“Have you not been following the news these past few days? One male artist from the company has been exposed for drug use and possession. It has angered the fans, and the projects he was involved in have been suspended, causing significant losses for the company. To prevent similar incidents, Robert has ordered all signed artists to undergo testing,” Olivia explained succinctly.
Isabella was familiar with that male artist; his history of drug use wasn’t a big secret in the industry. However, the company had turned a blind eye to it due to his popularity.
Now that this incident was suddenly exposed, she couldn’t believe it was just a coincidence.
Since the poisoning incident initiated by Charlotte, it had been a carefully planned conspiracy. However, Robert had truly spared no expense to get rid of her. That male artist was a money-making tree for the company, and it was a pity to see him cut down just like that.
“Olivia, my body hasn’t fully recovered. The doctor said I need to stay in the hospital for further observation. Can’t I skip the test?” she asked hopefully.
However, Olivia promptly refused her, “My princess, on this sensitive issue, if you skip the test, it’s like telling everyone you have something to hide. You just debuted as the female lead, and many are jealous. At this time, you need to stay low-key and follow the company’s arrangements. We must find a way to cover up this matter.”
“Alright, I’ll think of something,” Isabella replied.
Listening to the beep sounds from the phone, Isabella felt lost.
If she went for the blood test, the drug components would surely be detected, and she would be in deep trouble. Was this game over for her?
She refused to accept it!
When Andrew entered the hospital room, he saw her huddled on the bed, holding her head in apparent pain.
“Not feeling well?” he asked.
With her arms around her knees, she sighed, “The company requires all artists to undergo blood and urine tests. I’m done this time. My acting career, before it even starts, is already over.”
“Do you care so much about these things?” he asked again, a hint of deep contemplation in his blue eyes.
He didn’t think she was very eager to become an actress.
Resting her chin on her knees, she weakly replied, “I don’t want to lose.”
Looking at her, Andrew thought, she’s really a strong girl.
“You won’t lose,” he assured her. “The drug components in your blood are minimal, and after this period of treatment, the tests won’t detect anything.”
“Really?” Isabella, disbelieving, looked at him. “Andrew, please don’t lie to me.”
“Ask the doctor if you don’t believe me.” He glanced towards the door, and at that moment, Samuel walked in.
“Uh…” Samuel rubbed his nose hesitantly, hesitated to speak, and only spoke confidently when he felt Andrew’s warning gaze, “You can rest assured about the test; there won’t be any problems.”
Though Samuel’s words were resolute, his head hung lower. As a doctor, it was the first time he lied to a patient, and he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Because Samuel was an authority in this field, his words were convincing. Isabella’s cloudy face finally brightened. She even added more food to her dinner.
After Andrew and Samuel left the room, Samuel couldn’t help but ask, “Given her current condition, both blood and urine tests would reveal drug components. If you want to manipulate the forensic results, you need to use a lot of connections, and once you use those connections, they are favors owed. It’s not a matter of life and death. Is it worth it for just a woman?”
Listening to Samuel’s words, Andrew subconsciously stopped walking, leaning casually against the wall with his straight back. His slender fingers toyed with an unlit cigarette.
“In this world, many things can’t be measured by worth or not worth. It depends on whether you’re willing or not. If you’re willing, then it’s worth it.”
Samuel was slightly stunned. They had known each other for many years, but it was the first time he heard such emotional words from Andrew. “When did you start cherishing the fairer sex? Are you interested in that little girl?”
Samuel’s tone was half-joking and half-serious.
Andrew just glanced at him indifferently, his cold tone replied, “This is not your concern. Focus on your duties as a doctor and take care of her health.”
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the elevator, his tall figure carrying a lofty arrogance.
Forty-eight hours later, the results of the blood and urine tests for all signed artists in the company were posted on the company’s website. Except for the male star who made the news, no issues were found in the test results of the other artists, including Isabella.
Inside the CEO’s office at Moonlit Art Inc.
Victoria looked at the test report in her hand with disbelief.
“Isabella’s blood test has no issues? How is that possible!” Victoria had witnessed her drinking green bean soup spiked with drugs.
“Nothing is impossible. This inspection report is issued by the judicial authorities and has legal effect. It’s not something an ordinary person can tamper with. Victoria, I warned you earlier, any conspiracies and calculations have moments of failure. If you have this energy, why not focus on playing your role well? I will do my best to ensure the interests of you and your sister in the company and the Harris family,” Robert said.
Victoria’s palm tightened, crumpling the test report.
“I understand, Uncle,” she finally conceded, lowering her head.
Victoria had always been respectful and trusting of her table uncle, who was only a few years older than her.
Robert nodded in satisfaction. Among the three, Victoria was the most astute.
The second night after Isabella joined the crew, she couldn’t sleep well, probably due to exhaustion from the day.
She missed Asher a lot, even though it had only been a few days since they last met.
Perhaps this was the concern a mother had for her child.
She picked up her phone and video-called Amelia.
In Amelia’s arms was Asher, almost four months old, chubby from all the feeding, showcasing his ability to roll over on video.
“Ah, Asher can roll over?” Isabella exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes, although Asher is chubby, he’s very agile. He’s usually very active; when he’s awake, his little hands and feet love to kick around, quite strong,” Amelia said, waving Asher’s little hand in front of the screen.
“So, our Asher is an agile little chubby guy,” Isabella waved back, talking to Asher. “Asher, I’m Mommy. Do you miss Mommy? Mommy misses you so much.”
“Asher misses Mommy too,” Amelia replied for Asher.
At this moment, the door behind Amelia slowly opened, and Andrew walked in, dressed sharply in a suit, looking handsome.
“Asher’s dad just got back?” Isabella asked.
“Yeah, Mr. has been busy with work lately,” Amelia answered, then naturally handed the phone to Andrew.
He took the phone with a firm hand, calmly looking at the screen.
“Started filming?” he asked.
“Yeah. First day of shooting today, although there were many NGs, overall it went smoothly,” she habitually shared her affairs with him. Then she asked, “Amelia said you’ve been busy lately, found a job?”
“I told you, I’m doing business with a friend,” Andrew answered emotionlessly.
“What business? Is it reliable? Don’t lose all the money for the baby’s formula,” Isabella couldn’t help but inquire.
He didn’t want to dwell on this issue with her, didn’t answer, and instead, asked in a low voice, “When are you coming back?”
“Probably three months of shooting. By the time I go back, Asher will have grown a lot.” She sighed.
“Okay.” He responded, “I’ll take care of Asher. You take care of yourself and get some rest.”
After he finished speaking, without waiting for her to continue, he directly ended the video call.
“Your man is quite mysterious,” Olivia approached, grinning mischievously.
“He’s the man I support. One word makes a big difference,” Isabella corrected her.
“If the man you support is not your man, what’s the point of raising a child together and co-parenting? He is your man, right?” Olivia probed.
She had always thought that Isabella and the man who assaulted her that night should have nothing to do with each other, but now they were raising a child together.
Olivia had asked her before: Don’t you hate him?
Isabella replied: I did, but then I thought about it. That night wasn’t entirely his fault. She entered the wrong room, mistaking him for her boyfriend. She didn’t resist at all. Strictly speaking, Andrew didn’t rape her.
“Isabella, if you really have no interest in this handsome guy, consider my brother. My brother has been interested in you for many years,” Olivia suggested again.
Isabella gave her an annoyed look, “Stop making random stories. Go to sleep.”
When she lay down on the bed, it was already eleven o’clock at night, and she had to get up early the next day.
The next day, she had only two scenes to shoot. The first scene was the opening shot of the film, where the mermaid Yiduo sat on a large rock in the middle of the sea, singing. The second scene was a scene opposite Victoria.
The crew set up a temporary shooting location by the sea. The protruding large rocks were placed less than ten meters from the beach, with water depth about a meter.
Isabella could swim, so this scene wasn’t difficult for her. However, it was already autumn, and these days were getting colder. She had to go into the sea with only the mermaid tail prop, exposing her shoulders. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
But regardless of how uncomfortable it was, she had to go through with it.
On the third day of filming at the crew, Andrew came to visit.
A black extended Rolls-Royce parked low-key in front of the hotel.
The driver got out first, respectfully opened the back door, and then, a long leg stepped out of the car.
After Andrew got out of the car, he gestured for the driver to drive away. Then, he took out his phone and called Isabella, standing under the hotel steps.
The one who answered the call was not Isabella herself but her assistant Olivia.
“Mr. Andrew, I’m Isabella’s assistant. She’s filming right now. Let me take you to the set and wait for her,” Olivia said.
He listened and nodded indifferently, indicating his agreement.
Olivia wore a work pass around her neck, leading Andrew into the shooting location with no obstacles.
Currently, they were shooting, and all the staff were fully focused. Their entry did not attract much attention.
“Wait here for a while,” Olivia pointed to an old sofa in the corner, gesturing for Andrew to sit there.
He walked over casually, sitting on the sofa with a straight back and crossing his long legs naturally.
From Olivia’s perspective, his profile was deep and three-dimensional. The dark shirt wrapped around his perfect figure, giving off a calm and cool temperament.
Maybe feeling bored, he slowly lit a cigarette, the smoke flickering between his two fingers.
His blue and profound eyes gazed into the shooting scene.
On the other side, Isabella’s upper body was immersed in the seawater.
They were currently shooting the first encounter between the mermaid female lead and the human male lead.
At the same time, in a corner of the shooting location, when Andrew saw the male actor lost in a trance while interacting with Isabella, he subconsciously frowned.
With the intimate interaction between her and the male actor, Andrew’s aura became even colder, and his calm gaze settled on her.