The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains
Chapter 45 The Schemes of a Little Star

Michael got back to the office and called Andrew in right away. One look at Michael's face, and Andrew knew something was up.

"Mr. Smith," Andrew greeted.

Michael's expression was stormy. "Cancel all of Thalia's endorsements."

Andrew didn't ask any questions and just turned to leave. Clearly, Thalia had ticked Michael off big time last night. No way he'd drop a celeb's endorsement for no reason.

Just as Michael wrapped up his tasks, Sophia burst into the office, practically kicking the door open. Michael's face darkened even more when he saw her.

Sophia, fuming, shoved her phone at him. "What's this about?" The screen showed pics of Michael and Thalia entering a hotel together, looking way too cozy.

Michael tossed the phone on the table. "There's nothing to explain. It's all rumors. Don't believe what those reporters say; it's all garbage."

Sophia wasn't buying it. "Michael, you never hung out with celebrities before. What happened last night? What's going on with you and Thalia? Explain yourself!" she demanded, her voice echoing through the office. Michael, still feeling the effects of some meds, had a pounding headache and didn't want to argue. "I have nothing to do with her. I canceled her endorsement today. There's nothing going on, so stop with the accusations." Sophia kept pushing, but Michael was losing patience. Finally, he snapped, "Sophia, if you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

Sophia felt a sting of bitterness. She never thought she'd hear Michael say that.

But Michael wasn't in the mood to comfort her. His mind drifted to Emily's reaction that morning. She must've seen the news about him and Thalia, but she hadn't said a word or made a fuss. 'Does she not care at all?' Comparing Sophia's barrage of questions with Emily's indifference, Michael felt a pang of disappointment, which showed on his face.

Sophia noticed his sudden change in expression and got even more upset, but Michael didn't see it.

Michael was still thinking about Emily. He could only conclude that she truly didn't care about him, no matter who he was with. This thought made him angry. A glance at Sophia just made his face more ugly.

"Stop making a scene. I have a meeting to attend. If there's nothing else, you should go," he said gruffly, grabbing his files and walking out, ignoring Sophia's hurt look. She stomped her foot in frustration and decided to confront Thalia. Last night had been supposed to be just a regular dinner. But one of the guests loved hanging out with celebrities and brought Thalia along. The moment Thalia saw Michael, she knew she had to act. The drug she had was meant for some rich guy to invest in her movie, but seeing Michael, she changed her plan. Even if Michael didn't give her anything, sleeping with him wouldn't be a loss.

So, Thalia didn't waste any time drugging Michael and tipping off the gossip reporters who were always lurking around hotels. Sure enough, Michael fell right into her trap.

The reporters quickly snapped pics of Thalia helping Michael into the hotel and plastered them all over the gossip sites. But Thalia didn't expect Michael to be so tough. Even with temptation right in front of him, he pushed her away without a second thought.

He didn't even realize it was Thalia. His driver had to tell him that the woman helping him was a celebrity named Thalia.

Feeling fuzzy and a weird warmth in his lower abdomen, Michael told his driver to take him back to Emerald Lake Manor, while Thalia watched the whole thing unfold.

Thalia didn't expect Michael to be the kind of guy who didn't mess around with women. Her respect for him shot up, and she vowed to win him over next time.

In the dressing room, Thalia was thinking about last night's events while doing her makeup. The lead role she was prepping for was about to start filming, but some unknown star suddenly took her place. So, she had to take a risk and replace a few more wealthy backers. As she was lost in thought, an angry woman burst into the dressing room.

Thalia didn't even see who it was before she got slapped hard across the face. Her cheek swelled up instantly. The makeup artist rushed over, shocked. "Thalia, are you okay?"

Thalia looked up at the woman who hit her. "Why did you hit me?"

Before Thalia could finish, she retaliated, but Sophia wasn't having it. The two of them started brawling right there in the dressing room. Thalia's freshly done hair got yanked into a mess, and Sophia's lip got scratched by Thalia's nails. Their fight drew a crowd, and it quickly became the latest hot topic.

Abigail rushed to replace Emily. "This gossip is gold!" Abigail laughed so hard she leaned on Emily. Holding her phone, she laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Emily asked, "Is it that funny?"

Abigail nodded, thrilled to see Sophia in trouble. "It's hilarious. Don't you feel a bit satisfied? Finally, someone put Sophia in her place."

The gossip headlines were all about a popular actress and the Brown Family heiress fighting in the dressing room over the Smith Corporation's president.

Emily never thought Sophia would be so impulsive, directly confronting Thalia. It was clear it was about last night's incident. Emily figured Sophia probably wasn't in the mood to bother her now.

Abigail said, "Emily, don't you think Sophia is being stupid? She knows Michael cares a lot about the Smith Family's reputation and doesn't like women from the entertainment industry. By doing this, isn't she just embarrassing Michael? How's he supposed to comfort her now?"