King of Hollywood
Chapter 496 - 217 Household Affairs

Chapter 496: Chapter 217 Household Affairs

"Am I a bad mother?" Kate suddenly asked, already changed into light-colored silk pajamas, sitting in front of the dressing table brushing her hair, but staring blankly at herself in the mirror as if she were unhappy.

"How could you be?" Adrian approached from behind Kate, gently caressing her cheek, "The little one loves you very much, and you spend more time with her than I do, don’t you? If anyone is unqualified, it would be me."

"But..." Kate hesitated, after a long pause she lifted her head to glance at him and then murmured in a low voice, "I shouldn’t have left her alone crying. Lily is not even 3 years old, how could she understand all these things?"

Adrian raised his eyebrows and couldn’t help but chuckle lightly; he finally understood what was bothering her, it was really... too funny. As Kate’s gaze grew more dissatisfied, Adrian stopped smiling, cleared his throat, and said, "No, no, no, you’re wrong, dear. The younger they are, the more we should make them understand what’s right and what’s wrong. If we dismiss it as nothing to begin with, it will turn into spoiling later on, which is not beneficial for a child’s growth. You know I love Lily no less than you do, but I still stand by this approach."

As he spoke, he leaned down to kiss the corner of Kate’s mouth, and her gaze noticeably softened. However, Adrian couldn’t hold back and soon revealed a mischievous smile, "Anyway, stop worrying so much; after all, Lily is your daughter."

"Ed!" Kate raised her voice immediately, but it couldn’t conceal the embarrassment and annoyance in her expression.

After Sarah picked up Lily, the little one clung to her and ignored everyone else. Even after calming down later with Sarah’s consolation and joining her parents for dinner, she still only wanted to be near Sarah, clearly showing a sulky and angry face, and even wanted to sleep with Sarah for the night.

Though Lily didn’t make a fuss, just the sight of her tearful eyes clinging to Sarah’s clothes was enough to defeat Sarah. So, Sarah had to stay tonight to keep the little one company. As Lily’s mother, it was normal for Kate to feel upset, especially with Sarah’s relationship with Adrian, intensifying that feeling.

"There, there, Kate, it’s not a big deal. I bet by tomorrow morning, everything will be fine," Adrian said, his hand already sliding into the wide-open clothing, exposing even the collarbone.

Kate moaned softly, her spirit immediately softened, and she looked at Adrian with a complex and helpless gaze. He proceeded to lift her in his arms and lay her on the bed, a passionate night about to unfold.

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If Kate hadn’t sensed something, fatigued as she was, she really wouldn’t have wanted to open her eyes. Adrian was just too energetic, having tilled her from top to bottom, front to back. If she hadn’t been trying to avoid getting pregnant, he probably would have gone even further. Even so, he still finished up behind her, and she could still feel the shivers from it now; it was really... too annoying.

Amid her scattered thoughts, Kate yawned and finally opened her eyes, only to widen them and freeze in place, because on the edge of the bed, a pair of glossy eyes was staring at her, unblinking.

"Ah, darling, you’ve woken up before me..." Adrian’s voice rang in her ear. Kate cursed inwardly, about to say something, when his hand under the covers started moving and followed with a kiss on her exposed shoulder—it was their usual morning intimacy.

"Wait, Ed, wait..." Kate called out with a flustered tone, thankful that the pair of eyes showed confusion but no other reaction.

Adrian soon realized something was off and stopped his movements, lifting his head and then freezing just like Kate. After a long moment, he asked awkwardly, "Lily? How did you... get here?"

"I came to see mommy," the little voice whispered timidly, then grew uncomfortable, "The bedroom door wasn’t locked, so..."

Her gaze wandered, deep in thought, and after a while, Kate finally spoke, "Is there... something you need, baby?"

"I want to... apologize." Lily said, lowering her head and backing her hands behind her, looking so earnestly adorable.

"Mmm... ah... oh, baby, this..." Overwhelmed by immense joy, Kate became somewhat flustered, wanting to get up and embrace her daughter but then realizing that she and Ed were completely undressed under the blanket.

"I’m glad to hear you say that, dear, but could you give me and your mom a few minutes to get dressed?" Adrian said at that moment.

The little one nodded, immediately turned around, and walked out, gently closing the door behind her. Then the two people in bed quickly jumped up and began swiftly dressing and freshening up. Kate was obviously very pleased, not only wearing a smile on her face all the time but also humming an unknown tune in the bathroom, prompting Adrian, who saw this, to chuckle incessantly.

"Hey, baby, we’re ready." After a brief tidy up, Kate opened the door, and although the scene before her made her pause, it didn’t affect her good mood.

The little one was standing obediently on one side of the hallway, listening to Sarah speak in a low voice, lovingly stroking her head with great intimacy. However, as soon as Lily saw her mom, she ran towards her and crashed into her embrace.

"Sorry, Mom." The little one said in a muffled voice.

"Oh, it’s okay, baby, it’s okay... Mom is already... already not angry anymore." Kate said somewhat excitedly as she crouched down to hug her daughter.

Of course, she didn’t get overly excited and quickly noticed Adrian, who had stepped out from behind, silently mouthing something to her and pointing towards the bedroom. Kate nodded slightly in understanding and carried her daughter into the room.

"Well done, Sarah." Adrian turned back from watching them and said to the girl beside him with a smile.

"It’s nothing," the other party smiled and shrugged, "Lily is a very smart and adorable child, I just explained a bit to her, and she understood right away. I certainly didn’t have such a quick response when I was two. You really shouldn’t have done that to her, Ed, you know? The first thing she asked me when I began guiding the conversation was ’Do Daddy and Mommy not want me anymore?’"

"Really?" Adrian smiled noncommittally and slowly walked up to her, "If you hadn’t suddenly stepped in, this would have been over long ago. Lily is indeed smart, she would have realized that she was at fault, even though she didn’t understand the root of the problem, and your appearance just prolonged this, Sarah."

"Is that so?" Sarah asked a bit defiantly.

"Is it not?" Adrian responded, still gazing steadily at her face.

"Okay, okay," the young girl quickly caved, "You’re always like this, you’re never wrong. Even if there is a problem, it’s because others didn’t follow your words."

This was clearly a bit of pouting, prompting Adrian to laugh, placing his hand against the wall behind Sarah, leaning in close to her face: "That doesn’t sound like something you would say, Sarah."

"Then what should I say?" Feeling his breath, the girl’s eyes became a little misty, her expression also carrying seduction, even sticking out her tongue to lightly lick her lips, "Can’t Kate satisfy you?"

Such words would never have come from Sarah two years ago, but with age comes maturity, plus having a partner to practice on—having Love completely under her thumb, with both publicly claiming to be best friends—it was quite normal for her to have learned how to tease.

"That’s really crude, Sarah, not ladylike at all," Adrian said, pinching her chin and gently kissing her tempting lips several times.

"But you’re not being a gentleman now, Kate is still in there." Sarah said this but kept kissing him back, giggling, with her hands resting on his shoulders.

But she soon pushed him away, and with a slight cough of embarrassment, Adrian raised an eyebrow and also felt a bit awkward when he turned to look. It definitely wasn’t because Kate stood in the doorway with a half-smile, half-frown and a glare in her eyes, but rather because the little one was standing in front of her mother, gazing at her father and... Aunt Sarah with a puzzled, confused, and uncomprehending expression.

"Have you apologized to Mommy?" Adrian quickly reverted to a nonchalant demeanor, squatted down in front of Lily, and gently pinched his daughter’s cheeky face as he asked.

Lily subconsciously nodded her head, then hugged her dad, "I want, I want you to apologize, Daddy."

"It’s okay, dear, you might not quite understand why Daddy is asking you to do this now, but you will in the future, anyway, both Mommy and I love you very much." Adrian smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

Lily nodded her head again as if she understood, but her puzzled gaze still swept back and forth between Dad and Aunt Sarah. Sarah stood in place, not knowing what to say, while Kate clearly found the situation amusing.

"Hmm, is there something you want to ask, dear?" Adrian thought about it, then simply asked directly.

"You and... why were you and Aunt Sarah..." Lily couldn’t articulate a full sentence, after all, her vocabulary was still quite limited and she didn’t know what it meant.

"That was my way of expressing friendliness and affection to Sarah, only the closest people would do so." After Adrian said this, Sarah’s mouth twitched, nearly bursting into laughter, and Kate’s expression turned weird.

"The closest people?" Lily blinked her eyes.

"Yes, have you seen me do this with Mrs. Barron? Have you seen me do this with Ms. Abigail?" Adrian nodded seriously.

"What about Aunt Charli?" The little one tilted her head and asked.

"Um, yes, Charli is also one of the closest people." Adrian coughed, Sarah had already turned her head to prevent herself from laughing, her shoulder shaking slightly as if she was struggling to hold it in, while Kate’s face grew increasingly solemn, almost grinding her teeth.

Adrian narrowed his eyes and glanced at both of them before saying, "And it’s not just Daddy who does this, Mommy does it too," after his daughter made an ’oh’ sound.

"Mommy will do it too?" Lily suddenly looked at her mother with a surprised gaze, Kate and Sarah both turned towards Adrian, startled.

"Yes, this is our way of welcoming guests, whenever we meet our closest friends, both your mommy and I would show our warmth this way." Adrian said with an amused smile, then tilted his chin at Kate, indicating it was her turn.

How could you... Kate glared at Adrian with her eyes, then turned to look at Sarah, standing there awkwardly, not knowing what to think.

How should I explain this to Lily? Just smooth over the lie quickly, just a little kiss, it won’t be a big deal. Adrian responded with a look, and his words were insistent, "Come on, Kate, let’s go downstairs for breakfast."

Kate’s chest rose and fell a few times, reluctantly walking towards Sarah with a forced smile on her face. At first, Sarah’s eyes darted away, but as Kate approached, they settled down, even tinged with anticipation.

However, when they stood face to face for several seconds, neither of them moved. They awkwardly tried to reach out but always ended up touching, struggling to find the right position, as clumsy as two novice puppets. After three tries, an impatient Sarah suddenly knocked Kate’s hands away, then cupped her face and kissed her on the mouth, Kate’s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly controlled her emotions and hugged Sarah in turn.

There were no sucking or entangling, the two just touched lips briefly, like dragonflies skimming the water, and then they separated. Afterward, they looked at each other, Sarah suddenly burst into laughter, and Kate’s mouth twitched a few times before finally bending into a smile, and the slight awkwardness between them vanished like smoke.

"See, I didn’t lie to you," Adrian whispered in his daughter’s ear, watching the child, who seemed to half understand, nod her head at the sight of her mother and Aunt Sarah.

These were the domestic affairs of the Adrian household, not unusual. Kids, even with nannies, wouldn’t be much of a worry, and he quite liked his daughter. The women around him didn’t require too much concern; they all knew how to adapt, and Adrian had his ways, such as the surprise he had indicated he would give Gwyneth the night of the awards ceremony, while she was still somewhat holding a grudge.

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"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item up for auction is very special—it’s a precious sapphire necklace. This sapphire was once set in the crown of Louis XVI and, after Louis XVI was guillotined, it was cut; the largest piece was fashioned into a heart-shaped jewel and made into a necklace called ’Heart of the Ocean’! In the early 20th century, this precious necklace was sold by the son of an American steel magnate, but it sank to the bottom of the sea when the Titanic hit an iceberg. Nearly 100 years later, the necklace was finally retrieved and saw the light of day again!" The host paused dramatically, scanning the room with a smile, then added, "Everything I just mentioned is from last year’s greatest movie, ’Titanic’!"

Laughter erupted instantly, everyone amused by the host’s humor while also showing a curious expression about what was about to be auctioned.

"However, one thing is certain," the host’s voice rose again, "the item we’re auctioning next is indeed the ’Heart of the Ocean’!"

As he spoke, a medium-sized, transparent glass box was brought up; inside was a mannequin bust with a dazzling necklace draped over it, the heart-shaped sapphire at its bottom particularly enchanting. The room buzzed with incessant murmurs.

"This necklace was commissioned by Mr. Adrian Cowell, the producer of ’Titanic,’ to Fels Jewelry Store in London, using an 18.6-carat flawless Ceylon sapphire, and was involved throughout the film’s production. The necklace seen in the movie is this very one," the host continued excitedly, "Mr. Cowell also registered the name ’Heart of the Ocean,’ so only this necklace that sailed on the Titanic and witnessed a great love can be called the true ’Heart of the Ocean’! Its starting bid is four million US dollars. Now, please bid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone raised their paddle and added half a million, and soon more people began bidding. Although such sapphire necklaces were not common, they were not rare either; with money, one could commission a jeweler to make one. But after the name ’Heart of the Ocean’ had been registered, it became something else entirely, and the necklace’s participation in the film made its value skyrocket.

In just a few minutes, the bidding doubled and finally reached nine million before stopping. The final bid came from a middle-aged woman, who had bid several times in quick succession, clearly determined to secure the precious and beautiful necklace.

"Nine million, first call," the host said after a moment, "Nine million, second call."

Before the third call was made, someone raised their paddle from the back rows: ten million!

"We have ten million from a gentleman over there, any higher bids?" the host called out promptly.

The triumphant lady suddenly changed color, hesitated, and then reluctantly raised her paddle.

"The lady’s bid is eleven million, any higher bids?" the host announced. Just then, paddles in the back rose again.

"Thirteen million! The gentleman has bid thirteen million! Any higher?" The host’s voice climbed a notch.

The lady’s face grew paler, and after grinding her teeth for a moment, she couldn’t help but raise her paddle again. But someone beside her, perhaps her husband or a male companion, took her hand and whispered in her ear, causing her to show a startled expression. She turned to look back a few times, then shook her head in frustration and resignation.

"Thirteen million first call! Thirteen million second call! Thirteen million third call! Sold for thirteen million! Congratulations to Mr. Adrian Cowell!" The host banged the gavel.

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, an assistant presented the exquisite box to Adrian. He opened it, smiled after inspecting its contents, and then lifted the necklace in front of the young lady sitting next to him. "Try it on," he suggested. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it or leave your recommendation on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)