Chapter 104 - 103
When the man shot him a cold look, Sean Grant immediately backed down, raising his hands in surrender. "Just kidding, just kidding..."
’What a boring guy,’ Sean Grant grumbled internally. ’How’s he supposed to get any woman to like him acting like that?’
In the restaurant’s private room, the others were making small talk. Joanna Kennedy glanced at the time. Ten minutes had passed.
’The main sponsor is still the main sponsor,’ she thought. ’No one dares to get upset, even when he’s late.’
Just as Joanna was thinking this, the private room door was pushed open, accompanied by a man’s clear voice. "Sorry, everyone. I’m late."
He said he was sorry, but his face showed not a hint of remorse.
The director immediately shot up to welcome him. "Oh, President Grant, please, don’t say that..."
’Hm, President Grant, not Junior Mr. Grant,’ Sean Grant noted, very pleased.
Everyone else at the table, understanding the social niceties, also rose to their feet.
"President Grant."
"Hello, President Grant..."
"..."
Joanna was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing who this was, and she greeted him along with the crowd.
Although they had added each other on WeChat and interacted a few times, this was actually the first time Joanna had met Sean Grant, her current big boss, in person.
The man’s signature ash-gray hair made him difficult not to recognize.
’He’s the biggest investor for this film?’ Joanna was still a bit surprised.
Sean Grant always put on a respectable front when he was out, so he nodded with mature composure, shooting a barely perceptible glance to his right.
Joanna: "..."
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
The lead actress sat to the right of the seat of honor, with the director and lead actor to the left. Sean Grant’s steps faltered for a second. Then, with a quick shift of his eyes, he walked past the main seat under everyone’s astonished gazes and sat down right next to Joanna.
Joanna, abruptly subjected to the baptism of everyone’s unified stare, felt her lips twitch.
A playful glint appeared in the eyes of Owen Jennings, who had remained an outside observer until now.
The director was the first to react. "President Grant, you truly are a great boss, looking out for your company’s artists like this..."
With a single sentence, he had provided a reason for Sean Grant’s behavior.
It was perfectly normal for a boss to back one of his own artists, but most of the people there didn’t think that was all there was to it.
They were all in the industry; stories of bosses keeping their own artists as lovers were all too common.
Fullstar had suddenly acquired the agency, assigned Joanna a top-tier manager, and Joanna had managed to walk away from several trending scandals completely unscathed. Who didn’t know she had a powerful backer?
Now, it looked like that backer was none other than the young president of Fullstar himself.
Sitting in the corner, a flash of jealousy flickered in Nora Nash’s eyes, unseen by anyone.
"Joanna is one of our company’s most outstanding artists. The kid’s still quite young," Sean Grant said earnestly, putting on the air of a concerned boss. "I hope you will all take good care of her."
The crowd, the director: "..."
Little Jojo: "..."
’Who the hell has ever seen a 24-year-old "kid"?! There’s even a 22-year-old here!’
Joanna wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
’She knew this boss of hers wasn’t the brightest, but she never imagined he was *this* bad!’
"Ah... hahaha." The director forced a gentle smile onto his weathered face. "Yes, yes, Joanna is indeed outstanding. Rest assured, President Grant, our crew has a wonderful atmosphere."
"Mm..." Sean Grant nodded.
"So, about that additional investment..."
Sean Grant raised an eyebrow. "Anytime."
The director’s face instantly broke into a wide smile, and the others began chiming in with compliments.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the guests began to depart. Joanna stood up to leave as well, but her sleeve was tugged.
"?"
Sean Grant, his expression impassive, was exchanging final pleasantries with the director, one hand still tugging on her clothes to keep her from leaving.
Joanna rolled her eyes wordlessly and sat back down to eat a few more pieces of crispy pork.
After finally saying his goodbyes, Sean Grant winked at her. Joanna resignedly followed behind him.
Once they were out of the restaurant and in Julie’s car, Joanna couldn’t hold back any longer. "Boss, are you coming back to the hotel with me?"
Most of the people staying at the hotel were actors from the cast. If they saw Sean Grant, the sugar daddy rumors would be all but confirmed.
Sean Grant, whether clueless or simply unconcerned, answered resoundingly, "Yeah. Where else am I supposed to sleep tonight?"
Joanna: "..." ’On the street,’ she thought.
Perhaps her expression was too hard to describe, because Sean Grant hugged himself and explained, "Don’t worry. A brother’s wife is off-limits. I won’t sleep in the same room as you."
’He wasn’t about to be a third wheel.’
Joanna: "..."
’So goofy, and yet he’s the boss... Heh heh heh...’
She said through gritted teeth, "That’s not what I meant at all."
It was a classic case of what you fear is what you get. The moment she got out of the car, Joanna tried her best to avoid walking with Sean Grant, but he insisted on sticking to her side, pestering her with questions.
And they ran right into Owen Jennings, who had also just arrived.
Owen Jennings’s gaze swept over the two of them, and he said with a grin, "President Grant, you’re staying at this hotel too?"
Sean Grant gave a slightly reserved nod.
Owen Jennings, still the picture of a bright and cheerful young man, said, "Well then, I won’t disturb your rest, President Grant."
"Jojo, I’ll come find you in a bit to run lines," he suddenly added.
Sean Grant’s eyes widened, and Joanna was dumbfounded. Just as she was about to refuse, Owen Jennings had already made a swift exit.
Joanna frowned, displeased.
’Run lines this late at night? What on earth was Owen Jennings thinking?’
Sean Grant, however, wasn’t thinking about any of that. His tone was urgent. "Hey, why are you running lines with a male actor at night? Let me tell you, that’s not happening tonight. You need to reject him right now!"
Resisting the urge to punch him, Joanna explained, "We’ve never run lines together before!"
But Sean Grant didn’t believe her and kept chattering away. From a distance, the two of them looked very close as they walked.
Not far away, a figure stirred beneath a tree. Nora Nash looked with satisfaction at the photos she had just taken, then sent them to an unsaved number.
As the front desk staff came over to greet them, Joanna seized the opportunity to make a dash for the elevator, leaving Sean Grant behind.
Sean Grant was shouting something behind her, but the elevator doors closed before Joanna could hear clearly. She only vaguely caught something like "You’re so dead."
’Psycho,’ she thought.
With the annoying voice finally gone, Joanna sighed in relief. She took out her keycard, and the door opened with a BEEP. The first thing she heard was the sound of running water from the bathroom.
’Someone’s here?’
Her hands moved faster than her brain. She shoved the bathroom door open. It wasn’t locked, so it swung open easily.
The pristine white bathroom was filled with steam, and a thin layer of fog coated the mirror.
A tall, sculpted male figure stood under the shower. He had a long neck and sharp, elegant lines. A wide expanse of powerful, well-defined abs tapered down to tantalizing V-lines. It was a sight that made the blood rush, a body made of pure masculine hormones.
A single water droplet slid from his dark eyelashes. With one hand, Simon Lockwood turned off the shower. Shrouded in mist, his Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. His breathing was heavy, his dark eyes were shadowed, and he cast a casual glance her way.
Joanna was completely stunned. Her gaze subconsciously slid downward for a glance.
"Enjoying the view?" The man’s voice was deep and husky, as if he were desperately suppressing something.
Joanna remained dazed. She couldn’t help but swallow, murmuring, "Very nice..."