Laura’s POV 130
Willow immediately understood and tugged George along and ran out the door, giving Becky and I room to talk alone.
“Laura,” Becky’s voice was soft, “if you’re really uncomfortable calling me by my first name, it’s okay to call me Sister Becky, that’s what everyone in the circle used to call me.”
“Well,” I smiled, “Sister Becky.”
She looked down and stirred the coffee in front of her.
Her fingers were long and white, and a simple ruby ring could be worn by her in an extraordinary way.
This is probably called the color of the country.
In the middle of the day, she raised her eyes and smiled lightly at me, “Are you nervous about meeting me?”
“A little, to be honest.” I took a deep breath, “I don’t know exactly what you meant by meeting me, and besides, we’re in a relationship with Rafael …”
“You don’t have to mind Rafael,” she said softly, “We’ve been divorced for a long time, he’s just an ex-husband to me, the father of my daughter. We haven’t spoken to each other in years, but even if we can’t be a couple, we’re still friends. I’m happy for him that he’s found the ideal person to start a new marriage.”
“Thanks.” I was a little embarrassed.
“It’s me who should thank you.” She suddenly reached out and gently rested her hand on the back of mine.
Her palm was warm, which was a bit unexpected. In my impression, this kind of heavenly beauty, nine times out of ten, her hands are cold.
Her attitude was gentle, just like the temperature of her palms, giving people a comfortable feeling.
“I heard from Willow that you’ve been taking good care of her. In fact, I’ve long wanted to come and see the teacher Laura she spoke of, but it’s just that over at Southeast Asia, things have been busy, so I’ve delayed until now.”
“I really don’t dare to apologize.” I laughed, “Willow and I talk to each other very well, it’s probably our destiny.”
“As soon as I saw you today, I felt destined to be with you as well.” She smiled, “I’m going back to Southeast Asia after spending some time at Jerez State. I hope you’ll continue to take care of Willow in the future.”
I was stunned, “You … still have to go?”
“Yeah.” She smiled, “It’s not like the rumors that say I’m taking this opportunity to make a comeback. I simply came back to run an errand, and when it’s done, of course I’m leaving.”
“What is it, is it important?” I asked casually.
She blushed, and after a long time, sighed softly, “It’s a family matter for me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I shouldn’t pry into random people.
“That’s okay.” She pursed her lips, “It doesn’t hurt to tell you, the purpose of my return this time is to find my family.”
“Family?”
“Yes, I actually have a brother.”
That was strange, George had clearly said that The Sterling Family had no more boys in her generation, so where did she get a brother from?
“Heh, my brother is much younger than me. Same father as me.” Her voice trailed off as she cupped her cup, “But I only saw this brother maybe once or twice when I was a kid, and I remember him as a little baby.”
“Did … you guys lose touch?” I asked.
“Sort of.” She nodded, “And then for some reason, I never saw this little baby again. Growing a little older, I realized that this brother had disappeared a long time ago.”
“Disappeared!” I marveled.
“Why did I make my acting debut in Jerez State when I was obviously living in Southeast Asia? Now you understand.”
She laughs softly, “Because of that brother, who has always been a pain in my dad’s ass. When I first started high school, he heard that his brother might have been abducted to Jerez State. But Jerez State isn’t our family’s territory, and it’s not easy to find someone here, so Dad made me drop out of school and go into Jerez State acting.”
“Laura, show business is a place where it couldn’t be easier to build connections and make friends with powerful people.”
“Yeah.” I responded softly.
Now I understood why Becky’s acting career was going so smoothly, it was inseparable from the full support of her family’s power behind her.
And her family didn’t see her as a daughter, but instead as a tool to find her brother.
Was this her luck or her sorrow?
“So … did you find it?” I asked her.
She smiled and shook her head.
“After all these years, there were only a few clues, but no results.” She said, “I’ve gotten honor, money, status in Jerez State, I’ve gotten love, I’ve gotten a child … but I’ve lost a lot of things too. I’m tired and I don’t want to give up my life to find someone who maybe doesn’t exist anymore.”
“But at the moment you’re back.” I whispered.
“Yes.” She smiled helplessly, “Because Dad is in a precarious condition and won’t last much longer, and it’s still his long lost son that’s on his mind in his hospital bed. And now The Sterling Family, is facing a change of dynasty, our family has no son, and in that patriarchal place, if there is no male heir, the board of directors will have to change the last name. It’s a whole lot of internal and external problems, so to speak, isn’t it?”
“That’s why I came to Jerez State this time, to make one last attempt to see if I can find that brother.”
“Will do.” This time it was my turn to reach out and shake her hand, “It will be found!”
“Thank you.” She smiled heartily.
“And … I won’t be making a comeback, I don’t want to be in the scene anymore.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze and sized me up, “Laura, has anyone ever told you that you look like me?”
I giggled inwardly.
She took her cell phone and flipped up a picture of a press release.
A large picture at the top was a still of me, and a smaller picture at the bottom was an old still of her from twenty years ago. At first glance, there was indeed a resemblance between our eyebrows, and the media had described me as her successor.
I’ve seen this news and didn’t pay attention to it at the time, I just thought it was a gimmick for the PR department to promote my new movie.
“This …” I didn’t know how to respond.
Becky smiled, “What a coincidence, this movie you’re making now is a remake of the movie I made twenty years ago. We both played the same character, and I won the movie twenty years ago with that role, so I’m sure you can too.”
“Laura,” she gazed at me quietly, “you do look a little like me when I was younger. Not only do you look alike, but that personality and temperament, really.”
So Rafael chose me because it’s still hard to forget her?
So Willow approached me because I was the most like her real mom?
I suddenly felt heavy hearted and a little out of breath.
George and Willow have already bought the flowers back, light orange bird of paradise, just like her light and elegant temperament.
However, I vaguely feel that there is a strong emotion hidden in this calmness of hers. She is a woman who is good at hiding.
After meeting with Becky, my heart has been anxious, I can not say why, I always feel that something is going to happen. That day’s scene didn’t go well. I shot a simple scene over and over again.
The director’s face turned blue and told me to go back and familiarize myself with the script again. I left the set as if fleeing and drove back to my small apartment in one breath.
I didn’t realize that Rafael was already waiting there.
“There you are.” I was stunned and forced a smile at him, not really having the energy to say hello.
“Uh-huh.”
He muffled a grunt.
He was a little strange, not looking very good and frowning one way or the other. Usually when he sees me, even if there’s something wrong at work, he’ll still smile gently.
But today he seemed to have a bit of anger under his eyes.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
I let him in and headed for Sunny’s room. When I open the door, the bed is empty.
“Cameron picked up.” He whispered behind me.
I froze, snapping to the fact that it was Friday, and Sunny spent every weekend, at Cameron’s.
“Oh,” I nodded, “Yasmin came with?”
“Yes.”
My heart suddenly tightened, “You guys met up when Cameron was here …?”
Rafael looked up at me, an elusive light emanating from those dark eyes.
“What, are you nervous about me meeting up with Cameron?”
“What am I nervous about!” I said back to him in a nonchalant manner, heading off to the kitchen to find something to eat.
He let out a light laugh and took a seat in the living room, never much of a TV watcher, but he picked up the remote.
“Watch the entertainment channel for a while.” He looked over at me and said softly, “Let’s see what’s in the news for our future movie queen.”
“Rafael,” I couldn’t help but top him, “What’s wrong with you today? Gloomy!”
He didn’t reply, just blushed harder and harder.
A short while later, an entertainment report came on the TV: “It’s been reported that Becky, who was the biggest movie star in the country 20 years ago, has made a comeback… Becky has arrived in Jerez State in a low-profile meeting with Laura… Will this be the first time that the old and the new movie queens will be meeting each other? Let’s wait and see…”
My mind went blank and surprisingly my first reaction was to grab the remote and turn off the TV.
I don’t know why, but I was kind of scared that Rafael would find out that I had met up with Becky, and I could guess that the fact that he was looking bad today might have something to do with it.
“What’s wrong?” Rafael looked straight at me, “I want to watch some TV, don’t you even have that freedom in your house?”
“Are you the one watching TV, or did you purposely give me the TV to watch?” I looked at him too, “Rafael, you might as well make it clear. From the moment I walked in the door today I felt the atmosphere was off, you’re never like this … What’s wrong with you? Is it because I’m meeting with Becky?”
“Why did you meet with her? You met with her without telling me!”
I was overwhelmed by his yelling.
“Rafael…” I tried to be as calm as I could, “Meeting with her is my business, should my actions be restricted by you?”
“But what do you take me for when you do that! One is my ex-wife, the other one is the woman I’m going to marry, your meeting was even captured by the media, but I still don’t know anything about it! What do you take me for?”
I licked my dry lips, a tightness in my throat.
Rafael hadn’t snapped at me like this, or before that, he’d hidden it exceptionally well. He’s gentle and considerate and gentlemanly, and it’s because he’s so perfect that I forget he’s mortal, too. He has a temper too, and he can be cranky, and he’s not easy to get along with.
I suddenly felt tired, after being with him, the word “tired” appeared frequently in my life.
“From now on, you stay away from Becky!” He yelled angrily.
I felt aggrieved, he was unbelievable.
Becky a woman, this marriage can be lighthearted, but also treat him as a friend, but also for his impending marriage to be happy … but what about him?
His heart and temperament is not even as good as a woman’s.
He’s still counting.
That is to say, he still cares about Becky …
I figured it out in a flash.
I stared at him in a daze, he was out of breath from that outburst just now, and now his emotions hadn’t calmed down, and his left shoulder was aching from the exertion.
He was sitting on the couch, his right hand holding his left shoulder, looking quite uncomfortable.
I went over to add a cushion behind him and he didn’t look at me squarely, just grunted lightly.
“Rafael, you still care about her.” I said softly.
“What did you say?” He turned his face to look at me and raised his voice sharply.
“I’m saying that you still love Becky, after all these years, and it hasn’t changed a bit.”
I looked at him quietly, and in that moment there was no up and down emotion in me.
I didn’t feel heartache, I didn’t feel disappointment, I didn’t feel heartache, and when I faced this man who was going to be my husband, I said that he had been deeply in love with another woman in his heart, but in an extremely flat tone, as if I was talking about someone else.
Did I ever care about Rafael? Neither did I.
I was just grateful to him the moment he took the bullet for me. But gratitude isn’t love, after all.
After the brief moment of gratitude, we had to face reality. Neither of us is the person we want for each other, and both of us have another person deep in our hearts, and my marriage to him was a tragedy before it even began.
Rafael glares at me, his eyes burning with two fires, seemingly annoyed.
“Laura!” he yells, “Do you realize what you’re saying?”
He snapped to his feet, his angry gaze never leaving my face. His voice was low and dripping with the slightest chill, “I’m telling you, that kind of talk is not allowed to be said again … That’s my bottom line.”
“Also, don’t mention the name Becky in front of me, and you’re not allowed to see her in the future! I don’t want to see this woman again!”
“Be reasonable, Rafael,” I said, “Ask your heart, do you really like me? Even people on the outside can see that I look a little bit like Becky … Heh, I realize now that she’s the only one you’ve loved from the beginning to the end! I’m just her double!”
“Shut up!”
“Is it me you want to marry?” I looked at him, “If you really forgot about Becky, you wouldn’t be reacting so violently right now. Do you dare to say you didn’t have her on your mind when you were with me?”
“What about you?” He sneered, “Heh, do you have Cameron on your mind when you’re with me?”
I couldn’t speak for a moment.
“Laura,” he snorted softly, “There are some things you and I both know! So please don’t speculate on my thoughts in the future, and I won’t interfere with your actions. But just one thing, if you still want our marriage to last, no more meetings with Becky!”
I sucked in a breath of cold air, such a Rafael was unfamiliar and frightening to me.
People are multi-faceted and he’s no exception.
I give him a look and walk right out the door. His angry growl comes from behind me and I cover my ears as I get into the elevator.
The moment I descend, I let out a long breath of relief, tears welling up uncontrollably, my fingers trembling slightly.
How could I have gotten myself into this situation!
It was getting late as I walked along the beach, the sea breeze cold and hard and all I had on was a sweater. I wrapped up tightly in the only piece of clothing that could keep out the cold.
My cell phone rang many times, all from Rafael, with three dozen missed calls.
There were also messages from him, all generally meaning that he had calmed down, knew it was wrong and promised not to do that to me again.
I smiled bitterly and simply turned off my cell phone.
Unintentionally touched the necklace on my neck, the pendant is a complete piece of small shells, because long time to wear on the body, the shells have been worn by the skin smooth and round.
I was stunned, my heart had a sour feeling.
This necklace, Cameron had given it to me.