Filed to story: The Return Novel (Natalie & Bryce) PDF Read Online Free
Mark Ellington’s face darkened as he looked down disbelievingly at the phone. Anger flared in his eyes. Natalie had an inkling that this would be the outcome of his call.
She walked over and asked with a smile, “Since you’ve definitely cleared this up now, is there anything else? If not, we’ll be on our way.”
As she and Tony headed for the door, Ellen called out, “Natalie, please just wait another second.” She turned suspicious, not knowing what else Ellington might have up his sleeve.
Ellington was panicking now. He lowered his tone and said, “Look, I know you want Tony because of the talent you see in him, but I really, really don’t want to part with him. How about I give you one of my other artists instead?”
Seeing that Natalie was unmoved, he said brokenly, “Okay, okay, I can give you Harry Ellington if you want.” She raised her eyebrows and looked at Ellington in surprise. She asked curiously, “Are you serious about that?” She had an outline understanding of Ellington’s artists, even though there were a lot of them.
The only one with a good reputation was Harry Ellington. The rest of the artists didn’t have such potential. Harry was Mark’s nephew, and Mark had made plenty of effort to promote him.
Tony Babel’s heart sank when he heard this offer. Natalie seemed like an ambitious agent, just like Mark Ellington, so it would be understandable if she gave up on him in favor of the already extremely famous Harry Ellington.
That would be the most obvious choice to make to serve her own interests. Ellington saw Tony’s expression, and as the seconds passed, the look of defeat on Tony’s face booed Ellington up.
But then Natalie said with a smile, “I’m not going to trade Tony with you, and you can keep those other guys for yourself. I only want Tony Babel.”
Fuming, Ellington said, “Natalie, I’m only talking with you to show you respect, so don’t get too cocky with me. Do you understand my status in this company? If you offend me today, think about what that will mean for your future here.”
“I have influence, don’t forget that.” She snorted, “You think I’ll give in because of your hollow threats? Let’s see how effective you are at making things difficult for me. Do your worst.”
With that, Natalie swept Tony out of Ellington’s office. He was boiling with rage. He looked at Tony Babel’s retreating back and called out bitterly, “Tony, before you go, I really urge you to think seriously about whether you want this unknown as your agent.”
Tony paused, turned his head, and said coldly, “Anyone is better than you.” Then Tony shut the door firmly behind himself and Natalie. Ellington was livid, shouting, “Suit yourself, you loser! You better remember this moment when your bed of roses turns into a dung heap.” But Natalie was secretly delighted, while Tony was ecstatic. He had not felt such relief for ages.
Natalie took Tony back to her newly allocated office. She made him sit down while she looked for a first aid kit. She wasn’t familiar with the office yet, so she had to hunt it out. Finally, she found it and said, “Let’s treat that wound of yours,” adding in a light tone, “After all, I don’t want my artists to have scars before they become famous.”
Tony remained quiet and calm while she cleaned up his wounds. As she worked on his hand, bent over him, she realized that he was even more good-looking up close. However, he somehow had a cold and melancholy aura around him compared with the warm features she remembered from watching his old TV show. It was a beautiful, mesmerizing aura. The more Natalie looked at him, the more satisfied she became.
Finally, she asked Tony, “I’ll be your manager from now on. We need to have an honest relationship, so I need you to answer a few questions. Can you answer them truthfully for me?”
Tony was a bit wary of his new agent, but seeing Natalie’s gentle smile, he let his guard down. “Yes, okay, go ahead,” he said.
“Your age? 22. Your star sign? Scorpio. Are you in love with someone?” Natalie inquired.
“Not at the moment,” Tony replied honestly.
“How many girlfriends have you revealed in public?” she asked. He hesitated but still answered truthfully, “I haven’t talked about anyone in public like that.”
Natalie nodded in understanding and continued, “Have you ever filmed a bedroom scene?” Tony got a bit flustered at this, and his face turned red. Surprised by the question and unsure how to reply, he finally mustered the courage to say, “No, I’ve never filmed that kind of scene.”
Natalie, surprised by his embarrassment, laughed. “Really? You’re joking! Oh, you’re so innocent.” Feeling that she was teasing him, Tony blushed even more and said quietly, “I don’t joke about these things. They’re not light matters to me.” Natalie nodded, abashed, and stopped her teasing. She changed the subject and continued with some other questions.
“What about your family? What do they do?” Tony’s expression clouded. He remained quiet for a few seconds before finally saying, “My parents are divorced, and I live with my sister.”
Natalie nodded in understanding. She thought she could see Tony’s current situation. He basically came from a relatively simple and innocent family. This should mean that even if he became very popular, he wouldn’t have too many skeletons in his closet.