Chapter 634: An Unprecedented Crisis

Hearing Zion Prescott’s words, Claire Sinclair’s hand shook slightly.

She originally didn’t have much space to avoid, and at this moment, after being weighed by Zion Prescott on the pros and cons, Claire Sinclair simply stood still.

The man’s hand lightly and faintly touched her cheek.

When the makeup artist applied ointment on her earlier, Claire Sinclair didn’t find anything strange.

But Zion Prescott’s palm was so cold that Claire Sinclair suddenly looked at him in surprise.

"Your hand... is so cold..."

Claire Sinclair tried to choose her words, but in the end, she honestly said what she most wanted to say.

Zion Prescott smiled faintly.

"Perhaps it’s because I was in a hurry driving earlier."

"..."

A strange feeling emerged in Claire Sinclair’s heart, because to avoid a second fire outbreak, the entire film crew was extremely cautious with electricity usage, and there was no air conditioning or heating; the whole makeup room was only about ten degrees Celsius.

And Zion Prescott’s implication seemed like he rushed here directly after hearing about the explosion of "There are branches on the mountain" from the media, not even using the car’s air conditioning.

Is such an investment in a film really worth him spending so much effort?

Claire Sinclair didn’t want to delve into the answer, yet Zion Prescott continued to focus on applying medicine to her.

His hand movements showed no sign of overstepping, as if he truly regarded her as a patient.

Or perhaps, as the female lead of "There are branches on the mountain", if she were disfigured, it would indeed impact the profit-sharing of investors, hence Zion Prescott could treat her so calmly and politely.

...

Is this the truth of the matter?

Claire Sinclair’s eyes flashed a complex light as she scrutinized Zion Prescott, who was extremely close to her.

From this angle, she realized Zion Prescott looked far less spirited than he did months ago.

Who knows what has worn him down, though once known as the smooth-talking figure, even his smile now carried a trace of despondency.

Such despondency wasn’t due to his appearance being untidy, but the overall aura seemed to have lost its aspiration overnight.

...

Could Zion Prescott’s depression be related to me?

No... what are you thinking?

Zion Prescott hadn’t appeared in front of her for more than a month, and he introduced her as Jude Grant’s girlfriend to Howard Prescott; if he truly had an obsession with her, how could he let her go so easily?

This bizarre notion, once surfaced, made Claire Sinclair instinctively take a step back.

"Careful—"

Seeing Claire Sinclair about to hit the sharp corner of a table, Zion Prescott’s eyelid twitched; his hand reached out to steady her faster than his mind processed.

And at this moment.

The room door suddenly opened.

...

Both of them were taken aback and looked towards the door, even forgetting their awkward posture at the moment.

Coincidentally, at the door stood the person Claire Sinclair least wanted to see.

—Jude Grant.

Standing in the doorway, the young man looked flustered, even breathing heavily on such a cold day, clearly having rushed here.

"Claire, are you okay?!..."

Jude Grant was about to say more, but seeing Claire Sinclair and Zion Prescott’s posture, he froze instantly.

He looked at Zion Prescott in disbelief, blinking as if to dispel an illusion.

"Uncle... you and Claire, you two..."

"Jude, don’t overthink, there’s nothing between us!"

Claire Sinclair was almost in tears with anxiety and hurriedly pushed away from Zion Prescott to put significant distance between them.

"Zion Prescott, hurry and explain!"

...

It had been a long time since Zion Prescott heard his own name from Claire Sinclair; even compared to the intimate nicknames with Jude, it was a sharp sting to the heart.

Zion Prescott curved his lips in self-mockery but quickly fulfilled Claire Sinclair’s wish.

"That’s right, I was just applying ointment for Claire Sinclair; then she almost fell, so I helped her by reflex."

"That’s all."

Upon hearing this explanation, Jude Grant wasn’t sure if he believed it or not; he looked conflicted at the ointment still in Zion Prescott’s other hand.

Then looking at Claire Sinclair’s face, where half the faint ointment was applied, he still couldn’t convince himself.

"Uncle, why did you get here so quickly? I remember it takes at least an hour to get here from Prescott Hospital, right?"

If I admit to speeding, it’ll probably spark more suspicion.

Zion Prescott shook his head directly.

"I happened to be nearby, and Adrian was worried his wife might miss her final exam, so he asked me to look after the film set."

"Look after the film set?"

For some reason, this reason failed to convince Jude Grant.

Perhaps men are particularly mindful about the colors on their heads.

Jude Grant hadn’t considered this direction before, but recalling Zion Prescott’s ease while holding Claire Sinclair earlier, he felt that his uncle, typically not interested in women, wouldn’t casually lend a hand.

Unless that person was special.

The thought that the person he respected most might have developed feelings for the girl he liked made Jude Grant’s mind feel like it would explode.

Jude Grant had always been respectful towards Zion Prescott, but knowing he was alone with Claire Sinclair applying ointment heightened his anxiety.

"Uncle, I have something to discuss with Claire; the film set can’t shoot for the next few days, so I’ll take Claire with me."

"Okay."

Zion Prescott gave Claire Sinclair a meaningful look but ultimately said nothing.

He had no standing to make Claire Sinclair stay.

Now, the stalemate seemed self-inflicted.

...

Claire Sinclair was forcibly dragged onto the car by Jude Grant.

Such a rough action was something Claire Sinclair never expected from Jude Grant, startling her immensely.

"Jude, what are you doing!... Ugh... let go of me!"

Claire Sinclair didn’t expect Jude Grant to not respond but instead lean in and kiss her suddenly.

The kiss wasn’t like lovers’ intimacy but rather some form of vent from anger.

Because of this, Claire Sinclair’s heart turned cold; she liked Jude Grant for his respect, but now Jude Grant’s attitude made her instinctively put her arm in front of herself in defense.

"You’re crazy! Jude, you can’t treat me like this!"

"I can’t treat you like this?!"

Jude Grant looked crazed, eyes turning red.

"But my uncle can?!"

"Zion Prescott... didn’t!"

At least since clearing things up last month, the two really haven’t had anything; if it weren’t for the film crew accident this time, there might never have been such a misunderstanding.