Chapter 363 The Project
Audrey’s confrontation made those reporters think twice about causing a scene. Taking the opportunity, Kim led Audrey away from the media frenzy. As soon as they got into the car, Kim couldn’t help but scold Audrey.
“I told you not to act impulsively. Why didn’t you listen?
“You’ve just offended all those reporters, and no one will speak well of you in the future.”
In the entertainment industry, the last people one wanted to offend were the reporters. Their pens were like swords. They could make or break a person’s reputation.
Reporters didn’t solely depend on celebrities for their livelihood. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. They liked fish and water, and they were inseparable from each other.
Audrey held onto one reporter publicly. If they all teamed up against her, her path in the industry would become treacherous. In the face of Kim’s scolding, Audrey maintained a humble demeanor, but she didn’t regret it this time.
When those reporters criticized her, she could take it. When they insulted Catherine, she couldn’t stand for that. Kim began to realize that Audrey wasn’t listening at all.
Now, he was starting to regret thinking that Audrey’s connection to Catherine would pave a smooth path for her in the future. He didn’t expect Catherine to be such a troublemaker. Now, Audrey might get caught in the crossfire.
Audrey also knew that Kim was probably in a bad mood now, so she remained silent. Outside the film set, the reporter, who had been publicly humiliated by Audrey, felt intense resentment toward her. In all his years as a reporter, he had never endured such humiliation.
He vowed to regain his reputation by writing a scathing article about Audrey. However, at that moment, the phone in his hand rang. He saw it was the chief editor calling and hurriedly answered.
He was showered with a torrent of reprimands. “You brat! If you don’t want to make a living, don’t drag me down with you.”
The reporter was stunned. He wasn’t sure what he had done wrong. It wasn’t until the chief editor sent him a resignation letter that he realized how serious the situation was.
The chief editor on the phone made it clear that this reporter had offended someone without specifying whom he had offended. He proceeded to confiscate all the accounts held by the reporter.
The chief editor also mentioned the camaraderie among colleagues and advised the reporter not to cause any more trouble, or else he wouldn’t have a chance to stay in this city.
After reviewing the situation, the reporter could only think of one person. It was Audrey. He had only offended Audrey recently. There had been rumors about powerful connections behind Audrey.
Since many paparazzi had followed her for a long time without finding any significant leads, they had dismissed it as hearsay. Now it seemed to be true. Only true power players could hide their tracks. The reporter realized that he had truly offended someone powerful.
In Oceanvile, Catherine’s car arrived safely at the hotel. Instead of taking Catherine to the hotel where he was staying, Branden brought Catherine back to her original one.
The car pulled directly into the underground garage and parked in front of the elevator. From the moment Catherine’s school made the reservation at this hotel, the hotel changed ownership and became one of the establishments under the Duncan Corporation.
Paxton parked the car and then glanced back. After receiving instructions from Branden, he slowly exited the car, circled around to the other side of the car, and helped open the door for Branden.
Branden got out of the car first. Then, he turned around to gently carry Catherine out from inside. He cradled Catherine in his arms with great care and took the elevator to the top-floor presidential suite.
The suite consisted of three rooms, which Catherine had occupied alone before. Just as Branden was about to place Catherine on the bed, Catherine suddenly opened her eyes, and her cold gaze was filled with intense hostility. Her eyes were sharp and chilling.
Her pupils slowly focused. After she recognized who was holding her, the cold aura around Catherine instantly dissipated. She returned to her previous languid demeanor and even leaned her head against Branden’s chest.
She rubbed against him like a playful kitten, which caused Branden to smile. Catherine woke up, and Branden had no intention of putting her to bed for rest.
He carried her directly to the living room. Catherine obediently relaxed against Branden, allowing him to carry her into the living room.
Once they were seated on the living room sofa, Branden poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Catherine. He said, “To soothe your throat.”
Catherine couldn’t be bothered to take the glass herself and simply drank from Branden’s hand. She took a few sips before reclining back again.
It was just meant to moisten her throat. Though she only took a little, Branden didn’t press her any further. He softly asked, “Would you like to sleep a little longer?”
Catherine shook her head and reached into her pocket for her phone. She was tired when she returned earlier and hadn’t had a chance to handle online matters. As she opened her phone, she saw a message from Joseph.
She promptly opened it without trying to hide it from Branden behind her. Branden held Catherine, and since Catherine didn’t avoid him, he didn’t take the initiative to move away.
He allowed Catherine to adjust herself in his embrace. He was just like a reliable and obedient human couch. The message from Joseph contained a video. Catherine noticed that the video’s cover featured Audrey. She clicked on the video to watch it.
Upon seeing Audrey’s transformation from mildness to fierceness, Catherine let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. Following this, Branden teased her from behind her head, saying, “I didn’t expect your sister to be so fierce. Quite a sight!”
Catherine lifted her head slightly and stared at Branden with her playful gaze. “What’s the matter? Do you find the daughters from the Swanns too fierce to handle?”
Knowing that she was in a playful mood, Branden played along. He embraced her with one arm while idly caressing her soft fingers with the other.
“Fierce? I’ve never seen it. Kathy, you can show me sometime.”
Knowing he was just teasing, Catherine couldn’t be bothered to engage further. She rolled her eyes at him and said, “Be careful. When I get fierce, I might just skin you alive and eat you!”
The next moment, Catherine felt a change in the man’s gaze. She hadn’t realized the ambiguity in her words until a while had passed. Her cheeks reddened slightly. To avoid further embarrassment, Catherine swiftly changed the subject.
“I heard that Triston’s entertainment project is supposed to be a big deal in the second half of the year. It’s been in the works for a long time.”
It was more than just in the works. Over a hundred actresses had already gone for auditions. With a big production, a substantial team, and financial backing, nobody wanted to miss out on this opportunity.
Not to mention Catherine, even Branden was aware of this news.
After hearing that, Branden understood her intention. He replied, “There’s indeed such a project. You can forward this video to Triston. Audrey’s fierceness might be somewhat similar to the female lead.”
“Alright.” Catherine readily nodded, and the matter was settled. For Branden, it was his duty to please his future sister-in-law by helping her with her career.
After all, Audrey was wronged for Catherine’s sake this time. Branden wanted to make amends. With Audrey’s matter settled, Catherine continued her online activities. She was ready to see how the internet trolls had bullied her.
