Chapter 5 New Partner
1533 Words
Clark nearly choked on his food.
His mind raced—how the hell did Kate know about that?
"You... You're unbelievable..." Clark barked at Kate.
"Enough, Clark," Christopher snapped, slamming his hand on the table. "No talking while eating. I thought you knew that!"
Clark fell silent, grumbling under his breath as he shoved a bite in his mouth.
Christopher then turned to Kate with a soft smile. "Kate, you should have more. You're too skinny. Whenever you have time, come and stay with us."
"Sure, Grandpa," Kate replied with a smile.
"Good girl!" Christopher beamed.
Clark could only grit his teeth and glared at the scene. He grumbled under his breath, 'No talking while eating!'
As the meal went on, Fiona couldn't keep her eyes off Kate.
Fiona knew David had definitely tried to talk to Kate yesterday, but why hadn't Kate brought up the endorsement deal?
Finally, Kate spoke up, "Grandpa, about the endorsement..."
Fiona's ears perked up instantly, and a smug grin spread across her face.
'I knew it! Kate wouldn't dare defy David,' Fiona thought with a smug smile.
"What about it, Kate?" Christopher asked, looking up from his plate.
"Well, here's the thing..." Kate hesitated, drawing out the moment.
Fiona felt her impatience rising, ready to push Kate to spill the beans.
She couldn't hold back anymore and said, "Grandpa, Kate must be nervous. I mean, she's never endorsed such a high-end brand before."
"Yeah," Kate said with a nod.
Fiona tried hard to press her smile as she added, "If it's alright with you, I could replace Kate... just until she's ready."
"But since you gave me this opportunity, I'll do my best, and I won't disappoint you, Grandpa!" Kate's tone was firm and determined.
Christopher's face lit up. "That's my girl! I believe in you, Kate."
Fiona's face froze, her mind racing. 'No, this can't be happening! Things aren't supposed to go like this!'
Christopher shot a sharp look at Fiona and said, "Fiona, didn't I tell you yesterday? Keep your hands off Kate's resources. Do you have a short memory or what?"
"I'm not... I just wanna show Kate some care... I never want to snatch anything from her!" Fiona began to protest.
Christopher cut her off with a cold snort and turned his attention back to Kate.
Clark leaned in and whispered to Fiona, "Don't worry. Kate can't pull this off. The endorsement's still yours in the end."
"I actually hope she nails it," Fiona said with feigning sweetness.
Clark scoffed, "Fiona, you're just too nice!"
After breakfast, Kate was headed for the studio.
Fiona stopped her before she could leave and said, "Kate, why didn't you wear any makeup today? I told you, you look so much better with it. Without makeup... well..." Fiona let her words trail off with a look of disgust. "David and I both think you look terrible."
Fiona's words were deliberately harsh, hoping to make Kate feel insecure, so she'd cover up her beautiful face with cheap makeup.
Fiona couldn't stand how flawless Kate's skin was—smooth, delicate, and perfect, which was a clear gift from the Bennett family genes.
'But what does it matter? Kate is still a fool who believes anything I say,' thought Fiona.
"Really? Well, it's nice to know I can make people I hate uncomfortable. Looks like I'll be rocking the natural look more often!" Kate casually ran her fingers over her face and smiled.
Fiona's lips parted in shock, but before she could respond, Kate was already in the car and drove off.
Fiona stood there and stared at her figure with fury.
She cursed inwardly, 'Kate, you dare defy me? Just wait, you'll regret it!'
Inside the car, Kate sorted through the mess in her mind.
The original Kate was a no-name, struggling actress.
This endorsement deal was a chance to finally break into the big brands, something she could never have dreamed of without Christopher's support.
The car pulled up to the studio, and just as Kate stepped out, she ran right into David.
He was wearing sunglasses and had a furious look on his face. "Kate, how dare you show up here? I told you to give the endorsement to Fiona! Are you deaf or just stupid?"
Kate casually poked her ear and protested, "Keep it down. Your bark is too loud."
David's face turned purple with rage. He screamed in his mind, 'How dare she talk to me like that? Oh, I get it now. She doesn't want to give up the deal.'
"You think you're going to shoot this ad with me? I can barely stand the sight of you. If you weren't from the Hastings family, I would've kicked you out of the industry already. I'm giving you one last chance—back out of this deal, or I'll make sure you never work in showbiz again!" David threatened.
David was fuming inside as he thought, 'This i***t should be scared, huh?'
"Oh? Well, you're impressive" Kate barely glanced at him before walking into the studio.
David stood there, completely stunned.
He wondered, 'Is she really this crazy? Does she seriously want to work with me on the endorsement? That bitch... She doesn't listen to me now? Fine, she'll regret it.'
He spun on his heel and stormed off into his car. His assistant, still trying to process the scene, asked, "Sie, aren't we shooting today? This gig's a huge deal."
"Forget it, tell the brand if they want me, they better ditch Kate. I'm not working with her. She makes me sick." David was sure the brand would choose him over Kate.
Meanwhile, Kate entered the studio and was led to the makeup area.
With just a light touch of makeup, her face was nothing short of stunning. The makeup artist couldn't help but exclaim, "Ms. Hastings, you're so gorgeous! Were you just pretending to be ugly before?"
Kate smiled and thought bitterly, 'Pretending? No, I was just manipulated by Fiona into thinking I was ugly without makeup.'
She used to wear heavy, ugly makeup every day, all because Fiona had convinced her she looked terrible without it.
Once her makeup was finished, Kate waited outside. Soon, a man in a black, edgy punk outfit walked in, furiously talking on the phone, "What? He actually threatened me? If he's got a problem, he can stay the hell away!"
One of the staff rushed over and asked, "Mr. Jones, what's going on?"
Ryan Jones scowled and replied while looking around, "David's not coming. Where's Kate?"
The staff pointed toward Kate and answered, "That's Ms. Hastings."
"Holy s**t!" Ryan was dumbfounded while staring at Kate. "What magic did you guys use on her?!"
Kate forced a smile and thought, 'Ryan's still so jumpy.'
Ryan's irritation quickly melted away. He thought David didn't want to work with Kate, and it was his loss.
Ryan had planned to just grab some random substitute, but now that he saw Kate's beauty, he thought it was hard to find anyone to shoot with her.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head.
"Ms. Hastings, I think I know just the person to pair you up with!"
After speaking, Ryan immediately ran out to make a call.
The phone picked up, and a cold voice answered, "I'm not drinking."
Ryan rolled his eyes and replied, "Man, do you think I'm calling you just for drinks? I have work to do, you know!"
"What's up?"
Ryan explained with a grin, "I need a male model for an ad. David bailed on me, and now I need someone to step in. Could you help me out? It'll only take a minute."
"I'm busy." The voice was firm.
Ryan had anticipated the answer, but he didn't give up. "Maximilian, come on, I know you're the best. I was going to pull in some random guy, but Kate is incredible. Once she gets her makeup on, she's stunning. The two of you together will definitely be a hit! I can already see the future awards piling up! Come on, just do me this solid."
Maximilian was about to turn Ryan down when he heard the name—Kate.
Kate's stunning face in the street light that night appeared in Maximilian's mind.
He paused for a moment and said, "I'll check my schedule."
"Thanks, man!" Ryan's voice was almost too chipper.
Kate was growing impatient waiting in the studio. Just when she thought she'd be stuck there forever, Ryan came back.
"I found the perfect guy for you. But he's a bit special, so he's not showing his face. We'll need to clear out all the other people before we start the shoot," Ryan explained. Kate was curious about who the hell could be so mysterious.
A few minutes later, a tall figure appeared at the door. At first, Kate thought she was imagining things.
Her partner who was going to shoot the ad with her was actually... Maximilian.
"Hey, bro!" Ryan rushed over to greet Maximilian.
Maximilian nodded, and his piercing gaze locked onto Kate's face. Kate felt her heart skip a beat. For some reason, being in front of him made her unusually nervous.
- Writer
