“Ow~ Be gentler!” Lillian tried to pull her hand away.
Conrad clicked his tongue. “You’re such a baby. I didn’t even apply any pressure, just needed to clean the grit out.”
But it really hurt. His hands were rough and clumsy. Lillian would have preferred if the nurse did it instead.
“Didn’t you put any ointment on your burn after it happened? George keeps saying that ointment’s amazing, but I don’t think it’s that great.”
“I think the Thomas family is done for,” Conrad added casually.
Lillian couldn’t help but admire Conrad. Her ears were still ringing, and she could barely understand what he was saying.
He was constantly schemed against, yet he could still sleep soundly and keep rambling on like nothing happened.
She, on the other hand, could barely get any rest at night.
“Do you know…?”
“Know what?” Conrad glanced up at her.
“Who’s trying to kill you?”
“There are plenty of people,” Conrad said, tapping his cheek with his tongue. “Even my deadbeat father wants me gone. But don’t worry, I won’t die. I’ve told you, I’m hard to kill.”
Lillian felt a bit scared.
“Still hurting?” Conrad asked, seeing her try to pull her hand back again. He took a piece of candy from the coffee table, and before she could react, he kissed her, prying her lips apart and pushing the candy into her mouth.
The sweet, milky taste spread between their lips.
Lillian, staring at the man so close to her, felt flustered and quickly turned her gaze away.
“Alright, go upstairs and get some sleep. I’ve got some things to take care of. I probably won’t be back for a few days.”
Lillian nodded. She quickly went upstairs but couldn’t help asking from the second floor, “Is the house safe?”
Conrad scoffed, “Don’t worry. Without me here, there’s no point in killing you.”
His home was naturally well-guarded.
Lillian barely slept the whole night and couldn’t keep track of what chaos Conrad might be stirring up in City N.
However, Jack had contacted her, and since she was low on money, she couldn’t worry about whether Peter was involved in the project anymore.
Besides, he was just the technical director, and his team handled the special effects, so her chances of meeting him were slim.
“Alright, but you’ll need to meet with the director team in the next couple of days. Once the project’s confirmed, we’ll be working together for a while, so it’s important to make an appearance.”
“Okay.”
But Lillian never expected that, at the social event that evening, there would be members of the White family and, to her surprise, Evelyn-who she hadn’t seen in a long time!
Evelyn didn’t expect to see Lillian there either.
But now that she had returned to Conrad’s side and secured the role of the female supporting lead in a major project, her childhood dream of becoming a real movie star was about to come true.
Compared to Lillian, who had climbed up through physical relationships and now had to pretend to be a female director, Evelyn considered herself far more prestigious.
“This is Mr. Felix White, the general manager of the White Family Group,” Jack introduced as Lillian followed along to toast.
She took a small sip and was about to sit down.
Felix squinted his eyes and scanned the room. The leading lady hadn’t been decided yet, and all the actors present were minor roles. He’d heard that one of them was a mistress whom Conrad had forcefully included, so naturally, she was off-limits.
Moreover, the White family and the Brown family were almost like one now, so he could only cast his greedy and lustful eyes on other women.
Even though Lillian was sitting in the most inconspicuous spot, her face was too striking to ignore.
“Which actress is that? What role does she play? I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
Evelyn couldn’t help but enjoy the drama. “Mr. Felix, you probably don’t know, but Miss Lillian is actually a famous director’s student.”
Jack quickly clarified, “She’s one of my students.”
“Oh, a female director. I’ll have to toast to that then. So many rising stars in your circle.”
Lillian knew how much trouble her face could cause, which was why she had stayed with Conrad for three years. These social events were ones she didn’t have to attend, but she couldn’t rely on him forever.
Evelyn had clearly come prepared today, and Lillian had to be cautious in how she handled her.
She smiled, stood up, and said, “Mr. Felix, I still need to accompany my teacher to coordinate things later, so please allow me to make a toast to you. I wish you a prosperous year with plenty of wealth and success in your business.”
“Hey~ Why the rush? It’s such a long night ahead. You’re going back to coordinate? A young lady like you shouldn’t be doing such hard work. How can your teacher make a beautiful woman like this do such chores?” Felix said, grabbing Lillian’s arm and not letting go.
Everyone there knew what kind of person this old pervert was. They all grinned but didn’t think much of it.
Some even gave up their seats, letting Lillian sit next to Felix and serve him drinks and food. After all, he was the investor. As long as Lillian smiled and played nice, they could secure the investment-far cheaper than finding a famous actress.
The group of people silently accepted these unspoken workplace rules.
“I really can’t drink anymore, Mr. Felix,” Lillian said, trying to decline again.
Felix, however, had a bit of compassion for her.
At that moment, a sharp voice cut through the conversation, “No way, I’ve heard that Miss Lillian has quite the tolerance for alcohol.”
Evelyn said, causing Felix’s face to darken.
“It seems Miss Lillian isn’t willing to give me some face.” Felix said a little angrily.
Jack hurriedly spoke up, “She really doesn’t drink much. How about I have a couple of drinks with you, Mr. Felix?”
Felix moved to put the glass to Lillian’s lips, intending to force her to drink.
But just then, the door to the private room was suddenly opened, and Conrad’s arrival made everyone in the room freeze in surprise. After they realized who it was, they quickly rushed to greet him.
“Mr. Conrad, we’ve been waiting for you!”
Originally, the Smith family was supposed to be the biggest investor in the project, but then the White Family and the Brown Family Group got involved. The Brown Family Group had become the major shareholder, and all the project costs were covered by them.
However, a production like this, even within the studio, was considered a minor project. To the Brown Family Group, it was just a small venture; they couldn’t possibly get Conrad to attend a social event like this.
Everyone immediately made the connection to Evelyn. It seemed Conrad was quite fond of his new young mistress-so much so that he even came to a social gathering to protect his woman from anyone else.
It looked like they would have to give Evelyn a little more leeway on set. After all, she was just a gilded supporting character-more screen time, an enhanced character arc, and taking some of the female lead’s scenes would be enough to boost her image. As for her acting skills, that wasn’t much of a concern.
“Conrad.” Evelyn said, visibly surprised, before quickly standing up, “What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”
Conrad scanned the room, and to his surprise, he found Lillian, who wasn’t supposed to be here, sitting quietly at the table.
“It’s quite lively,” Conrad remarked with a slight smile.
Although Conrad was about to become his nephew-in-law, Felix always felt a shiver down his spine every time he saw Conrad. He feared making eye contact with him.
Felix quickly let go of Lillian’s shoulder, “Conrad’s here! Hurry, bring over some more dishes and a chair! Oh, wait, let’s clear this entire table and bring in new dishes.”
They couldn’t let Conrad eat from the leftovers.
Conrad looked at Felix with a faint smile, grabbed a chair, and shook the ash from his cigarette into Felix’s wine glass. “This wine’s good. Care for a toast?”