Sylvia picked up her cutlery and placed a piece of bright green broccoli into her mouth.
Her eyes, clear and curious, looked at the director. “What’s the matter? Is there something you need?”
Director Leonard rubbed his hands together, feeling a bit flustered under the gaze of such a beautiful woman. His face flushed slightly, and his voice stammered.
“Well… Mr. Donald has invested in a project…”
He conveyed the message from the station chief to Sylvia.
After speaking, he quickly lowered his head to eat, feeling incredibly awkward.
There were always many female celebrities coming and going at the station, many of them beautiful and glamorous.
It was the first time he had blushed in front of a beauty!
He could only say that other beauties were not beautiful enough.
Not beautiful enough to make a thick-skinned man like him blush.
He comforted himself for a while, then heard Sylvia say, “I need to think about this. When is the recording time for the first episode of the show?”
Leonard quickly replied, “Right after you finish participating in ‘The Celestial Chorus,’ we will start recording ‘Winning with Dreams.’ It’s a recorded show, so we record first and then produce it. Unlike our current show, which is live.”
Sylvia took a sip of rib soup and nodded. The judges were all big shots, unlike celebrities who often appeared on TV and were adept at managing their expressions and handling situations on the spot.
If the big shots mismanaged their expressions or said something inappropriate, it could directly cause the company’s stock price to plummet. So, it needed to be recorded and edited later to remove any parts that might displease the audience.
Sylvia thought for a moment and said, “I understand. Let’s finish this episode first; I can’t spare the energy to think about other things right now.”
“Alright. We’ll discuss it later.” Leonard didn’t press Sylvia for an answer.
After all, they were not newcomers to society. Since she said she needed to think about it, there should be room for negotiation.
Let’s wait for the result.
“Sylvia is quite popular now,” Abbigail said with a cheerful smile. “Come on, eat more meat.”
She placed a piece of beef brisket on Sylvia’s plate.
Sylvia noticed that Abbigail liked to joke and say playful things. “Abbigail, don’t tease me. You and Stanley are the real popular duo.”
After lunch, they went to the lounge.
Sylvia had a private lounge, and Abbigail and Stanley shared one.
It allowed them to take a nap.
The TV station did a good job in this regard. Since they often had celebrities participating in their activities, if the conditions were not up to par, people wouldn’t want to cooperate with them.
Nowadays, there were many TV stations, and even more with strong capabilities.
After returning to her lounge, Sylvia made a video call to Alex.
The little guy had just finished lunch and was about to take a nap.
“Godmother, why haven’t you come home yet? I’m so bored at home alone.”
Alex’s small face showed a hint of sadness and longing. “I called my mommy, but she’s always working and too busy to talk to me.”
“Alex is a little man; you can play with your little brother!” Sylvia said gently with a warm smile.
Alex still looked unhappy, his chubby little face showing a trace of melancholy. “But my brother is too young; he can’t talk yet. He just lies in bed peeing and pooping. Today I even helped Auntie get diapers! Auntie praised me for being so sensible and thanked me.”
“Well done, thumbs up for you.” Sylvia praised him and chatted with him for a while before hanging up the phone.
A few minutes after hanging up, Franklin called.
“Alex misses you.”
His deep, magnetic voice came through the phone, filled with intense suppressed longing. “When are you coming back?”
“I just left two days ago; I’ll be back in a few days.” Sylvia couldn’t help but laugh softly. This man was using Alex as an excuse to make her come back.
Her joyful laughter reached Franklin’s ears, making him feel a pleasant shiver down his neck and warmth in his heart.
“Sylvia… don’t you miss me?”
His voice grew even more suppressed and seductive.
“I do miss you, Alex, Grandma, Uncle, and my little cousin,” Sylvia said all at once.
Franklin raised an eyebrow slightly. “Little cousin?”
“Yes! My aunt just had a baby; isn’t that my little cousin?” Sylvia suddenly realized she had made a mistake during her conversation with Alex earlier.
“Oh no, I was so busy that I got confused. Alex should call the baby little uncle… that’s my cousin, not Alex’s cousin. How could I make such a basic mistake?”
“What happened?” Franklin asked in surprise.
Sylvia explained how she had mistakenly told Alex that Mollie’s son was his brother during their call.
Franklin’s cheerful laughter came through the phone continuously. “I never expected someone as smart as you to make such a silly mistake with titles. You’ve really surprised me.”
Sylvia sighed helplessly. “I need to explain it to Alex again. We can’t mess up the family hierarchy.”
Although Alex was older than the baby, the baby was indeed her cousin.
She didn’t know what had happened to her at that moment…
It was really frustrating.
She thought about it and decided that since Alex was probably asleep now, she would tell Mollie about it instead.
Mollie sent a voice message right away. “Sylvia, you’re killing me with laughter. I never expected you to make such a mistake. Don’t worry; I’ll explain it to Alex in the afternoon. Although the baby is young, he has a higher status.”
Sylvia rubbed her forehead in frustration. She could almost imagine everyone’s expressions when they found out about this mistake.
Helplessly.
After the nap ended and a brief rehearsal with Hillary, Sylvia started learning other songs with the music teacher.
The day passed quickly like this.
In the evening, Sylvia and Hillary went to a private restaurant together.
Abbigail laughed heartily as she led Sylvia through an alley paved with bluestone slabs. “This private restaurant is pretty good. Stanley and I come here often; we’re regulars. You should try it.”
Stanley added, “Compared to those restaurants with lavish dishes, this place is unique. Do you like spicy food? Their spicy dishes are top-notch.”
“I’m not picky; I can eat anything.” Sylvia smiled faintly.
Tonight they were treating her, so they brought Sylvia to their favorite place for dinner.
Along with Sylvia were Leonard and the director of ‘Winning with Dreams.’
The director’s name was Luciano.
Luciano was over forty years old, not young but still looking refined with his frameless glasses giving him an intellectual appearance.
“I’m just here for a free meal and to discuss cooperation with Miss Andrews. Please don’t mind my thick skin!”
The group chatted and laughed as they arrived at the private restaurant.
Such private restaurants usually had their own fixed customer base with strong privacy measures, catering mostly to wealthy or prominent individuals.
There wouldn’t be any pesky paparazzi lurking around here.
So many celebrities liked coming here.
As soon as Sylvia stepped inside, she noticed how elegant the environment was. There was both a hall and private rooms.
It was a three-story building with a courtyard featuring a pond where koi fish swam leisurely.
There was also an arbor covered with grapevines under which tables and chairs were placed.
The environment was pleasant and comfortable.
Accustomed to urban noise, this place offered both the tranquility of a farmhouse courtyard and revealed the owner’s taste.
The waitress smiled upon seeing Abbigail and Stanley. “Abbigail, Stanley, you’re here?”
“We brought friends for dinner,” Abbigail replied cheerfully. “Take us to a private room quickly and serve your signature dishes so my friends can try your specialties.”
“Sure thing! Please follow me.” The waitress promptly led them to a private room.
Once everyone was seated, Abbigail turned to Sylvia. “They have many signature dishes here; I asked them to bring those first. See if there’s anything else you’d like?”
She handed Sylvia the menu politely.
Sylvia glanced through it briefly before ordering Crispy Lemon – Dill Trout.
The dishes were served quickly; soon one delicious dish after another filled the table.
Having rehearsed all afternoon made everyone hungry.
So they eagerly picked up their cutlery and started enjoying the meal.
“The food is indeed excellent; I’ve discovered another great dining spot,” Sylvia said to Abbigail after tasting the Crispy Lemon – Dill Trout.
“Next time you come over just put it on my tab; I have an account here,” Abbigail said generously.
Sylvia smiled; Abbigail was very loyal.
She quite liked her company.
After finishing their meal they left the private room only to run into Carlee and Reid outside.
Carlee was petite yet possessed powerful vocal cords capable of hitting high notes effortlessly.
“Is this… Miss Andrews?” Carlee’s big eyes blinked at Sylvia. “I’ve heard so much about you; you’re even more beautiful in person than in photos.”
Carlee had been in the industry for over ten years and had mastered saying what people wanted to hear perfectly.
“Hello, I’m Sylvia.” Hearing her name mentioned made Sylvia greet Carlee immediately.
At that moment suddenly an unsteady man emerged from Carlee and Reid’s private room walked up to Carlee unabashedly putting his arm around her waist “Baby sing for me tonight will you?”
Carlee’s face showed slight embarrassment as she pushed him away gently “Mr Crosby you’ve had too much.”
The man was pot-bellied greasy-faced repulsive reeking of alcohol spoke irritably “What? You don’t want to?”