“This has to be a misunderstanding, Sophia. Let’s question him and find out the truth.”
With a smile, Sophia piped up, “Mr. Schild, Alexander and I have been divorced for more than a year.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
With that said, Sophia pushed the button to close the elevator door.
As the elevator door shut, Samuel noticed her smile fading, and he worried that something bad might happen.
What’s going on with Alexander? Didn’t he pursue Sophia two days ago and make himself miserable in the process? Why did he give Melissa roses out of the blue?
Samuel even had the impression that he, rather than Sophia, was the one being betrayed.
Then, he quickly reached for his phone and dialed Alexander’s number. The latter hung up on him after the call connected for the first time.
Unwilling to give up, Samuel made another call, and Alexander finally answered the phone this time.
“Come and meet me by the smoking area next to the restroom. I have a question for you.”
Furrowing his brows, Alexander stated, “I’m having dinner with a guest.”
“Sophia and I were standing at the corner to your right, watching you and Melissa come out of the elevator just now.”
“Why is Sophia here?”
“Come out and talk!”
After hanging up, Samuel instantly proceeded to the smoking area to wait for Alexander.
Soon, Alexander showed up in a suit, looking dapper and fine. “Where’s Sophia?”
“You only care about her now? Why didn’t you think twice before giving Melissa flowers?”
Staring at Samuel coldly, Alexander explained, “I didn’t give her those flowers. She requested Felix to buy them on her behalf.”
Originally, Samuel intended to beat Alexander up for being a scumbag, but after hearing that, he suddenly felt ashamed. “I see, but Melissa’s words were really misleading.”
Naturally, Alexander was aware of that, but there was no one else around at that time. Although he was unhappy about it, he did not bother to correct her.
Just then, Samuel remembered the incident at the airport. “What’s going on with the news that’s trending?”
Nonetheless, Alexander only shot him a cold glare and did not say anything.
Samuel noticed a drop in the surrounding temperature and realized right away that the media was fabricating false information.
Just as he was about to find an excuse to get out of there, two female voices came from the front. “Sophia Yarrow is quite capable. She first dated Alexander, and as soon as they got divorced, she moved on to date her ex-husband’s best friend. In all the years I’ve worked in the entertainment industry, this is the first time I’ve witnessed someone having the audacity to talk to Mr. Schild in this manner.”
“Yeah! But Mr. Schild continues to treat her so well. Driving while intoxicated? Can’t she come up with a better reason to say no? What a pretentious woman. Only Mr. Schild believes her.”
“What can we do? She has such a lovely face and can win the heart of any man.”
“Haha! I genuinely don’t think I can win her in that regard. Luckily, she isn’t in the entertainment industry. We couldn’t hold a candle to her if she were.”
Soon, Samuel identified the two people as the secondary leads of Silk Stream.
All of a sudden, he felt a chill run down his spine. Gazing at Alexander, he uttered, “Alex, please allow me to explain. It’s just a dinner with the film crew. I’ve told you about it before. I had originally intended to ask you out and take Sophia out for a drink after dinner so that the two of you could make amends.”
The more he spoke, the less convincing he thought he sounded. Gritting his teeth, he grumbled, “All these people only think about spreading rumors. Don’t try to stop me. I must remove them from the production.”
As he spoke, he turned around to face Alexander.
The latter did not attempt to stop him and only gave him a cold stare.
Samuel was not faking it. Since he had done nothing wrong, he was guilt-free. He only treated Sophia well during dinner because of Alexander. Furthermore, it was obvious to him that those people were looking down on her, so he purposefully kept conversing with her out of fear that they would force her to drink.
I swear I never thought of stealing my best friend’s woman!
Of course, whether Alexander believed him or not depended on the strength of their friendship, which had lasted more than thirty years.
Samuel could not take Alexander’s stare any longer. After declaring that he would settle the matter, he furiously returned to the private room.
Moments later, he dashed into the private room with a sullen face. At first, the producer and director were delighted that he had returned, but in the next second, they had lost their joy.
Samuel pointed out the two gossiping actresses and asked, “Who recommended these two women to join the crew?”
Midway Media was Silk Stream’s largest investor. If an investor wanted to recommend people to join the crew, he would be aware of it.
Shortly afterward, the director attempted to smooth things over. “Mr. Schild, Qiyana, and Xyla are rookies and have no idea what to say. If they have offended you, please accept my apologies.”
Hearing that, Samuel could not help but sneer. “It appears that the person behind them is so strong that you have to defend them. Unfortunately, I’ve never been afraid of anyone in Jadeborough. I don’t care who recommends them. This is the drama that I invested in, so either you all listen to me or get out of my way. Reselect two new actresses tomorrow! I’ll give you three days. If you can’t pick different actresses, I’ll have you replaced!”
Having said that, he paused for a while before continuing, “Rookies don’t know what to say? They appear to be quite talkative, though. Didn’t they speak eloquently when they gossiped that Ms. Yarrow and I were in an illicit relationship just now? In any case, Ms. Yarrow is also one of the investors. She may be kind, but that doesn’t mean I’m good-tempered as well. If I hear anyone of you circulating false rumors about Sophia and me, pack your things and get out of here!”
After venting his anger, Samuel commented before leaving, “You should consider yourself lucky that I’m handling this situation tonight. It won’t be as simple as removing you from this drama if Alexander decides to take action!”
The moment the two actresses heard him, their faces turned pale. Only then did they recall that they appeared to have seen someone in the smoking area when they exited the restroom.
However, they paid it no mind, so they had no idea that it was Alexander and Samuel.
Samuel wondered why he had such bad luck that day. Not only did he misunderstand Alexander, but he also heard people spreading false rumors about him betraying Alexander with Sophia.
Remembering how Alexander had glared at him earlier, he could not help rubbing his neck.
Fortunately, he was quick to act.
If he had left one second later, Alexander could have beaten him up.
On the other hand, Alexander made his way back to the private room and wore a stern face.
Seeing him come back, Melissa stated, “Mr. Xenos, the food has turned cold.”
The next moment, Alexander glanced at her and remarked, “Ms. Stevens, since you aren’t interested in signing with our company, we won’t force you anymore.”
Then, he picked up the jacket that was on the chair and walked away, leaving Felix, who was perplexed, behind.
In an instant, Melissa’s expression darkened. Knitting her brows, she turned to face Felix and questioned, “Mr. Lane, what does Mr. Xenos mean by this?”
To be honest, Felix did not know either.
Melissa had a strong global presence. They would undoubtedly turn a profit if they could get her to promote products for Odyssey.
Needless to say, Felix had not expected Alexander to suddenly change his mind. However, he was always on Alexander’s side, regardless of the situation. After a brief pause, he piped up, “It means what it means. We’ll work together again if the opportunity arises.”
Subsequently, he nodded and left the private room.
After he left, Melissa’s expression turned grim. “What’s the matter with them? Weren’t they pleading with me to cooperate with them?”
Alicia Yarbrough, her manager, who was sitting next to her, gave her a look and said, “I’ve already warned you not to play those little tricks, but you didn’t listen to me. Are you finally content now that you have lost a lucrative endorsement worth tens of millions?”
Instantaneously, Melissa’s expression stiffened. “Why would he come to have dinner with me today if he’s upset about what happened at the airport?”
“Who knows?” Alicia shrugged.
