As they were speaking, Brendan came out of his office with an obviously gloomy expression on his
face. He then said to Maeve Lindberg’s manager, “The dress has already been completed. If you’re
dissatisfied, we can give you a full refund.” Apparently, Maeve’s manager didn’t expect Brendan to say
that. Surprised, she replied with a smile, “Please don’t be mad, Mr. Griffith. We aren’t saying that we’re
not satisfied with the dress; it’s just that Maeve said the dress is the result of your hard work since you
designed it yourself. You know what kind of a person she is, though. She said she’ll perhaps be
satisfied if you personally deliver the dress to her.” “That’s enough,” Brendan interrupted her right away.
“Please help me tell Miss Lindberg that it’s not a problem if she’s dissatisfied with the design and needs
it to be revised. If she’s dissatisfied with the dress, we can have it remade, and if she wants to
terminate our contracts, we can choose to terminate the contracts amicably. As for everything else,
please tell her to behave herself.” The manager quickly replied with an obsequious smile, “You’re going
a bit too far in saying that, Mr. Griffith. Maeve didn’t mean anything else. She just wanted to be friends
with you, but if you don’t want to, she won’t force it, of course. To put it bluntly, we didn’t come to you
for the dress; we came to you because Maeve is interested in you. Since you don’t reciprocate Maeve’s
feelings, let’s forget about our collaboration. As for the compensation, you just have to pay the money
according to what was stated in the contract.” Brendan looked as black as thunder. “Alright then,
goodbye and good riddance,” he uttered between clenched teeth. Then, he turned around and left
regardless of the manager’s response. The manager then said, “Don’t show me the door in such a
hurry, Mr. Griffith. Actually, you’re skilled as a designer, but Maeve admires your personality more.
Besides, you’re currently single, and Maeve is a popular female celebrity. She’s a good match for you,
so why put on airs when you don’t have to?” As soon as the manager finished her sentence, Elise
walked out right away and looked at her with a faint smile. “Since Maeve is a popular female celebrity,
why force people into doing things they don’t wanna do?” When the manager saw Elise, her eyes
widened with amazement, especially when she looked at Elise’s face, which was especially fair despite
having no makeup on. Her bright and clear eyes were especially beautiful, and her slender figure made
her look like someone born to be a star. Even Maeve would pale in comparison with her if she stood in
front of her. However, for some reason, the manager thought Elise’s face looked familiar to her. “And
you are?” she asked with a groveling smile on her face. Elise replied flatly, “Just one of the studio’s
designers.” The manager then took out a business card from her pocket. “I’m a manager from Bright
Star Entertainment. Are you interested in entering show business? You look so beautiful, and you’re
young. I guarantee that I’ll make you the top celebrity in less than three years.” “And then you’ll make
me as overbearing as you are?” Elise shot back. The manager’s expression changed at once.
“Brendan Griffith should feel honored that Maeve has taken a fancy to him. Do you believe that Maeve
can make your studio go out of business with just a word?” Elise had seen some arrogant people
before, but she had never seen someone as arrogant as the manager. Folding her arms across her
chest, she said, “Well, you can give it a try. Let’s see if our studio will go out of business or if Maeve will
disappear from show business in the end.” Elise’s words sent a chill down the manager’s spine. She
had a vague feeling that Elise didn’t seem to be joking, and that she really seemed capable of doing
that. But on second thought, Elise was only a young lady who was still wet behind the ears. How
capable can she be? she thought. “Do you think such a threat will work on me? Let me tell you that it’s
only a matter of minutes if we want your studio to go out of business.” Elise replied, “Alright then, I’ll
wait for it! But let me remind you that a wicked person is doomed to destruction. Lastly, tell Maeve to
stop harassing Brendan.” The manager gave Elise a long stare before replying with a sneer, “Who do
you think you are? What makes you think you can meddle in Maeve’s affairs? Here’s a piece of sound
advice for you: you’ll pay the price for poking your nose into somebody else’s business.” Without
waiting for Elise’s response, she shot her a warning stare and left. At the sight of the scene, Elise’s
eyes grew darker bit by bit. Just then, the assistant hurriedly came to her and asked, “Are you alright,
Elise?” Elise’s instinct told her that there was more to it than what the manager had said, but she didn’t
give it much thought. She merely replied, “I’m fine.” The assistant sighed. “This isn’t the first time
Maeve has pestered Mr. Griffith. In fact, she has done it a few times. Mr. Griffith has been reluctant to
deal with them, but the collaboration agreement they signed back then is valid for a year, so he’s been
doing all he can to keep Maeve away… But it seems that Maeve won’t stop until she’s got her hands
on Mr. Griffith. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a shameless woman. She pretends to be so likable and
innocent on the big screen, but who would’ve known that she’s such a woman in private?” she said. As
she spoke, however, she broke off in the middle of her speech and looked at Brendan nearby with a
horrified expression. “Mr. Griffith, I…” Brendan opened his mouth, saying, “Just go ahead with your
work.” The assistant quickly ran away. When Elise realized what had happened, she was already
nowhere to be seen. Brendan came over and said, “Thank you, Elise. But please stay out of this in the
future.” Elise was somewhat puzzled. “Why are you putting up with her like that?” Brendan explained,
“Maeve’s got connections in the underworld. I’m a businessman, so I can’t offend those in the
underworld.” The furrow in Elise’s brow deepened. “So you’re just going to keep putting up with her like
that?” Brendan let out a sigh. “I’m fine. The contract will end in less than half a year, anyway.” Elise
thought that Brendan didn’t seem like someone who would swallow his pride, but he kept trying his best
to avoid Maeve, as if she were vicious. Elise had a hard time concentrating in the afternoon as she kept
thinking about Maeve. In the end, she took out her cell phone and googled Maeve’s name, and a
detailed introduction of her immediately popped up on Wikipedia… There was nothing special about
the introduction on Wikipedia since it had glorified Maeve in every way possible. As Elise had no
impression of the woman, she put her cell phone away without giving it much thought. Elise worked
overtime until past 9PM as usual. Then, she switched off the lights, ready to leave the office. She was
the last person to leave the studio every day, so she had grown used to it. As usual, she left the studio
after locking the door. Unexpectedly, as soon as she came out of the studio, a dark silhouette popped
up in front of her and then put a gunnysack on her. Elise struggled out of reflex, but she lost
consciousness after only a few seconds. A male voice sounded, saying, “Throw her into the trunk.”
With that, several men quickly threw Elise into the car and then drove off. All of this happened in a
flash. Within two mere minutes, the car was nowhere to be seen, and the surroundings were quiet
again as usual.
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