Chapter 297: An Edge Over The Situation
The drive home was silent, Brooke shifted her gaze to her phone, reading different articles to keep her head busy. Whilst Thane would momentarily steal glances at her, he peered at the article she was reading and raised a brow.
"A drama?" He asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I didn’t think you’d be interested in that."
Brooke sighed, "I got a call from the agency, they said Cassie’s shown interest in playing the lead role. Well, it is what she usually plays, I guess I’m not surprised."
"Do you have an idea on what the drama is about?" Thane inquired, making a stop at the red light.
"If I’m going by the director’s previous works, it’ll be something along the lines of a pure hearted heroine, navigating through the schemes of the villains around her." She casually responded. She glanced at the rearview mirror, at the black briefcase sitting on the backseat.
She noticed the driver slip it in before they left. She thought it might’ve been a gift for Julian, but Thane never took it out.
"How ironic." He scoffed, piercing through her thoughts.
He added, "You shouldn’t think about work or anything right now. Once your movie premiers, we can go abroad for a while, then come back once you’re feeling up for it."
Brooke parted her lips to speak, but she ended up flattening them into a smile. "Sure."
The rest of the ride was spent with back and forth conversation, up until Thane pulled over at the house. Brooke got out of the car, she looked over her shoulder, only to see Thane was still sitting in the driver’s seat.
"Hey, aren’t you coming inside? It’s cold outside." She said, rubbing her palms together.
"I have one last errand to run." He told her.
Brooke blinked twice, "It’s nearly midnight. Can’t it wait till tomorrow?"
"It’s nothing serious, just something I need to deal with at the office. I’ll be back in an hour or so." He told her, then drove off.
Brooke watched his car speed away and could not help the uneasiness she was feeling. Just where could Thane be off to so late at night?
Thane parked his car by an ongoing construction site. He circled to the back seat and pulled out the briefcase. His phone vibrated from his pocket, he slammed the car door as he answered the call.
"Where are you?" He asked, approaching the area.
A cool breeze flapped by, carrying the scent of concrete, dust and...perfume?
Thane disconnected the call and shoved his phone into his pocket. "You’re late." He scolded, raising his gaze from the black pair of shoes, to the knee length skirt, all the way to the grey hoodie she had on.
She pulled down on her white facemask, "I’m sorry, I thought I was being followed and took another route." She said in-between huffs.
Thane held his hand out, presenting her with the briefcase. "That should last you for another three months."
She lowered her head in a bow to receive it, "Thank you-"
"As per our agreement, don’t contact me within these months. And don’t think of leaving the safehouse, I will know." He strictly instructed.
It was bad enough he had to personally make this trip, the last thing he needed was this woman roaming about the streets and getting caught.
"Oh, you’re always so considerate. Even when I insisted you make the errand, you never argued. But then again, you’re the one who benefits from my silence the most." She said, getting on one knee. She inputted the code on the lock and stole a peek inside.
Stacks of wadded cash greeted her kindly, she cracked a grin, "I really must thank you for this."
Thane did not respond, he turned around and made for his car.
"Really, I’m so glad to have a nephew-in-law like you!" Sarah waved at Thane, "And don’t worry, with a cash flow like this, I won’t ever let anybody find me." She said, hugging the briefcase to her chest.
Thane got in his car and drove away, he had already paid her the money they agreed on, and all in cash, so he knew she would not double cross him.
After all, someone like Sarah only needed cash thrown at them to stay quiet...
"I’ve had my people look around, but that wench has disappeared into thin air. She hasn’t used her credit card or made a single call with her phone. It’s like she’s become a ghost." Scott stated, stress lines forming across his forehead.
Cassie scoffed, "Maybe she went back? She realized she couldn’t syphon any money out of me and gave up."
Serena nodded, "Sarah has always loved playing saint. Maybe she realized no one here will fall for her bullshit. Let’s not think about her anymore, it’s not like she can do anything to harm us. She’s basically useless to us."
Scott hissed, "I shouldn’t have bothered asking the two of you." To him, his sister and niece were the real useless people.
Changing the subject, he asked, "And what about Brooke? I hear her movie will be out this month."
Cassie dropped her fork, her eyes annoyed, "That mediocre film? Please!"
"Mediocre? The Grayson heir and Kayden Reginald are two of the sponsors! Why didn’t you act in that movie?" He demanded, failing to see why Cassie wasn’t utilizing her opportunities.
But Cassie could not have cared any less. She curled her lips into a grin, "Kayden was just being petty, that illegitimate kid will do anything to piss me off. And I hear the Grayson heir is investing in different kinds of businesses. So throwing a bit of cash at a charity case isn’t anything special. And besides, don’t think that having money means a film is going to be successful."
Scott narrowed his brows, "And what does that mean?"
Cassie exchanged all knows glances with Serena.
Her mother grinned, "Brother, let’s just say that we’ve been in this industry for a long time. We have the edge over the situation."