In the remote suburbs, street lamps were scattered along the road, occasionally a few would be lit, casting dim orange light on unmelted snow, with distant shadows of trees swaying silently and desolately.
The breath exhaled turned into white mist, torn into nothingness by the biting cold wind.
Nora Scott pulled her military coat tighter, strolling over to the nanny van nearby.
A space was cleared beside the car, with a small table set up, laden with a feast, with only Lily Turner and Jesse Johnson sitting by it.
Jesse Johnson was enthusiastically serving Lily Turner food. When he saw Nora Scott approaching, his face darkened slightly, clearly displeased, yet he shot her a provocative look.
"Car keys." As she reached Lily Turner's side, Nora Scott casually tossed out three words.
Lily Turner was startled a bit and asked, "What's wrong?"
"No more boxed lunches, I'm driving to get dinner."
"..."
Lily Turner looked at Jesse Johnson.
Jesse Johnson turned his head away, feeling a pinch of guilt.
On one side was Nora Scott, whom he currently relied on, and on the other was Jesse Johnson, whom he would rely on in the future. Lily Turner found herself caught in a dilemma. But Nora Scott was so assertive and direct, she was afraid Nora might cause trouble. After much contemplation, she handed the car keys to Nora Scott.
"Go and come back soon."
Upon hearing this, Jesse Johnson widened his eyes in disbelief and said, "Lily, she's your assistant, supposed to do all sorts of work for you. Aren't you spoiling her too much?"
The keys dropped into her hand, Nora Scott glanced at him with lowered eyes and calmly added, "Temporary assistant, gone the day after tomorrow."
"..."
Resigning means you can slack off?!
Jesse Johnson was so furious he ground his teeth, entirely forgetting that he was also in the slacker category.
"I have to shoot a scene later, nothing else matters." Lily Turner braved the situation to mediate, smiling, "Jesse, just let her go."
Backfiring on his plan, Jesse Johnson felt deeply discontented, but since Lily Turner had spoken, he couldn't continue to argue.
With a light laugh, Nora Scott turned and walked towards the nanny van.
The key fob spun around her fingers, creating a clear jingling sound, which was particularly piercing in this quiet and secluded environment.
As Nora Scott opened the car door, Jesse Johnson suddenly realized, glaring over, "You did it on purpose?"
He had made things difficult for Nora Scott, not letting her have a lunchbox. So she went to Lily Turner, demanding car keys and driving to eat in front of him, making him feel very stifled.
Stopping for a moment, Nora Scott slightly turned her head, the wind sweeping up her hair, under the dim light, her smile was faint yet arrogant, "Well, isn't it obvious?"
As the words fell, she bent over and got into the car, closing the door.
Jesse Johnson: "..."
Not asking was better, asking made things more suffocating.
"Lily, next time you need an assistant, I'll find one for you." Jesse Johnson looked at Lily Turner, his expression earnest, "I'm sure they'll be a thousand times better than her."
Lily Turner thought, just based on service attitude, finding another 'Nora Scott replica' would be difficult. However, she could only smile and nod, serving him food and changing the subject with a few words.
The nanny van started and left the set.
*
The car was parked by the roadside.
The street was busier, not many pedestrians, but most shops had opened, various restaurants were scattered around.
The cold wind hit her face directly, Nora Scott slightly squinted her eyes, her gaze sweeping over rows of shops, not finding one she liked, she simply retracted her gaze and leisurely walked into a small alley.
With Bluetooth earphones in her ears, Nora Scott opened her phone contacts and tapped on the first remark—
Boss Alex.
Dialing.
After three rings, the call was answered.
"Available now?"
A gentle and pleasant voice came through her ears, containing a hint of laughter.
"If you do me a favor, I'll have time."
"What do you need?"
Turning at the corner, Nora Scott lazily raised her eyes, her gaze slightly cool, "Whether it's a threat or intimidation, in any case, get Edgar Sterling to return to Seal City tomorrow and meet Lily Turner."
"A threat? Intimidation?"
In the low and gentle voice was a faint sense of helplessness.
The flickering neon lights by the roadside cast a flickering glow beside her, half her face covered in shadow, Nora Scott's tone was unhurried, "'Murder and arson, banditry and robbery', isn't that what you're best at?"
Boss Alex chuckled, the fleeting laughter floating over the phone, landing in the wind, perfectly drifting into her ear.
"Master Scott, I'm a legitimate businessman, all my businesses are legal." He paused slightly, kindly reminding, "What you're describing is yourself."
"Right, everything you do is taking advantage of opportunities..." Midway through the sentence, Nora Scott caught something amiss, her eyes furrowing, "What did you call me just now?"
"..." After three seconds of silence, the other party wisely changed the topic, "Time's a bit tight, I'll get someone to handle it."
"..."
Definitely something fishy.
"Remember to eat." In the end, not forgetting to remind her.
"Got it."
Taking off the earphones, Nora Scott ended the call.
After walking for seven or eight minutes, Nora Scott stopped in a secluded alley, in front of her was an old storefront for a noodle shop.
The shop's door was open, with few customers, business was sluggish.
Nora Scott walked inside.
"A bowl of beef noodles, no cilantro."
"Alright." The shop owner responded, hesitating when noticing Nora Scott's appearance, couldn't help but take a couple more curious glances, "Miss, you look familiar?"
"Common face."
Nora Scott replied in a flat tone, calm and collected, finding a clean place to sit down.
"..."
The shop owner looked at her face, scratched his head, and thought to himself: If that's a common face, then they might as well not show their faces in public.
Nora Scott didn't expect that just because she visited with Pedro Langley years ago, the owner would still have an impression of her.
After a while, a bowl of steaming beef noodles was set on the table, the owner, still unwilling to give up, stared at her for a while before finally giving in to his impulse—
"It's you, isn't it? You came with your boyfriend last time, sat right here. There were two punks causing trouble then, and you dealt with them. Oh, you even broke one of my tables, your boyfriend paid for it."
"I'm frail and often sick, can't fight." Nora Scott replied without even lifting her eyelids, speaking effortlessly.
"..."
The shop owner stared at her military coat for a long time, eventually walking away in disappointment.
Nora Scott didn't mind, lowering her gaze, picking up her chopsticks, and stirring the beef slices and chili on top of the noodles.
After taking a few bites of noodles, her phone in her pocket vibrated, she slowly retrieved it, opened the message to check.
It was a friend request.
Besides the persistent anime editor from CC, it was... Butler Loxley?
Profile picture: Snowy courtyard inside a villa.
Nickname: Butler Loxley.
[Butler Loxley: Miss Scott, I'm Loxley.]
The account also had a photo in the timeline, Nora Scott clicked in, puzzled.
It seemed to be a new account, with only one post in the timeline from today.
[Butler Loxley: Today's Master Pedro. [Image]]
The accompanying photo was of Pedro Langley sitting on a single-seater sofa reading, dressed in a white shirt, black trousers, exuding a cool demeanor. The side profile was captured with gentle lighting outlining his figure, the backyard visible partially through the floor-to-ceiling window with a snowy scene.
Nora Scott: "..." Has Butler Loxley evolved into the 'employer-showcase fanatic'?
Slowly munching on a piece of beef, Nora Scott pondered for a while before finally accepting the friend request.
*
On the film set, staff were bustling back and forth, actors were shooting scenes through the night.
Taking advantage of Jesse Johnson not being around, Lily Turner took her phone out from her down jacket, opened WeChat.
Lily Turner: Sophie, can you get me another TO signed Zero, the same as the previous one?
Message sent.
Exhaling, Lily Turner's gaze fell on the contact's remark, pausing slightly, her eyes darkening.
Remark: Sophie Scott.