Chapter 83

Nick Arthur hung around the entrance to the set for a long time, making sure that he would definitely be photographed by the paparazzi lurking outside.

After wandering around for a few minutes, Nick Arthur felt it was time to go. He picked up the somewhat tired Martha and prepared to enter the set.

But just as he was about to enter the set, he accidentally bumped into a child.

This little boy looks so cool and stylish. Who else could it be but Andrew Caroline?

“Uncle, watch where you’re going! What if you accidentally make the little girl fall?” Andrew Caroline, with his hands in his pockets, glared at Nick Arthur, who was so careless while holding the girl in his arms.

These adults are really worthless. They’re holding a child in their arms yet not paying attention to where they’re going. Luckily, it was him who was there. If it had been another adult, the child could have been seriously injured.

Andrew Caroline thought to himself, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Martha’s face. Hmm, not to mention that this little girl looks quite cute. She has plump cheeks and seems like she’d be fun to play with.

“Thank you, child.” Although Nick Arthur was scolded by a child, he wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he nodded in acknowledgment, considering it a lesson he’d learned.

Andrew Caroline, whose thoughts had wandered, was brought back to reality by Nick Arthur’s words of thanks.

He nodded, then prepared to go ahead and find Joanne Caroline in the crew.

To his surprise, both father and son were also heading to the filming crew.

Andrew Caroline thought carefully, but couldn’t figure out whom Nick Arthur and the others should go to. In the end, he concluded that they were probably looking for their relatives who worked as staff members, just like he was.

Perhaps for this reason, Andrew Caroline felt a rare fondness for Nick Arthur and Martha.

“Are you guys also going to the filming crew to look for someone?” Andrew Caroline deliberately slowed down his pace and turned to ask Nick Arthur.

Nick Arthur hadn’t replied yet. Instead, Martha, who was in his arms, spoke up first. “Yes, little guy. I’m here to find my mom. And you? Who are you here to see?”

“I’m just like you. I’m here to see if my silly mother is being bullied on the set.” Andrew Caroline, with his cool and aloof demeanor, nodded in response to Martha.

Hearing this, Martha immediately got up, overjoyed. She struggled to get down from the table, grabbed Andrew Caroline’s hand, and said enthusiastically, “Then we must be truly fated to meet! I never expected that you, too, were here to find your mom! In that case, let’s go together!”

Andrew Caroline glanced at the hand that was tightly held by Martha.

Perhaps I’ve never held the hand of a strange little girl before.

He felt a bit embarrassed, and his face turned red unnaturally.

Andrew Caroline scratched his face awkwardly, but in the end, he couldn’t break free from the situation. He agreed to join the crew with Martha after all.

I’m not sure if it’s because of having a companion with her, but Martha, who was previously listless and lacking in energy, is now full of spirit.

While holding Andrew Caroline’s hand, Martha chattered non-stop, talking about how wonderful Simone Milton was.

Nick Arthur, who stood behind the two children the whole time, couldn’t help but smile as he watched them interact with each other.

Perhaps because the two children were getting closer to each other, after Martha told some embarrassing stories about Simone Milton, Andrew Caroline also started complaining about Joanne Caroline.

The two of them took turns talking to each other, having a great time.

“As for my mom, she really likes Truda Lambert. I don’t know why she admires her so much. I guess that’s just how fans are!” Andrew Caroline complained.

Actually, Martha didn’t really understand what Andrew Caroline said. Still, she agreed and said, “Yeah, my mom really likes my dad too. They’re both so enthusiastic and wonderful together!”

It’s really funny to see how such nonsensical talk can still proceed in a “logical” manner.

So he joked, “Then, by your logic, since your mother really likes Truda Lambert, why don’t I help her marry Truda Lambert?”

Andrew Caroline rolled his eyes and looked at the willful adult. “Come on, we kids shouldn’t get involved in matters between adults! Uncle, please stop teasing me.”

“I’m serious. By then, I’m afraid you’ll be crying.” Nick Arthur raised his eyebrows, trying to scare Andrew Caroline.

Who knew that Andrew Caroline simply ignored it, acting as if it meant nothing at all.

Nevertheless, Nick Arthur couldn’t help but consider the feasibility of this idea in his mind.

After all, he and Truda Lambert were old friends. If this still-single old friend got a girlfriend, that would be great news indeed.

If this child’s mother is a kind and decent person, then I’ll introduce her to Truda Lambert, Nick Arthur thought.

Upon entering the filming crew, Andrew Caroline was able to get in effortlessly, thanks to his kinship with Joanne Caroline.

Nick Arthur and Martha, on the other hand, were forced to stay at the door until they called Marian and waited for her to arrive.

For this reason, Andrew Caroline and Martha joined the crew one after another, and they didn’t get to spend much time together.

When Marian arrived late, Martha, who was sitting on Nick Arthur’s lap, immediately ran over, hugged Marian, and even greeted her warmly.

He knelt down, picked up Marian, who was in Martha’s arms, kissed Martha’s cheek, and then went inside the set with Nick and Arthur.

“How is Simone feeling right now?” Nick Arthur, who was following behind Marian, asked her. He was quite worried that Simone Milton might feel sad because of what happened online.

In his vision, Simone Milton would surely feel extremely helpless. Without him by her side, Simone Milton would definitely feel unable to go on.

However, Marian’s reply made him realize that what he was thinking wasn’t true after all.

“Oh, you mean Sister Simone? Although she was indeed greatly affected at first, she’s doing okay now.” Marian replied to Nick Arthur.

Although the answer he expected was different from what he heard, Nick Arthur was still relieved to hear it.

“That’s good. By the way, you didn’t secretly tell her that we were coming, did you?” Nick Arthur nodded, then asked another question.

Since he had already called Marian before leaving, telling her that he and Martha would come to visit her.

So he was a little worried that Marianne might tell Simone Milton about his sudden surprise in advance.

“Of course not. Didn’t Arthur say you wanted to surprise Sister Simone? That’s why we didn’t tell her about you and Martha.” Marian replied in a proper manner.

Nick Arthur was extremely satisfied with this answer.

After walking for a few minutes, Nick Arthur finally made it inside the filming location along with Marian.

However, by this time, Simone Milton had already gone on stage to act and was not waiting backstage.

“Arthur, look…” Marian hesitated before speaking.

Actually, what Marian really wanted to ask was whether she should ask the director to pause for a moment.

But before Marian could say anything, Nick Arthur stopped her.

He waved his hand, staring expressionlessly at the field. Slowly, he said, “There’s no need for that. It’s just as good to watch from below.”

Marian said nothing more, standing quietly aside, waiting for Nick Arthur to call her.

At this moment, Nick Arthur stared fixedly at the field, with no expression on his face, showing no signs of emotion at all.

But it’s just an illusion at best.

In this play, Simone Milton acts alongside Truda Lambert. Coincidentally, it’s also a scene with an ambiguous romantic undertone.

Nick Arthur watched the two of them interacting intimately below, feeling extremely jealous.

Yet even so, he didn’t say anything to interrupt him.

First, he knew how much passion and dedication Simone Milton had for acting. If he interrupted her carelessly, it would undoubtedly be disrespectful to Simone Milton.

Secondly, he isn’t the kind of person who can’t distinguish between personal and professional matters. If he really interrupted the filming just because he was jealous, then he’d look down on himself for that.

But then again, although that’s what he thought, his hands weren’t idle at all.

Long before he realized what the scenes being filmed involved, he quickly covered Martha’s eyes.

Martha’s eyes were suddenly covered, leaving her completely unable to see what was happening on the field. She was momentarily confused.

“What happened? Dad, why did you suddenly cover my eyes? I can’t see anything!” Martha, completely unaware of what had happened, asked Nick Arthur in confusion.

“There’s nothing serious. Just some unpleasant things that happened on the field… Martha, we’ll be able to see Mommy in a little while. Are you happy?” Nick Arthur changed the subject halfway through his sentence.

Doing this was not only meant to distract Martha’s attention, but also to distract one’s own attention.

He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn’t be able to resist rushing forward.

“Happy! Oh, I see now…” Martha suddenly seemed to understand something. She clapped her hands. “Dad did this to surprise Mom, that’s why he covered my eyes, right?”

“I saw on TV that this is what people do on their birthdays!” Martha declared firmly, completely convinced by her own guess, with no idea how adorable her words sounded.

“Yes, that’s right. So, Martha, please be good, okay? Maybe you could take a nap first. You didn’t even get any lunch break today!” Nick Arthur gently soothed Martha.

It was better when Nick Arthur didn’t say anything. But the moment he spoke those words, Martha felt a sudden urge to sleep.

She nodded and reached out her hand, indicating that she wanted Nick Arthur to hold her and let her rest.

Nick Arthur didn’t refuse. While holding the child in his arms, he gave Marian a look, signaling for her to take the child to the lounge.

Marian certainly agreed. In truth, she was a little nervous inside. Others might not notice, but since she was so close to Nick Arthur, she naturally had to face the pressure he exuded.

When she heard Nick Arthur say he was going to the lounge, she was actually relieved.

She was afraid that if she continued to stay there, she would be frozen by the icy aura emanating from Nick Arthur.

Soon, Marianne brought Nick Arthur into Simone Milton’s lounge.

Simone Milton’s lounge wasn’t very large, at least not compared to Truda Lambert’s lounge. But it had everything one could possibly need.

Nick Arthur placed Martha, who must have fallen asleep in his arms at some point, on the recliner. His demeanor remained completely calm throughout the process.

Looking at Nick Arthur like this, Marian wasn’t sure what he was really thinking.

She thought that, once Nick Arthur entered the lounge, he would surely explode in anger and confront her about Truda Lambert and Simone Milton.

However, what she had expected didn’t happen at all. In fact, Nick Arthur seemed extremely calm.

Nick Arthur in this manner actually made her feel uneasy.

“Arthur… don’t you have anything to say?” Marian frowned and asked Nick Arthur carefully.

She thought that perhaps she could extract as much information as possible from Simone Milton before she arrived, so as to prevent Simone Milton from saying something inappropriate later on.

“What is there for me to say? Didn’t I already ask you all my questions earlier? As for the rest, I’ll obviously have to ask Simone personally to see if she needs anything.” Nick Arthur replied to Marian as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well then…” Marian almost couldn’t hold back anymore. She wanted to express her worries, but the words got stuck in her throat before she could speak.

“Don’t worry, I know very well who Simone is. So, nothing you’re worried about will happen.” Nick Arthur chuckled upon hearing Marian’s hesitant words.

Hearing this, Marian somehow felt relieved.

When this person relaxes, they can’t help but say things they shouldn’t. Marian is the same way.

“Oh, I was so scared! I thought Arthur, you came here to confront Simone because of the rumors between her and Mr. Lambert…”

After saying those words, Marianne regretted them.

What if they never had such intentions in the first place, but suddenly developed them after being reminded by her? Then her guilt would be even greater.

To make amends for what she had said, Marian laughed nervously and quickly tried to rectify the situation: “Arthur, that’s not what I meant at all. Please, don’t…”

Before she could finish speaking, Nick Arthur spoke up first.

“I know that the rumors about those two aren’t true. Simone had already told me about such false rumors before. So I won’t blame her for anything.”

After saying that, Nick Arthur shifted his gaze from Martha to Marian.

“If that’s the case, then that would be wonderful…” Marian chuckled, clearly not believing Nick Arthur’s words.

Perhaps this also has something to do with Nick Arthur’s unpredictable expression.

“Alright, I’ll leave this to you. If Martha wakes up, bring her here. I’ll go wait for Simone outside.” Nick Arthur said, then prepared to leave.

He had taken just a few steps when he saw that Marian had quickly blocked the door. Marian looked at him nervously, clearly not wanting anyone to leave.

“No need. Let’s just wait for Sister Simone in the lounge. Arthur, I think you and Martha must be very tired after coming all the way to the set. You should get some rest too! There are plenty of empty seats in the lounge for you to rest on.”

Marian, who kept laughing nervously, stared at Nick Arthur.

She was afraid that once Nick Arthur got out, he would immediately cause trouble for Simone Milton.

She certainly doesn’t believe Nick Arthur could be that generous.

Although he might say nice things on the surface, he’s after all the president of the Arthur family! As the president, he certainly won’t allow himself to be humiliated in such a way.

Seeing how nervous Marian was, Nick Arthur, who could have left forcefully, felt inexplicably sad.