Chapter 5
Oliver nodded. “Yes, we are.
“I don’t care about your past with Grace, but she’s tired and needs rest. Stop bothering her.”
With that, Oliver wasted no time and took me out of the place.
***
On the way back, Oliver and I sat in the back seat.
Neither of us spoke at first, but I could tell he had a lot on his mind, so I decided to tell him about my past with Antonio.
The more I spoke, the more his brows furrowed.
“He and I aren’t really in a relationship. We were just two people who helped each other through a rough time.” I glanced at Oliver and jokingly asked, “But you really don’t care about the investment? After what you just said to Antonio?”
Oliver paused and lazily grinned. “Grace, it’s me who’s not interested in continuing the collaboration.
“It’s just the investment. I can handle it myself if it comes to that.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Not bad, Mr. Brooks. If he does pull out, you can’t blame me, alright?”
Oliver chuckled, rulling my hair. “Not a chance. If I’m not blaming you, then who should I blame?”
Cheer
”
The mood was lighter than expected, and it felt easy with Oliver.
This was how we’d
pressure.
1 since we met three years ago, comfortable. No
When we arrived, Oliver showed me to my room, even making the bed himself. “I’ll be upstairs. Call me if you need anything.
“The maid has been cleaning the place, but she didn’t make the bed. I’ll have someone come in tomorrow to tidy up,” Oliver explained.
Just as he finished speaking, the bed was already made. He turned back and flashed a smile at me. “You’ll have to make do and stay for the night.”
I looked around at the neatly arranged room and nodded with a smile. “Thanks, Mr. Brooks, for even making the bed yourself. I really appreciate it.”
“Stop being cheeky.”
Once everything was settled, Oliver went to rest. But after a while, he suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
I froze, my hands still in the air, unsure of how to respond.
But he held me even tighter, his voice soft in my car. “Grace, it’s been so long.”
I quickly threw myself into the movie shoot, spending my days immersed in the script on set and heading home with Oliver after work.
He was a great cook, and within just a few days, I had put on a few pounds.
One evening, as we were walking out together, Oliver turned to me with a grin “What’s for dinner? Didn’t you want BBQ Ribs last time?”
Chapter 5
“Enough, Oliver! Haven’t you noticed how much weight I’ve gained?”
Just as we were joking around. Antonio suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking our path.
He’d been showing up at the set a lot these days, always seeming like he had something to say but never actually saying it. I’d been avoiding him on purpose, but now there was no escaping it.
“Mr. Kaufman, if you’re still worried about the progress or quality of the movie, you can pull your investment now. I won’t charge you any penalty,” Oliver said, his tone cold.
But Antonio completely ignored him, stepping right in front of me and asking, almost pitifully, “Gracie, I’d like to take you out to dinner. I have a lot I need to talk to you about.
I knew that if I didn’t agree, he’d just keep hounding me.
So, I sighed in resignation, nodded, and then looked at Oliver. “You go ahead, I’ll talk to him.”
“Grace…” Oliver seemed like he wanted to say something but ultimately just bit his tongue. With a cold look, he muttered, “I’ll wait for you to come back for dinner.”
After shooting Antonio one last glare, Oliver stormed off.
Once he was out of sight, I turned back to Antonio. “If you have something to say, you can say it here.
“But I don’t think we have anything left to talk about.”
Antonio’s face twisted with bitterness as he looked at me. “You’re lying. You promised that when you came back, we’d sit down and talk.”
“But when I went to find you, you were gone. I thought you’d gone back to Vivian’s place, but she said you hadn’t been there. I drove all the way back to the county to look for you, and she said you hadn’t returned.
“Gracie… Do you have any idea how hopeless I felt in that moment?”
I looked at him, his face full of pain, but I felt nothing inside. In fact, all I could think about was whether Oliver would make me BBQ Ribs later.
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”
“Antonio, you chose Graycee. I wish you
both the best, and that’s why I
left.” I paused, shrugging. “Besides, we never really had anything between us anyway.”
“Grace!”
He shouted, his eyes now red with emotion. “You really think we had
nothing bus?
“You saved my life. You worked four jobs to support me. You… you made me fall for you, and now you’re telling me all of that meant nothing?
