As he massaged his temples, Sean could feel a splitting headache coming on. Besides, the current situation in the company was a huge mess. “I might be remanded in custody for a few days because of the incident that happened two years ago during the restoration work on Marina Bay Bridge. There were a few deaths that happened then,” he muttered.
“Seriously, what’s going on?!” Eve yelled out as she felt her head spinning. At the sight of her losing her balance, Sean and Lyla clambered to her side immediately. They busied themselves putting pressure in between her eyebrows and slowly patting her on the back until she regained her composure. All through the process, Sean seemed troubled.
“Mom, there’s no need to worry! I’ll only be in custody for a couple of days, then Richard will get me out of there in no time. It’s all just a mere formality, so you shouldn’t fret,” Sean uttered confidently.
However, there was a thunderous look on his face as he never expected this incident to resurface after such a long time. This was obviously an intentional move by one of their rivals to show him up. As such, he had no choice but to accept this and remain in custody for at least a few days.
“Why does it have to be you though?” Eve wailed as her tears dropped. “Can’t you get someone else to take the fall for you? What if… What if you get implicated this time? Is this why? Is this the reason for—” Suddenly, Eve grasped Lyla’s hand and said, “Is this the reason for us losing that potential client? We nearly closed the deal to sell that parcel of land!”
Lyla was momentarily shocked and speechless. Earlier, Leo had just mentioned to her that there was an issue regarding the company that needed to be resolved. Therefore, this had to be the issue he was talking about.
“But Sean! What’s going to happen to me and the company if you’re not here to hold the fort?” Eve was inconsolable.
Sean could feel his blood pressure spiking as his veins pulsated. “Mom, I promise! It will be only for a couple of days and I’ll be out in no time!”
“Sean…” Lyla bit on her lips nervously and asked, “What will happen to our potential client then? How can we maintain their trust? Wouldn’t it make more sense to find someone else to take the fall? If it’s just a matter of money, let’s go ahead with this plan.” The previous plan was assumed to be fool-proof. However, this unexpected situation came out of nowhere and ruined everything. Frankly, it was slightly nerve-wracking for Lyla.
Sean’s gaze flickered as he murmured, “I’m the person in charge of Chase Group, but besides me…”
“Tell me! Is there anyone else that can replace you? Let me know and I’ll go and plead for their help! Lyla is right! We can’t afford to have you in custody right now. It may be just for a few days, but the consequences will be ongoing. I can’t imagine what would happen to the company, and how are we supposed to deal with the aftermath?” Eve was frantic.
“Sean, I completely agree with Eve.” Lyla gripped her hands tightly as she spoke. “The company’s future is our utmost priority. Besides, you shouldn’t cause undue concern for Eve.” Lyla chose her words carefully.
“I know of someone else who can bear the responsibility…” Sean exhaled deeply and replied. He could feel a tight grip on his heart and it was uncomfortable for him to even take a deep breath. His thoughts ran wild as his mind went toward that woman. With an expressionless face, he took a deep breath and stated, “Myra can take the fall for me.”
On the next day, Myra met up with Estelle at her filming location.
Estelle was coincidentally on her break when Myra arrived. There was an annoyed look on Estelle’s face as Jack, her manager, tried his best to appease her. “My darling, Miss Langley, please don’t be upset! This is just Shawn’s way of showing his affections. Besides, you had trouble completing that previous scene too! The director looked quite annoyed with you with each outtake.”
Estelle scowled heavily. “Whatever it is, I’m not related to Shawn Hart! He has no right to decide on the type of movie I choose to be in! Besides, this is a romantic movie! How am I supposed to act in a romantic scene if he forbids any kind of intimacy at all? And don’t get me started on the director! Why did he go behind my back and agree to Shawn’s requests? This is wrong!” Estelle yelled, her face flushed red with anger. At the same time, she saw Myra walking toward her from afar, so she waved frantically at her friend. “Myra! I’m here!”
“What’s up? Why’re you in such a foul mood?” Myra asked with an indulgent smile on her face.
Estelle pouted her daintily-painted lips, and before she could say a word, Jack had butted in, “It’s Shawn. He just visited us and decided to put a halt to all the intimate scenes involving Estelle. She’s quite upset about this!”
Myra was caught by surprise, but then she quickly regained her composure. Teasingly, she said, “Darling, you should be thankful for the attention from Shawn. You know, every actress in town would kill to be in your position; they’d die to have Shawn showing concern for them. That’s why you should be satisfied with what you have.”
“Well, then how about yourself?” Estelle retorted. Despite being in the public eye, Estelle rolled her eyes at Myra and went on to say, “Myra, don’t even think of making things up! I saw the photos of you and Tony Hart on the golf course. You two were practically wrapped around each other!”
Myra gaped at Estelle. Just as she was about to explain herself, Estelle interrupted her and gave her a sharp look. “Don’t tell me you two are just friends! It’s obvious that there’s more than meets the eye! I can tell from the tabloid pictures taken from the golf course that the two of you are definitely more than friends!”
Feeling rather speechless, Myra halted her sentence, a wry smile on her face. Undeniably, that was what she was going to say. Despite everything, Tony behaved like a gentleman. Hence, she would continue regarding him as a friend. Other than that, she had no further wishful thoughts.
“Look at you! You’ve gone all silent again!” exclaimed Estelle as she reached over for a slice of apple. Giving Myra a sideways glance, she took a bite out of the apple and with her mouth bulging, she continued, “How frustrating! If it were up to me, I would suggest that you go after him!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Estelle realized she was such a genius. She was quite impressed with her own suggestion. Leaning toward Myra, Estelle peered at her with sparkling eyes and said, “Did you pay attention to what I just said? You must find a way to attract Tony then hold onto him! You’ll never find another guy that’s as good as him! Besides…”
With a chuckle, Estelle winked at Myra and mentioned, “Besides, I’ve got great news! Shawn just confided in me that Tony has decided to replace Lyla’s position as the ambassador of the Sunny Bay Project, and I’ll be the next ambassador. On top of that, from now onward, Hart Group will cease all future collaboration with Lyla!”
Does this mean Lyla will no longer be the ambassador of Hart Group? As soon as she heard that, Myra could feel her heart skip a beat. “Tony…”
“That’s right!” Estelle gleefully interrupted Myra. She was on cloud nine and it was as if Tony had made all those decisions for her sake. “Tony’s trying to win your favor! Once all this is finalized, Lyla will be out of the limelight and there won’t be any more jobs left for her in this city. No one would dare to cross the path of Tony Hart! He’s obviously trying hard to prove his sincerity to you.”
Myra had a bewildered look on her face as she listened to Estelle’s chatter. Then, she replied, “It’s only one single endorsement. Besides, you’ve had multiple other ambassador job offers, so why are you so easily impressed by this? What kind of bribery is this? What’s more, this isn’t set in stone yet, so what Shawn mentioned might not come true.”
“That’s right! It is bribery!” Estelle’s eyes sparkled as she heard Myra’s words. Ignoring the apple handed to her, she held Myra’s hands and grinned widely. “Can I assume this is you admitting that he is trying to win your favor?”
Subsequently, Jack walked off to give the two girls some privacy. Myra bit on her lips with a frustrated expression on her face. Pursing her lips, she tilted her head to the other direction and muttered, “It was just a game. That’s why I didn’t take it for real. Why are you taking this so seriously?”
“Why not?!” Estelle looked at Myra with an indignant look on her face. “It’s Tony Hart we’re talking about! Do you reckon he’s a player?”
Myra stiffened as she replied, “Well… No.”
“Exactly!” Estelle reached out and poked Myra on her forehead. “You’re such a blockhead! Promise me you’ll seize this opportunity! You must call him as soon as possible. It’s a good idea to be slightly reserved, but you shouldn’t be too aloof either. However, judging by your expression, you must be quite aloof when you’re around Tony! I’m actually quite impressed that he can tolerate this attitude of yours! Anyway, you have to call him right now. Ask him out on a dinner date! Go on!”
