Although the director was reluctant, under Aria Grant's intimidating authority, he had no choice but to call the police and report himself and Amelia Morgan. However, this would delay the shooting process. Once reported to the company, David Thompson quickly deployed another director and prop master to salvage the situation.
As for the ring, it was found at Amelia Morgan's residence under the cooperation of the police and returned to the crew.
Under the systematic arrangement of the new director, the advertisement shoot moved smoothly, and in the presence of Aria Grant's ruthless authority, no one dared to trip her again.
By the time Aria Grant had finished shooting and returned home, it was already very late. Little Ivy had already gone to bed under Dean Taylor's incessant nagging. The dim light in the living room reminded Aria of a night many years ago when she and her sister were expelled from the Sawyer Clan.
The two sisters depended on each other and it was under such dim light that her sister hugged her and promised to protect her for a lifetime. But now...
Aria Grant found a box from a living room drawer, it contained a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. That was when she first started smoking and her sister confiscated it.
Many years have passed; the items in the box were still there, but the person who chastised her not to pick up bad habits was gone.
Aria Grant skillfully pulled out a cigarette and lighter from her bag, drew out a cigarette from the pack, and lit it. She took a deep puff, the taste of nicotine traveled down her windpipe, filled her lungs, and she exhaled.
Over the years, she had become proficient in smoking. She wasn't sure though, if her sister were here, would she still scold her as she used to.
Aria Grant fetched a bottle of wine from the kitchen and drank one glass after another as if it was water.
"Sis... I'm also in the entertainment circle now, you must be mad! Initially you would rather endure the hardships yourself than to abandon me, but why did you abandon me just like that later!"
Aria Grant held the worn-out box, sobbing quietly. Tears uncontrollably fell from her eyes, dropped on the floor and disappeared. It was just like the person who unconditionally protected her many years ago.
In the silent and dark night, she was alone, holding the worn-out box, immersed in the memories of the past.
The next morning, when Dean woke up, he noticed Aria Grant lying alone on the floor like an abandoned cat. For some reason, Dean felt an odd sensation.
"Aria Grant, don't play dead early in the morning, wake up, wake up, stop fooling around."
Despite his shouting, Aria Grant showed no signs of waking up, and Dean suddenly realized that something might be seriously wrong. He put his hand on her forehead and felt her burning temperature.
It appeared that Aria had a fever due to sleeping on the floor. Dean tried to lift her to take her to the hospital, but she held onto something in her arms and wouldn't let it go; yelling at her didn't wake her up.
Having no choice, he finally picked Aria up in a princess's hold, walked to the entrance to hail a taxi, and took her to the hospital. Along the way, he managed to call David to request a leave of absence for her and postpone her schedule for the next few days.
By the time Aria woke up, it was already in the afternoon. She'd been holding the box the whole time, so the doctors couldn't put her on intravenous fluids. Her high fever caused her to remain delirious and they couldn't feed her medicine either.
So they could only use some fever relief patches to lower her temperature slightly.
"I want to drink water..."
As soon as Aria opened her mouth, her voice was incredibly hoarse, which startled even her. She had unconsciously fallen asleep holding the box last night, and when she awoke she found herself in the hospital, having no recollection of what had happened in between.
"You have the nerve to ask for water. You scared the life out of me with your fever this morning. You wouldn't even let go of that old box, so we couldn't administer medicine. Can't you be considerate?"
Although Dean was chiding her nonstop, he kindly provided her with a cup of warm water. He also conveniently pressed the call button for the nurse to put her on intravenous fluids.
"I'm fine. Please keep this box for me! By the way, did Ivy go to school today?"
After drinking the water, Aria Grant felt slightly better. Although her voice was still hoarse, it was no longer as dry and painful as before.
"You finally remembered that you have a daughter. God knows how worried Ivy and I were when we saw you this morning. She wanted to stay and look after you this morning, but I sent her to school."
"Thank you."
Upon hearing Aria's words, Dean rolled his eyes at her. But he felt overwhelmingly warm inside, glad to know someone needed his help, making him feel like he wasn't a waste.
After the nurse came to hook up Aria's IV drip, she reminded her not to smoke or drink for a while and not to eat any spicy or stimulating food.
Hearing so many restrictions, Aria's face crinkled up more than an eighteen-fold bun from the Zhao family's bakery.
"Nurse, I think I feel a lot better now… cough, cough…"
"Are you a doctor? If not, then just listen obediently."
Looking at Aria's bitter face, Dean was smirking with glee, until he got his turn.
"You're her boyfriend, right! You didn't stop her from drinking so much. She came in here reeking of alcohol. The next time you two have a row, just lower your head and coax her and it will pass. But you definitely can't let her drink so much again, her stomach can't take it."
Dean was just about to explain when the nurse picked up her things and left, leaving him a suave figure.
"I..."
"Hahahahaha, Dean, please go buy me some food, I'm hungry. Remember to coax me!"
Looking at Aria, lying in bed and laughing heartily, Dean felt rather bitter. He definitely must have had bad luck for eight generations for him to meet such a "good" friend.
Aria dropped her frivolous act the moment Dean left the ward. She had noticed the flash of affection in Dean's eyes when the nurse mentioned they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
In the many years they've known each other, people have suggested that she find a father for Ivy. But her biological dad is still alive, she has unresolved issues. Moreover, a rabbit does not eat grass around its burrow, so she has never considered any romantic involvement with Dean.
Just when Aria was trying to figure out her complex feelings, George Flack, who somehow found out she was hospitalized, arrived at her ward and barged in.
"Aria, are you alright!"
Seeing the face that kept enlarging before her eyes, Aria's only thought was to keep it at a distance as it was disturbing her.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your fiancée and child at this moment?"