My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 129: A Wild Boar Can’t Eat Fine Bran
The consequence of Owen Rhodes returning from his business trip was Stella Sterling being completely unable to get up the next morning.
Owen Rhodes tried to wake her at his usual time that morning.
She heard him.
Her eyelids fluttered, but she just rolled over and went right back to sleep.
Of course, Owen Rhodes didn’t mind.
’She’s been working so hard; it’s no big deal if she takes a day off.’
So when Ken arrived to pick Stella up, Owen Rhodes simply told him that she’d be getting up later and to wait for her in the living room.
Ken knew Stella’s sleep schedule all too well. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
If she wasn’t up by now, her entire morning was basically a write-off.
He was happy to have the free time, so he made himself comfortable in the living room and got absorbed in playing video games.
A little after ten, Faye Rhodes called to ask why Stella hadn’t come to the studio and if something was wrong.
Ken replied, "Something definitely happened. Probably a capital offense, a matter of life and death."
Faye Rhodes: "?"
Ken leaned back lazily into the soft sofa, waving a dismissive hand as if she could see him.
"Tsk, it’s complicated. I can’t really explain it to a kid like you. My boss isn’t up yet. It’s an old habit of hers. We’ll just have to see when she decides to grace us with her presence."
Faye Rhodes had heard Ken talk about Stella’s hellish, nocturnal schedule from back in the day.
So she wasn’t surprised to hear him say that and accepted it without another thought.
Since Stella wasn’t coming in to work that morning, Maurice Ford and Sutton also found themselves with half a day off.
As it happened, Maurice Ford had a new task, so he decided to use the free time to start drawing the storyboards for the new music video.
Maurice Ford was a television director signed with Vantage Pictures.
He had studied under a master of cinematography and was quite skilled in his own right. A realistic drama he directed last year had become a massive hit, earning him an excellent reputation within the industry.
He was currently supposed to be on vacation while preparing for his next series.
With time on his hands, he heard the company was looking for a director for Zion Shawcross’s new music video.
Silas Jacobs had personally brokered the deal, and since Maurice was free anyway, he accepted the gig.
Sutton was an editor and Maurice’s long-time creative partner, so Maurice brought him along for the project.
When Faye Rhodes returned from her phone call, she saw Maurice Ford hunched over and drawing something.
There wasn’t a large enough table in the equipment room, so he was using the dining table.
Curious about what a director’s work entailed, Faye Rhodes walked over for a look.
"What are you drawing, Maurice?"
Maurice Ford glanced up at her. "Oh, storyboards for the new MV."
She had been on set for the filming of Zion Shawcross’s last music video, so she knew what storyboards were.
"Storyboards? For Zion’s new MV? I thought it was going to be a stop-motion animation using the paintings. Does that still need storyboards?"
Maurice nodded.
"Henry called me yesterday. He said the new MV needs a narrative plot, so I’m designing one now. What do you think of this story? A young woman, oppressed by her family, unleashes her emotions through her art and achieves dazzling success."
Faye’s brow twitched the moment she heard that.
She frowned slightly. "Why a young woman?"
Considering Zion Shawcross himself, the rock style of the song, and his fanbase, a music video focusing solely on a young woman’s story just didn’t seem fitting.
Maurice stuck out a finger and pointed toward the ceiling. "The higher-ups forced a female lead on us. Don’t know who it is, but she must have connections."
"Then why use painting as an outlet?"
There are plenty of ways to release your emotions. Why painting, specifically?
Besides, the paintings are from a real artist. If the MV needs a female painter, why not just have Stella appear in it herself?
’But Maurice said the higher-ups forced a female lead on them.’
Just as Faye was pondering this, she heard Maurice add, "The company is insisting that the female lead be a painter."
Something instantly clicked for Faye.
’If they actually go through with this, public speculation will run rampant. Everyone will assume the female lead is meant to be Umi.’
’If it were just some random actress they’d slotted in, that would be one thing. But what if...’
Faye abruptly recalled how vehemently Jean Yates had opposed Stella signing the contract, and how she had pushed so hard to recommend Kiana Sterling instead.
"Maurice, have you heard who they’re bringing in?"
Maurice shook his head, then crooked a finger at Faye, beckoning her closer.
"I think this whole thing is a bit shady, too," he said in a low voice. "I’m just a worker bee, so it’s not my place to say anything. But isn’t your uncle on good terms with President Jacobs? Maybe you could get him to ask around?"
Creative types despise plagiarism and infringement above all else.
Even though Umi signed a contract with the company, this whole maneuver felt deeply wrong.
Maurice had his own creative work stolen back when he was a student, so he had a visceral hatred for this sort of thing.
He didn’t have much influence, so his words wouldn’t carry any weight.
But Faye was one of the Rhodeses, and the artist in question had a special relationship with Owen Rhodes. No matter how he looked at it, there was no downside to him blowing the whistle to her.
Faye smiled at him. "Thanks, Maurice. I’ll treat you to dinner sometime."
With that, Faye hurried off.
Maurice watched her retreating figure and sighed, then lowered his head and went back to drawing his storyboards.
’Regardless, the new music video has to be shot. It all just depends on who they cast as the female lead.’
’That wasn’t up to him. He’d just focus on the job he was given.’
’I hope this all gets resolved properly.’
...
「Lanthos Bay.」
At noon, since Ken was waiting for Stella, Tate prepared lunch at the usual time and called him to the table.
Ken went to the dining room and took a look.
There were five dishes and a soup on the table—all for him, or at most, for him and Stella.
Tate’s cooking skills were, of course, superb. The aroma wafted into his nostrils, and Ken was suddenly starving.
But he was a guest, after all. It wouldn’t be right for him to sit down and eat all by himself.
He didn’t care if Stella was awake or not anymore. Ken immediately began to spam-call her.
He barraged her with one phone call and voice call after another, refusing to believe she wouldn’t eventually get up.
Sure enough, after seven or eight calls in a row, Stella finally picked up.
A sleepy "Hello?" came from Stella through the receiver.
Ken eyed the dishes on the table as he spoke into the phone. "Well, Your Highness, you’ve finally decided to wake up. Go wash up so we can have lunch. I’m starving."
Stella’s newly-awakened mind was still fuzzy. It took her a moment to process what Ken had said.
"What’s you starving got to do with me?"
"Boss, I’m in your dining room! I can’t just start eating by myself if you’re not here, can I?"
Stella thought he was being too formal. It wasn’t like he hadn’t eaten here alone before.
"You go ahead and eat. I’m going back to sleep for a little while."
"Wait, are you still going to the studio today? If not, I’ll just eat and head out. I can’t just hang around your house all day, can I?"
The real issue was, he was a country boy at heart. He couldn’t get comfortable in a fancy place like this, where every inch of land was worth a fortune.
Ken chattered on for a bit longer.
Stella had still been sleepy, but his pestering had completely chased the drowsiness away. Resigned, she got out of bed to wash up.
Stella’s arm was slowly healing, but she still needed to be careful.
Before going into the bathroom, she pressed the call button, and Tate came upstairs a moment later to help her.
Once she was ready, she went downstairs to have lunch with Ken.
Ken was already at the dining table, chopsticks in hand, bouncing his leg impatiently. He kept glancing toward the staircase, waiting for Stella to appear.
"My dear lady, you’ve finally arrived! I was about to starve to death!"
"You’re not dead yet, are you? Now eat."
Ken looked at her exhausted face and couldn’t help but tease, "Boss, need some... vitality pills?"
