"You've been so absent-minded all the time, what's going on in your head?" Mason's deep voice rang out above her again, laced with displeasure.
"I've been chasing you for so many years, even if you don't like me, you should at least show me some mercy and glance at me, right? Haven't you noticed I'm always zoning out?" Aurelia retorted casually.
Mason was taken aback, his body stiffened.
He hadn't noticed.
It's not that he didn't want to notice, but he was afraid, afraid that if he looked at her too much, he'd lose control and want to keep her by his side, no matter how painful it was for the two of them, even if they were to descend into Hell together!
By the time Mason snapped back to reality, Aurelia was already sitting at the dining table.
Madam Rong brought breakfast.
Halfway through the meal, Aurelia's phone vibrated on the table; it was a call from Sawyer.
Aurelia picked up, "Hello, Director Sawyer, calling so early, is there something wrong?"
"I wanted to finalize the contract situation with you, and also..." he paused, his tone apologetic, "I'll look into what happened online yesterday, but fortunately, the 'Dawnsong' crew helped you out. Oh right, I didn't know you knew Andrew Kennedy, you two working together on this will surely bring out the best in you both."
"You didn't just call to tell me this, did you?"
The lead actress's early exposure was unexpected for Sawyer.
When the scandal broke yesterday, his biggest fear was Aurelia suddenly backing out. Although they had verbally agreed she would play the lead, no contract had been signed.
Signing the contract, this was Sawyer's main purpose for calling first thing in the morning.
"I've had the contract drafted, sent one to your agent, and also to your phone. If there are no issues, can we sign it this afternoon?"
Aurelia didn't immediately agree, pondered for a second, then slowly said, "Director Sawyer, I just agreed to act in your film, now someone is slandering me. I don't have any solid work to show yet and can't handle this kind of trouble. If this happens one or two more times, even with the 'Dawnsong' crew deliberately protecting me, my reputation in the industry would be ruined, making it harder to get roles as easily as now."
Sawyer was socially awkward, but he wasn't stupid, he immediately understood the meaning behind Aurelia's words, "Don't worry, I assure you nothing like that will happen in my crew!"
With Sawyer's assurance, Aurelia felt at ease.
She curved her lips, "I happen to have plans today. If you're available, let's meet at six in the afternoon. You can send the address to my phone once you've decided."
"Okay."
"Sawyer?" Mason asked after Aurelia hung up.
"Hmm." Aurelia nodded, picked up a spoon, and continued to drink her porridge.
Mason chuckled, "How did the audition feel? Did he call you 'Aunt'?"
Aurelia paused, then looked up at Mason, "How do you know? Is this related to you?"
She thought so, how could someone like Sawyer deliberately call someone 'Aunt'?
"I just made a bet with him," Mason said, "A bet that if you passed the audition and satisfied him, he would have to call you 'Aunt'."
Aurelia suddenly curved her lips into a stunning smile, her eyes sparkling with a smile that felt like a garden in full bloom, surprising the heart.
"Then it seems like his calling me 'Aunt' is no loss," she said with a laugh.
Her slender fingers tapped the tabletop, mischief glittered in her eyes.