Chapter 1717 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part Two)
"So, if you're fine with paying more, then I can tell my father to charge you even more." Edward said in a playful tone, though, he was just messing with Rain. Of course he wouldn't do that.
"What the hell, Edward? I am broke as fuck! Besides, now I have a wife and two kids to provide for! You just can't do that to me!" Rain whined aloud. Had he known that Edward might do this, he wouldn't have acted that he didn't care about money at all.
"Well, it's out of my hands. You'll have to discuss it with my father." Edward didn't lend any credence to Rain's complaints. He knew that Rain was a wealthy man. He earned more money at the FX International Group in a year, than most people earned in their whole life- time. He could easily afford to pay for professional bodyguards.
"Well, I don't dare to complain to your father." He knew how frightening Edward's father could be, and he would never seek to cross him. That would never happen.
"Then there is nothing I can do about it." Edward just shrugged helplessly with an indifferent look on his face, acting like there was really nothing he could do to help Rain.
"All right, all right, if that makes you happy. I have to go now. There are other matters that require my attention. And Edward, remember what I said." With these words and a small wave, Rain headed for the door and a mission of great importance to him. "Where are you going?" Edward asked him with a knowing glint in his eyes.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
"I'll tell you later, don't miss me too much." Rain replied over his shoulder without a backward glance, and then he was gone.
"What a cheeky bastard," Edward mumbled under his breath, feeling amused. Rain had a new lease on life, it seemed, but to be honest, Edward was really happy for his friend. For a moment longer Edward studied the door which Rain had disappeared through, then he picked up some reports and continued working.
Today they were filming the commercial outdoors, so Annie was weighed down by a big backpack loaded with jewelry samples and anything else that she might need. Despite it still being winter, Annie had a layer of sweat beading her brow. Shooting outdoors was really tiring.
"Miss An, can you help me polish my shoes? Look, they are a bit dirty. I am afraid it will affect the result of the whole commercial." Eleanor called out to her. She had disliked Annie at first sight. There was no obvious reason why she took a loathing to the talented young designer, but her gut told her that this woman could cause her some serious difficulty. So, whenever she got a chance, she would try to make Annie's life unpleasant.
"Well, sorry. That's not my job," Annie bluntly refused her unreasonable request. She couldn't understand why Eleanor thought she could ask her to polish her shoes for God's sake! She was neither her assistant, nor her agent. She was not responsible for her shoes, or any other menial tasks. Annie felt slighted by the spiteful request. Who did she think she was, to ask Annie to polish her shoes for her?
"But I am representing your brand image, correct? So, you should be responsible for the design and finish. Am I right?" Eleanor was a typical diva: all cocky and arrogant. She acted like she was entitled to be pampered and fawned over by everyone. In fact, she hadn't dared to be so petty to Annie when they were at the company facilities, because Belinda was there. But now, it was different. There was no one to back Annie up, and Eleanor could now do and say anything she wanted to.
"No. I am only responsible for making my designs be showcased effectively on the model. That's my only job here. I am not responsible for you and your shoes, let alone polishing them for you." Annie couldn't help but get angry at Eleanor's behavior. To be honest, Eleanor was definitely the most difficult model she had ever worked with, and her lack of professionalism frustrated the shit out of her. She didn't know when to stop and was arrogant for no reason. Besides, she wasn't as good a model as she believed.
"What if I demand that you polish my shoes?" Eleanor growled harshly. She was becoming vexed at Annie's refusal. In her mind, Annie had no right to rebuff her like this. She was merely a jewelry designer, nothing more. Besides, she needed her modeling skills to do this commercial and sell her jewelry. She should do as instructed.
"Then I refuse!" Annie answered firmly, without a second's hesitation. Eleanor's unreasonableness was making Annie angry now. This model was impossible to get along with, let alone work with.
"Fine. If you don't polish my shoes right now, I will not finish shooting the commercial for you." Eleanor arrogantly raised her chin, glaring at Annie proudly. She seemed satisfied that her behavior would be accepted and win her this argument.
"How about I personally polish your shoes for you, huh?" Rain interrupted suddenly. Both women looked around startled, as he had appeared out of nowhere. Standing casually, with his hands in his pockets, he stared Eleanor down coldly. She was frightened by his glacial gaze. She had never seen him act like this before, and she instantly regretted that she had not kept her mouth shut earlier.
"Mr... Mr. Xia. What on earth are you doing here?" To say Eleanor was rattled was an understatement. She was utterly shocked at Rain's presence. She never expected that he would attend today's shoot. She realized that he must have heard their heated exchange and now he might think poorly of her. She didn't want that to happen. What she didn't know was that even if she had been nice to Annie, Rain still would not like her.
"If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have seen such an interesting drama happening in front of me. What do you say, Miss Xiao?" Rain glanced at Annie in concern, then turned his head to fix Eleanor in place with an angry,. stone cold glare. Though he acted calm and collected, inside he fumed over Eleanor's attitude and words. He wouldn't stand for his wife-to-be being treated like dirt by some random and insignificant woman.
Annie hadn't expected Rain's arrival either; so, she felt unsure of how to react now. It was embarrassing for her that Rain was seeing her being treated so disrespectfully by a model. It was humiliating that it appeared like she couldn't deal with Eleanor herself, and needed Rain's help.
"Um. You... you misunderstood. It's just us girls teasing and bantering. It was a joke, really. Am I right, Miss An?" Eleanor's eyes pleaded with Annie for support and help out of this awful mess she was now in. But of course Annie wouldn't help her after her appalling attitude towards her. She just ignored Eleanor and pretended not to notice her silent appeal. Instead, she lowered her head and started sorting out the contents of the backpack.
"Well, it seems, Miss Xiao, that you really enjoy acting. If you like acting so much, then I have a golden opportunity for your skills. Our company just signed on the production of a new movie. There is a role in the flick that is quite suitable for you, in my opinion." Rain's tone was businesslike, but there was a cold mirth flickering in his eyes. Of course he wouldn't let this woman's insulting treatment of his beloved go unpunished. She would surely pay for her actions.00000