Chelsea Raines hung her head like a defeated stray.
The peculiar stares from the countless crew members around her made it impossible for her to make a graceful exit. She never could have imagined it would come to this.
She suddenly grit her teeth, dropped to her knees to offer a quick apology, then scrambled up and staggered away.
Renee Jennings chased after her. "Chelsea..."
Chelsea Raines was a proud woman; she wouldn't be running back to Naomi's room to cause trouble again anytime soon. With her objective achieved, Naomi Kenway stretched in delight.
A cameraman suddenly handed her a cell phone.
Naomi Kenway looked at him, confused. They had been explicitly forbidden from using any electronic devices.
"This is a special privilege. We know the first day in Prospera Village can be a bit of an adjustment, so for the next hour, you can use this phone to contact your family."
"Oh, I see." Naomi Kenway took the phone, but the question of who to call left her stumped.
Her relationship with her parents was severely strained, and her social circle consisted only of hangers-on who were after her money.
Naomi Kenway handed the phone to Ian Shaw and asked his opinion. "Ian, who do you want to call?"
Ian Shaw blinked his big eyes and called out a name without a moment's hesitation. "Dad!"
"Dad?" Naomi Kenway frowned slightly. She hadn't seen her husband in ages. Their marriage was on the verge of collapse. Ethan Shaw had moved out long ago, and his attitude toward Naomi could only be described as utter disgust.
It's safe to say that if it weren't for Ian, they would have divorced long ago.
In the moment it took for Naomi Kenway to ponder this, Ian had already dialed the number he knew by heart.
"Ian—" Naomi Kenway started to say, but was cut off by a gentle, magnetic voice on the other end of the line.
"Ian, why the different number? Have you been eating well today?"
[Oh my god, Ian's dad's voice is gorgeous! He must be so handsome!]
[Guys with great voices are usually not that good-looking. There's no way Naomi Kenway is lucky enough to snag a husband who's both rich and handsome!]
[He's rich and his voice is amazing, so why is he wasted on a woman like Naomi Kenway?! Life is so unfair! Someone like her doesn't deserve him at all!]
...
Naomi Kenway leaned in for a closer look and saw that Ian had started a video call. She quickly backed away again, unsure how she should face Ethan Shaw.
Compared to his cautious and reserved demeanor around Naomi Kenway, Ian was much more relaxed with Ethan Shaw. He was usually a quiet, taciturn boy, but now he was excitedly recounting his experiences from the day's trip.
"Dad, Mom and I are on a trip! There are lush green wheat fields here, and they're so pretty." He picked his treasured little wooden sword up from the table. "Dad, look! Mom made this for me! She's so nice to me. She knocked dates off a tree for me to eat, and she made a bunch of cool benches! Mom is amazing..."
Ethan Shaw listened quietly, one of his handsome eyebrows raised in skepticism at these claims.
He was exceptionally handsome, with a noble and gentle air. When facing his son, he was patient and didn't hold back his faint smiles.
"Is that so? It sounds like you two are having a wonderful time. What did you have for dinner?"
"The production team gave us lots of food. My favorite was the hard-boiled egg Mom peeled for me..."
Ethan Shaw's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he quickly recovered. "Oh, really?"
"Dad, Mom's right here next to me. You have to talk to her, too, otherwise she'll be sad."
After saying this, Ian Shaw quickly thrust the phone into Naomi Kenway's hands.
The phone felt like a hot potato in Naomi Kenway's hand. Staring at the handsome face on the screen, she managed a stiff, awkward greeting. "Hi?"
The moment he saw Naomi Kenway, Ethan Shaw's gentle expression instantly turned to ice.
"Thank you for taking care of Ian during this time. Also..."
"I hope you will take good care of Ian. I don't want..."
As if holding back for some reason, he didn't finish his sentence, but the threat in his eyes was unmistakable.
Naomi Kenway knew he was referring to her 'track record.' It was only natural for Ethan Shaw to worry she wouldn't take good care of Ian. She couldn't be bothered to make any promises and just replied dryly, "Okay."
Naomi Kenway was usually flamboyant and difficult, but today she seemed rather... docile.
Ethan Shaw took it all in but said nothing more.
Just as the call was about to end, Ian said to Ethan Shaw, "Good night, Dad."
Ethan Shaw replied in a gentle voice, "Good night."
"What about Mom? You didn't say good night to Mom!" Ian piped up in his small, sweet voice.
Ethan Shaw paused. He looked in Naomi Kenway's direction, his expression unreadable. "Good night."
The call finally ended.
[Ian's dad has such a nice voice. Too bad the camera didn't catch his face. I wonder if they'll show him later on. I'm really looking forward to it!]
[This couple seems so distant with each other. I recommend everyone go watch Rachel's stream. Best Actor Lynch is so handsome and romantic, and he and Rachel are disgustingly sweet together.]
[Ugh, just a random viewer here, but I'm not a fan of Renee Jennings's stream. It feels so fake. Didn't expect Best Actor Lynch to be so cringey at his age.]
[Is the person above one of Naomi Kenway's hired trolls? Are you starting to slander Rachel already?]
...
Naomi Kenway had just lulled Ian Shaw to sleep when a crew member walked up, holding a task card. "Nina, come and get your new task."
Naomi Kenway took it and slowly opened the stationery, which was printed with the "My Super Mom" logo. Inside was a white card, with the task printed in black letters:
Please arrive at the east end of the village on time tomorrow morning to choose your breakfast.
Naomi Kenway's eyes immediately caught the word "choose." She raised an eyebrow. "Meaning, first come, first served?"
"That's right." The crew member nodded. "There's a limited amount of food. The first guests to arrive can choose what they want. The last guest to arrive may not get any food at all."
Recalling Naomi Kenway's typically lazy ways, the crew member added, "Nina, you'll need to wake up at six tomorrow. Otherwise, you might not get any food, and both you and Ian will go hungry."
Naomi Kenway nodded to show she understood.
It was already ten at night. After turning off the lights, Naomi Kenway lay down on the other side of Ian Shaw.
Ian Shaw was a still sleeper, though he had a habit of curling his body into a tight ball. She'd heard this was a sign of insecurity.
Naomi Kenway wrapped an arm around her son, and soon she too fell into a deep sleep.
*
「Veridia」
Ethan Shaw stood before a floor-to-ceiling window. From the twenty-third floor, he had a commanding view of the entire city.
His gaze was fixed, lost in thought. The screen of the phone in his hand was still frozen on the "Call Ended" display.
'Were Ian's words coerced by Naomi? But the atmosphere between them didn't feel like that at all.'
'Could it be that Naomi has actually changed?'
Ethan Shaw dismissed the thought as soon as it arose. 'This is probably just a new trick to lure me back home. I've tolerated so much from her, showered her with resources... What more could she possibly want?'
Then, the image of Naomi's somewhat timid expression flashed through his mind...
Ethan Shaw walked slowly to his desk and called his assistant. His voice was steady.
"Liam Sherman, come to my office."