"Hey, sweetheart, how about we all go see a movie tonight?" Vincent put down his newspaper and smiled at Catherine, who was eating breakfast. It was rare for him to change out of his pajamas before breakfast.
The little girl had just taken a bite of her French toast. Hearing her father's suggestion, she seemed to choke a bit, frowning as she struggled to swallow. She then quickly regained her composure and said, "No, Dad, that's not necessary."
"Really? This is a rare opportunity," Vincent said, taking a leisurely sip of his coffee.
Catherine bit her spoon, glaring at her father for a long moment before saying through gritted teeth, "No, Dad, I'm serious."
"Why?" her father asked, puzzled, shrugging his shoulders.
"What's the matter?" Susan asked as she walked over and sat down, catching the last part of the conversation.
Instead of answering directly, Vincent asked an unrelated question: "Darling, do you have time today?"
"I just need to send the necklace design sketches to the company. Why do you ask?" Although Susan didn't understand why her husband asked, she answered honestly.
"Let's go see a movie tonight, just the two of us. I asked Catherine, and she doesn't want to go," Vincent said, still smiling.
Hearing the word "movie," Susan immediately understood what was going on, and a knowing smile spread across her face. Meanwhile, the little girl angrily protested, "Dad!"
"All right, all right, let's listen to this," Vincent said, picking up the newspaper and starting to read aloud, "...It's clear that Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer aimed to give kids a perfect summer ending, but unfortunately, the movie falls short of their expectations. The plot is too thin, and the bar scene between Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts is the only highlight. As for Catherine Mason, who played dual roles, she's simply adorable."
After reading, he flipped through the front page of the newspaper. "Well, that was The Washington Post. Let's see what other papers have to say."
He picked up the Los Angeles Times, turned to the entertainment section, and read another review, "...Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts perform a love triangle, and though Julia wins on screen, off screen, Dennis Quaid remains with Meg. Both actresses play their usual roles, which is overly safe. The bar scene is amusing. As for newcomer Catherine Mason, her dual role debut is ambitious, and while her performance is commendable, her British accent is a bit awkward."
"Awkward? Maybe the reviewer has never been to Britain," Susan raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, dear, there's more to read. Let me finish these first," Vincent said, waving his hand. He picked up another paper, which looked like The New York Times.
The little girl stood up and, as if begging, said, "All right, Dad, can you please stop reading?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you'd like to hear them. Since you're not attending the premiere or going to the cinema, I thought you might enjoy the reviews," her father said with a smile and a shrug.
"I'll go tonight, is that enough?" Catherine said, gritting her teeth even harder.
"All right, it's settled then." Vincent finished his coffee, patted her head despite her murderous glare, kissed his wife goodbye, and left for work.
At the door, their driver, David Dick, was already waiting with the car. As usual, he greeted Vincent, but this time he said, "Mr. Mason, your daughter is adorable."
Vincent was taken aback, politely thanked him, but didn't give it much thought. However, upon arriving at the office, he soon realized something was off. Every time he walked by, the employees whispered behind his back. Although he rarely reprimanded his staff, he still didn't appreciate such behavior.
In his office, his secretary, Miss Daisy, quickly brought in the sorted documents. As she left, she also smiled and said, "Mr. Mason, your daughter is adorable."
"Oh? Thank you." Vincent was puzzled again. Recalling earlier events, he finally understood what was happening. But did all the employees see the movie last night?
If the little girl were there, she would explain it was office gossip culture. Any bit of news spread faster than light in the office.
Vincent, not understanding this, could only feel frustrated. Maybe teasing the little girl this morning brought this trouble? Hey, I wasn't teasing her! I was helping her face her work!
As he mused, the phone rang. Daisy's voice came through, "Mr. Mason, Mr. Albert is on line 3."
Brian? Why is he calling me at this hour? Could it be because of Catherine's movie? Vincent tapped his fingers on the desk before finally picking up the phone. "Put him through, Daisy."
The line connected quickly, but before Vincent could speak, a somewhat noisy voice came through, "Vincent, what the hell is going on? Am I the last one to know about this? I'm her godfather, for heaven's sake!"
"All right, all right, Brian, can you calm down and speak slowly? You're about to make me deaf," Vincent nearly threw the receiver away.
"Fine, then explain to me what's going on?" Brian calmed down a bit and asked in a slower tone.
"I get it, but do you want to hear some good news?"
"What?"
"Judging by the time you called, you're definitely not the last one to know."
"…Okay, fine. But you know I can't just sit by and do nothing after this storm hits your family."
"You rascal," Vincent cursed playfully before giving a brief rundown of what Catherine had been up to lately.
"So, the little one played roles in her own screenplay?" Brian exclaimed on the other end, "I knew my goddaughter was extraordinary! She's a genius. Honestly, I thought her performance was brilliant."
"Really? I haven't seen it yet," Vincent shrugged on his end of the call.
"What? Yesterday was the premiere. Catherine should have attended, right?"
"Catherine doesn't seem to have much confidence in her work. She not only declined Disney's premiere invitation but also didn't want us to go," Vincent said helplessly.
At that moment, the phone on his desk rang again, "Mr. Mason, Ms. Ruth is on line 4. Should I ask her to wait?"
Vincent smiled wryly and spoke into the receiver, "All right, Brian, Ruth is calling, probably for the same reason. So, I'll have to say goodbye for now."
"Send my regards to Ruth. No need to pass them to Susan and the little one because I'll be in Los Angeles soon."
"I hope we're not home when you arrive," Vincent joked before pressing the end button. He then said, "Daisy, put Ruth's call through."
Soon, a cheerful female voice came through, "Vincent, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here, Ruth. Don't tell me you're calling about Catherine's movie too?" Vincent asked with a bitter smile.
There was a brief hesitation before she replied, "What, has Dad already called?"
"No, it was Brian, not my stubborn father," Vincent's tone took on a lazy drawl when mentioning his father.
"Vincent!" Ruth's tone grew stern.
"Come on, Ruth, you know this isn't a new thing between Dad and me," Vincent scratched his head, "So, are you asking about Catherine?"
"All right, what's going on with the little one?"
As Vincent was about to answer, the phone rang again, "Mr. Mason, your father is on line 5. Should I ask him to wait?"
Speak of the devil. Vincent rubbed his forehead and spoke into the receiver, "Okay, my dear sister, Dad's calling. If you want to know more, call Susan or Brian."
"I got it, but don't argue with Dad."
"Don't treat me like a child," Vincent said, shaking his head. He then pressed the end button and took a deep breath before saying into the receiver, "Daisy, put my father's call through."
Two or three seconds later, a slightly raspy, elderly voice came through the line, "Vincent, you've been neglectful."
"Is that so? Because I let Catherine make a movie?" Vincent took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Yes, I don't know what you're thinking, but what kind of uncontrollable reason is there to let a child make a movie? Or have you been in Los Angeles so long you don't care about the kids anymore?" The old man's tone grew increasingly severe.
"Dad, Catherine made this choice herself from start to finish. We're just respecting her decision."
"But you are her guardian. You need to do more than just respect!"
"And what should I do? Tie her up? Don't forget the commotion she caused when she ran away from home in London at the age of four!"
"That was still your negligence."
Damn it, is that all you can say? Vincent grew annoyed, his tone turning icy, "All right, Mr. Creighton, I have work to do. All morning, I've been getting calls about Catherine, which is seriously affecting my work. If you have questions, you can come to California or wait until we visit New York for Christmas. That's it."
With that, he hung up the phone and took a few deep breaths in his chair. He realized he hadn't addressed the main issue at all in his conversation with his father. Ridiculous.
Vincent smiled wryly as the phone rang once more, "Mr. Mason, Mr. Clifford is on line 3. Should I ask him to wait?"
All right, all right, today has become a press conference for the little one. Maybe it's really because I teased her? Damn it!