King of Hollywood
Chapter 291 - Chapter 291 Chapter 18 Watertight

Chapter 291: Chapter 18: Watertight Chapter 291: Chapter 18: Watertight Over 400 square feet wasn’t exactly small, but with various furniture filling the space, it still offered a cramped visual sensation. Both the furniture and the room’s arrangement appeared worn and old, and with the tiny, slanted windows allowing rare sunshine, it resembled sitting in a damp, dark basement. Though it was now summer, wearing light clothes still brought a chill, letting one imagine how cold this heating-lacking room would be in the winter.

“Sorry, Mr. Adrian, for keeping you waiting, I always have to put my daughter to sleep around this time,” the woman said cautiously as she sat down in front of Adrian, her voice carrying a hint of timidity and nervousness. Her complexion was pale and haggard, a stark contrast to the image Adrian had seen in her photograph at the private detective’s office over two years ago.

“No worries, Ms. Joanna, I understand a mother’s feelings toward her child,” Adrian said with a smile. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have established this foundation to assist them. Moreover…”

He leaned down and affectionately pinched the cheek of the little girl in his arms. “I have a little one here who needs looking after.”

Unfortunately, Emma wasn’t grateful, tilting her head to roll her eyes at him in protest. Had she not promised earlier to behave and be more ladylike, she might have already jumped up and pinched him back.

“Um… your daughter is very cute,” Rowling said awkwardly after hesitating for a while.

“No, Emma isn’t my daughter,” Adrian shook his head. “She is my friend’s child, and this friend…”

He went on to narrate the events of three years prior, how he had intended to set up a charity foundation, how he had found the right lawyer to assist with legal matters, and the disaster that occurred on the day everything was finalized. As before, Emma’s unfortunate experience quickly won Rowling’s sympathy and fondness. Her gaze softened when looking at the little girl, and the atmosphere in the room noticeably improved.

“You’re a good person, Mr. Adrian, I am extremely grateful for your help,” Rowling finally said, her voice tinged with a hint of tears, sparks of light flickering in her eyes.

“I only wish to do my best to help those who can be helped,” Adrian replied, smiling. He had kept track of Rowling’s movements over the years, thus he was quite aware of her situation. The current JK Rowling was experiencing the darkest period of her life, lost and suffering from depression, with inadequate support from her psychiatrist. Hence, Adrian had chosen this moment to come to London, for providing help during a crisis was better than adding adornments to prosperity.

“Let’s leave the matters to the professionals,” Adrian added then. “Blank is the head of the foundation, and Charli is my secretary and assistant. They will ask you a few questions and then you’ll need to fill out some forms. If you have any suggestions, please mention them, so we can improve and do better in the future.”

Rowling nodded and immediately began discussing with Charlize and a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties, while Adrian enjoyed a moment with the little girl and exchanged a few words with Kate before starting to reassess the room.

Although he had already observed the surroundings while Rowling was putting her daughter to sleep, he hadn’t found those fabled bits of paper from the cafe. He needed to find them; otherwise, he would have to bring it up in another way, which would seem too contrived. It was best to find them.

“May I use the restroom, Ms. Joanna?” Adrian suddenly asked after a moment.

“Please, feel free,” Rowling, who was filling out forms, looked up and nodded.

It was, of course, a pretext. Sitting in one spot, he couldn’t find those things, but even on his way to the restroom, he saw nothing of interest. Therefore, upon leaving, he straightforwardly walked to the narrow window and pretended to look outside.

Generally, as her most important possessions, she would have stored the completed works carefully, possibly in the bedroom or a drawer. However, those unfinished might be out in the open, so where could they most likely be? Adrian’s fingers tapped restlessly on the windowpane, a hint of anxiety rising within him.

Luckily, fortune always accompanied him. After shifting his gaze back inside and preparing to make another round in the room, Adrian finally noticed the two small pieces of paper stuck on the wardrobe glass. Packed with words, it was hard to discern at first look, but the label was clear–it read “Apusi Coffee.”

This had to be it! Adrian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, maintaining a calm exterior as he walked over to the wardrobe. Pretending to have casually noticed and been intrigued, he approached the pieces of paper and then took them down to read.

Only a few lines of text, and he had already confirmed that this was the thing he was looking for. After a slight smile, he read it even more carefully. Other similar pieces of paper stuck to the wardrobe were also taken down and read by him one by one. He stood like this for a long time until Rowling’s voice sounded behind him, “Mr. Adrian?”

“Hm?” Adrian turned around, Rowling was standing behind him, looking at him, but her gaze was focused on the small piece of paper in his hand, with a hint of nervousness and unease.

“Are you done talking?” Adrian looked at the fund manager, Brown, who had come with him to Edinburgh and was packing up, and at Charlize, who had gestured to him that everything was taken care of, “Is there any problem?”

“No, nothing…” The haggard woman barely smiled, but her words were interrupted before she could finish.

“Wait, not about that,” Adrian showed an excited expression, waved the small piece of paper in his hand, and made it flutter noisily, “Is this your work, ma’am? Is this your work?”

Rowling was probably overwhelmed by his demeanor and did not speak for a while. It was only after Adrian asked again twice that she came to her senses and stammered, “Yes… Yes, this is… my work, Mr. Adrian.”

“This is just a fragment,” Adrian declared with certainty after glancing at the paper in his hand, “Is there more? This should be a complete story. If you don’t mind, may I see it?”

Although his excitement and interest were just right, it still made Rowling feel out of place, but she seized the opportunity, probably because she felt she had hit rock bottom with no way back.

“Alright, sir, I’ll get it now.” She said this very smoothly.

Soon, Rowling brought out a small box from the bedroom, which was filled with similar pieces of paper, a thick stack but neatly arranged with the first page on top, showing Rowling was still very meticulous.

“Could you wait a moment for me,” Adrian signaled to Kate and the others, then looked at Rowling, “Perhaps, today we might make an unexpected discovery.”

Rowling had not said anything yet when someone already showed displeasure; Emma, who had been pushed into Kate’s arms, immediately struggled to come over to him, but Adrian was prepared.

“Stay put with Kate and don’t move, Emma; if you disturb my reading, we’ll return to London this afternoon.” He spoke before the little girl could say a word and wagged his finger in a warning manner.

Although Emma was frustrated, she pouted and obediently sat back in Kate’s arms. Adrian, seeing this, chuckled softly and gave Kate a look before he began perusing the pieces of paper in the box.

The reason he had placed the little girl in Kate’s arms when going to the restroom was to improve their relationship. Although Emma, who was much more sensible, no longer instinctively showed her rejection like she did when she was younger, she inevitably took the chance to tease Kate whenever possible. Kate felt helpless about this, and Adrian had no better solution, so whenever there was an opportunity, he would forcibly bring them together, hoping that one day they would get along well.

Well, enough about that. Adrian focused his attention on the pieces of paper in his hands; he read quickly as he had seen some of the novels in his previous life. Although some places were a bit different and he had not seen some settings before, the story basically matched, and the first story was already written about two-thirds of the way through.

After setting down the last piece of paper, Adrian took a long breath, pondered for a few minutes, and then looked at JK Rowling, who had not spoken a word from start to finish and was silently drinking water.

“Have you considered publishing this novel, Miss Joanna?” he asked.

“Publish?” Rowling was startled, her expression suddenly became excited, “You think… you think…”

“I think your novel is interesting and imaginative, and I hope to publish it,” Adrian said with a smile. “I own a publishing company in the United States, but I don’t think that should be a problem.”

“Oh, God,” Rowling exclaimed under her breath, completely at a loss on how to react to such unexpectedly good news.

“Are you serious, Mr. Adrian? Are you serious?” she asked twice uncertainly, her expression becoming dazed as if it was all just a dream and she might sit up from her bed at any moment.

“Please trust me, Ms. Joanna. I’ve written and published novels myself, and I’m also a screenwriter, so I have a keen sense for a good story,” Adrian explained. “I think your story is very unique, so…”

He spread his hands, and Rowling, without hesitation, nodded her head, “No problem, sir, I’m willing.”

“That’s great,” Adrian clapped his hands, “I will have someone contact you soon, Ms. Joanna.”

At this point, he paused and observed her expression before continuing, “Don’t be nervous, Jo–may I call you that? Thank you. Just write the story that you want to tell from your heart. Don’t think too much and don’t let others influence you, understand?”

Adrian pointed to his chest as he spoke, “What I am interested in is the story hidden in here, not anything else.”

If because of his interference, Rowling ended up altering her novel to appease publishers, it would be a loss of worth, so his creative vision must remain unaffected at all costs.

“I understand, I know what to do, Adrian. Thank you very much,” Rowling finally adjusted her emotions and nodded earnestly and gratefully.

Previously, if showing up as a savior was just a simple gesture of help, having visited her home gave Adrian a new plan. It was a minor addition to his vast plans but crucial for his publishing company’s development. Real-life inspirational stories existed, but none had such a massive impact.

After leaving Rowling’s house, with no further dealings with Blank, he immediately returned to London, while Adrian, along with Charlize, Kate, and Emma, began sightseeing in Edinburgh. JK Rowling was the last stop on this visit–naturally, Adrian wouldn’t visit her exclusively; he had deliberately traveled from the southern United Kingdom, speaking enough with other single mothers before reaching Edinburgh. These things had to be handled impeccably, just as he had only verbally agreed to the publishing contract, not mentioning a word about movie adaptation rights.

Now that the itinerary was complete, relaxation was in order. Charlize initially wanted to return to London like Blank, but Adrian convinced her to stay.

“Alright, Charli, the mission is over, and it’s time to rest. Don’t tell me you never rest! Consider it a favor to me, create more opportunities for Emma and Kate to be alone, or are you worried you can’t handle that?” Adrian coaxed her.

The last sentence was particularly impactful. Although Adrian’s words were ambiguous, Charlize understood the underlying meaning well, and so she decided to stay, knowing full well he did it on purpose.

During those days, Emma was the happiest, particularly excited during their visit to the children’s museum, laughing and running around, her infectious joy reducing tension and conflict between the two women.

“I understand you less and less, Ed. You make me feel uneasy,” Kate suddenly said to Adrian when he came to inform her about returning to London the next day.

“Have I made you feel uncomfortable? In what way?” Adrian asked with a smile.

“In what way?” Kate walked up to him and stared into his face, “At first, I thought you were an extraordinary good man–you were gentle, understanding, and very perceptive of women’s feelings… but later, I realized you are a big jerk who likes to play with women! However… even after cooling down for almost a year, my feelings for you are still strong; I’m such an idiot… Luckily, I can still feel that I have a place in my heart. That’s why despite my indecision, I’m still here beside you, even watching you flirt with other women, feeling jealous over your female secretary…”

At that point, Kate sighed, and Adrian remained silent, knowing she hadn’t finished speaking.

“I’ve been wondering when I’ll wear out this feeling and then be able to leave you without any hesitation. But today, you actually… helped a single mother so selflessly, a side of Adrian I’ve never seen before. I can’t figure out which one is the real you… Ed, how can I understand you?” She looked at him with a sad expression.

Adrian, who pondered for a few seconds, frowned, “It sounds like… you think that I did this because I had some ulterior motive with Ms. Joanna Katherine Rowling?”

Kate’s expression instantly became extremely odd, and then she suddenly swung a punch at him, wearing a resentful look. Adrian laughed out loud, letting her hit him several times before finally grabbing her wrist, “Come on, Kate, you should observe for yourself what kind of person I am. What others tell you is only one-sided.”

“I knew it,” Kate, struggling in vain for a moment, chuckled helplessly, “You like having me in your control, playing with me at will, watching me struggle without escape.”

Despite saying this, her hand reached down and suddenly grasped his groin. Adrian immediately showed a surprised look since Kate, who always played coy, had never been so forward before. But he quickly recovered and looked at Kate helplessly, “Quite fun, isn’t it?”

Kate finally burst out laughing, not only did her right hand not leave, but she also squeezed a few more times.

“Yes.” She smiled somewhat triumphantly, as if rejoicing in her small victory.

Adrian immediately rolled his eyes, mainly because Emma was nearby. The four-year-old girl couldn’t be easily distracted with an excuse like before, as Emma always stuck close to him and could find him quickly. This is why Kate now could tease him mercilessly, as he couldn’t retaliate.

“Better go back to Emma, she said she wants to be your woman,” Kate said as she pushed Adrian away.

“Hey, don’t say it like that, Kate, she’s still just a kid!” Adrian said earnestly, but Kate didn’t take it to heart and pushed him out of the room.

Such a petty woman. Standing in the hotel corridor, Adrian shook his head and then his lips curled into a smile again after looking at the room door and walked away.

“Ed, I want to hear a story.” Emma, already in her pajamas and curled up on the bed, eagerly looked towards the door. As soon as she saw Adrian return, she immediately raised her hands and cheered loudly.

“Alright, alright.” Adrian walked over, smiled as he kissed her forehead, and then sat by the bed, “So what story shall we tell… How about Thumbelina?”

“No,” the little one shook her head like a rattle, “I want to hear a Wizard’s story, the story of Harry Potter and his friends, I want to be Hermione, I want to help him!”

“But Joe hasn’t finished writing that story, so if we begin, it will be left incomplete,” Adrian shrugged.

“Then…” the little one hesitated for a few seconds, “I still want to hear it, I want to be Hermione!”

“Alright, alright, you are Hermione,” Adrian smiled resignedly and then pinched her adorable little cheek, “I promise, you’ll definitely be Hermione.”

You are undoubtedly Hermione, who else could it be? Adrian thought to himself. Certain thoughts crossed his mind, causing him to pause briefly, but they were quickly dismissed. (To be continued, for more please visit www.NovelFire.net, where chapters are updated frequently, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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