That day, Lettie asked Basil to meet at a stylish bar in T city. Basil thought it was time and decided to bring Cierra along.
"Director Han, I shouldn't go, right? Won't I ruin your plans?" Cierra smoothed the creases of her delicate white dress, the one Darnell had chosen for her on their first meeting.
"Just smile and relax when you get there. I'll handle everything." Basil turned slightly to look at her outfit. "Did Darnell pick that dress for you?"
"Yes, he said he'd bill you for it. Didn't you know?" Cierra adjusted the top of her dress, feeling a bit more comfortable.
It's all Darnell's fault! He initially chose a designer mini dress with so little fabric in the front that it exposed half of her chest. Since she wasn't into exhibitionism, she firmly refused to even try it on. The white dress she wore now was Darnell's second pick, but it only covered a quarter more of her chest compared to the first one.
"I'm not aware of these things. Jakayla usually handles the company's finances. I just sign off on them."
"Tsk!" Cierra rolled her eyes at Basil. This sounded like something only a wealthy young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth, completely ignorant of the struggles of the common folk, would say.
"By the way, weren't there rumors already? Mr. Logan, you should just go with the flow and agree to be with her. Or better yet, hold a press conference in the name of a savior, announce your investment in making her the leading actress. Isn't that an effortless solution?" They were nearing the agreed meeting place, and Cierra spoke with some urgency.
"If you're worried about our contract, there's no problem. Basically, if you win Lettie over now, it will be entirely due to your own supreme charm and ability, Mr. Logan. I'll apply to the company to refund any costs you've incurred."
On one hand, she didn't want to take advantage of Basil; on the other hand, since coming here, she couldn't help but wonder if every time traveler had a mission. Some came to reverse past tragedies, or to find and repay benefactors. For someone like her, who had been thrust into this world headlong and without a clue, it must be a rare case!
If she helped Basil and Lettie, the characters in this story, get together successfully, would that count as a job well done, allowing her to return to her original world from this misplaced timeline?
This world was fine, but she was still quite resentful about the six lost years. More importantly, she had ambitions and dreams to fulfill. She wanted to continue to delve deeply into academic fields and eventually shine there. Becoming a love bounty hunter or entering the entertainment industry could not replace these dreams.
"Feelings that are too easily obtained are not cherished. Besides, food that others compete for always seems more delicious," Basil hinted.
Cierra nodded helplessly. Although she didn't understand why this man was still pretending to be reserved when he might just need one last push to win the beauty, the one spending the money was the boss. It seemed she had no place to intervene.
When they arrived at the tavern, Lettie was already waiting. Her outfit today showed a deliberate attempt to be low-key yet could not hide her star quality. The pure white dress highlighted her graceful figure. Her long, romantic waves of hair were neatly tucked behind her ears, revealing her delicate earlobes adorned with dangling ruby earrings that swayed temptingly.
Cierra turned to look at Basil, only to find him seemingly unmoved. She felt puzzled. This wasn't right. Where was the promised heart-throbbing moment? Why was it so different from the descriptions in Cynthia's novel?
"Basil, over here!" Lettie spotted them as they walked in and waved.
However, when her gaze fell on Cierra, who was walking beside Basil, although her green eyes smiled, the smile did not reach her eyes, and her gaze turned cold.
"And who is this pretty little girl?" Lettie asked as she took Cierra's hand, feigning intimacy.
"Her name is Cierra, the first artist I signed," Basil said as he walked to the long table and gestured for Cierra to sit beside him.
"Are you investing in your own agency?"
"It's still in the planning stage. I was going to discuss this with you today," Basil said as he ordered a Coke for Cierra.
"Coke again?" Cierra shook her head reluctantly. More Coke. She suddenly regretted letting him know she ordered non-alcoholic drinks at the nightclub that day.
"Or do you want Sprite? Your alcohol tolerance is low. Don't you remember getting drunk on just a bit of red wine at my place that day? I don't want to have to carry you home later."
"Oh!"
Cierra stuck her tongue out at Basil.
She had almost forgotten until he mentioned it. That day at Basil's house, she had her first taste of red wine. If Basil hadn't woken her up and sent her home around six in the evening, she would have slept through to the next morning.
Their seemingly friendly interaction did not escape Lettie's notice as she sat nearby. She concealed the sharpness in her eyes, pursed her beautiful lips, and silently observed this woman rumored to be romantically linked with Basil, as if assessing prey from across the rectangular table.
