
Ethan Ellsworth backed off sheepishly. "I didn’t think it was likely. You’re the famous Mr. Seven-Times-a-Night, after all. By the way, which maiden’s chambers has Young Master Hawthorne been holed up in lately? How come we never see him anymore?"
