Chapter 7 Quit Acting So Demure

• Accompanied by several assistants and managers, Estelle held onto Jackson’s arm intimately, whispering something into his ear as if they were the only people there. Jackson seemed to be in a jovial mood as a gentle smile graced his lips.
• There was once when Noelle would swoon every time he smiled like that, but within just a year, everything had changed for her; it seemed like the world had moved on.
• “Get out of the way!” The male assistant taking the lead stepped out of the elevator and rudely shoved Noelle aside, opening a path for the two superstars.
• When Jojo saw the two of them, she immediately plastered a smile on her face and respectfully greeted, “Estelle, Mr. Hayes, good morning!”
• Estelle only gave her a slight nod, but Jackson’s gaze was fixated on an overly calm Noelle.
• This was the first time that he was seeing Noelle after a year.
• “Oh Noelle, you’re here too.” Estelle came over when she noticed Noelle. She beamed and tried to grab Noelle’s hand, but the latter casually evaded her touch.
• Estelle wore an expression of hurt on her face as she waved her entourage away.
• “It’s been a long time, Noelle. How have you been?”
• What Estelle received in return for her kind concern were Noelle’s indifference and silence.
• “Noelle, how long haven’t you been home? Mom and Dad miss you very much, especially Dad. He’s not very well. You should go back and visit him more often. Why don’t you come home with me tonight?” Estelle snuggled up against Jackson and pretended to be considerate, but all that came out of her mouth were complaints about Noelle.
• With an ice-cold expression, Noelle’s gaze fell on their entwined hands, but she remained silent.
• “Noelle, your sister is talking to you,” Jackson chided Noelle, unable to take it anymore.
• A year ago, Noelle had suspected that Estelle was the one who had slept with Jackson, but seeing them in real life still caused her heart to ache.
• What do they expect me to say? Congratulations? Or something along the lines of go f**k yourselves?
• “Are you mad at me, Noelle?” Seeing that Noelle was about to leave, Estelle’s eyes reddened with imminent tears. “I’m sorry. Jackson was once about to be my brother-in-law, so I know that I shouldn’t have accepted him so soon... If it really bothers you, I can break things off with Jackson...”
• “Estelle!” Jackson wrapped his arms around Estelle and protested in a gentle voice, “We didn’t do anything wrong. Why should we break up?”
• Then, he shot an icy glare at Noelle as if her existence was a liability to him. “Noelle, if you must get upset, get upset at someone else. This has nothing to do with Estelle. If you...”
• He hadn’t yet finished his sentence, but Noelle had treated him as if he were air. She walked straight past the two of them, stepping into the elevator before pressing for the doors to close.
• She didn’t falter at all throughout the whole process. Even after the elevator doors had closed, Jackson’s mouth was still awkwardly half-open.
• “Jackson, Noelle hasn’t forgiven us yet. What should we do? We still need to work together here in the future. I’m so worried...”
• “She’s the one who’s supposed to feel ashamed, Estelle, not us!”
• “But...”
• “No buts!”
• Estelle’s delicate appearance made Jackson’s heart squeeze in his chest. Slightly angered, he tugged her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Let’s just go.”
• “Sophia, did you really arrange a social drinking session with Steven Miller?” Noelle cut right to the chase upon reaching the office.
• “So you found out?” Sophia ceaselessly clicked her pen on the table, trying to conceal her guilty conscience. “Yes, there’s a social drinking session tonight. Steven Miller intends to invest in Shining Entertainment’s new movie, but the details haven’t been settled yet. You should attend the party and sweet talk to him a little. You’ve got nothing to lose!”
• “Nothing to lose? Sophia, it’s common knowledge that Steven Miller is a real sicko. There was once when he stuffed ice cubes into a female artist’s vagina, which caused her menstrual cycles to become abnormal further down the line. Do you want me to follow in her footsteps? Wow, Sophia, you treat me so well!” Noelle’s heart sank into an abyss and she felt extremely disappointed in Sophia.
• “It’s not that serious, and you won’t be the only one who’s going. All the girls from PR will be going too. Just stay sharp and stay low. Mr. Miller might not even notice you! But Noelle, you’re currently in a very awkward position at Shining Entertainment. If you don’t step up your game, it’s only a matter of time before you get ignored by everyone!”
• Noelle was rendered inarticulate by Sophia. People in showbiz had always been realistic, and bootlicking was common. There was no one that she could blame.
• Seeing her remain silent, Sophia couldn’t stand it anymore as she uttered, “Actually, there might be a way for you to sit this one out...”
• Upon hearing that there could be a chance to turn things around, Noelle looked expectantly at Sophia.
• Sophia smiled. “For example, if you admit that you’re the president of Pierce Group, Dominic Pierce’s girlfriend, then...”
• “Impossible!” Noelle looked despaired. She had actually thought that Sophia had a solid plan.
• “Accept your fate then!”
• Sophia stood up and looked at Noelle as if there was something she wanted to say.
• “Just spit it out!” From the look on Sophia’s face, Noelle knew that she wouldn’t like what she was going to hear. Even so, she had already fallen so low, so there was nothing that she couldn’t handle.
• “Estelle has just signed a brokerage agreement with Shining Entertainment. Jackson has also joined the company as a shareholder. Don’t be upset at me, Noelle, but with Estelle here, your chances of making a comeback will be slim to none...”
• Sophia sounded regretful, and Noelle instantly understood her.
• “So, Steven Miller’s party was Estelle’s doing, am I right?”
• Sophia didn’t speak, but her silence was enough of an answer.
• “So it was her!” Noelle sneered. Her suspicions were confirmed. Estelle’s kindness was merely an act to fool outsiders.
• Steven’s private party was held in one of the most famous luxury clubs in J City.
• Just as Sophia had said, there were many girls present. To please Steven, they had worn branded dresses that either had deep V-necks or were body-hugging. Barefaced and wearing a lilac maxi dress, Noelle stood out amongst the rest.
• She bowed her head as she trailed after the seductively dressed women; she was the last to enter the room that Steven had booked in advance.
• With the pounding music assaulting her ears, Noelle found a corner to sit at as soon as she stepped in.
• She thought that if she remained silent and dressed plainly, Steven wouldn’t spare her a second glance. After all, there were so many scantily dressed women here who were enough to attract his attention.
• However, her worries were about to become a reality.
• Noelle’s noble and pure appearance was a class above the rest, making her look eye-catching even amongst the multitude of women. Steven had immediately spotted her with a single glance.
• Naomi, the intermediary of this party introduced the girls to Steven one after the other. When it was Noelle’s turn, she kept her head lowered and extended her hand toward Steven who was seated in the middle of the sofa. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Miller.”
• “Oh, aren’t you the famous starlet from back then, Ms. Hooper? Come, come. Sit here.” Steven’s eyes glinted dangerously as he held on to her hand with no intention of letting go. He kneaded her hand and even tried pulling her to sit beside him.
• Noelle suppressed the sense of nausea that she felt in her stomach as she shot Naomi a pleading look, recalling that Sophia had asked the woman to look out for her.
• To her horror, Naomi merely turned a blind eye to her signals, patting her on the shoulder instead. “Keep Mr. Miller company, Noelle. Mr. Miller will make sure that you’re treated well.”
• Anger rose in Noelle’s heart, and she was about to refuse when Steven yanked her down to sit beside him. “Quit acting so demure. When you’re here, what I say goes!”