Osborn never expected Maria to say that, and his face showed some surprise.
“I said forget it. Let’s not dwell on this matter anymore,” Maria shook her head. She didn’t want to get involved in any more trouble.
Besides, she had already been trending too much online. Regardless of what the netizens were saying, even Maria herself was getting tired of it.
“Maria, how can you just let him off the hook after what he did to you?” Osborn grabbed Maria’s shoulder but couldn’t understand her reaction.
“What else can I do? What can I say? There was no surveillance camera in the dressing room and he left with a face full of injuries. Who knows what he might say?”
Maria’s tone rose a bit as she looked at Osborn before finally saying helplessly, “What good would come from arguing about it? It will only trend for a few days. You’re not afraid, but I am. You know my reputation online has been ruined because…”
She stopped mid-sentence as if something caught in her throat and blinked before giving a bitter smile at Osborn.
Osborn stiffened upon realizing what Maria wanted to say.
No one had anticipated what happened that night at the bar; Osborn had read some news articles about it but the public opinion on social media…
Compared to those who blamed themselves, more people were talking about Maria, spreading rumors about her. For a public figure, this kind of harm was significant.
“But thankfully, he didn’t do anything,” Maria forced a smile, but it looked strained, causing Osborn to furrow his brows.
Looking at Maria in front of him, he felt a strange sensation, as if something were continually slipping away.
“Maria…” Osborn murmured, and in an instant, Maria flashed a smile.
“How did you get here?” Maria blinked.
“Maria! Can’t you be more clear-headed? What did you just say? He didn’t touch you? He has already harmed you!” Osborn spoke sternly.
“Osborn!” Maria abruptly stood up, facing Osborn with a raised face. Her voice was resolute, “Why do you have any right to interfere in my affairs? What relationship do we have?”
Maria’s heart ached, as if countless knives were tearing it apart.
Please, don’t appear again. Don’t let me sink into my own dreams and fantasies.
As soon as these words were spoken, Osborn, who had intended to say something, was choked in his throat.
He looked at Maria in front of him, but eventually chuckled in self-derision. “Indeed, I have no right to interfere in your affairs.”
With that, he inserted his hands into his pockets, concealing the scratches from earlier. His expression remained calm and composed. “I’m just here to visit as per the company’s instructions. After all, we are a couple in a drama now, and there’s a need for publicity.”
“For the sake of the company and myself, I don’t want any negative news affecting us.”
Osborn opened the door and walked out, leaving Maria alone in the dressing room.
She had intended to force a smile, but her lips remained stiff, unable to form a genuine one.
When Maria was ready to leave, she was informed that Warren had already left.
Upon hearing this, Maria felt an inexplicable emotion. Was it Osborn’s doing?
“Maria, why does your complexion look so bad?” the makeup artist couldn’t help asking while touching up Maria’s makeup.
“It’s nothing,” Maria shook her head. “So, what about the next advertisement? Will I be shooting it alone?”
“They changed the partner at the last minute. I just checked, and it’s Osborn,” the makeup artist whispered.
“Who?”
Maria’s hands froze for a moment, suspecting if she had misheard.
“Osborn, Osborn,” the makeup artist seemed a bit puzzled by Maria’s surprise. “Don’t you know? Originally, you were supposed to shoot this ad with Osborn.”
Maria’s expression stiffened. “So, the organizers didn’t replace Warren?”
“Of course not. Besides, it’s not that easy to change actors,” the makeup artist replied casually.
Maria chuckled at this revelation. She had foolishly thought that Osborn had used his influence to replace Warren.
It turned out she had jumped to conclusions.
But, thinking about it, she had no right to expect Osborn to care about her after what she had said to him.
The palm of her hand tightened slightly. Maria felt like she must be going crazy.
Since that night and that kiss, she didn’t know how to face Osborn or Kim. She had even entangled them both in a chaotic whirlpool.
Although she promised Kim to give up on Osborn, seeing Osborn, hearing that he dealt with Warren for her, even if it was just a misunderstanding, Maria’s heart skipped a beat.
Her heart was indeed small, and once it was filled by someone, it became challenging to accommodate others.
Lost in her thoughts, the director had already called for the actors to gather. Only then, with the makeup artist’s reminder, did Maria walk over.
The advertisement featured a perfume, and the main focus this time was on love. Maria and Osborn were endorsing a fragrance from the “Gaze” series.
The theme of the shoot was the Greek myth of the moon goddess Selene and the beautiful youth Endymion, who fell in love but couldn’t be together. They could only briefly meet at the beginning of each month.
Maria was dressed in a moon-white gown, and as she looked up, she saw Osborn standing not far away.
Their eyes met, but in the next moment, they both instinctively looked away.
The moon goddess fell in love with the handsome Endymion at first sight, but their love faced opposition, and in the end, the young man chose eternal sleep to cherish that precious love.
Maria looked at the script, her face showing a hint of difficulty.
For Osborn, who mostly had to lie still, this script was essentially a monologue for Maria.
“Maria, get ready; we’re starting soon,” the director’s voice came through. Maria snapped out of her thoughts; she wasn’t wearing shoes and walked barefoot across the grass, feeling the chill seeping into her body.
The scene was a farewell kiss, and after this kiss, the young man would fall into eternal sleep.
“Ready, action!”
With the director’s cue, Maria took a deep breath to prepare for the scene. She turned to look at Osborn in front of her, but her expression seemed somewhat trance-like.
He was looking at her like this, with clear pupils focused only on her.
The fervent and sincere love was hard to conceal and overflowed.
Suddenly, Maria’s intended motion to lean in paused, and she couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Osborn’s eyebrows.
Maria felt like she must be going insane.