Chapter 27 Explicit Price Tag

Book:Marry A Disabled Man Published:2024-6-1

Neither Francis nor August were willing to speak up for Jaylah, especially Francis, who cast strange glances her way. This made Jaylah extremely uncomfortable. It was clear that Francis was the one who had expressed his desire for her to take on the role, and without her agreement, Francis wouldn’t have filmed it. Now he was displaying such an attitude, which truly made Jaylah unhappy.
With anger brewing within her, Jaylah ignored Rosie and directed her attention towards Francis and August. She said, “Mr. Snider, Mr. Graves, I apologize. I thought Mr. Snider appreciated punctuality, but I didn’t expect everyone to arrive so early.”
She hadn’t been late, yet Rosie accused her of it, so to put it bluntly, Rosie was simply looking for fault. Jaylah intentionally said this to embarrass Rosie.
Indeed, Rosie’s expression changed upon hearing Jaylah’s words. She shot Jaylah a harsh look and seemed poised to say something, but Francis interrupted her.
Francis spoke up, saying, “I’ve always admired hardworking and dedicated partners.”
His implication was that she shouldn’t speculate about others based on her own assumptions.
This further infuriated Jaylah. They seemed to relish making things difficult for her. She hadn’t done anything wrong; she had arrived on time and coincidentally ended up being the last to arrive, which was ironic in itself.
Jaylah was seething with anger, but she knew she had to compromise for the sake of the role.
Observing that Jaylah didn’t lose her temper on the spot, Tia finally felt relieved. She didn’t want Jaylah to ruin the final step of the process.
Thankfully, the rest of the proceedings went smoothly. After signing the contract, Jaylah left first.
Once she was gone, Rosie tossed the script onto the table and bluntly said, “Mr. Snider, this isn’t the first time we’ve worked together. What is your relationship with this woman? There are plenty of talented actresses, yet you choose not to cast them. Are you trying to drive me away?”
Francis glanced at Rosie and replied, “I have my reasons, of course.”
Rosie naturally felt dissatisfied with his response and continued, “Let me tell you, I’ll let her take the lead for now, but I’ll be staying with the crew. If her performance doesn’t meet my standards, don’t blame me for causing trouble. I will definitely replace her with someone else.”
Francis smiled and had no objection whatsoever.
This response, however, left Rosie feeling uneasy. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Francis was hiding something.
Especially when Francis patted August on the shoulder and said to him, “August, you don’t need to overexert yourself in the initial stages. Take a break.”
August also felt suspicious but chose not to inquire further.
After bidding farewell to August and Rosie, Francis dialed Aimee’s number. “I’ve signed the contract as you instructed. If you’re certain, you can arrange something better for me. I don’t want this to be ruined because of her.”
Aimee was preoccupied with something, and the background noise made it difficult to hear. She replied, attempting to reassure him, “Don’t worry. You won’t lose out.”
Particularly with such a fantastic script, anyone who played it would become popular. Aimee wouldn’t pass up such a great opportunity by giving it to Jaylah.
With Aimee’s assurance, Francis felt more at ease. He even ventured to suggest, “Or, you know, I think maybe you could take on the role yourself instead of finding someone else for me. I think you’d be quite fitting for it.”
He had always wanted Aimee to join the entertainment industry and become the leading lady. He was absolutely confident that he could make her look beautiful and captivating, turning her into the most popular actress.
However, Aimee rejected him coldly, just as she always had. Aimee’s patience wore thin this time, and she curtly stated, “Be realistic. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to hang up.”
Without giving Francis a chance to respond, she ended the call abruptly.
Aimee tucked her phone back into her pocket, and Matilda squeezed through the crowd to join her.
Matilda straightened her clothes, glaring at Aimee in exasperation. “What’s wrong with you? If you need to buy something, ask someone else to do it. Why are you squished in here?” Matilda glanced down at her new high-heeled shoes, visibly worn out from their first use, and lamented, “Look at my shoes, my precious baby. They’re ruined.”
“Don’t fret. I’ll buy you another pair,” Aimee offered.
She glanced at the chicken she had finally managed to obtain.
As Matilda had pointed out, Aimee might have been slightly out of her mind to go to the supermarket for chicken. She had nearly been trampled by other customers.
“It’s not necessary. Worn shoes aren’t new anymore. Just give me the money,” Matilda replied.
“Sure, I’ll transfer the money to you later,” Aimee nonchalantly responded. Matilda asked for money, but to Aimee, it was a trivial matter compared to the mysterious item she held in her hands.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Matilda rolled her eyes dramatically.
With her hands on her hips, she glanced at Aimee and found it amusing. She quipped, “It’s just a chicken. If you want, I can get you a whole bucket of it. You can easily buy it from the supermarket. Why do you think it’s so precious? Does this chicken possess some kind of magical power?”
Aimee raised her eyes and replied, “Of course not. It’s going to be stewed for Patrick Hayden. I’m cooking it myself.”
Matilda sneered and retorted without hesitation, “Did he do something wrong that he deserves to eat what you cook?”
Aimee brushed off her comment and went straight to the point, “Tomorrow’s auction-I don’t think Kareem can handle it. You should come in person and retrieve the item for me.”
Matilda folded her arms, casting a scrutinizing gaze at Aimee. She bluntly remarked, “Tell me, do you have feelings for Patrick Hayden?”
Aimee scrunched her brows, displeasure evident on her face. She responded, “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m just here to help him.”
Matilda persisted, “If you don’t have feelings for him, then why are you investing so much time and effort for him? Think about it, when was the last time you relied on so many people to achieve a goal?”
Both Asa and Kareem had already been assigned to the task. Even if Kareem wasn’t the most skilled, Aimee wouldn’t have chosen someone incompetent to work for her.
With Asa as an escort, Kareem’s efforts would yield greater results with minimal exertion.
Furthermore, Matilda had inside knowledge that Aimee had discreetly dispatched another group of people for a secondary layer of protection, just in case Kareem failed to secure the item. They were prepared to take matters into their own hands.
Now Aimee wanted Matilda to personally attend. Such a request only arose when Aimee had sought to obtain an antique many years ago.
By replicating events from the past, Aimee’s motives became even more enigmatic to Matilda.
Aimee glanced at Matilda, speechless, and simply stated, “I’m going to cure him.”
“Alright, if you say so, I’ll believe you. This time, I’ll personally go.” Matilda declared.
Aimee nodded and refrained from saying anything further. She raised her hand to hail a taxi, commanding, “Let’s head to the airport now. I’ll arrange a private jet for you. No need for me to accompany you-I’m in a rush.”
After speaking, Aimee swiftly departed without looking back.
As Matilda watched the taxi vanish from sight, she couldn’t help feeling a mix of anger and bewilderment.
Did Aimee truly view her as a mere pawn?
She took out her phone and quickly sent Aimee a message, “The price has been clearly stated-20 million for the errand. Otherwise, count me out.”
Almost immediately, she received a notification from the bank.
Aimee had transferred 20 million to her bank account.
The corner of Matilda’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
She couldn’t help but wonder how affluent Aimee was. No matter how much she requested, Aimee would simply transfer the money without any hesitation.