As the car started moving, I pulled out my phone to call Rose. The line connected quickly, and her cheerful voice greeted me on the other end. "Good morning, Lyla!"
"Morning, Rose. I just called to let you know there's no need to wait for me today. I'll come by myself. You should go ahead and discuss the MV concept I sent you with Manager Mia," I said, keeping my tone casual. The last thing I wanted was for her to know about Noah and eat my mind. It was better to keep things simple and avoid unnecessary questions.
"Oh, alright. But come quickly! I'll be waiting in your studio," she replied with a playful huff.
"Alright, see you there," I said with a soft smile before hanging up.
The car slowed as Starlet Entertainment Company came into view. "Mr. Cheng, please drop me off here," I said, pointing to a spot a short distance from the entrance.
Puzzled by my request, he hesitated. "But madam, it's still a bit of a walk from here to the company."
"No, it's alright. I'll walk the rest of the way," I insisted, giving him a reassuring look. His eyes shifted toward Noah for confirmation.
"Do as madam says," Noah instructed, his voice steady. I glanced at him and gave him a small smile. That was one thing I appreciated about him—he always respected my wishes and gave me the freedom to do as I pleased, without pressing his opinions unnecessarily.
Before I could open the door, Noah leaned closer, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. "Call me when you're done with your work. I'll send the driver to pick you up."
His gesture caught me off guard, but I nodded, keeping my voice soft. "Alright, see you soon."
I stepped out of the car, and as it drove away, I took a deep breath. I started walking toward the company entrance, the morning sun warming my back.
*
Opening the door to my studio, I found Rose already sitting comfortably on the couch, flipping through some papers. She looked up as I entered and smiled warmly.
"Hey, how have you been?" she asked as I joined her, sinking into the couch with a soft sigh.
"Fine," I replied, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Did you go to Manager Mia? What did she say about the concept we chose?"
Rose shifted her position, turning toward me with a curious expression. "Well, she was quite surprised that you want such a simple setup for your first song debut."
I chuckled lightly. "Well, sometimes doing less has a greater effect. I want the focus to be on my music. Putting too much into the MV isn't necessary, in my opinion."
Rose nodded, her lips curving into a grin. "Your minimalist approach seems to be saving the company quite a bit of money. Manager Mia said most debut artists are fighting for bigger budgets for their MV shoots. She was really impressed by your concept. And to make up for the previous loss of our songs, she told me we'll be the first to shoot."
"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise. "That's... quite unexpected."
Rose laughed softly at my reaction. "Well, according to her, all the other debut artists are still scrambling to come up with high-end concepts for their shoots. Since we're the only ones to have submitted ours, I guess it's not too surprising that we're first in line."
I smiled, feeling a mix of relief and excitement. "Still, I didn't think our straightforward approach would get this much attention. I'm glad Manager Mia sees potential in it."
"Maybe she wants to make up for the injustice company did to us. She couldn't help us that time, it's just her way of saying sorry. She a great person." Rose Replied
"Yeah, she's a really good manager," I said with a nod. "Well, let's go and submit our prerecording to the production team so they can handle the copyright and album production. That's actually the main reason I came today."
"Let's go," Rose replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "But first, let's grab something from the cafeteria. I didn't have breakfast today."
We walked out of the studio together, making our way toward the cafeteria. Just as we reached the entrance, we overheard a group of female employees chatting animatedly near the door.
"Are you sure you saw him?" one of them asked with wide eyes, her tone brimming with excitement.
"Yes, I saw him myself!" another responded, nearly bouncing on her toes. "Ask Emily—she was with me!"
I glanced at Rose, curious about the commotion. "Who do you think they're talking about?" I asked, noting the excitement on their faces.
Rose shrugged. "No idea. I didn't see anyone special when I came in this morning."
With a slight shake of her head, she walked over to the counter and returned with two cups of coffee and a small plate of pastries.
"You said you were hungry. Are these pastries really going to fill you up?" I teased, raising an eyebrow at her selection.
"Sweets are life, Miss Knight," she quipped with a grin, popping a piece of the pastry into her mouth and laughing.
As we both sipped our coffee, the microphone in the cafeteria crackled to life. A crisp voice echoed through the room.
"Attention all employees and artists. Please assemble in the conference hall at 12 p.m. Our honorable chairman, Noah Anderson, will be making an announcement. This is Lily Winters from the PR team."
My eyes widened in surprise. Noah is going to be here? I thought, gripping my coffee cup tightly. Why didn't he mention this to me earlier?
Rose gasped, nearly spilling her coffee in excitement. "Oh, Noah Anderson is back in the country? Is this a surprise inspection or something? Why would he come here just a day after his return?" She frowned, clearly puzzled.
"How could we know?" I replied, carefully avoiding eye contact with her as I feigned nonchalance. "Maybe he wants to check on how things are running in his absence."
Deep down, I felt uneasy. If Rose ever finds out the mysterious 'Mrs. Anderson' she keeps gossiping about is actually me, my days of peace will definitely be over.
Rose took another sip of her coffee, clearly lost in thought. "I mean, it makes sense. He's such a hands-on leader. But still, I wonder what announcement he's going to make."