Chapter 70 Signing the Contract

Soon, Evelyn received a call from Antonio. He told her to prepare for the contract signing with Matinal Company tomorrow. After hanging up the phone, Evelyn was still in disbelief. How could she, under her current circumstances, manage to secure a contract with Matinal Company? She couldn't fathom how Antonio had pulled it off.

Currently, Matinal Company is the only domestic film and television company capable of competing with WE Company.

The artists under Matinal Company are all stars who have won numerous awards in the film and television industry. However, unlike WE Company, Matinal Company is more focused on cultivating top talents in the industry.

There is even a saying, "Produced by Matinal Company, it must be a masterpiece." Whether it's the signed artists or the shows they participate in, without exception, they are the elites among elites. Evelyn rarely loses her composure, but after being away from this circle for so long, it's truly amazing that she managed to secure such a big company.

Luis watched Evelyn carefully, not knowing what she was thinking. He stood behind her, unbeknownst to her, and tugged at her clothes. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts. "Luis, I'll get very busy now. So you have to be good, alright?"

Luis rolled his eyes at her. "When have I ever been naughty?"

Evelyn smiled and looked at him. "Yes, yes, my mistake. You're so well-behaved." Is this child really only five years old?

At night, Evelyn told Luis a story. Despite his young age, he had already grown tired of the stories they used to read. Recently, it got even more extreme. She didn't know where he found a copy of "A Brief History of Time" and asked Evelyn to read it to him at night. Evelyn worried that her education might cause problems.

Evelyn tried her best to make the stories as accessible as possible. After an hour, she felt exhausted. Thankfully, Luis had fallen asleep peacefully in her arms. She watched him quietly for a while before gently pulling her arm away and planting a kiss on his forehead.

Luis snuggled against Evelyn's embrace, shifting into a more comfortable position. Evelyn patted his head and said softly, "Goodnight, baby." She didn't know if it was her own fault in raising him or something else, but Luis always seemed more mature than other children his age. He listened to whatever she said, but when it came to making decisions, he had his own ideas.

Evelyn felt sorry for her child. In the midst of adult relationships, it's always the children who suffer. Her own mistakes burdened him, and it pained her greatly.

She went back to her bedroom. She wanted to live in a higher place, hoping to catch sight of the beautiful night view. Insomnia had been troubling her for a long time. She would always be wide awake at night, unable to fall asleep. Occasionally, she would also feel lethargic during the day. She had seen a doctor and was prescribed some sleep aids.

With the help of these medications, she was able to get a fairly peaceful sleep. She looked at the city lights outside the window. The city was becoming more and more prosperous. However, standing alone in a high place at night, she couldn't help but feel lonely. Evelyn let out a sigh, wondering why...

"What's the matter?! Why can't I stop sighing no matter where I go?" she thought.

At this moment, not far away, Étienne was also standing by the French window, gazing at the city shrouded in darkness. Sophie brought a cup of hot water and knocked on the door, looking at his desolate figure with a faint pain in her heart. Of course, he knew Evelyn was back.

Sophie knew that Étienne must be thinking about Evelyn at this moment. But what could she do? Sophie coughed softly. Étienne finally snapped out of it and looked at Sophie. "You can go off duty now."

Sophie nodded and handed the hot water to him. "It's late. Don't drink coffee." Étienne took it, but his phone started ringing. He put the cup of water on the table and answered the call. The voice on the other end was as soft as silk. Sophie knew at once that it was one of the new actresses signed by the WE Company.

A delicate and beautiful young girl named Jade, who seemed so naive that she really believed she had won Étienne's heart. Sophie vaguely remembered seeing her a couple of times before. It made Sophie quite uncomfortable.

But what could she do? Étienne liked her. She was the woman he had been involved with for the longest time in the past five years. Although it had only been half a year, he seemed to have endless patience for Jade. He would agree to any request she made.

On the other end of the phone, Jade was still acting spoiled, saying some boring nonsense. Étienne just listened quietly, occasionally giving a brief response. Even though it was just "Hmm," "Oh," or "Okay," it excited Jade to no end. Sophie kept watching Étienne torment himself, and in turn, tormenting her.

Everything was just like five years ago, but now Sophie suddenly felt extremely scared. She knew that Étienne would no longer be like this because Evelyn had come back.

Sophie didn't know where she gathered the courage, but she snatched Étienne's phone and turned it off. Surprisingly, Étienne didn't get angry. He just looked at her calmly. Sophie knew he had been good to her in these five years, never refusing anything she said or did. But all that compliance was just compliance, nothing more.

There were no real feelings—truly no feelings at all. That's what hurt the most. Sophie gripped the phone so tightly that her fingertips turned pale. Étienne glanced at her, reached out, and took the phone. "You'll hurt yourself if you exert too much force." Sophie closed her eyes in pain. This was the kind of man he was.

Yes, she knew she would hurt herself.

Still, she wanted to move forward without hesitation, even if she couldn't get anything. She just couldn't give up. It was really tiring and difficult.

Sophie wished to say this to Étienne. It would hurt him if he pushed too hard. He should just give up on that woman. They wouldn't have a future together. He shouldn't be so tenacious. He shouldn't wait for her. He should just forget about her quickly. But did she have the right to say these things?

Étienne regarded her like a child who was throwing a tantrum for candy. He took back his phone and walked past Sophie, heading toward the door. Sophie wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, but she suppressed herself in the end. She asked Étienne sorrowfully, "All of them can do it, but I can't."

Étienne stopped in his tracks. He hesitated for a moment and turned to look at Sophie with some tenderness in his eyes. He had always cherished this woman, but the events from five years ago were still like a stone lodged in his heart. He couldn't let go.

Such a sympathetic stance was not what Sophie wanted. She took a step forward and said, "I love you, Étienne! Can you hear me? I don't want your sympathy! I don't want your compensation! Do you understand? No matter what I do, you can't see it, can you?" Tears flowed instantly from Sophie's eyes.

Étienne knew what she wanted, but he couldn't give it to her. It seemed like he couldn't give it to anyone in this lifetime. It was just that simple. But when he saw Sophie's tears, he walked up to her, took out a handkerchief, and wiped them away one by one. "I'll have Leo take you home."

Sophie hugged Étienne tightly. "Étienne, have you forgotten everything? We used to go to class together every day. We used to play games, and you would ride your bike to take me home. Have you forgotten all of that? I was wrong. I really regret it now. Why won't you give me a chance?"

Étienne pushed Sophie away. "Calm down. Those things are in the past. Stop thinking about them. Go back and rest, okay?"

Étienne dialed Leo's number, and Leo arrived quickly. "Sophie is in a bad mood, and it would be dangerous for her to drive. Take her home."

Seeing the state Sophie was in, Leo understood what had happened. He had no choice but to take Sophie away. Once they were in the elevator, he said to her, "Don't be too hard on yourself."

Étienne rubbed his temples. He had been really tired lately. The phone rang again, and he looked at the flashing name—Jade. Feeling irritated, he quickly declined the call. He took out a bottle of red wine from the cabinet. "Forget it," he told himself.

He didn't know what he was thinking. How could he let himself be disturbed by someone who had abandoned him?

"How can I be so spineless? She pushed me away. That time, I almost killed myself. Evelyn's lack of love was so evident." Étienne kept telling himself that he only had hatred for her in his heart. His hand holding the bottle of wine continued to tremble uncontrollably.

For a period of time, he was truly obsessed with alcohol, but after Sophie's incident and everything that followed, Étienne never touched alcohol again. It's surprising that he actually started to miss the taste of alcohol.

Étienne slowly put the bottle back in its place. Jade called again, and Étienne answered. She asked where he was and if he could come to pick her up. After listening to the address, Étienne replied with a simple "okay."

After hanging up the phone, Étienne felt slightly relieved. Yes, this is who he is.