Beatrice stood there awkwardly, full of rage, unsure what was going on. She had heard the director was uncertain about the third male lead. That’s why she had asked her uncle to pull strings for her to bring the infamous actor, Mason, here. But how come a known person like him was actually familiar with Elara?
And with the way he hugged her, they weren’t just familiar; they looked like lifelong friends. A celebrity like him, known worldwide for his coldness, wasn’t ashamed to hug Elara in public. He didn’t care about his reputation—something Andrew never did for her.
Her gaze then flickered to Andrew, who was standing protectively before Elara as if he was afraid this man was a threat to her...or was he a threat to their marriage?
Why did it bother him so much?
He never cared about Elara. Was it because he was just angry because Elara was hugging another man while still being married to him, and if the words got out, people would say he was cuckolded? That could be the case.
Elara, on the other hand, blinked her eyes in confusion. One moment, she was looking at her friend she had known for so long; the next, he was hugging and circling her, and then someone ripped her away from him, and this man....
She looked up at Andrew, who was glaring at Mason.
"What are you doing?" She gained her composure and asked.
Andrew snapped out of his daze and let go of her hand when he realized they were on the stage before everyone, which would raise questions about his relationship with Elara.
"How can you hug a contestant? It’s not good for the show’s views. Do you already want to create a scandal?" Andrew asked, twisting his words.
The director and others visibly relaxed when they heard his words.
Right. They were so shocked about the great celebrity hugging Elara that they forgot what kind of scandal it would create if it got out, even by any chance.
"Mr. Mason—" The director started to speak, but Mason, who was known for his notorious coldness, looked straight at him.
"I don’t need anyone’s permission to meet and hug my friend. She is my childhood friend who had—" Mason looked at Elara when he remembered how she was declared dead by the Frost family.
Elara looked away immediately, not wanting to answer him before everyone.
"Your childhood friend? How is that even possible? You didn’t even go to the same University as her. And everyone here knows Elara has no background and is just a country bumpkin," Carla chimed in.
Mason arched his brows when he heard her words.
"A country bumpkin?" He enquired before his gaze moved to Elara, and a smirk appeared on his face.
"Interesting," he licked his lips, a signature signal that he found something interesting and worth staying in a place.
"Anyways, the only reason I am here is that I heard Elara was here and participating in this contest. Is she being thrown out because of some nonsense from random people who know nothing about singing and acting?" Mason asked.
This made Andrew look at the director.
He inquired what was going on, and once Producer Li told him what had transpired while he had been out taking his call, his gaze darkened, and he looked at Elara.
"That’s a load of crap. Carla, why are you creating trouble here? Do you really want me to ask the director to cut your name off instead of hers? I have invested millions in this show, and I don’t want anyone to create a useless scandal that would affect my profit." Andrew’s threat was clear, and Carla immediately looked down.
He then looked at his friend Sean.
"I think we have overstayed our visit. Let’s go," Andrew said to Sean in a voice that left no option for him.
Sean grumbled and stood from his seat before walking to him.
"I am sorry for all this," Andrew said to everyone, making it clear that what Sean and Carla said earlier was baseless and that Elara wasn’t persuading her.
Elara nodded and didn’t make a big deal out of it.
"It’s okay. It happens," she said with an understanding smile.
"Thank you for your understanding," Andrew said before he left with Sean.
As soon as the man left, Elara walked to the side and dialed Justin’s number.
"Boss, I just wanted to let you know I accidentally forgot to erase my footprint while hacking," Justin said.
Elara sighed.
"Doesn’t matter. These dumbasses don’t have the technology or the talent to trace it back to you," Elara said before she thought about something and smiled.
"Our next target was supposed to be the Great Booz club, no?" Elara asked, and when Justin hummed in affirmation, she smiled.
"Change it to Sean Turner’s Club. I want five clubs wrecked before I wake up tomorrow morning. Demolish them with a bulldozer, send goons, I don’t care. I don’t want to see them standing tall anymore. Just ensure no innocent is hurt," Elara said before looking at her nails.
Sean has a habit of poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Since he loves acting like a dog, let’s see how he will bark when his major clubs are on the ground with nothing left.
"On it, boss," Justin said, barely containing his excitement because it was after four years that their entire team would be put to work.
They would hunt for real.
"Do you want more force?" She asked.
Justin thought about it for a while and looked at the stats on his computer to see how many people from their team were allowed and how many would need to demolish the club without getting a counterattack or getting hurt.
"I think it’s sufficient," Justin said.
"Don’t take any chances. If you can’t do five, go ahead with three only. I just want to hear that man Bark tomorrow. You know what? Threaten him, and make him bark if he wants to protect his club," Elara said.
Justin let out a low chuckle at her words. Their boss wasn’t precisely a vengeful person. She never really misused her resources and powers, but if she was adamant about grounding someone, there was nothing the person could do about it.
"You’ll hear it loud and clear," Justin said.
"Good," Elara said before ending the call.
She looked at Sean, standing at the auditorium exit, talking to Beatrice with a smile, and couldn’t help but wonder what he would really look like when barking like the dog he truly was.
The director and Producer Li walked to Mason to affirm his position in the drama.
"Is she staying?" He asked.
Director Han’s smile faltered.
"Sir. She is a contestant. How can we decide this without the results of the other two phases?" He asked.
Mason nodded.
"True. How can I decide without checking my schedule for something that would happen after two weeks, probably?" Mason said.
"She is the best singer we have so far. We are 90% sure she will stay," Producer Li said.
Mason smirked.
"Now that’s an answer I’d like to hear," he said before turning to where Elara was standing and talking to someone over the call.
"That girl is something else. You have no idea how much investment she would bring in once she is on board," Mason hinted before he walked away from the two without even waiting for an answer, moving straight to where Elara was standing.