Chapter 173: Chapter 171: Good Taste
"Let her get up by herself, you don’t need to hurry her, I’m not in a rush."
Elliana Lyle was truly angry. She found Shane Donovan and Nicholas Llyod, these playboys, particularly repulsive.
Especially Nicholas Llyod’s behavior.
And the man seemed to notice her inner frustration, so he pulled her waist closer and then took the champagne she had been holding for a long time and drank it all.
Nicholas Llyod also sat down at this point, his face full of smiles, and said, "Sister-in-law, it’s my impatience, please don’t be angry."
Then he turned to the woman on the ground and said, "Do you want to leave, or do you want to be with me today?"
Hearing this, Elliana Lyle wanted to laugh, but the woman on the ground replied, "Young Master Llyod, I want to be with you."
This left her completely stunned. She couldn’t understand what this woman was thinking; it turned out the fool was herself!
Nicholas Llyod pulled the woman into his arms, looking at Elliana Lyle with a sense of triumph.
Elliana Lyle: "..."
At this moment, Shane Donovan suggested, "Brother Bennett, since sister-in-law is here, we can’t really have fun, so maybe we should call it a night."
Just then, Elliana Lyle received a pleading look from the girl beside Shane Donovan, which she found strange and hesitated.
This girl was the second female lead in the entire show, named Tiana Harris, who was currently being held by Shane Donovan, but it was clear that she was extremely resistant.
Tiana Harris saw that Elliana Lyle was someone who could speak up, and had just helped the woman on the ground, which gave her the courage to ask for help.
She had always been an extra in films, and when chosen by the director, she thought getting to play the second female lead was her big break, but she regretted it upon arriving here.
She had no background, hence no way to resist the director’s arrangements, but if it meant sleeping her way to the top, she’d rather give up the opportunity.
Yet she was terrified of angering the wealthy second-generation heirs around, knowing that provoking them could cost her dearly, even affecting her family, so she dared not resist.
She didn’t hold much hope for Elliana Lyle to help her, as they were strangers. Why would she help her?
Elliana Lyle wanted to help Tiana Harris but felt uncertain after the earlier incident.
However, Tiana Harris’s expression made her feel empathetic; she didn’t want Tiana to end up like Timara Zephyr.
"Tiana Harris, let’s go," she said directly, disregarding the man’s previous advice to speak less and not wander off, approaching Tiana directly.
She reached out to hold Tiana’s wrist, but Shane Donovan showed no sign of letting go.
"Hey, Brother Bennett, what do you think about this?" Shane Donovan didn’t expect Elliana Lyle to dare to come over and snatch someone from him.
In his eyes, Elliana Lyle was just from a small group, and Norman Bennett had only married her for a marriage alliance, which made her weigh lightly.
He had married a woman before, from a small family, whom he got bored with in a few months and ultimately passed to his subordinates.
"What she says, I say," Norman Bennett’s voice was cold, with an obvious anger.
The arrogance on Shane Donovan’s face vanished instantly; he could see Norman Bennett was truly angry, and he knew the consequences of that anger.
The last time he angered Norman Bennett was in 2017, and he was sent to prison. Despite his father’s efforts to pull strings, he was locked up for two years before getting out.
He was well aware of what he had done, knowing two years was a lenient sentence.
He never expected Elliana Lyle to have such a stable position with Norman Bennett, immediately realizing he had underestimated her.
He quickly released his hold on Tiana Harris and smiled at Elliana Lyle, "Oh, sister-in-law, my bad, I didn’t recognize this was your friend. If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have dared."
Shane Donovan’s swift change in demeanor made Elliana Lyle disdainful. His arrogance vanished immediately when Norman Bennett spoke.
Ignoring Shane Donovan’s contrite expression, she took Tiana Harris by the hand and headed out.
"Brother Bennett, you know my loose mouth, I meant no disrespect to sister-in-law," Shane Donovan’s ability to "be flexible" was something everyone acknowledged.
Norman Bennett wouldn’t argue with Shane Donovan over this, especially since he had helped a lot when Melody Harmony was being established.
After Norman Bennett left, Shane Donovan sat on the couch, patting his chest, "Damn, scared the hell out of me, thought Norman Bennett was going to screw me over again."
"Seriously, Norman Bennett treats that woman pretty well, could he be henpecked?" Nicholas Llyod chuckled rather vulgarly.
But then both of them fell silent, as Norman Bennett had left but Zane Collins was still present.
While Zane Collins’s company wasn’t much in their eyes, his family background was extraordinary.
Nicholas Llyod said, "Brother Collins, we’re all brothers here, brothers don’t snitch, right?"
Zane Collins was the youngest among them, so Nicholas Llyod dared to call him Brother Collins.
"You guys weren’t afraid of my brother, so keep talking big, huh?" Zane Collins retorted. "I told you when we arrived, sister-in-law is not someone ordinary, but you insisted on stirring trouble."
With that, Zane Collins stood up, shook his head at the two, and sighed, "Better behave yourselves."
"Hey! I’m talking here!"
Before Nicholas Llyod could finish, Zane Collins left, not even glancing back.
When they arrived, Zane Collins had indeed told them that Elliana Lyle was no ordinary person, but they misunderstood.
They mistakenly thought "not ordinary" meant skilled at something.
Nicholas Llyod suddenly glared at Shane Donovan and cursed, "You bastard, trying to get me killed? Didn’t you say she was a regular lover? How is this regular? You’re going to get me killed!"
At this, Shane Donovan shrugged, "Brother Collins said ’regular lover,’ not me."
"Ugh, don’t contact me again." Nicholas Llyod said angrily, storming off, clearly upset.
He even left the woman from earlier behind.
The director, producer, and several actresses exchanged bewildered glances, unable to believe they were witnessing this scene.
Seeing this, Shane Donovan snapped, "What are you staring at? Men, get out. Women, stay."
He thought about it and decided he wasn’t in the mood, so he added, "Forget it, just leave, all of you."
The director quickly stood up, nodding and bowing to Shane Donovan, "Yes, yes, we’ll leave right away."
...
―――
Outside the hotel.
"Miss Lyle, thank you, I..." Tiana Harris was so overwhelmed with emotion that she struggled to find words.
Once outside, Elliana Lyle could see Tiana Harris’s face clearly, very innocent-looking, appearing barely of legal age.
She comforted, "It’s okay, we’ll be working together again."
Tiana Harris grasped her hand, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, really!"
Perhaps Elliana Lyle didn’t realize how important this favor was to Tiana Harris, practically saving her life.
Before Elliana Lyle arrived, Tiana Harris had already planned how to break up with her boyfriend and then end her life.
Perhaps that was the last shred of dignity for someone like her.
Struggling to contain her excitement, Tiana Harris said to Elliana Lyle, "Miss Lyle, when you’re free, I’d like to treat you to a meal."
"No..." Elliana Lyle was about to decline but thought of a benefit, then asked, "Can we have hot pot?"
"Huh?" Tiana Harris was momentarily confused, then nodded, "Yes, we can."
She had originally planned to splurge and take Elliana Lyle to a Michelin-starred restaurant, but didn’t expect her to request hot pot, which genuinely surprised her.
"Then let’s exchange WeChat, I know a great hot pot place in the central area, called Overbearing Old Hot Pot." Elliana Lyle said as she took out her phone.
Hearing the name, Tiana Harris’s face lit up with a smile, "I go there often, the food is excellent."
"Really? Nice taste."