Love Contract

Chapter 48 Shoot

There was a trace of misery in the air. Mary looked displeased. Did he want more? She raised her head and her eyes met with William's. His eyes carried the same expression that they'd always had. She laughed at herself because she realized that she was overthinking again.

"I'll change the sheets for you." Mary glared at William and pulled the pile of sheets from under his arms. What happened that night left an indelible shadow in her heart. She had been keeping herself from entering that room again.

Since William had lowered his pride and begged for her cooperation, she was bound to fulfill her duties as his 'good wife' that he bought with his wealth.

Mary bent over and meticulously laid out the bed sheets.

William stood behind her with his arms crossed.

It was so quiet in the room that they could almost hear each other's breathing. Mary felt that the burning eyes on her back had been glaring at her all this time, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

"Have you taken care of what happened?" Mary broke the eerie atmosphere. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

"Yeah." Naturally, William understood what she meant by "what happened".

"That's good to know." Mary nodded. She could finally visit her mother at the hospital without the paparazzi chasing her everywhere. She didn't want the person she wanted to protect the most to be dragged into her problems.

"Do you want to shoot an ad?"

William said out of the blue.

"Are you asking me?" After she finished with the bed sheets, Mary turned around and stared at William.

"That's right."

"I'm not interested." Mary's eyes remained cold as she walked past him. "You can sleep now."

"You're going to be paid handsomely. Don't you want the money?" William scowled.

"I don't need it." Mary closed the door behind her without looking back. It was merely an accident that she acted in a TV opera. If she ever advertised again, she wasn't sure how it would turn out.

Even if she needed the money now, she understood which money should be earned, and what she shouldn't dare to earn.

William shook his head in disbelief and threw himself onto the bed. The bed was filled with a mellow fragrance which helped him relax his senses, and it induced a peaceful sleep.

Early in the morning, when William got up to open the door, the smell of food coming from the kitchen wafted into his nose. A half-smile appeared on his face as he made his way to the kitchen, but his smile quickly faded when he saw that Mary was already at the door, changing her shoes.

Before he had the chance to speak, Mary had already walked out of the house, leaving only the sound of the door closing behind her.

William was not happy that she was still avoiding him. Then he caught a glimpse of the large wedding photo on the wall. The smiles on both of their faces were as beautiful as flowers, but at this moment, that picture was nothing but a great irony.

The morning sunshine illuminated the meeting room.

"I think it would be better if we let Victor have this shoot." Manager Zhang of the Planning Department said, "Recently, Victor has received a lot of attention from the media. If he's in the pictures, it will definitely attract a lot of attention."

"This time, we're going to shoot a commercial for our company's real estate, and the main theme is the word 'warm'," someone retorted. "Even if Victor is famous, he doesn't fit into this theme."

"Yes, I see." These words created a heated discussion.

William sat at the forefront, listening to everyone's opinions. He hardly participated in the discussion, and was absent-minded for most of the time.

He was puzzled by his actions last night. He wondered why he had asked Mary to be the actress in this commercial. Was it because of the director's suggestion? Or was it because he thought her acting was perfect last time?

"In my opinion," another person said, "We can find a model couple in the entertainment circle and let them act in this publicity video together, which reflects our company's interpretation of the word 'home'."

"That's actually a good idea."

"Yes, that could work!"

A husband and wife? Home?

William knocked on the table with his fingers, his eyes showed signs of absolute confidence. His voice was not loud, but he had gravitas. This was the biggest move he had done since he entered the meeting room.

Everyone inside the room gave him their attention. "How about this?" said William unhurriedly, "My wife, Mary, and I will star in this promotional video together."

As soon as he said this, the whole meeting room was in an uproar, and doubtful eyes were cast towards William.

"We are a married couple, and also the head of the company," said William. His eyes gleamed with certainty. "Let us star in the commercial for the building, and it will undoubtedly increase the confidence of the consumers."

"Yes!" Manager Zhao slammed his hands on the table. "We can turn the promotional video into a public welfare commercial, which will erase the utilitarian branding of the company, and it will better reflect our concept of 'home'."

"It can also make up for the accident caused by the previous accident and restore the company's image."

"He's right. That's right!"

"So, you all agree then?" William nodded with satisfaction.

When Kevin relayed the results to Mary, she did not look happy about the resolution.

What kind of public welfare commercial were they talking about? Did it mean she wouldn't be paid? According to the terms of the contract, 'Party B must try to cooperate with Party A's work under all possible conditions'. William invoked this clause to successfully force Mary to comply.

If she knew that she couldn't escape the fate of making the commercial sooner or later, she would just accept William's proposal. At least that way, she could get paid.

But it was inconceivable to think that William would act in an advertisement.

"Come with me to the studio this afternoon." William stood in front of Mary's desk and spoke arrogantly.

"Got it." Mary raised her head and glanced at him.

"Are you going to eat?"

"Mr. Lan, please go on without me, I still have some work to finish."

Mary gave him an indifferent expression and a cold tone. Was she still the same Mary who would jump up and down when she heard that she had gotten a raise? Was this still the woman who would smile when she knew that he had brought her some delicious food? William was taken aback.

He snorted and went to his office.

The moment he turned around, Mary suddenly raised her head. 'What's wrong with William? He seems to be fawning over me. Is he trying to atone for his sins?' The studio was bustling, and people went back and forth, trying to set up the props.

While their arms were intertwined, Mary's back stiffed when she smelled the light fragrance coming from William.

That same scent always reminded her of that crazy night they had together.

Seeing that William and Mary had arrived, Director Cui welcomed them in person.

"Oh, you're finally here." Director Cui said with a smile, "You two are a perfect match. You look no less than the actors themselves!"

"I'm flattered," William replied, "But I do apologize in advance if we make mistakes later."

"Don't say that."

After some small talk, the director walked them through the details of the commercial.

"In all honesty, there's no need for you to act," Director Cui proudly declared. "Just show us what you do to express your love to each other at home. Try to be natural and don't panic..."

The corners of Mary's mouth twitched. 'Aren't we acting already? I'm sure it can't get any more natural than this.'

"The first scene will show Mr. Lan playing the piano, while Mrs. Lan watches him affectionately. Then the two of them will lovingly embrace each other. The second scene will portray Mrs. Lan cooking in the kitchen. Mr. Lan will gently walk over to his wife and hug her from behind."

Mary's face turned sour. What she feared the most was coming. She had sworn off any physical contact with William, but the director told her otherwise.

"It's quite simple, isn't it?" The more Director Cui spoke, the more excited he became. "These are just ordinary scenes. It's not that difficult. Please read the script. We'll be starting soon."

"Understood." William smiled and nodded.

"You're going to play the piano? You know how to?" Mary asked. Although William came from a 'rich' family, he didn't have the breeding that a person from a 'rich' family should have.

He was bossy, stingy, neat freak, and had a face devoid of emotion. She couldn't imagine him playing the piano at all, and it made her chuckle.

"I guess you're going to find out when you see it." William grinned from ear to ear. He didn't seem to care about Mary's doubts about him.

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Well, boss, I'll be waiting for you to display your talent."

In the dressing room, Amelia was dressing Mary up. "I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still so beautiful." "Amelia, you're also beautiful too." Mary smiled.

"Mary, which suit do you think looks best on me?" William appeared out of the blue and asked.

"You have a designer, and a stylist. Why are you asking me?" Mary closed her eyes and waited for Amelia to put on her makeup.

"I value your opinion the most."

Huh... Mary stifled a sneer and calmly responded, "The blue one."

"Why?"

"Because your surname is Lan." (In Chinese, 'blue' is called 'Ian'.)

"Puff..." The two of them remained

expressionless, but Amelia couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I never knew Mrs. Lan can say such wonderful words!" Amelia kept smiling unabated. "Mr. Lan is really blessed to have such a wife."

"Indeed, I am." William did not refute. He raised his eyebrows and left the dressing room.

"Mary, would you like a blue dress?" Amelia teased.

"Forget it. My surname is not Lan."

With her hair coiled up, Mary wore a creamy white dress with a blue belt. Walking around with an eight centimeter high heels, she looked regal and elegant.

As soon as she walked out of the dressing room, she saw that William was already sitting before the piano.

Did he really wear a blue suit?

As if he felt Mary's gaze on his back, William slowly turned around with a warm smile on his face.

"My wife, allow me to play a song for you, okay?"

Behind him was a gentle ray of sunshine, and his body was covered in a halo of light. He wore a sapphire blue suit and a beige tie, which matched perfectly with Mary's dress.

His tall figure, elegant smile, and the sapphire blue suit fitted him well.

He slowly sat in front of the piano, and placed his slender fingers on the black and white keys. The corners of his mouth slightly raised. He glanced at Mary again and his fingers started moving.

Mary took two steps forward. The expression on her face was incredulous. She was shocked and intoxicated.

In everyone's eyes, the scene was nothing short of magical. "Victor, let's go. You still have work tonight." Jorge patted Victor who was clearly stunned.

Victor frowned and said nothing. He went the studio to take a few sets of photos. But when he finished changing and got out of his dressing room, he saw that William and Mary were shooting for the advertisement.

He was so jealous that the beautiful Mary was standing with William. But what made him even more jealous was the way she gazed at him.

It seemed as if the two of them were the only ones remaining in the world, and there was only one person she could see; and it was William. There was so much passion in her eyes, and it almost drove Victor insane.

Victor clasped his hands together until his knuckles cracked. "Let's go," he snorted.

'William, do you want to crash and burn?'