Eloise couldn’t believe what she just heard. “What?” she clarified. “You heard me,” Vaughn said. “The best way you can master something is through practice. Practice makes perfect, right?”“And I have to learn this from you because?” she asked. “Because why not?” he smirked. “It’s not like you have any other person to help you with it? Who else are you going to ask? That Grayson dude?”“I could,” she said, raising her chin confidently. “There’s nothing wrong in asking him to practice. We’re going to be the ones to act the scene out anyway.”Vaughn’s jaw clenched. He already hated the idea of Grayson and Eloise kissing on camera. But behind the scenes? He’d rather lose his company. “We both know you wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Go ahead and call him. Ask him to practice kissing you. I’ll wait.”Vaughn crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back against the couch, his gaze still lingering on Eloise’s face. Eloise bit her lip. Of course, she said those words just to provo
“Shit,” Eloise muttered as she broke away from Grayson once more. “Cut!” Director Hugo called out. “Eloise, are you alright? This is our third take already. Why can’t you do the kiss properly?” he scolded. “Sorry, director,” she quickly apologized. “I’ll do it right away again.”Director Hugo sighed. “You’re a good actress, Eloise, and your chemistry with Grayson is off the charts. I hope it translates into your kiss. We want to give the people a satisfying adaptation of their favorite book, got it?”“Got it,” she swiftly responded. She then let out a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm herself down. “Hey, you alright?” Grayson asked. “Hmm, yeah,” she responded with a smile. Not. She’s not alright!Because what happened last night keeps replaying in her mind. Stupid, stupid Eloise! Why did she let him kiss her like that for such a long time? ‘You liked it,’ her subconscious said. “Shut up,” she muttered. “Hmm?” Grayson asked, confused. “Are you really alright? We can post
“Is it really alright for me to go?” Eloise asked Cadence as she took a sip out of her matcha latte. It was one of the rare days when the two of them had a day off. It’s been such a long time since they’ve hung out by themselves, so they decided to have coffee at a cute little cafe. “Why wouldn’t it be okay for you to go?” Cadence asked. “It’s family day!”“Exactly,” Eloise exclaimed. “It’s for families. It means that we’d have to mingle as Ollie’s parents. You know I would do everything for my child, but what if people ask us how long we’ve been together or something? Do I just tell them that we’re in a co-parenting situationship?”“Yes,” Cadence nonchalantly said. “It’s not unusual. Did you know? Nearly 45% of couples are divorced in the United States. I’m sure you are not alone.”“That’s the thing,” Eloise exasperatedly said. “We’re not a normal divorced couple. We were never really together, either. We’re in this weird ambiguous relationship of being co-parents with some sexual
Eloise turned off the phone call shortly after that. She didn’t wait for Vaughn to explain any further. She was deeply disappointed not only for herself but also for Ollie. Her child looked bright, hoping his father would attend this event. Then, he’s just going to break his promise without any warning?Eloise cast her head to the ground. And to think she was also waiting for this. It was as if their progress had gone back to zero. She already felt uncomfortable thinking about going back to his house tonight.Ollie ran to his mother, still with a huge smile on his face. “Mommy! Mommy!” he called. “The event is about to start. When is Daddy coming?”She pursed her lips. She had no heart to tell Ollie his father would not make it. “He’s busy, baby,” she said, recycling the same-old excuse. Her heart hurt looking at Ollie’s disappointed face. However, despite that, he still smiled, which only made Eloise’s heart hurt even more. “I’m sorry, baby,” Eloise whispered, gently squeezing th
The table, including Eloise, was shocked as Vaughn sat beside her. Some of the parents also glanced their way, whispering among themselves about the arrival of a hot “dad.” His appearance made quite the buzz, and Eloise felt a sense of jealousy in her heart. “Isn’t that Vaughn Ryder?” one mom pointed out. “The CEO of Cavallerizzo? What is he doing here?”“Did he come to accompany his relative? His niece of nephew, perhaps?” another one asked. "Maybe he has a child that goes here.""That's impossible! He just broke up with Alina Jenkins."The crowd buzzed with gossip. Vaughn, however, turned a blind eye and focused his attention on Eloise and their table. The wives on the table looked at Vaughn with agape mouths. Meanwhile, the husbands felt insecure about their partners’ reactions. Mrs. Brown calmed down, fixing her hair and leaning on the table. Her eyes sparkled with interest and kindness—as if she wasn’t just badmouthing Eloise a while ago. “Mr. Vaughn?” she said with a smile.
Cadence arrived at the office with a huge smile on her face. She used to not like working at all, hoping to marry into a rich family and live life like a trophy wife instead. Being able to marry a rich guy who was on the verge of dying was even her ultimate dream, hoping to get a hefty amount of inheritance after a couple years of marriage. However, as she started working in Cavallerizo, she came to love her job. She even goes to the office earlier than her work hours to see a certain person. “Cadence!” Xavi excitedly greeted, waving his hands enthusiastically at her. “Xavi,” she exclaimed, sitting down next to him in the office’s lounge. She smiled as she took in his features. He's still as handsome as ever. “Coffee?” he offered, sliding Cadence’s favorite blend in front of her. “I made it for you since I knew you’d be grumpy without it,” he smiled. Cadence couldn’t help but feel flattered. How could she not like Xavi when he acts like this? He’s like a big, soft puppy who’s loya
Cadence didn’t even know why she agreed to this. Was it her pride? Definitely not. Was she a masochist who wanted to see Xavi’s so-called girlfriend? Probably.Cadence got out of her car and looked at the fancy restaurant up front. She hesitated to enter, wanting to go back to her car and drive back home. She could just come up with a lame excuse if they try to look for her. “Should I?” she whispered, glancing back and forth between the car and the restaurant. “Ah, fuck it,” she cursed, marching over to the restaurant. It’s going to kill her not knowing what Xavi’s girlfriend is like. She already hasn’t gotten enough sleep for the past few days after Xavi told her he had a girlfriend. “A reservation under Xavi Cortez,” Cadence said to the waiter serving up front. “Ah, the table for four,” he said. “Come this way, ma’am. You are the first of your party to arrive.”She smiled and followed after him. He sat her down in a wide booth, and above it was a crystal chandelier. “Would you
"What? No!" Cadence tried to deny it, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. Red chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't tell him. Although it's pretty obvious."Cadence's facade crumbled. "Is it really obvious?""So, you do like him!" he exclaimed, pointing at her. Her eyes widened. No way! Did he just trick her into telling her real feelings? "Don't tell him!" she quickly said. "I don't think he caught on yet.""Oh, he definitely hasn't caught on," Red said. "That guy's as dense as a rock on the bottom of the ocean. If you want him to know about your feelings, you'd have to tell him up front."Cadence sighed. "I don't know if I would get the courage to. I honestly considered telling him my feelings the other day, but he decided to set me up with you!""Ouch," Red said. "Am I that disappointing?""It's not that," she said. "But you're not Xavi, you know? We've been friends for the past few months, and I've come to like every aspect of his being. I met you for the first time today, and