Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 40: A Small Gathering

Riley Perry smiled at the young waitress, who looked to be fifteen or sixteen at most, and asked, "Do you have any private rooms? There will be about... five, six, seven, or eight of us."

The girl couldn’t help but chuckle. "Yes, we do. There’s still one large private room available. I’ll take you there."

It was summer, so most people preferred to eat barbecue outside. Only celebrities like Riley Perry, who were worried about being recognized, would opt for a private room. As a result, the outdoor seating was nearly full, while most of the private rooms inside were empty.

The young waitress led Riley Perry into the large private room and turned on the air conditioning. Riley immediately sent her location to Chloe Sterling, along with the name of the restaurant.

"Miss, would you like to order some food first? That way, you won’t have to wait when your friends get here."

Riley Perry didn’t even look at the menu. "Just grill a bit of everything you have and bring it over. Oh, and a hundred lamb skewers—half mild, half not spicy."

After speaking, she turned to Rocco. "Order whatever you like."

Rocco didn’t hold back. Having been by Riley Perry’s side for the past few days, he had come to understand her a bit. She had an amazing personality, like a little sun, making friends wherever she went. There wasn’t a fake or pretentious bone in her body.

"I’ll have five chicken head skewers and five squid skewers, plus an order of lamb chops. That’s all for now."

He’d been to this place before. Their grilled lamb chops were the best—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and without any gamey taste. They were exceptionally good.

A short while later, Chloe Sterling arrived, dragging her young assistant and Talia White along. Both women were thoroughly disguised. It couldn’t be helped. Chloe was one thing, but Talia was a second-tier actress. Even if she wasn’t a top-tier star, she still had over twenty million fans. Getting recognized would be a huge hassle.

"Tanya, why didn’t your man come?"

Talia White pulled down her mask and sat next to Chloe Sterling. "I didn’t ask him to come. He has to watch his weight, or he’ll probably lose those abs." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Chloe Sterling felt a pang of sympathy for Jordan Joyce. ’How much delicious food has Mr. Joyce given up just to please his girlfriend?’

Seeing that the grilled skewers were already being served, she ordered several bottles of beer. "Barbecue and beer, a match made in heaven! Come on, everyone, let’s have a toast!"

Talia White took a small sip of beer, picked up a skewer, and started eating as she chatted. "How are things going on your set? Is the shoot going smoothly?"

Riley Perry put on a pair of disposable gloves and handed everyone a grilled lamb chop. "We’ve been filming all night, every night. Today was the first time I wrapped before nine, so I had to call you all for a get-together."

Talia White was a slow eater. She didn’t gain weight easily, so an occasional late-night snack was fine, but she still didn’t dare to eat too much. That’s why she always made a point to eat slowly. "Raymond Warren hasn’t been bothering you again, has he?"

Riley Perry’s lips curved into a smile. "I didn’t even give him my contact information. If he dares to come knocking on my door, I’ll dare to beat him up."

"Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a young woman; you can’t seriously be thinking of using violence to solve your problems. It’ll just blow up in your face."

"You might not know about Raymond Warren’s family. They own a company. That’s the only reason he doesn’t have bodyguards everywhere, because his acting career isn’t big enough yet and he only gets minor roles. Even if you know a few martial arts moves, you’re no match for grown men like that."

’There’s probably no one in this world I can’t beat,’ Riley thought. Still, Tanya was just looking out for her, so she couldn’t brush off the kind warning. "Okay, I’ll listen to you, Tanya. If he really comes knocking on my door, I just won’t open it."

"Mhm, that’s the right idea. If he shows up, call hotel security. If worse comes to worst, you can even call the police." In reality, the best course of action would be to notify her agent, but Riley Perry’s agent had only stayed for a day before leaving and was nowhere nearby.

Riley Perry nodded obediently. Just then, the waitress brought in another platter of skewers. Riley picked up a pig’s trotter and put it in Talia White’s bowl. "Here, Tanya, eat up. It’s good for your collagen."

Chloe Sterling feigned jealousy. "You’ve already given Tanya food twice. Why don’t I get to replenish anything?"

Talia White secretly rolled her eyes. She was a very elegant person, so even an eye-roll had to be subtle.

Riley Perry quickly grabbed one for her, even though there were several more on the platter. "Here, here, you get one too."

Rocco also took one and placed it in front of Mabel Shaw. "You have some too. I hear this is good for women."

Mabel Shaw’s expression remained unchanged, her face still a stoic mask. "Thank you."

"By the way, Chloe, you’re almost done filming your scenes, right?"

Chloe Sterling’s face fell at the mention of it. "Yeah. To be honest, Director Quinn’s production is the most pleasant set I’ve ever worked on. I really don’t want to go."

Riley Perry teased her, "Well, that’s simple. Once you’re done, you can just be an extra on the *Starfire* set. You’d still be here, right?"

"Are you trying to wind me up? Girl, I’m a minor celebrity with several million fans, for crying out loud! If I actually became an extra, Ms. Shaw would murder me!"

Riley Perry giggled. "You’re not even happy that filming is wrapping up. You’re so unambitious!"

She raised her beer toward the others. "Come on, another toast! If I were you, I would’ve quit showbiz ages ago. What’s not to love about being a rich heiress? All you’d have to do is eat and shop all day!"

After clinking her glass with theirs, Talia White chimed in, "If I came from a family like that, I wouldn’t have gotten into this business either."

She and Jordan Joyce had both grown up in the countryside—they were even from the same village. When Jordan was in college, he was discovered by a talent scout. He took the offer after hearing that actors could make a ton of money.

Things worked out for him, in the end. He became a Best Actor award-winner and did, in fact, make a lot of money.

As for her, her mother had always told her that men couldn’t be trusted and a woman had to rely on herself. "Work hard and earn a lot of money while you’re young," she’d said, "so you’ll have a safety net when you’re old." And so, Talia had followed Jordan Joyce into the business.

Riley Perry started rallying the troops again. "Come on, another round! Here’s to all of us working hard, making tons of money, retiring early, and living a life of leisure!"

Rocco, seeing that she had already finished four bottles of beer, teased, "Ria, you can really hold your liquor."

Riley Perry blinked her large eyes twice. "...Your Ria here can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk!"

None of them had ever gone drinking with her before, so no one actually knew her tolerance. Still, it was obvious that drinking a thousand cups without getting drunk was an exaggeration.

As she ate and drank, Riley Perry kept a mental tally. ’One lamb chop, one pig’s trotter, a large squid skewer, two chicken gizzard skewers, a beef tendon skewer, a chive skewer, eight lamb skewers, and eight bottles of beer... I can’t eat any more, or they’ll think I have a second stomach.’

Talia White took her last bite. "I can’t eat another bite. You all can finish the rest."

Chloe Sterling patted her stomach. "Same here. I’m stuffed."

The girls all turned their gazes to the only man at the table: Rocco.

Rocco said, "I’m stuffed too, but I can take the leftovers back for the guys."

Riley Perry waved a hand dismissively. "I’ll go settle the bill, then. We can head back together after."

It was 11:30 PM. Perfect timing to head back and get a good night’s sleep.