CH 1

“Two hours of stay should be enough,” said Laura, the secretary, in a calm voice beside him. “They wanted you to flash the wristwatch. I believe it would be enough for you to subtly sweep up your hair or something of the like. I heard that it’s been designed especially for you, Mr. Miller. Do you like it?”

Laura glanced toward him, trying to read the atmosphere. The man, who had been motionless until then, lowered his gaze for the first time and stared at the jewelry that wrapped around his wrist.

The wristwatch was themed after the desert night. On top of the delicate craftsmanship that was characteristic of the brand, its elegant design drew the attention of the beholder. The brilliance of the diamond that circled the dial once every hour on the dot was especially eye-catching.

He began slowly, “It’s not bad.”

And that was all. Laura smiled stiffly. The man shifted his gaze back outside the window. He could probably see his reflection better than the landscape outside through the dark-tinted windows, but he would always fix his gaze at the window regardless.

‘In all fairness, it must be a lot more entertaining to stare at his own face than the streets,’ thought Laura. She had no choice but to accept the fact that he was a narcissist, and with a good reason to be one. She had been working beside him as his secretary for years now, but she still sometimes froze on the spot as if she had been electrocuted whenever she saw his face. Unfortunately, this was only applicable until this man showed his true colors.

Laura was always grateful that he didn’t waste his words; he sometimes even went an entire day without saying a word. If that weren’t the case, she would have long since run away, unable to bear his temper.

Chase, who was supporting the side of his chin with his hand as he leaned his head against the door, slowly closed his eyes. Thanks to that, Laura could admire his side profile to her heart’s content. His pale face had a hint of exhaustion as a sharp shadow was cast along the elegant structure of his face.

Even before she was hired as his secretary, Laura had worked as a secretary of another actress. Due to this, she had seen countless celebrities, but she had never seen a man as beautiful as him. His shirt was buttoned up all the way to the top, embracing his long, delicate neck. Contrary to his neat ensemble, however, he seemed somewhat disorderly.

His fingernails that were planted atop his fingers, which were thrown carelessly across his thighs, were tidily trimmed. They suited his long fingers very well. When Laura had first met him, she had imagined his graceful fingers wrapped around her neck, suffocating her. Luckily for her, no such thing happened.

There was nothing about him that wasn’t pretty. Laura hesitated in using the word “pretty” to describe him, but it was difficult to find a more suitable word.

He let out a short sigh and opened his eyes. At the same time, Laura was pulled back to reality. The driver let them know that they were almost at their destination. Laura aside, even the bodyguard who was in the car with them grew tense. Now they had to protect this man from that pack of people. One wrong move and his life could be in danger. However, none of this could be helped.

The car slowly began to decelerate, and the man opened his mouth. “…”

Laura couldn’t register his soft voice. Assuming that he was talking to himself, she pretended not to notice as per usual. Chase didn’t say anything else, either.

The car slowed to a halt. The way the crowd was cheering outside was alarming. Laura took a deep breath as she waited for the door of the car to open.

The bodyguard got out of the car first and quickly looked around before opening the door near where Laura was sitting. She exited as well and immediately stood to the side. People already knew who was about to follow suit.

An unbelievably sweet scent mixed into the crowd. Simultaneously, the cheering noise grew multiple times louder.

“Chase!” the crowd howled.

Just as Laura began to fear her eardrums would burst from the crowd’s scream—nay, screech—he finally showed himself.

The man’s blond hair fluttered splendidly under the showering rays of the Californian sun. He was six feet, five inches when standing tall, and the black tailcoat clung onto his slender body as if it were his own skin.

He stepped onto the red carpet and looked around once. A flash of exhaustion ran across his face, but the man silently lifted his hand. His soft, blond locks entwined his long fingers, and the watch on his wrist was revealed. The obnoxious roar of camera shutters poured out as dizzily as the cheers.

It only took Chase five steps along the red carpet until one of the security staff who was fending off the crowd gave in. The rows that were only just being held in place all collapsed at once.

Huge Accident at V&A Jewelry Event.

The cashier groaned as he read the article heading off of the newspaper that he had taken from next to the checkout counter. He didn’t need to read the contents of the article underneath to know what it was about. The TV had already exhausted the details of this incident. Even the passersby in the streets, needless to mention the internet, were busy talking about what had happened. He didn’t like that at all.

Just then, a customer placed some items on the counter needing to be scanned. After glancing at the pack of gum, the bottle of water, and the male-audience magazine, the cashier began casually, “Seems a mess. You know, what with Chase Miller.”

“Well, sounds like it,” the man replied curtly, looking fairly uninterested.

As the cashier scanned the items, he began to yak as if he were waiting for it. “So many people got injured. To be honest, I don’t think people like him should be invited to the event. Don’t you think? It couldn’t have been difficult to expect something like this to happen. What’s more, Chase Miller didn’t even address the issue at all. And whose fault was it to begin with? Don’t you think he almost enjoys watching people making a big deal about him?”