It's Love That Blinds Him
It’s Love That Blinds Him – Chapter 36

Lucia had to take the subway to go to a Starbucks, where her meeting was. Fortunately, the subway wasn’t so crowded at two in the afternoon. Yes, Starbucks. An interview in a café, not in a meeting room.

Jay, the eccentric director, preferred a noisy café to a conference room for this meeting. He could only find inspiration for his ideas in an environment like that.

“Damn, Jay!” » Needless to say, Lucia had good reason to be angry with Jay. In fact, by the time she had left the company headquarters, she was already in a bad mood.

She had received a call from Malcolm and was hesitant to answer. The two lovers had not spoken for two days. Lucia’s heart began to palpitate. She was so surprised to receive a call from Malcolm. After a moment of hesitation, she finally decided to answer. It was even harder for her to understand what Malcolm was trying to tell her because the tone of his voice was ambiguous.

Judging by the diamond ring he had around her neck and the way he spoke, it seemed he was no longer interested in the game of cat and mouse. There was a pervasive sense of discomfort and awkwardness in their interaction. The cryptic nature of their shared intimacy was hardening like porcelain and on the verge of cracking under the pressure. Lucia’s heart was hanging on a single strand of thread, it could break into a thousand pieces at any moment.

Therefore, the moment she heard Malcolm say “I miss you,” Lucia panicked and hung up on him.

She then placed her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths to counter the sudden dizziness that hit her. A strange feeling welled up in his heart. Malcolm’s voice was so sincere it scared him. He didn’t seem like he was just flirting with her.

If he wasn’t telling the truth right now, then he must be the best actor in the world, who could play different roles, and no one would be able to confuse him.

Lucia was upset. She ran her brightly polished fingers through her hair. She didn’t want to deal with all the emotions that were shaking her at the moment. When the metro arrived at its destination, Lucia picked up her bag. Then she got off the train and headed to Starbucks where she had a meeting with Jay.

She looked at the time and frowned as she realized she was late.

” Let go! I’m not going to make it in time anyway. » Lucia didn’t want to run and further damage her sore calf.

The hot air was unbreathable and there was no way for her to protect herself from the sun. She was sweating from the sun burning her back.

When Lucia arrived at Starbucks, she saw Jay, along with his team members, seriously arguing with Hays. They were shouting so loudly that they attracted the attention of all the other customers in the cafe. Lucia sighed deeply. The young woman was exasperated. She stood behind these people to listen to what they were saying. Everyone was so busy arguing that no one noticed his presence.

The situation had gotten out of control.

” Damn it! What the hell do you want? You are not reasonable! If you think you can do better, then go ahead and find someone else to work with! We’ve already given you the best choices! So don’t be so picky! » Hayes’ voice boomed above everyone else’s.

After all, the manic director had difficulty finding a heroine. He had strong opinions about each candidate and he did not hesitate to express them loud and clear. If one contestant was too charming, then the other wasn’t sexy enough, and if one contestant managed to please her in both categories, then it was her emotional expression that wasn’t intense enough. His most shocking criticism was saying that an actress’ breasts were too small.

“How is Jay going to find a skinny model with huge tits?

Damn it! Does Jay choose a model or a woman? Why is he so demanding? » Hayes kept cursing in his head. If looks could kill, Jay would have been a dead man by now.

“This is bullshit!” If I have to work with these women, I won’t be able to do a successful commercial,” Jay shouted, visibly frustrated.

The exasperated members of both teams stood up to cover their ears because they could no longer stand the absurdities of this feud. Those who wanted to end the debate could say nothing. They were powerless in the face of this outburst of madness. “What a horrible atmosphere!” »

“What is going on here?” », Lucia finally said to stop the commotion. The total age of the two men exceeded sixty and they argued like children.

” Shut up! “, Jay and Hayes shouted in unison.

Lucia looked at them with wide eyes. But as soon as the two men turned around and saw that it was Lucia, they looked embarrassed.

“If you can’t agree on the mannequin yet, have you considered looking for one elsewhere? In schools, on the street or even in shopping centers. There are many potential candidates among ordinary people. We don’t necessarily have to limit our choice to professional models. I am sure we will be able to find someone qualified among the candidates who have never worked in the industry before. We just need to look in the right places,” Lucia explained, trying to make both men see reason.

After all, they had only considered a limited range of options. It was no wonder they were driving everyone crazy with their bickering. They had looked through hundreds of modeling photos. If the project was exciting at first, by now they were exhausted. Filming was supposed to take place next week, but we still didn’t have any heroin. Needless to say, everyone was extremely anxious.

“It’s not that easy!” ” Hayes replied, looking dejected. The man walked away from the group and collapsed into a chair.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but considering these other options is better than wasting time arguing! “, Lucia replied, hitting Hayes’ head with her bag.

Then, all of a sudden, Lucia looked in Jay’s direction. She was embarrassed by the way he was staring at her. Jay looked at her attentively from head to toe, without saying a word, as if he was thinking about something.

“Jay… Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with me? Lucia said, looking at herself to see if anything was wrong with her.

” Oh! Got it! It’s you! Jay shouted excitedly.

” What are you talking about? » Lucia was confused by Jay’s sudden excitement.

” That’s it! Yes! The search for our heroine is over. Why should we bother looking away when the perfect person for the role is standing right in front of us? » Jay’s voice rose to the highest pitches.

” What are you talking about? “, Lucia replied impatiently, her fists placed on her h**s. “Why are all the big names in the entertainment industry so weird? »

“I’m talking about you!” You are the heroine of this commercial,” Jay said in an affirmative tone. Then he turned around and waved at his stylist.

Lucia put her hands on her face and shook her head. She seemed exasperated by what she had just heard. She only wanted to hide. “Why is Jay adding more complications to the problem when the situation is already critical enough? » Hayes and the other team members all turned their gazes in Lucia’s direction. After a short while, it was obvious to them too. Lucia looked at them all in disbelief.

“You are perfect for the role. Your height is approximately 170 centimeters. You have a nice figure, but that’s not the most important thing at the moment. The most important thing is that you can look both charming and confident. You can be both smart and sexy. Sometimes you have a flirtatious side and sometimes you have a stubborn side. Isn’t that exactly what “Lure” wants to express? Who else would be suitable for this role besides you? » The more Jay talked about Lucia, the more enthusiastic and satisfied he became with his choice.

“Lucia, it’s true!” I understand now! It’s you! » Hayes also joined the discussion.

Lucia stared at the two men with a look of disbelief. Just a minute ago they were arguing like children and now they seemed to be more complicit than ever. And the person they were all interested in was none other than her. Lucia didn’t even get the chance to say anything. They had already made up their minds about him.

“I don’t think I’m the person you’re looking for,” Lucia replied dubiously.

” No! You have to accept, Lucia. Hurry up. We will start filming next week. Judging from our current circumstances, filming time will be delayed if we do not resolve this issue now. Plus, you’re the chief planner. You know the script better than anyone and you know exactly what the brand wants to convey. No one would be more suitable for this role than you. » Lucia was about to retort but Hayes immediately stopped her from speaking.

” Don’t worry. If you are afraid of not being able to get into the skin of the character, I will help you find inspiration as soon as possible. You have nothing to worry about,” Jay said.

“By the way, Lucia, I have a new idea. We will start shooting your back, then your profile, then your entire body from the front. We can create different promotional posters for each reveal. We will thus be able to stimulate the customer’s curiosity about the product. » Meade joined the conversation and began offering her ideas as well.

Lucia sat in a chair and listened carefully to what her colleagues had to say.

Her resistance was in vain, so she had no choice but to accept their decision. When a planner had a good idea, he would definitely find a way to make it happen. It was the power of action of a planner. In addition, the director of the team was extremely picky.

All this discussion made Lucia want to doze off. A little nap would be welcome. She could probably find out about their findings later. She was a real wreck and could barely stand up.

Meanwhile, Howell was chatting with Sean.

“Something was wrong in the Middle East. Malcolm thinks Ben betrayed him. I haven’t been able to reach Ben. John does not seem to have changed his mind. I think Ben is still out of danger for now. Otherwise, given Malcolm’s ways, he wouldn’t have let Ben go so easily.

“Do you need me to take care of this?” », Sean was quick to ask.

” No. It’s not worth it. I will be flying to the Middle East to meet John in person. Since he’s been able to handle everything so far, I’m sure everything is fine. I want you to stay here and take care of this woman. » Howell waved at Sean.

” Yes. » Without saying anything else and in silence, Sean walked away.

“Malcolm, do you think I will be satisfied with just the Evans Group? Your strength in the dark is what I really want. I will take back everything your family owes me. Howell

looked thoughtfully into the distance. He clenched his fists and his gaze was filled with coldness. After so many years, he was finally about to get back everything that was rightfully his.