As the day was ending, the director announced that the script needed some minor revisions, so they would take a two-day break. Cierra breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that her deadline for shooting the kiss scene had been pushed back by two days. She decided to go to the DVD store across from her house after filming and rent some romantic movies to study.
"Miya, let me drive you home!" After filming, An An happily jogged over to Cierra. When she applied for the assistant position, it was mentioned that she needed her own vehicle to transport the artist. Although Miya hadn't been in the workforce long, she already had a small domestic car.
"Your name is Miya, right? No worries, I'll take Cierra home today. I have some script matters to discuss with her."
The mythical great director descended from his pedestal, and the assistant's heart was pounding. She felt overwhelmed by his pheromones, not inferior to the two main actors. She felt she might faint in front of her idol and could only nod repeatedly, unable to speak.
Standing by, Cierra hadn't been alone with Basil for a long time. She also wanted to ask about Basil's upcoming plans, so after saying goodbye to Miya, she followed Basil to the car.
"How's your hand?" Basil asked. Nowadays, if not intentionally, he barely spoke to her all day on set.
"Better. It hasn't hurt these past few days. The doctor said if the recovery goes well, I might start simple rehab early." The first few days, the doctor prescribed painkillers, but she felt much better recently, and the doctor stopped the medication after her last visit.
"I see," Basil narrowed his long eyes slightly, looking at the woman's hands on her lap. The cast on her right hand hadn't been removed, contrasting humorously with her uninjured left hand. His gaze involuntarily drifted to her slender white left fingers, the nude nail polish making her nails look rounded and pretty, evoking a sense of fondness.
He suddenly felt the car's air conditioning wasn't cold enough. Subconsciously, he checked the automatic system but found nothing wrong, so he undid a button on his chest to relieve his restlessness. His well-defined knuckles and sleek arm lines, coupled with a few effortless movements, exuded a sacred, untouchable aura, leaving Cierra, who was about to ask him work-related questions, momentarily speechless.
"How did you get this?"
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Basil turned his head just in time to catch her lovestruck gaze. Cierra was grateful her drool delayed falling, as she managed to close her mouth in time.
The older man was truly charming, elegant, gentlemanly... Darnell's praise of Basil's twenty or so merits suddenly surfaced in her mind. He was indeed a paragon of numerous virtues, except for his poor judgment in people. Could poor eyesight still be treated at his age? Even if he used dilating drops, it was too late. An inexplicable sense of sadness welled up...
"By the way, I think I'll be terminating my appointment with your company soon," Basil suddenly continued, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Why? Do you think I'm not doing well or not working hard enough?" When she first heard Basil say this, Cierra only felt she was being denied by him again. But this denial was more humiliating than when they first met. Her chest hurt, and tears seemed about to fall.
Basil just shook his head.
"Or did the task succeed? Did you agree to date Lettie?" Cierra's throat felt bitter, and she choked up, unable to say anything more. If that were the case, it would truly be a thunderbolt out of the blue, she thought.
Basil nodded and then shook his head with a calm expression, "In any case, you no longer need to serve as my love manager."
Cierra withdrew her gaze. Nodding and then shaking his head, what did that mean? The old man was still as confusing as before! She stared blankly at her mummified hand; the cast wouldn't come off for another two weeks! She didn't expect to stop being Basil's love manager first. She caught a faintly sour scent in her nose and silently lowered her eyelids.
"However, since the filming will take about two more months to complete, I might have to ask you to take a leave of absence from your company. I'll fully cover the lost wages on their end, and your filming fees will still be paid."
"Alright, thank you,sir"
Basil glanced at her. Why did it feel like her use of "sir" signaled a return to the distance of their first meeting? Was it just his imagination? But his decision to terminate the appointment had been carefully considered. He believed that Cierra had effectively completed the first part of the love manager's task, showing significant results. For the second part, besides wanting to sort out his true feelings, he felt that even if he ultimately decided to date Lettie, the love manager wouldn't have much impact. So, it was better to terminate the appointment at the right time, allowing Cierra more time and energy to focus on filming.
"Are you angry?" However, Cierra's reaction made it hard for him to let go.
"No, why would I be angry? This is my job, after all. Besides, Mr. Logan, the pay you've given me for the film is even better than my salary. I'm more than grateful, why would I be angry with you?"
This time it was Cierra who shook her head. She smiled with her eyes curved and blew Basil a kiss, "Thank you, Mr. Logan. I wish you true happiness." It was just as well. Without the role of love manager, perhaps she could help such a good man find his true love more freely.
Basil's brow furrowed instinctively, very subtly, maybe without him even realizing it, "From now on, you are only my artist. Your scenes might be adjusted, and I'll discuss this with the scriptwriter and send you the revised script as soon as possible." He noticed Cierra's bangs were a bit messy and unconsciously reached out to gently brush them aside.
Cierra murmured an "oh," not knowing what else to say.
She instinctively touched her bangs, feeling that this older man was too gentle, making her feel like crying...
