Chapter 280: Don’t Ever Change
That night, Brooke couldn’t catch a wink of sleep, her thoughts settled on how things went down at the hospital and just what Cassie had come to do.
Thane stayed up with her all night, hugging her tightly to his chest, helping calm her tensed nerves.
The next morning, Brooke went down to set, but was met by some commotion. She noticed a black car parked outside, one she swore to have seen before. Stepping into the inner area, the staff was flocked around somebody, gushing over the stranger.
’Is some famous actor here?’ she thought while navigating through the crowd. But even if he was, he wouldn’t be out exposed in the public.
Unfortunately, Brooke got her answer when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Miss Larson?"
She froze up.
That voice. No, it couldn’t be...
Quickly she turned around, only to find herself staring at Ethan Halton! The staff, parted way for him to walk towards her, all eyes directed at the two.
"It is you! I’m glad I caught you!" Ethan called out to her.
Brooke’s chest tightened. Why the hell was he here? And why was he making such a scene?
She got her answer when Lucas had her sitting across from Ethan at a table, to discuss some further sponsorship plans.
"Brooke, as you may already know, this is Mr Ethan Halton, and he’s decided to invest in this movie." Lucas said, barely able to contain the excitement he was feeling.
However, director Flynn had a suspicious look on his face.
First, it was the Grayson heir. Then some rich heir from a foreign country, and now the richest man in the city wanted to be involved in this movie.
Something about Brooke seemed awfully suspicious.
Brooke kept a straight face, "I see." She forced a response.
Ethan cracked a smile, "Does my presence intimidate you? Please, feel free around me Miss Larson."
Lucas chimed, "Brooke, Mr Halton has expressed his faith in your capabilities."
Brooke balled her fists under the table, trying to contain the emotions swelling inside. "I’m sorry, it’s just hard for me to wrap my head around this. I’m laddened in scandals, and a complete greenhorn in the industry. What about me could have piqued your interest Mr Halton?"
Ethan’s smile twitched, but he quickly recovered, "You strike me as a hard worker-" before he could finish Brooke cut him off.
"Not to mention your fiancé and I are not on good terms with each other. I can’t imagine Miss Crane knows about your interest in sponsorship and is fine with it." She added, purposefully infuriating Ethan.
She knew he hated it when people interrupted him or spoke back. And now, in front of all these people, she knew he couldn’t do a single thing to harm her.
Ethan clenched his jaw.
He had suffered a great deal to find the filming location, but someone kept blocking his sources, as though they were intentionally trying to keep him away from her.
But when the recent scandal surfaced with pictures, his investigator was able to pinpoint her location at long last.
To Lucas he asked, "Could I have a moment with Miss Larson? There are some things I want to ask her."
Director Flynn replied, "Is it something the rest of us can’t hear?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes, "I haven’t fully decided on sponsoring this movie, I need to ask Miss Larson here some more questions. Or what? Is that not allowed?"
Lucas nodded, "Of course you can." He stood up and signalled the director to follow, giving them the room.
Once they were gone, Ethan got up and charged at Brooke, however before he could a red dot appeared on his white shirt. He would not have noticed it on time, had he not perceived how calm Brooke was.
His wife would’ve fallen over herself, scared to death of him.
"What the hell is this?" He demanded, staring at the red dot pointed at his chest.
Brooke’s phone vibrated on the table, she picked it up slowly to see a text message from an unknown number.
-"Mrs Grayson, am I allowed to open fire? Nod, if yes. Wave off, if no."-
Brooke rolled her tongue around her mouth. She recalled Thane saying something to her earlier about tightening her security, but she imagined he meant increasing her bodyguards.
Realizing she had ignored him for nearly a minute, Ethan raised his angry fist, "Brooke! I said you a question-" his loud voice was met by Brooke’s soft yet sharp reprimand.
"If I were you I’d behave myself, your life is in my hands Ethan." She told him, her eyes narrowed into a glare.
Ethan scoffed, "Oh, you think you can kill me? I own you Brooke! You know that better than anyone."
Brooke shook her head, feeling stupid for ever being scared of someone like Ethan in the first place.
She got up, "I don’t know what it is you came here hoping to achieve, but if I were you I’d stop now. Don’t interfere with this movie Ethan."
"Oh? Are you threatening me? What old man did you suck off? I always knew the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I should’ve known that you were a skank, just like your sister." He taunted, his eyes following Brooke as she gathered her things.
Brooke sighed, "Hopeless." She shook her head slowly from side to side.
The condescending look in her eye, as though she were better than him made him forget about the sniper and try to attack her from behind.
*Crack*
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat when the glass of water next to him was shot into a thousand pieces.
This wasn’t some bluff? Did his vegetable wife really have someone backing her up?
Brooke made for the door, unbothered, but stopped just as she reached for the handle. "Oh, and tell Cassie that I really was worried about her back at the hospital."
Ethan raised a brow, hospital? Had the two met and Cassie had kept it from him?!
"What are you-"
Brooke cut him off again. "I was worried she was going to get off the hook so easily by dying. I’m grateful that she’s still the same, that you’re all still the same." She flung her head over her shoulder and tossed him the biggest smile he had ever seen.
"Please, all of you, stay the way you’ve always been. Don’t ever change." She told him then walked out of the room.