Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Anna Thornton reached the door of Ethan Hawthorne’s dressing room and happened to bump into a hot-bodied beauty coming out from inside.

The other woman’s gaze swept over her, and she provocatively puffed out her chest, "You must be Anna, right?"

Anna only knew one domestic actress, Marilyn Ford. In case this woman was also in the entertainment industry, asking her who she was would seem impolite, so she just lightly said, "Hmm."

The woman walked up to Anna in heels over ten centimeters high, scrutinized her from head to toe, and remarked slightly disdainfully, "You do have some looks, but let me give you a piece of advice: don’t think that just because Young Master Hawthorne fancies you, you can climb high. He has fancied many women."

Whether it was a "well-intentioned reminder" or not, Anna actually thought she had a point.

"Most of them he plays with for a month or two before moving on. Women who have stayed by him long-term are almost nonexistent. Have you heard the rumor about Flora, Kiki Lee, having a miscarriage on the set?"

"Was that your doing?" Anna asked her.

The woman might have intended to scare Anna away, warning her not to aim for Ethan Hawthorne.

But Anna’s question made her somewhat flustered, "How could it be? She had an accident herself while rigging wires, nothing to do with me. I’m just reminding you to be careful not to follow in her footsteps. I won’t fear telling you that Kiki Lee’s miscarriage wasn’t simple; she can’t have children in the future..."

"Vivian Neal, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Vivian Neal hadn’t finished what she wanted to say to Anna but was suddenly interrupted.

She turned her head to see Ethan Hawthorne coming out of the dressing room, quickly putting away her overbearing expression, and pounced on him with a coquettish smile, "Young Master Hawthorne, I wasn’t saying anything, just joking around as it’s rare to see a tabloid starlet in person. I wondered if I might catch some fame to get access to the aloof big boss of the Sterling Group."

Ethan Hawthorne lifted her chin with a finger and laughed, "A third-rate actress who shows herself to thousands; and you want to climb up to the Sterling Group? Conrad Sterling would never even look at you."

Vivian Neal didn’t get angry even when Ethan Hawthorne exposed her as a third-rate actress in front of her face. Instead, she flirted by rubbing her chin against his fingertip, "True enough, in high society, only a magnanimous man like Young Master Hawthorne would deign to have mercy on a woman like me."

"I’m merely helping you out since your situation hasn’t been great lately."

Ethan Hawthorne said it with feigned dignity and pushed the woman in his arms aside.

In fact, since he came out, his eyes hadn’t shifted from Anna, long annoyed at the woman in between.

Vivian Neal was tactful enough to leave when she noticed that Ethan’s attention was on Anna.

After she left, Ethan explained to Anna, "Don’t misunderstand; she said she was short of money and just came to the dressing room to borrow some. There’s nothing between us."

"Young Master Hawthorne indeed seems quite charitable." Anna smiled.

"I’m always generous, especially with women."

Ethan took a step closer to Anna, not realizing that the hand he used to hold another woman was now reaching out to her, "It’s our first meeting today, isn’t it? No need for introductions; you might have heard of me. I actually just watched your movie and rented out a theater for all studio employees—your performance was excellent."

Ethan Hawthorne, on par with Henry Willow in womanizing reputation, seemed to have done his homework before making a move.

"Thank you for your support, Young Master Hawthorne."

Anna smiled at him, extending her hand not for a handshake but to take a tissue out of her bag and hand it to him.

"You’ve got something here..."

Anna pointed to a spot on his chin, and Ethan wiped it as instructed, revealing a bright red lipstick mark on the white tissue, matching the lipstick color Vivian Neal had been wearing earlier.

He tossed the used tissue into the room’s trash bin and casually explained, "I just lent her money urgently; she insisted on thanking me and wouldn’t take no for an answer."

Anna was truly impressed by Ethan Hawthorne, getting exposed yet maintaining his composure—being a jerk to this extent is a talent in itself.

"Let’s forget about her to avoid the dampening mood. My dressing room has great coffee delivered by the assistant. Why not come in and try it?" Ethan invited Anna. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N()velFire.net

"No, thank you. I’m here to invite Young Master Hawthorne to join us for a program recording."

Rejected by Anna, Ethan’s expression remained calm, but his tone grew firmer, "Didn’t the staff who came earlier tell you? I’m not feeling well today. Plus, I have a quirk: I hate being rushed. The more people push me, the less interested I become."

"Will coffee help you feel better?" Anna asked.

"Of course, with a beautiful woman, it helps even more quickly."

Before attending the variety show, Mary had repeatedly cautioned Anna against taking anything from Ethan Hawthorne.

But given the situation, it seemed coffee was unavoidable.

"Alright, I’ll join you for coffee then."

While Anna was in Ethan’s dressing room, the show’s crew on set had nothing to do, so the host joked with them.

"How long do you think it will take Anna to bring Young Master Hawthorne over?"

"Ten minutes, hopefully sooner so we can finish early."

"Ten minutes? You’re underestimating Young Master Hawthorne; he surely won’t wrap it up that quickly."

Jay Cross’s remark made the male staff around knowingly smile.

Someone retorted, "If they truly hit it off, they wouldn’t rush it. Instead of making us wait, they might finish recording early and get a hotel room nearby."

"Honestly booking a room isn’t as thrilling; as a long-time host, I’ve seen so much."

"Alright!" The director interrupted as the banter grew more vulgar, suddenly speaking seriously, "We just got news that someone from the Sterling Group might visit our filming site for this episode. Everyone must perform well, as it could affect sponsorship for the second half of the year."

The director’s mention of sponsorship had the entire crew, including Jay Cross, excited: "But that’s the Sterling Group! Imagine the sponsorship amount—it could mean a raise by next year!"

"Don’t get too excited yet. Didn’t Sterling Group reject sponsoring our show before? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Who knows? They suddenly prioritized attention on this episode; maybe it’s because of Anna?"

"No way! You think just a few scandals could get Anna linked to President Sterling?" Jay Cross scoffed, "She probably hasn’t even seen Conrad in person. I suspect those recent news pieces were self-orchestrated with doctored pictures—so why didn’t she dare answer my questions?"

"Will we get to see President Sterling?" Female staff present grew excited, "I heard he’s taller and more handsome in person than in magazines—I’m thrilled!"

"Don’t start daydreaming; do you think President Sterling has time to visit a small show like ours?"

Jay Cross continued to dampen spirits, "They might just send some lower-level employees to show face. But as long as it’s Sterling Group representatives, they’re our god of wealth. I’ll be sure to put on a good performance, director!"