Love the Second Time Around
Chapter 49

Chapter 49 It Was Approved

“Please let me in. I’m exhausted.”

With that, I squeezed through the door and collapsed onto the couch, drained by all that had happened.

Not only was I sleep-deprived, but I was also worn out and drained of energy after a long walk with my suitcase.

“Shannon, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?” I asked.

The woman stared blankly at me and responded, after thinking for a while, “Do you want spaghetti?”

“Sure, please add some veggies, egg, and ham,” I replied without hesitation.

Shannon acted quickly. After ten minutes, she came out of the kitchen with a plate of delicious spaghetti and placed it opposite me on the other side of the table.

Shannon gripped the plate tightly when I stretched out a weary arm to grab it, causing me to frown.

“Liliana, look at the time! Do you know how late it is? Don’t you think you should give me an explanation first?”

Right away, I glanced at her phone and realized it was half-past three in the morning. My upper lip curled slightly in a faint scowl. “When I was asleep just now, a mad dog suddenly rushed in and bit me. I was scared to death, so I came over to look for you.”

“Mad dog? Hello, you live in a bungalow! Even if you were scared, what’s all this with you? Are you going to stay here?”

Shannon pointed at my suitcase and bag, looking puzzled.

“Please let me have the spaghetti first. I’ll explain things to you slowly once I eat.”

I could not help but groan inwardly. Oh gosh… Stop questioning me! I’m starving! What kind of friend is she?

With that, Shannon shot me a disgruntled glance before pushing the plate toward me.

I cleaned my plate within seconds.

“My goodness, you look famished instead of scared! Now, you still haven’t answered my question. Spill.”

“Shannon, I’ll stay here for a few days and move out once I’ve got a suitable place. As for the dog, it was true — I didn’t lie to you. I need to get some sleep now. Please don’t disturb me.”

I’m telling the truth. Dominic behaves like a rabid dog! He can’t be reasoned with!

I lay horizontally on the couch and hugged my coat tightly to my body, feeling exhausted. In the blink of an eye, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I could smell the aromas of sizzling bacon and fresh-brewed coffee.

That smell was getting me hungry. It was a well-known fact that Shannon cooked better than me.

“Oh, you got up right on time for breakfast! You really picked the right moment, didn’t you? I was about to wake you up,” Shannon said as she came out of the kitchen, holding a spatula.

I could not agree more with her sarcastic remark.

After having breakfast, I grabbed my phone and went out. My phone screen was all cracked, and I was unsure if it could still work. I would have to purchase a new one if it couldn’t.

I soon arrived at the phone repair shop and handed my phone to the technician for inspection. He then told me the phone could be repaired, but I decided to give up after getting the quote. I would rather buy a new one.

After I purchased a new phone and replaced the SIM card, I headed back to Shannon’s place.

If it were not for the fact that I had been using that phone number for so many years, I would’ve definitely gotten a new phone number. The inconvenience of changing it also convinced me not to.

I sat on the couch, idly setting up my new phone. When I was about to log in to my WhatsApp account, my phone rang.

Without hesitation, I answered the call, only to realize it was Dominic. Right away, I hung up.

The man called again, but I did not pick up the call.

After a while, I received two text messages from him.

Dominic asked me where I was and ordered me to go back to his place. Huh, he isn’t remorseful for what he has done!

That b*stard even threatened me and said I was going to regret it.

Oh yeah? Well, I regret not kicking his balls last night!

I did not reply to him. After deleting his messages, I blocked his phone number.

From now on, I’ve got nothing to do with Dominic. As for last night, I should take it me being drunk and having a one-night stand. Oh well, no big deal!

Then, I logged in to my WhatsApp account and realized that Nicholas had sent a few messages to me. He was asking me why there was suddenly no reply from my side and whether I was alright.

I replied to him: I’m sorry. I suddenly fell asleep last night. Don’t worry, I’m fine!

With that, I stared at my phone and waited for a while. Upon seeing that he did not reply to my text, I placed my phone down.

He must be very busy. He’s a celebrity, after all.

After having dinner, Shannon accompanied me on my search for a house online. There were a few houses that looked good, and we planned to visit those houses the following day for an inspection.

However, I received a call from Flash around nine o’clock the next morning, informing me that they had approved my rough draft and sketch. They requested me to go to their office in the afternoon to discuss it in detail. They wanted me to sign the contract as well as the non-disclosure agreement.

Thus, it left me no choice but to postpone the house inspection.

In the afternoon, Shannon and I headed to Flash.

Initially, I thought I was going to draw the poster for the upcoming movie. Much to my surprise, they suddenly informed me that there was a change of plan.

I was utterly confused about the whole arrangement. If my rough draft was not intended for that movie, why did they adopt it?

Nevertheless, I almost jumped for joy when they told me what I was going to draw.

Being my editor, Shannon was also bursting with joy.

Surprisingly, Flash had decided to ask me to draw the poster for the TV drama and comic book version of “The Wind And Cloud.”

It was a newly released fantasy novel that was gaining popularity. Many considered it a masterpiece.

Besides, the production company had proclaimed that Nicholas and Scarlett would play the male and female lead, starring roles respectively in that drama series.

The two actors had worked together many times before, and they were the fans’ favorite TV couples. With all these factors, this piece of work would definitely be a hit.

Yet, I felt conflicted when Flash requested me to follow the film crew in order to replace inspiration from their early-stage filming.

That means I’m going to stay out for at least a month.

This is unreasonable! It doesn’t make sense for me to follow the film crew for the sake of producing a better comic.

“Mr. Miller, I’m fine with the rest of the terms, but following the film crew isn’t something I can agree on. Um… alternatively, you could send the video to me after the shooting. Then, I’ll watch it and draw the comic. Anyhow, it works in the same way.”

Jason Miller was the person in charge of the Advertising Department in Flash. I tried discussing the matter with him, hoping that he could help me put forward my proposal.

Unfortunately, he rejected my proposal right away. “Ms. Zanetti, this drama is our company’s highlight for the first quarter of next year. As long as we haven’t completed the filming or set the exact broadcast date and time, we must keep everything confidential.”

He then continued, “I hope you can understand. It’ll take a month at most. You must observe the character traits and expressions of the starring role. You won’t need to follow the crew after getting the hang of it. Trust me when I say it won’t take too long.”

Indeed, the man listed all the logical and perfectly justified reasons. As such, I was rendered speechless.

“Excuse me, Mr. Miller! Could I have a word with Ms. Zanetti?” Shannon suddenly interrupted us.

After getting Jason’s permission, she pulled me aside.

“Don’t hesitate! Just follow the film crew and treat it as a tour, since you have never done it before. Besides, you can watch the idols acting up close. What a great opportunity! Well, I don’t mind accompanying you.”

Shannon then added, “Liliana, don’t miss this golden opportunity!”