"Claire?" Max called out in surprise, and she spun around immediately when she heard his name. She looked surprised to see him standing there, but it was only for a moment before she looked at herself and the drunk man hankering about her, and a look of utter mortification crossed her face. The man who grabbed her didn't seem to care that there was a third party and continued to hanker, "Why the attitude, huh? Chris already gave his approval. You think you can last in this industry without pleasing us directors?" Claire’s lips curled in disgust, and she yanked her arm away from his grip. "So what if I can, you slimy old geezer? Do I look like some young girl you can prey on? Do I look like some naive starlet you can toy with? Take your filthy hands off me, you creep!" "You bitch-" The director looked even more furious when he heard that, and he reached out to grab her again. But Max was faster and directly pulled Claire over to his side, giving him a backhand slap. Probably, it w
"This is the list for available artists," Ivan muttered, throwing the file in his hand on the desk casually. "Take your pick." His attitude was full of arrogance, and it was obvious he was throwing his weight around now that he was in charge of Max’s affairs. But the latter did not seem bothered by his attitude and simply picked it up, flipping the pages open to take a look. After some time, he looked up again and pointed to a name amongst the list. When Ivan looked down and saw who it was, his face instantly changed. "What? Marianne? Who put her on the list? She's my artist. Choose someone else." Max gave him a scrutinizing look and retorted simply, "She's the one I want." "What do you mean she's the one you want!?" Ivan was about to blow his top in anger. Just then, the door of his office opened, and Marianne entered right in time. She stood by the door, hesitant, and faced Ivan. "You wanted to see me." Ivan nodded, beckoning to her. "Yeah. Come over here." She looked towar
In a bar downtown, Los Angeles.Max Norman dusted his clothes; a crisp white shirt and black vest before returning to the counter, taking out his phone from his backpack. He clicked on the messaging app, and his last conversation with July an hour ago appeared on the screen.The Motion Pictures award ceremony was going to be held tonight, and July was nominated for an award. It was her first award since she debuted, and he was pretty excited for her, so he sent countless messages of encouragement. But she only replied with a text, telling him to stop bothering her as she needed to rest before the award began.It was pretty cold, but Max knew she needed rest, so he didn't send another message afterward.He placed the phone back in his bag and looked up at the overhead screen in the bar lounge. The awards ceremony was being aired, and several movie stars were being interviewed on the red carpet. But July had not appeared yet."One more bottle of vodka!" someone yelled from the center of
As July and Greg left the stage hand in hand, Max felt a piece of his heart go with them. The woman he loved, the future he had dreamed of—it was all crumbling away.His heart was shattered into pieces; he felt betrayed and cheated.Amid the loud noises surrounding the bar, the wine glass in his hand slipped and crashed to the floor. His reaction attracted attention, and the guests snickered. Laughter erupted around him, louder and more mocking than before. “He’s really delusional!” the college boys laughed at him. “How did he even think she was going to call his name?”“You better focus on your bartender job and stop dreaming about celebrities,” someone jeered.The snickers brought Max back to his senses, and he quickly crouched to pick up the shards. But just then, July’s voice could be heard through the noise.“Thank you, Greg. For always being there for me.”Max looked up just in time to see a man appear on the stage. He hugged her, and they kissed on stage. He was at a loss and
July was stunned for a couple of seconds.But she quickly regained her composure, and her face contorted with anger. “What are you talking about?” She barked. “Why do you want a divorce?”Max stared at her angry face silently but soon lowered his head, unable to look at her the same way as before. He tried to keep his voice monotone as he responded, “I watched the award ceremony.”July frowned and was about to retort, but a second later, she seemed to realize something, and her face blanched.“What.. what...?” She subconsciously blurted out.Max looked up at her and calmly said, “I saw you hug and kiss Greg on the stage.”She looked ashen but she quickly collected herself.“And so what?” She glared coldly and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just some publicity stunt.”“Publicity stunt?” Max felt ridiculous. “You kissed another man on stage, and you say it’s just publicity?” "Of course it was!" July threw her hands up in exasperation. "God, Max, how naive are you? It's not a big problem.”He
He was dumbfounded. But July quickly reacted, and she rushed over. “Greg... what are you doing here?”She quickly tried to snatch the lingerie he was holding, but Greg was obviously intent on causing trouble and avoided her hand, dangling it even more conspicuously.“Is this part of your so-called gossip?” Max’s jaw clenched as he finally found his voice. “Did you sleep with him?”July was momentarily stunned by his question, but then she sneered, throwing her arms up in the air. “Whatever! I’m a movie star now. What exactly do you expect?”She had clearly thrown all shame away, and Max stood there dumbfounded. He stared at her face speechlessly, suddenly finding her unfamiliar. Like the woman he knew and married was nothing but a dream.But she was unbothered and said matter of factly, “As it is, I’m tired of you! You are nothing but a sore loser who works a bartender job, running odd jobs for other people. You clearly have no future.”As she spoke, she even paused and eyed him mocki
The line connected, but neither one spoke. Finally, Max broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper."I lost."A deep sigh came from the other end. "I don't blame you, Max. Your personality... it's exactly like your father's."Max remained silent, those words stirring up memories he'd long tried to forget.The voice on the phone continued, "Now that you've admitted defeat, it's time to come back to the Norman family. You need to take up your responsibilities."Max closed his eyes, feeling the weight of those words. He'd run from this for so long, but now it seemed there was nowhere left to go. "Tomorrow," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "After I sign the divorce papers, I'll be back.""Alright," came the reply, followed by another stretch of awkward silence.Max felt a lump forming in his throat. All the pain and humiliation of the night came crashing down on him. "I'm sorry, Grandpa," he choked out, years of regret and longing in those simple words. "I know, son. I k
A loud crash filled the air, followed by the sound of metal crunching. July's brand new car was destroyed, crushed by a sleek black SUV. The scene was total chaos.July cried out in anguish, "My car! My beautiful new car!" Tears streamed down her face as her sorrow turned into anger. "Who did this?!" she screamed, her voice filled with emotion. "Who had the nerve to destroy my car?!"Greg, standing next to her, was just as furious. His face was red with anger as he shouted, "Whoever you are, come out now! I'll make sure you pay for this!" He put his arm around July, trying to comfort her while he was still angry.Inside, Greg was mad for another reason. 'I spent so much money on that car,' he thought bitterly. 'All that money, gone in a second.'Fueled by his anger, Greg stormed towards the SUV, ready to pull the driver out if he had to. But as he reached for the door handle, it opened by itself.Greg stumbled back, surprised, as a beautiful woman stepped out of the vehicle. She was s