Chapter 370 - 368: He Must Be Interested

Not wanting to argue further, Lily Sterling simply pulled Hannah Warner away, walking around the other woman to leave.

"That woman is completely unreasonable..."

Hannah Warner said indignantly, "You two did work together, after all. Was she like this on the film set too?"

"I didn’t interact with her much. We only spoke when we had scenes together," Lily Sterling said honestly.

In truth, she had been deliberately avoiding Suzanne Sawyer. Since the woman clearly didn’t like her, Lily figured it was best to stay out of her sight. They were on set, after all, and she just wanted to focus on filming her scenes without any other distractions.

"I get it. She’s definitely bitter about having to play your handmaid. It’s her own fault, though. She was the one who insisted on trying to snatch your role, and it just blew up in her face."

"Let’s drop it, Hannah. Don’t worry about her. Let’s focus on the audition coming up," Lily Sterling said, cutting Hannah off and steering the conversation back on track.

Still fuming, Hannah Warner replied, "I don’t even have to imagine someone to get angry at. I’ve got a perfect target right here in front of me, don’t I?"

Lily Sterling laughed. "You should still think of someone who can truly get your emotions going. And try to go up soon. If you have the guts to go first, that would be for the best."

"Huh? Go first?"

"Yes." Lily Sterling turned to her. "The premise for this role is something anyone who’s been to school has seen, or even experienced firsthand. The scene you just thought of is something others can think of too. If your ideas overlap with someone else’s, performing first gives you a huge advantage. Because later on, if someone performs the same scene with the same lines, the director will still be thinking of your performance."

"Oh, I see. I get it now." Hannah Warner nodded, steeling her nerves. ’Okay. I have to go up there sooner or later anyway, so I’ll do what you say!’

Meanwhile, Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman decided not to stay in the Wanderlust conference room while Blair’s team held their meeting. Instead, they went downstairs to a café to wait for her.

It was the same café they had visited before.

About an hour later, Blair’s meeting ended, and she came to find them.

But just as Blair sat down, the owner of the café suddenly appeared.

"Hello. What can I get you today?"

Blair froze for a second. Looking at Fitzwilliam Sanders’s disarmingly gentle smile, she blurted out, "Is it on the house again?"

The smile on Fitzwilliam Sanders’s face grew wider. "If you agree, then of course. It’s just a cup of coffee. It would be my little shop’s honor."

Sitting nearby, Cecilia Sterling and Estelle exchanged a look.

’But we already paid for our coffees!’

However, Blair had no intention of taking advantage of the owner’s generosity again. "Better not. If you do that, I’ll be too embarrassed to come back in the future. I’ll just scan the QR code and order."

Fitzwilliam Sanders remained ever the gentleman, giving a clean nod. "Alright, no problem."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Estelle couldn’t help asking, "Hey, how come we didn’t see that handsome guy when we ordered? The second you show up, he materializes out of thin air, like a ghost!"

"How should I know?" Blair said, her expression neutral. She glanced through the glass window and saw Fitzwilliam Sanders, head bowed, personally preparing the Americano she’d ordered.

Cecilia didn’t comment on the matter, instead turning to Blair. "How was the meeting? Do you think the team is dependable?"

"I don’t really get the super technical stuff, but my impression is that they’re pretty solid."

She quickly added, "Especially Shane Webb."

"So what’s next? What’s the arrangement? How do you need to cooperate with them?"

"First, I have to put Shane Webb’s email on my homepage. He said he’ll be in charge of handling business inquiries for me—you know, brand deals and ads. I made a few demands, and he agreed to all of them."

Estelle was shocked. "He agreed to all of them? Isn’t he supposed to be really difficult to work with?"

"The rest of the team really does seem intimidated by him, but his attitude toward me was pretty good. He didn’t push back on anything I said. This afternoon, they’re going to my school to help me run the first team-supported livestream. We’re going to see what the results are."

Cecilia nodded. "Then go ahead and stream. You need to stream daily to ride this wave of popularity. Don’t worry about anything else. I’ve sent the contract to Lawyer Quincy for review. We should hear back in a day or two."

"Okay. Thanks for your help, Cecilia."

"Don’t mention it. More importantly, what about your mentor? Have you told him the good news?"

"I haven’t had time to go back and see him, but they’ve all seen what’s been happening online and have already messaged me."

As they were speaking, Fitzwilliam Sanders returned. He placed an iced Americano in front of Blair, followed by a plate of washed cherries.

"Please, have some fruit, ladies. Don’t be shy."

"Thank you, handsome..." Estelle, true to form, wasn’t shy at all and thanked him right away.

Cecilia, however, teased him, "These cherries are more expensive than the coffee, aren’t they? Does the owner not need to make a living?"

At that, Fitzwilliam Sanders reached out, plucked two cherries from the plate, and popped them into his own mouth. He chuckled, "You’ve got a point. I’ll eat a couple myself, then. Helps cut my losses."

His humorous response instantly defused the tension, making the atmosphere light and pleasant. Blair looked at him and finally managed a "thank you" of her own.

After Fitzwilliam Sanders left, Estelle, who was munching on the big, crisp, sweet cherries, seemed to have a delayed realization.

"That owner’s into Blair, isn’t he?"

Cecilia raised a noncommittal eyebrow, while Blair just tsked. "Stop talking nonsense!"

"How is that nonsense? Cecilia and I sat here waiting for you for almost an hour, and we didn’t see a trace of him. The second you show up, he’s offering freebies and giving away fruit—cherries, no less! How is that not obvious?" Estelle argued, her tone firm and certain.

Blair took a sip of coffee and pursed her lips dismissively. "He probably just sees me through some kind of filter because of what happened yesterday."

Seeing Blair’s denial, Estelle turned to Cecilia. "Cecilia, you’re the one with experience in love. You tell her!"

"He definitely seems interested!" Cecilia had noticed it too.

Estelle’s eyes went wide. "See? Even Cecilia sees it..."

Blair opened her mouth, about to instinctively argue back, but Cecilia cut her off gently. "You don’t need to be in such a hurry to deny it. It’s not like it’s a bad thing."

"In most guys’ eyes, a woman like you is a very unique type. It’s completely normal for them to be drawn to you. Especially since the owner here personally witnessed your heroic moment of righting a wrong yesterday. It’s no surprise he’d be captivated by your charm!"

Blair subconsciously glanced inside again, but it just so happened that Fitzwilliam Sanders was looking at her, too. Their gazes locked across the distance, and a startled Blair quickly whipped her head back around.

"Say whatever you want. I’ve only got one thing on my mind right now, and that’s making money."

Cecilia nodded. "That’s true. Whether or not he’s interested in you is his business. Your priority right now is definitely making money. Finish your coffee and get back to school to prepare."