Early the next morning, gentle sunlight spilled in. Hearing sounds from the kitchen, Victoria Monroe yawned, slipped on her slippers, and saw that Mrs. Xu was up half an hour earlier than usual.
"Good morning, Madam. Wash your face, breakfast will be ready soon."
Victoria then picked up her phone, thinking about her and Rhys Hawthorne’s "Minister" from project establishment to pre-production, at least a few months away.
Filming at this stage is certainly unrealistic; joining a reality show could increase exposure, and the schedule is flexible.
She had watched the first season of Director Lancaster’s reality show; the response was quite good. Find the newest release on novel·fiɾe·net
Just going to the countryside to cook isn’t difficult.
Director Lancaster introduced: "Ms. Monroe, this time is different. We’re synchronizing live without any post-production or editing."
"Who are the other guests?"
"To present the most authentic effect, all guests will be revealed during the live broadcast."
"I’ll think about it."
Victoria hung up the phone and saw Mrs. Xu holding a frying pan, eavesdropping at the wall—could she be any more obvious?
She stayed home and read the script for two days, trying to distract herself from thoughts of divorce.
Suddenly, Victoria received a call from her grandma and went to her grandma’s suburban cottage.
Who would have thought that as soon as she arrived, she’d see Julian Fordham’s car? Clearly, the grandma wanting to see her was a guise; Julian was intentionally creating an opportunity.
Thinking about those cameras disgusted Victoria with this man’s actions from the bottom of her heart.
He was truly revolting!
Victoria wouldn’t give him any chance for reconciliation. She decisively dialed Rhys Hawthorne’s number.
"I have some minor opinions about the script. Can you arrange for Director Yu to meet so we can discuss in detail?"
His voice was consistently cold: "Sure, where are you? I’ll come to pick you up."
"No need, I’m at my grandma’s, set a time and I’ll go myself."
The man’s voice was dominant and forceful, leaving her no space to refuse: "Address."
Victoria shared a location before going inside.
Her grandma greeted her with a smile, "Girl, why didn’t you come with Julian?"
Her grandma was unaware of the divorce between Victoria and Julian. Being old and not in great health, Victoria hadn’t figured out how to tell her yet.
"He’s coming from the company; we’re not heading in the same direction."
Her grandma clearly sensed something. In the past, the couple was always affectionate, and Julian usually picked her up to come together.
But some friction between couples is normal; which young couple doesn’t argue?
So her grandma proactively suggested, "I haven’t seen you both for a long time; why don’t you stay tonight and chat with me?"
Victoria was prepared, "Grandma, I have an appointment later that’s inconvenient, but next time when I’m free, I’ll surely accompany you."
As long as Julian wasn’t present, she could spend as much time with her grandma as she wanted.
Julian’s face looked somewhat haggard as he hoarsely spoke, "Victoria..."
With her grandma busy in the kitchen, Julian approached Victoria, "I can explain the camera thing."
Victoria simply cast him a cold glance, "There’s no need for that."
Whether or not he explained wouldn’t change the outcome; her mind was made up.
Before Julian could further attempt to apologize to Victoria, Rhys Hawthorne personally visited.
"It’s you," her grandma’s surprised voice sounded from behind.
Rhys took the gift handed by the driver and approached her grandma, "Long time no see, how have you been?"
This time it was Victoria’s turn to be surprised, even Julian’s face showed a hint of bewilderment—what was happening?
Julian had anticipated Rhys’s arrival but hadn’t expected grandma to regard Rhys pleasantly.
Her grandma took Rhys’s hand as if she liked him, "It’s cold outside, come in and talk. Time flies; actually, I recognized you instantly in ’Minister’."
Victoria was baffled as Julian sat down with them.
"Rhys, do we know each other?"
"He was the young master you picked up from the trash can when you were seven."
Rhys’s mouth twitched; he wasn’t exactly in the trash can, just squatting nearby.
Her grandma continued, "Remember? You greedy little thing traded his cashmere scarf at the store for a box of chocolates. If he had stayed a few more days, you probably would’ve stripped him bare just to trade for candy."
Victoria’s face turned red with embarrassment; it was something she’d do, but she didn’t remember the exact details.
Only then did Rhys speak, "My family offered money as gratitude back then; why didn’t you move afterward?"
"Her worthless mother ran off with all the money with a man after you left and pushed the girl down, causing her to hit her head."
"I see, I was to blame."
At that time, he was fleeing pursuit. The bodyguards had taken him to the slums, leaving him by the trash can to evade the crisis. It was Victoria who took him home, saving him from freezing.
He stayed for three days, and Victoria often said, "Young master, when you return home, make sure to bring a lot of money to thank me, okay?"
He asked, "What do you need so much money for?"
"To buy a big house; I want to move to the city center and live in a tall building with an elevator."
Since Kenton wasn’t very safe, his family intended to take him back to Portoros.
The day he left, he really packed a lot of money, along with a jar of candy.
A vague scene flashed in Victoria’s mind.
"So when will you return?"
"When there’s only one candy left."
"Then we’ll promise with a pinky swear, for a hundred years, no change."
Victoria ate until there was only one candy left, but Rhys never returned.
She didn’t know why the jar had to leave one candy; she forgot about him and that promise.
Until the day Julian moved in, she took out that last candy and gave it to him.
Victoria clutched her head; it suddenly hurt really badly, as scenes kept flashing through her mind.