Chapter 36

Josiah’s deep, clear voice echoed casually, a playful simile on his lips. “Yosef, since she’s sincerely thanking you, just accept it gracefully.”

Yosef paused, considering. “What’s going on? Is Josiah trying to keep Sienna from finding out the truth? Afraid she’ll keep bothering him? Alright, I’ll accept it on Josiah’s behalf.”

“It was just a small favor,” Yosef continued, “so I accept your thanks.”

“Okay. By the way…” Sienna remembered something, holding up the nearly folded tie. “Your tie, here you go.”

Yosef narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling as he took it.

Sienna explained, “I’ve washed it, dried it with the room’s hairdryer, and ironed it. It’s clean.”

“Alright,” Yosef nodded with a smile. “You’re very attentive.”

“No problem,” she waved it off with a smile. “You must be busy, right? Well, I’ll leave you to it. I don’t want to disturb you.”

Yosef glanced furtively at Josiah. “Should I send a car for you?”

Josiah remained silent.

“No, no need!” Sienna declared. “I’ll take the bus back; it’s very convenient. I’m off, goodbye!” She turned and left.

“Take care on the road!” Yosef called after her.

“Got it!” Sienna replied.

Once Sienna was out of sight, Yosef turned to Josiah. “You were holding me back just now. Are you so afraid she’d cling to you?”

Josiah was taken aback; that wasn’t his intention. He was simply annoyed by Sienna’s feigned memory loss. But since Yosef phrased it that way, he had to agree. “Yeah, what else?”

Yosef shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry, she won’t cling to you anymore. You saw how she was just now, very cold towards you.”

“People’s aesthetics and preferences are constantly changing. Her liking you was a long time ago. You’ve been apart for so many years, even the deepest affection should have faded by now.” Yosef burst into laughter. “She’s been in Flair City for so many years, her tastes now might be more aligned with foreign ones.”

Josiah’s demeanor was indifferent, his lazy tone light and casual. “Is that so? That’s great then.” However, a subtle yet aggressive aura suddenly appeared between his brows. He snatched the tie from Yosef’s hand, crumpled it up near a trash can, and tossed it in. He silently swore. From now on, I won’t bother with her anymore.

That night, Sienna went to Maze. The Dance Queen Competition was underway, and the number of guests at Maze had reached an all-time high these past two days. Henry, the manager, was very satisfied.

After her performance, Sienna received a long-awaited call in the dressing room. “Hello, Derek.”

Derek Pittinian—the assistant director who had added Sienna on WhatsApp last time—was the one Sienna had been waiting to hear from, and finally, she had.

“Genna,” Derek said with a smile. “I’ve got some news about what we discussed last time. The director has a project that needs a dance double. Are you interested?”

Sienna hesitated. “I’m just not sure if any schedule will match up.”

“There are not just you as a dance double,” Derek said. “Like you, they’re all part-time, and we’ll see who’s available when the time comes.” He continued, “I’ve looked around for suitable candidates, but some dance routines are quite heavy. The director will need to see your skills in person.”

“That’s understandable. When are you free?” Sienna asked.

Derek offered a time. “So, tomorrow at 4 PM, is that okay?”

“No problem,” Sienna agreed without hesitation, since it wasn’t during her working hours. “Where should we meet?”

“At the Primerise Cinema. Remember, don’t be late,” Derek said.

“Alright, don’t worry, thank you, Derek.” After hanging up, Sienna couldn’t contain her excitement and jumped up. Unlike last time, this was for a play, or possibly a movie—how much income would it bring! Last time, she danced for a few minutes and earned $130.

The next day, a little after 2:30 PM at Primerise Plaza, Josiah, accompanied by Zach, emerged from the garage and took the elevator to the cinema upstairs, attending Yvette’s movie premiere. Yvette was an artist under East Entertainment, which was founded by Howard, and now Josh had taken over. Naturally, he had to attend the premiere of his top artist.

The premiere was at three, and he arrived early, giving Yvette enough face. It also signaled to everyone in the movie industry that the Flynn family valued Yvette, and her position in the industry would be more secure.

Big shots from the movie industry were busy greeting Josiah, hoping to secure a collaboration with the Flynn Group.

“Mr. Flynn, I have a good script; I wonder if Ms. Young has time to take a look?” asked a director.

Josiah replied, “For such specific matters, contact Yvette directly. I really don’t understand scripts.”

Beside them, people in the industry whispered.

“Yvette is really lucky. After Howard fell, she still has Josiah doting on her, such devotion.”

“Shhh, keep your voice down. Mr. Flynn is here.”

“What are you afraid of? It’s not a secret. Isn’t Mr. Flynn the saint of love! After so many years of silent waiting, who knows if he can finally win the beauty’s heart.”

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Yvette, holding the director Charles’ arm, walked towards Josiah with a smile. “Josiah, you’re here,” she said.

“Mr. Flynn,” Charles added.

Josiah nodded slightly. “I have good news for you. The box office opened, and pre-sales have already exceeded 100 million.” As an investor, he was most concerned about profits and naturally was the first to get the news.

“Really?” Charles laughed. He was more interested in winning awards, but which director wouldn’t want both awards and box office success?

“That’s amazing,” Josiah said.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yvette walked Josiah to the door. His time was limited; he had other commitments to attend to, and just making an appearance was no small feat. They exited through a side door, which led to the inner hallway.

Yvette felt a burst of excitement. “Josiah, I’m really happy today.” Achieving this kind of success felt overwhelming. It was her first major film, and she had previously only played small roles on screen.

“Don’t say that,” Josiah said, handing her a tissue. “It’s only right for me to take care of you. Otherwise, my brother would be worried.”

Yvette carefully picked it up and gently wiped away her tears. “Stop crying, you’ll ruin your makeup,” Josiah said, his movements tender.

Their eyes met; Yvette slowly leaned into his embrace, still gazing up at him as if waiting for something. Fearing she might lose her balance, Josiah instinctively reached to steady her. From afar, it looked as if they were sharing a warm kiss.

Not far away, Sienna strolled in, holding her phone and mumbling to herself, “It should be this way, right? But which door is it?” Just then, she spotted Josiah and Yvette, their eyes locked in an unexpected moment.