Chapter 047: Half-Blocked

Solas clenched his fist and held it to his lips, turning his head to give a dry cough. A suspicious flush crept up behind his ears. The corners of his mouth wanted to turn up, but he pressed them down, then they tried to rise again, and he pressed them down once more.

After a long silence, he managed a response: "...Mm."

Seraphina Pierce wanted to burst out laughing.

This was truly too interesting.

Life ought to be this colorful and diverse; it should never be like her past life again—filled with nothing but sorrow and confusion.

"Well then, Brother Solas, let's go."

Solas didn't dare look at her. He slowly lowered his hand from his lips, his gaze drifting aimlessly: "...Oh, alright."

Seraphina bit her lip to hide a smile.

The atmosphere was just right.

Solas started the car and was about to pull away when someone appeared in front of the vehicle, blocking their path.

Gloria.

With the way blocked, the car couldn't leave and had to come to a halt.

"Wait a moment," Solas said softly to Seraphina.

She was an artist under his company. Appearing suddenly to block the car like this—Solas knew very well she wasn't here for Seraphina; she was looking for him.

It made him very unhappy.

Was there no end to these people?

Since when did his company have such an indiscreet artist?

It seemed he was usually too good-tempered, failing to strike enough fear into his subordinates.

If the executives at Marvel Media knew Solas was thinking this, their expressions would be quite something. Marvel Media had achieved such brilliant results in just eight years of its founding; as the master of the company, how could Solas be someone whose "good temper" failed to command authority?

Initially, Seraphina's smile had faded slightly when Gloria appeared, but seeing Solas's expression, she suddenly felt it was nothing to worry about.

Excellent. It looked like Solas wouldn't have the slightest interest in Gloria.

The first "rotten peach blossom" had been successfully half-blocked.

"It's fine," she said with a smile.

Gloria's heart was in her throat as she blocked the car.

She was terrified of provoking Solas.

But she had already made the move, and seeing Seraphina sitting in Solas's passenger seat fueled her unwillingness. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward and knocked on the window.

The window slid down, and Solas's expression was indifferent: "Is something the matter?"

Gloria glanced through the window at Seraphina, who sat there with a calm, faint smile. She tightened her grip on her handbag and withdrew her gaze, acting demurely: "Director Sterling, it's like this... I came here with a friend, but my friend isn't leaving yet, and I happen to have some business to attend to. Could you give me a lift?"

"If I remember correctly, you are an artist under Marvel. Who is your manager?"

Gloria was stunned, not knowing why he asked this. Meeting those deep, unfathomable eyes, she suddenly felt a surge of unease.

"My manager is... is Manager Chen Xiao."

"Chen Xiao? I'll have to have my assistant ask her when Marvel started lacking cars to arrange for its artists!" Chen Xiao was considered a star manager at Marvel; it wasn't strange for Solas to remember her name.

Gloria's face turned pale.

She knew her manager’s temperament better than anyone. If Chen Xiao found out she had offended the big boss and dragged her into it, Gloria would definitely have a miserable time!

It was even possible that the resources originally intended for her would be reassigned to other artists under the manager.

That couldn't happen!

She had no background; here, her manager held a great deal of power. Blacklisting her would be all too easy!

She hurriedly pretended to take out her phone to check. "I contacted Manager Chen earlier, and she did arrange a car to pick me up, but the traffic was a bit heavy and I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time. I just saw a message from my assistant saying he's almost at the high school, so I won't trouble you, Director Sterling."

"Please don't misunderstand, Director Sterling. Manager Chen has always been very responsible with her artists. Today was just a special circumstance, and I was afraid of being recognized in public, making it hard to get away, so I didn't take a taxi directly. I just happened to run into you and thought I could hitch a ride..."

Under Solas's unruffled gaze, Gloria’s confidence crumbled, and her voice gradually trailed off.

"You go ahead; I'll wait for the assistant."

"Since you know that being recognized in public makes it difficult to get away, remember to be more careful next time. It's good for an artist to have popularity, but I don't want the artists under my company to constantly have messy, 'nonsense' popularity. The company's PR department doesn't exist just to serve a single artist."

This was a warning!

Though not explicitly stated, everyone involved was an adult and certainly not stupid; how could she not hear it?

Suddenly, Gloria’s heart hammered with fear.

If it was easy for a manager to blacklist her, it was even easier for Director Sterling, the owner!

Some people were born superior, and wherever they went, no one dared to bully them—people like Seraphina Pierce.

They were both human; why was the gap so vast?

If she had Seraphina's status or a powerful backer, why would she have to endure such humiliation!

She was so unwilling!

Therefore, no matter what, she had to seize this man before her.

As long as she had him as a backer, who would dare to give her attitude again?

This time she was just unlucky, encountering Director Sterling when he was with Seraphina. Seraphina was the Eldest Miss of the Pierce family, so Director Sterling had to give her some face; after all, the Pierces' status in Seahaven was right there.

If Seraphina wasn't around, Director Sterling surely wouldn't be so cold to her.

She still had great confidence in her own face.

Men—how many of them could withstand temptation?

Despite the external reputation of Director Sterling as someone who kept himself clean, she didn't believe a successful man who had been in the entertainment industry for so many years had no women around him.

He just kept things clean enough that others didn't notice.

"Director Sterling is right to scold me; I'll be more careful next time. Well then... Director Sterling, please take care. I won't delay your time any further."

"Pe—" She also couldn't afford to offend Seraphina Pierce. Her actions just now might have annoyed her, so she wanted to pretend to be friendly and greet Seraphina as well. But suddenly meeting Seraphina’s half-smiling eyes that seemed to see through everything, Gloria’s words got stuck in her throat.

With a stiff face: "Miss Pierce, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Seraphina’s smile was light, making Gloria feel for a split second that what she saw earlier was just an illusion.

But she knew it wasn't.

People from these big families were indeed very different inside than out!

Everyone said Seraphina Pierce was the model of a noble lady, the most dignified and generous, but from what she saw, the woman was clearly incredibly petty.

On the surface, she pretended to be generous and proper, but in reality, she probably held a grudge already!

Unwilling and disdainful, she was also somewhat worried that Seraphina would retaliate against her in secret.

Carrying this complex and apprehensive mood, Gloria watched the car beside her pull away, drive into the distance, and finally disappear from sight.

"The female artists in your company are quite interesting."

As the car drove out of the school, Seraphina suddenly dropped this sentence, giving Solas a real fright.

His heart leaped.

He didn't know why he was startled or why he was so nervous.

Clearly, there was nothing between him and that artist; before today, he didn't even know her name.

"...Why do you say that?"

Seraphina met his gaze and said with a smile: "To be someone with a bit of fame, she actually appeared in a public place like a school without an assistant, apparently not worried about being recognized. And she even blocked the car of her boss to ask for a ride—ordinary artists wouldn't dare do that. Not only wouldn't they dare, they'd probably hide far away from their boss, fearing they'd be punished for wandering recklessly in public without considering the consequences."

"I think I saw a scandal online before concerning that Ms. Gloria and you, Brother Solas."

Solas almost slammed on the brakes.

Out of pure fright.