Chapter 164: Chapter 162: He Has Always Been a Man Who Moves My Heart (2)
Quentin Grant gritted his teeth. "I wasn’t asking you!"
Ethan Ellsworth let out a knowing "Oh." "Then it must be our second female lead. Madam Shaw has been in the business for a long time. Don’t worry, she’s a total pro. Besides, you don’t even know her, and at her age, she’s probably slept around hundreds of times."
Herman Hawthorne nearly burst out laughing, enjoying the show as he watched Quentin Grant’s expression slowly darken from pale to thunderous.
"Ethan Ellsworth!"
Ethan Ellsworth stood up. "Well then, you two can chat. I’m going to use the restroom."
This time, Quentin Grant completely lost his temper.
"You stop right there!"
Ethan Ellsworth gave him a wounded look. "That’s low, man. You won’t even let a guy go to the bathroom? Don’t you know that when nature calls, you have to answer? How am I supposed to hold it in?"
Quentin Grant cringed, a muscle in his cheek twitching. "Tell me about the scenes for this ’bed-hopping’ lead actress."
"As far as I know, there are quite a few bed scenes. They’ll probably have to do it several times in total."
"What? Several times?! Are you guys shooting a porno?"
Ethan Ellsworth looked sheepish. "Well, I’d be up for it. If the leading lady agrees, we could give it a shot."
His words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Quentin Grant suddenly laughed, staring at Ethan Ellsworth. "Would you dare to film it?"
His voice was so cold it was bone-chilling, sending a shiver down Ethan Ellsworth’s spine.
"Hey, relax. I was just kidding, man. Don’t take it so seriously." He laughed nervously.
"Tell your director to use a body double for any revealing scenes. As long as it’s not too explicit, she can perform the part herself."
"Actually, there are barely any bed scenes. You don’t have to worry. I just wanted to see how you’d react. I didn’t expect such an intense response. Young Master Hawthorne, don’t you think Young Master Grant is getting a little too worked up?"
Those words made Quentin Grant seethe with suppressed rage.
Herman Hawthorne replied bluntly, "In the past, Young Master Grant would have never fallen for your bullshit. But now... I’d say his emotional intelligence has taken a nosedive."
"I’d have to agree."
With that, he winked at Herman Hawthorne and, before Quentin Grant could blow up, instantly ended the video call.
As the screen went blank, Quentin Grant was so furious he thought he might pass out.
’His best friends, the ones he’d known since they were kids, had just turned on him so easily.’
’How was he supposed to deal with this?’
He left the study.
Quentin Grant walked into the gym.
He wasn’t planning to work out again. He had just suddenly remembered that night... and her impressive flexibility.
’Deeply unforgettable.’
’What kind of woman was Nora Ainsworth, really?’ he wondered. ’To be honest, she’s like most women—more often seen with a bare face than with makeup on. For a woman like that, her most brilliant qualities aren’t the obvious things, but all the little details.’
’To be with her, you had to get to know her more deeply each day. You had to discover her hidden strengths. And once you discovered them, you could never forget them.’
Lying in bed, he checked her Weibo. Her latest post was from 9:30 that night.
It was just a single sentence: "A dream that’s hard to wake from, lost in the river of time."
Staring at that one sentence, Quentin Grant felt as if he were in a dream himself.
His mind was filled with the memory of himself stealing glances at her over dinner. He tossed and turned. Sleeping alone in the spacious bed felt desolate and empty.
He got out of bed and stood on the balcony for a while, then went back inside and drank some tea. He tried to calm himself, but found that even after his mood settled, falling asleep was nearly impossible.
Finally, Quentin Grant picked up a mirror. He propped himself up in bed and studied his face in the light of the bedside lamp.
He muttered to himself, ’I’m so handsome. How many women have fallen for this face? Is she blind? Does she have cataracts or something?’
After a moment of vanity, Quentin Grant put the mirror down. He furrowed his brow and muttered to himself again, ’If one day you’re forced to be by my side again, I’ll make you taste this same feeling. I wonder if you’ll be able to bear it.’
He pondered for a long time but came to no conclusion. In the end, he forced himself to go to sleep.
The moment she arrived at the company, Nora received a notice that President Harding wanted to see her and her assistant.
The two of them hurried over at once.
"Nora, you two have a seat. There’s something I need to discuss with you."
"Please, go ahead, President Harding."
President Harding clasped his hands on his desk. "You’re a celebrity now, Nora. I’ve heard that your and Zeke Marshall’s current living situation isn’t ideal, and that can affect your public image. The company has rented two two-bedroom apartments for you in a high-end complex. They’re on different floors. You and Zeke will move there, one apartment each, and the company will cover the rent."
Nora Ainsworth was stunned. ’A high-end complex?’
’Isn’t that close to where Quentin Grant lives?’
’Except he’s in a villa, and she’ll be in an apartment.’
"In that case, thank you, President Harding."
President Harding shook his head. "Think nothing of it; it’s what the company should do. We’ve also assigned you a dedicated car and a female assistant who knows how to drive."
Nora Ainsworth was overwhelmed by the generosity. "Thank you so much for the company’s wonderful treatment."
"Alright, you two can go get ready to move."
Nora Ainsworth and Zeke Marshall left the office and exchanged a bewildered look. Then, they called Chloe Marshall to tell her they were moving.
Chloe Marshall took time off work, and the three of them left the building together.
Nora Ainsworth’s new female assistant was waiting by a car. "Hello, Miss Ainsworth. I’m Nina, the new assistant assigned by the company. Please, get in."
The three of them got into the car. After heading home to pack their things, they learned from Nina that the new apartments were already fully furnished with brand new things; they had everything they could possibly need.
When they arrived at the complex entrance, Nora Ainsworth had a strange sense of deja vu, as if she had been there countless times before.
’So familiar.’
The car slowly continued in a familiar direction. Nora Ainsworth’s heart tightened, and she stared straight ahead.
When the car stopped across the street from Quentin Grant’s villa, Nora Ainsworth was struck by the coincidence.
Her new home was in the high-rise apartment building directly across from Quentin Grant’s villa.
Moreover, her apartment was on the fourth floor, which was an excellent location, putting her at roughly the same height as Quentin Grant’s three-story villa.
She opened the door and carried her luggage inside. The walls were sky-blue and the wallpaper was yellow. ’This is exactly Ethan Ellsworth’s preferred color scheme,’ she thought.
The floors were hardwood, and on the balcony was a hanging chair that faced directly toward the entrance of Quentin Grant’s villa.
’Even though she suspected this was all too much of a coincidence, Nora believed he had probably forgotten all about her long ago.’
Chloe Marshall moved in with Nora Ainsworth, each taking one of the bedrooms. Zeke, meanwhile, lived with Mr. Marshall in the other apartment, which made things like sharing meals convenient.
All in all, everyone was very satisfied with the new arrangement.
After looking around, Chloe Marshall took a ride with Nina back to the company, while Zeke Marshall stayed behind to go over the script with Nora Ainsworth.
From the day she moved in, Nora Ainsworth rarely left the apartment except to go to the company. She holed herself up in her room, studying the original novel several times over to delve into the female lead’s innermost emotions.
Returning from a press conference, Nora Ainsworth had just stepped out of the car when she saw Quentin Grant standing by the entrance to her building. She immediately averted her eyes and walked inside.
She still hadn’t snapped out of her daze by the time she stepped into the elevator.
