“Does it sound good?” she broke the silence.
“Yes,” Andrew responded. “Play it again,” he said, with a commanding tone.
However, Isabella directly closed the piano lid, intentionally going against him. “No, I reject you. ”
He probably had never been refused before. Subconsciously frowning, when she stood up to leave, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her delicate wrist.
She couldn’t resist his strong force, and he pressed her against the piano. In front of her was the enlarged handsome face of a man.
She passively stared into his eyes, his deep blue eyes resembling an unfathomable sea. Intimidating yet full of mystery and allure.
Andrew, likewise, looked at her. His deep eyes slightly narrowed, the powerful gaze moved from her delicate cheeks down to her chest.
Isabella wore his shirt, without even an inner garment, as her underwear had also been soaked by Asher’s urine and was now hanging on the balcony.
Due to the recent struggle, one of the buttons on her chest had come undone, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.
Sensing his heated gaze focused on her chest, she immediately covered it with her hand. “What are you looking at?”
“What do you think is worth looking at?” He curled his lips, a smile tinged with a hint of mischief. Instead of averting his gaze, he boldly scrutinized her chest.
“Pervert!” She angrily cursed and raised her hand to slap his handsome face.
However, he accurately caught her arm mid-air, and in a swift motion, he pressed her against the piano.
Her body collided with the black and white piano keys, producing a dissonant melody.
His heavy body weighed on her; Isabella could hardly move, let alone resist. In the breaths exchanged, the air was filled with a strong scent of alcohol, and she wondered how much he had drunk tonight.
What she feared the most now was his sudden beastly behavior.
But Andrew did not make any further moves; instead, he calmly asked, “What was the name of the song you played just now?”
She hesitated for a moment, her thoughts not catching up with her pace. After a brief silence, she replied, “Distant Distance, the theme song of the movie ‘Mermaid Princess.’ I recorded a sample today, but whether I will sing this song in the end is not up to me.”
He slowly let her go, sitting back on the piano bench. “Play it again for me.”
“Okay,” she obediently sat next to him this time, having learned her lesson. A wise women doesn’t fight when the odds are against him.
The soothing and melancholic melody flowed out from her fair fingertips, and Andrew listened silently, the weariness between his brows gradually smoothing out.
Honestly, this piece of music wasn’t particularly outstanding, but it possessed a soothing tranquility that could comfort the soul.
For Andrew, who was tired of dealing with those hypocritical faces behind masks, Isabella’s authenticity became precious.
When the piece ended, it seemed that he hadn’t fully recovered.
She didn’t dare to move, afraid of provoking him again.
After a long while, she heard him ask in his unique low voice, “Do you really want to sing this theme song?”
“Of course, it’s a rare opportunity for me,” she answered truthfully. However, a touch of disappointment was hard to conceal on her small face.
Recently, there had been rampant rumors online that the reigning pop star Aurora would sing the theme song for “Mermaid Princess.” With her extraordinary vocal talent, Isabella felt that she had no chance at all.
And Andrew nodded silently, saying, “I’ll make your dream come true, alright?”
“Make my dream come true? Andrew, who do you think you are?” she mocked indifferently. Then, closing the piano lid, standing up, she stretched into a big yawn.
“I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.”
The next day, Isabella woke up early.
Afraid of waking Asher, she opened the door quietly, tiptoed down the stairs, only to find Andrew sitting on the living room sofa, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.
He was dressed in a white shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up, and he wore a pair of blue cotton slippers, a very homey style, exuding a faint laziness but also a unique flavor.
“Why don’t you sleep a bit more?” Andrew heard the footsteps and glanced at her.
“I have two important scenes today; I’ll rush back to rehearse the script again.” Isabella briskly descended the stairs, casually asking, “Why are you up so early?”
“Can’t sleep,” he replied with a low, hoarse voice.
In fact, he hadn’t slept at all.
In recent times, he took over the Turner family consortium, and the workload doubled.
Video conferences extended until three in the morning. After the meeting, he dealt with some business matters. Checking the time, it was already five in the morning, and the sky outside was getting brighter.
Without disturbing anyone, Andrew went to the kitchen to boil water and make tea. He then sat in the living room, drinking tea and flipping through financial newspapers. For him, this was considered a relaxing time.
She walked over, lifting the teapot with one hand and grabbing a clean teacup with the other, pouring a full cup. After drinking, she smacked her lips, wrinkled her brow, and said, “What kind of tea leaves are so bitter? Black tea is much better.”
Andrew squinted his blue eyes at her, a somewhat helpless smile between his brows.
“Do you want Amelia to make you some breakfast?” he asked.
“No need, I’m in a hurry. I’ll eat when I get to the set.” She finished speaking, quickly walked to the entrance to change her shoes. She called a taxi, which was already waiting outside.
Isabella arrived at the film set just before seven in the morning.
The crew usually started work after nine, and at this time, both staff and actors were resting, making the whole hotel quiet.
She entered the hotel’s main entrance, and the elevator was on her left.
At this moment, a yellow sign was propped up in front of the elevator, stating: Elevator under maintenance, please use the stairs.
She felt somewhat annoyed, dragging her two legs into the stairwell. Fortunately, her room was on the fifth floor.
The window in the stairwell was small, the light dim, giving off a somewhat eerie feeling.
Isabella subconsciously quickened her pace, probably because she was walking too fast and didn’t notice the movement on the floor above until she got closer. In the dim corner of the stairwell, a couple was passionately kissing.
She instinctively stopped, her face filled with shock and astonishment. Both of these people she recognized: the man was Caleb Mitchell. The woman, however, was not his fiancee Evelyn but her sister-Victoria.
Isabella couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Charlotte and her daughters all seemed to have the potential to be mistress. Charlotte had been David’s secret lover for more than a decade. Emily had blatantly interfered in her and James’ relationship. Now, Victoria had become the mistress between Caleb and Evelyn.
The two people embracing closely quickly separated upon seeing someone.
Caleb’s eyes, like those of an eagle, stared at Isabella, with a hint of mockery in his gaze.
Victoria hastily straightened her disheveled clothes, momentarily flustered and at a loss. After a brief panic, she shot Isabella a fierce glare, her eyes full of gloom.
“I’m just passing by, sorry to disturb you two,” Isabella curled her lips, her tone full of disdain. She stepped forward and continued up the stairs.
“You go back first; I’ll contact you later,” Victoria left Caleb behind and hurriedly followed Isabella.
In front of the room, Isabella took out the room card to open the door. Like a tail, Victoria followed her into the room.
Olivia was not there, but before leaving, she had tidied up Isabella’s room very neatly. The script she needed today was neatly placed on the living room coffee table.
She sat on the sofa, flipping through the script, seemingly ignoring Victoria, who sat across from her.
Victoria’s thin lips were tightly pursed, appearing calm, but her heart couldn’t help but panic.
Her relationship with Caleb had always been kept secret. She didn’t expect to be accidentally discovered by Isabella. If this were to spread, her acting career would be over. Female stars who were once exposed as mistresses had almost disappeared from the public eye.
“Isabella, Caleb and I…” Victoria tentatively began, but Isabella didn’t wait for her to finish and coldly interrupted.