Chapter 722: Chapter 130 For Now, Let It Be
Thump, thump, thump, the sound of knocking roused Avril from her groggy state, finally opening her eyes. It was only after she rubbed her head against the soft pillow a couple of times that she managed to wake up somewhat.
"How long do you plan on sleeping, Avril?" her mother called from outside, knocking on the door, "Don’t feel like getting up?"
"Sorry, Mom... Ah!" Avril had just responded when she turned her head and suddenly screamed. A man was lying right next to her, and beneath the blanket, both bodies were bare.
"What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Judi hurriedly called from the outside.
Startled by the commotion, Adrian finally opened his eyes. He looked at the girl hazily, about to speak, but she quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
"No, it’s nothing. It’s just that... I suddenly realized it’s already 9 o’clock." Avril made eye gestures to Adrian, hurriedly replying to her mother’s question in a loud voice.
"Ha, you finally realize it’s nine? Be honest with me, Avril, what time did you go to bed last night? Are you still angry about that matter? I knew it, after you came out you were still sulking, obviously, you haven’t really forgiven Ed. I bet you were tossing and turning in bed for most of the night and now you’ve even locked the door, it’s really too much," her mother then began to nag through the door.
"Are you listening to me, Avril?" her mother suddenly raised her voice.
"Yes, mom, I’m getting up now," Avril took a deep breath, keeping her voice steady under Adrian’s advances, then replied loudly with an annoyed tone. Though she managed it quite well, her voice wavered on the last word under Adrian’s gentle bite. Fortunately, Judi didn’t notice it and thought her daughter was genuinely irritable, so after a couple more sentences, she finally walked away.
"Bastard! Bastard! You’re such a bastard!" As soon as her mother left, the girl immediately started struggling free of Adrian’s restraint, kicking and hitting with both fists and feet.
Nevertheless, her shouts were still very soft, just like the night before when no matter how excited she was on top of him, she didn’t dare to moan loudly. With Michelle’s bedroom in front and Matthew’s behind, any slight noise might not go unheard.
"Alright, alright, Vini, it’s not like we haven’t done this before," Adrian dodged her blows, saying with a sly grin, "And don’t forget, when I hinted at a nocturnal visit last night, you not only agreed but also left the door for me."
"That’s because you also promised me you wouldn’t stay until the morning!" Avril immediately picked up a pillow and threw it aimlessly, not mentioning that she hadn’t heard a response at the time.
The thing was, after Adrian’s candid persuading the previous night, the girl, having vented all her anger, temporarily set aside the thorn in her heart and soothed her family first. Although she had kept a straight face after coming out with Adrian, it was enough to relieve her parents. After chatting for a bit and preparing for bed, Judy had arranged the bedroom for Adrian right across from Avril’s, so he seized the opportunity to give the girl a look, suggesting a "heart-to-heart" in her room at midnight. Although Avril rolled her eyes, she didn’t outright reject him and also didn’t lock her door, so once everyone was asleep, Adrian silently slipped into her bedroom.
The girl was startled at first, after all, having another person suddenly appear in a pitch-dark room was somewhat frightening. Although she gave a low warning after realizing who it was, after a long day of running around, plus the fact that she had vented her anger and that her brother’s and sister’s rooms were next door and she didn’t dare make too much noise, Adrian soon had his way with her.
"Hey, lazybones, when were you planning to get up?" That was Matthew’s voice.
"My goodness, I never thought I’d encounter this situation; my sister who is always up early is still in her own bedroom not getting up at 9 o’clock." Michelle joined in the teasing.
Avril immediately retorted, but in her preoccupation with the others, she forgot about Adrian, who was watching her like a hawk. The moment she let her guard down, he had her pinned to the bed again for another round of kisses and caresses, and had her thoughts not been clear enough, she might have almost cried out.
"Shut up, you guys, I’m getting up right now!" Although the girl shouted this, her breathing became more and more rapid; Adrian was now groping her firm chest from behind, and his hardness was pressing against her groin. It wasn’t inside, but it kept lingering nearby, which thoroughly confused her thoughts.
Matthew and Michelle didn’t stay long and soon left, but after they were gone, Avril didn’t struggle as she had before; instead, she just bit her lip, her eyes slightly reddened as she looked at Adrian.
Seeing this, he immediately stopped and kissed her cheek, "Alright, no more messing around, sorry."
Adrian sighed internally, realizing that it would still take a long time to break through Vini’s boundaries; she was not like other women, after all, she was the second person to call him "fuck" after Kate. However, getting her to let down her guard for now and agree to go back with him was already a good gain. As long as she was by his side, he wasn’t afraid that she wouldn’t be influenced by him over time.
It had to be said, this little trick, though simple, was very effective. The "please believe me" he had said in Avril’s Los Angeles apartment was intentional, aiming to provoke more of her anger. By allowing her to vent continuously, until all the accumulated negative emotions were released leaving a void, the warm memories would naturally surface. Then, he could take the opportunity to properly comfort her and naturally soften her up.
Adrian didn’t see anything wrong with this; since she never revealed the truth in front of their family, she deserved to have him go to such lengths for her.
"This time going back, don’t always act on your temper, think more, and don’t be too impulsive," her parents nagged incessantly after sending Avril off.
"I know, mom and dad, it won’t happen again, I promise." Although she kept rolling her eyes in secret, she had to lower her stance to deal with her parents, and it was for this reason that she ended up going back with Adrian, knowing full well that he would take liberties with her on the way.
"You made me lose face in front of my family, you bastard!" After waiting until the car was gone and her parents were out of sight, Avril continued her complaints, then glared at him resentfully, "If I’d known, I wouldn’t have covered for you. I should have let mom and dad sue you, let you be utterly disgraced, you know I won’t be 18 until September!"
"Oh? Would you really be so heartless, Vini?" Adrian laughed nonchalantly as he drove, then after his laughter, he looked deeply at the girl in the passenger seat, "That’s why I came to Napanee ahead of you; I will not allow you to leave, by whatever means necessary! No matter where you hide, no matter how you avoid me, even if you sue me as you said just now, I will find a way to catch you and tie you tightly to my side."
Although the statement was incredibly domineering, it was also very sincere, causing the girl to involuntarily cast her gaze out the window. From her slightly flushed profile, it was evident her heart rate had undoubtedly quickened. However, this ambiguous atmosphere persisted only until they boarded the plane. Avril had taken a ride on Adrian’s private jet before when she was pressed for time during a promotional event, but that had been a relatively smaller model—specifically for facilitating women’s travel. This was her first time on the largest of his private planes.
This jet was different from the other three, not to mention its massive size and luxurious interior—which had been talked about at length—these weren’t what surprised Avril the most. What she found unbearable, or perhaps most shocking, was the relationship between the four distinctively charming flight attendants and Adrian. Ali and Parineeti were one thing; the former had been a sky-high companion for several years and was used to various situations, while the latter usually maintained a dignified demeanor. However, Elisha and Geri were another story. Being young, fun-loving, bold, and frisky, as soon as Adrian boarded the plane, they both cozied up to him, each bestowing their kisses.
Not only that, but all four women looked at Avril as though they knew exactly what she was—"another girl hooked by Ed"—the emotion behind their gazes differed, but the message was clear. So how could Avril possibly be pleased?
"You’re not...with them...are you?" the girl couldn’t help but ask when she was alone with Adrian.
"Well, that’s something you’ll have to judge for yourself," Adrian shrugged nonchalantly.
Avril immediately jumped up, glaring fiercely at him as if she were an angry cat with bristling fur. Despite the heaving of her chest and the angry look on her face, she eventually sat back down after a long while.
"You’ve deceived me, deceived my family, and made me lose face. I want compensation!" she demanded loudly, with visible anger.
"No problem, as long as it’s within my power," Adrian replied without hesitation.
"Is that so?" Avril scoffed, "Didn’t you say you were sending me back to Canada because of a new song that wasn’t delivered to me? Well, now I want a new song."
She immediately added, "It must be entirely written and composed by you personally, and it has to bear your name!"
"But..." Adrian gestured, "You know, although I can hum many tunes, I don’t actually compose music."
"I don’t care, you can get help, but the credits must only have your name," Avril asserted stubbornly.
"Alright," Adrian finally agreed after some thought. "But I’ll need some time; you know, I have a lot of other things to handle. Is it okay if I submit it before the end of summer vacation?"
"No way! It has to be before summer vacation starts; I want to include this song in my new album!" Avril overruled without hesitation.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Adrian sighed, seemingly resigned, but internally he became more certain. Since she was haggling over this, it meant that she had basically accepted the current situation but still harbored a lot of resentment. This, he thought, would take time to gently resolve. As for the new song, well, he would have to think of something.
Thus, the whole affair temporarily settled like this; Adrian and Avril’s relationship became incredibly delicate. Despite the fact that their dates had greatly diminished and the girl always looked for ways to make things difficult, she didn’t realize that time was on his side.
After stirring up some turmoil, which was akin to taking a short break, Adrian returned to work with surprising efficiency, wrapping up the shooting of "The Matrix" in early March. During this time, various Oscar predictions were continuously being unleashed. Regarding the Best Actress, discussions were primarily centered between Gwyneth and Nicole. Relatively speaking, Gwyneth was seen as the more likely candidate. Everyone was aware that she had been nominated for Best Actress for several years running, while Nicole had already bagged the Best Supporting Actress award the year before.
However, Gwyneth didn’t see it that way, even though her family was also helping with public relations.
"I’m just worried, Ed. Just worried." She said this over the phone, with a tone filled with considerable uncertainty.
"Don’t be like that, darling. Any speculation before the results are out is meaningless." Adrian comforted her soothingly. When he hung up, he could clearly sense she had much more she wished to say.
Gwyneth had probably sensed the crux of the problem, just that she still harbored a sliver of hope for this year. Of course, Adrian was not in any rush.
Natalie, who was outside of this nomination, also received a lot of attention. After all, she was the youngest Best Actress nominee at the Oscars the year before, but within a year, her title was snatched away. For the media, this was also a great attention-grabbing gimmick.
Natalie showed little concern for fame and profit. In a recent show, she said, "In a sense, acting is just my side job. There are many things one can do in a lifetime. I don’t necessarily have to continue acting."
It sounded very fitting to her persona—after all, she was highly educated with good grades, and she managed to get papers published while still in high school. Saying such things was also in line with the identity and character she had always exhibited, giving off a feeling of pride yet authenticity. However, after hearing this, Adrian criticized her over the phone.
"That kind of talk is really foolish. It would have been nice to add a line about still wanting to attain honors. Without it, it makes you seem passive in the future," he told her over the phone.
"How I speak is my business, and I don’t think it’s foolish," Natalie said with a tone that was quite displeased. "It’s just a comment. In a few years, change the phrasing, and it’s alright, as long as it’s not contradictory. People change over time, and this is my private matter."
"Is that so? But the public doesn’t care for so much. They will only remember words you once said and then see you taking them back, especially when you start accumulating honors. What they want to see is a model of consistency and integrity; they also always like to think of celebrities as moral exemplars. So, any slip-up in this regard, and you could lose some popularity at best, or at worst, destroy your reputation," Adrian said bluntly.
Perhaps at present, it was advantageous for her to craft her public image in this manner. But in the long run, it harbored many problems. If she had support and a good team, it wouldn’t matter, but without it, it would be problematic. This seemed to be one of Natalie’s blind sides. Maybe she was quick-witted, adept at improvising, and good at assessing the immediate situation, but she lacked long-term vision.
However, Adrian didn’t press on this issue. What was done was done, and it wasn’t the time to remedy anything if needed. Besides, he had other plans recently—it wasn’t the Grammy Awards, even though several of Universal Records’ hottest singers were nominated, and to everyone’s surprise, Avril was among the candidates for Best New Artist, which was much better than her previous life. But this clashed with a premiere for "Moulin Rouge," so...
In the dimming sunlight, Adrian stood quietly in front of the window, looking out, as the time difference meant it was evening, not morning. One of the world’s largest squares was just across the street from the hotel, impressively wide with a monument standing majestically in the center, offering a sweeping sense of grandeur at a glance.
"Beijing." He murmured the name to himself. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at . Your support is my greatest motivation.)