Chapter 42

Harper had her phone on speaker, so Nathan could hear Sarah's voice too.

"Hey, it's Harper. You brought Ryan and Sophie to my clinic yesterday," Harper said.

"Hi, Harper. What's up?" Sarah asked.

"Just wanted to check in on Ryan and Sophie. How are they doing? How's their sleep and emotional state since they got home?" Harper asked.

"Thanks for asking. They're doing well, no issues so far. Your help really made a difference; it seems to have lifted the psychological shadow from that incident," Sarah replied.

Harper glanced at Nathan, who was listening in, looking for his advice on what to do next.

Nathan scribbled "appointment" on the table.

"I'm still worried about Ryan and Sophie. Could their parents bring them in again tomorrow?" Harper suggested.

"If needed, we will. But their mom is busy with filming and might not have time. I'll bring them instead," Sarah responded.

Nathan thought to himself, 'Is the kids' mom an actress too?'

Nathan gave Harper a subtle look.

He wanted Harper to ask about which show the kids' mom was in and which production company she worked for. But Nathan's hint was too subtle for even the perceptive Harper to catch.

So Harper interpreted it her own way. "It would be best if their mom could come. Communication would be smoother that way."

Nathan found this reasonable; direct conversation was always the best option.

Sarah's response remained vague. "Their mom is really busy, but I'll try to help her find the time."

"Alright then, goodbye," Harper said.

"Goodbye," Sarah replied.

After hanging up, Harper scrutinized Nathan's chiseled, stern face with a suspicious look.

Nathan noticed Harper's doubt but said nothing, waiting for her to ask.

"Are you interested in the kids or their mom?" Harper asked bluntly.

Nathan intertwined his fingers, staying silent, thinking the question over in his mind.

"All these years, have you really never started a romantic relationship with someone?" Harper pressed.

Nathan didn't respond verbally, only with a look that seemed to say, "Do you even need to ask? Of course not."

"But Roxanne publicly claims you're her fiancé. Why do you allow it?" Harper was puzzled.

The reason was that using Roxanne alone could fend off many of Nathan's pursuers. Besides, Roxanne was part of the Kennedy Corp entertainment company, and making her famous could bring significant profits to the company. But Nathan found it troublesome to state and didn't bother to explain, simply shaking his head.

Harper understood Nathan didn't like to explain much. Given his status, he didn't need reasons for his actions, nor did he need to explain his refusals.

If no reason was needed, why elaborate?

"Alright, if you've never been involved in any romantic relationships, then the kids obviously have nothing to do with you?" Harper continued.

Nathan nodded slightly.

Harper analyzed. "If those twins are indeed your biological children, it must be really tough for their mother to raise them on her own. What worries me is that once the children's mother finds out about you, she will inevitably see you as a cash cow. While money may be insignificant to you, it is no small matter for the reputation of the Kennedy family."

Nathan listened silently, not saying a word.

"Alright, you continue to interact with that lady. If you feel something, go with it. It might help you," Harper stood up, ready to end the consultation.

Nathan didn't move, looking up to ask, "When is it?"

"Next week's session is up to you. You're a busy man, so it's up to your schedule. Just let me know in advance," Harper replied.

"I mean, when are the kids coming?" Nathan asked.

Harper realized he was referring to the time for Ryan and Sophie's visit tomorrow. "I forgot to confirm the exact time with her. It should be in the morning, right? It seems you care a lot about the kids and want to visit them personally?"

Nathan nodded again.

Harper couldn't help but smile, as this scene reminded her of the little boy in the twins nodding, "I'll let you know once the time is set. But if you suddenly show up with a face similar to theirs, won't it scare them?"

Nathan frowned slightly; he hadn't considered that.

Harper suggested, "How about when the kids arrive, I'll explain to them that someone who looks like them wants to meet them. If they're okay with it, you can show up."

Nathan nodded again.

Because of filming delays, Caroline didn't get home until almost midnight. She was beat, feeling the exhaustion deep in her bones.

The kids were already asleep. After a quick shower, Caroline headed to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Hearing the noise, Sarah followed her in. "You're eating at this hour?"

Caroline sighed, "I'm starving."

Sarah asked, "Didn't you eat on set?"

Caroline explained, "Dinner was at six. It's midnight now. Of course, I'm hungry. I need to refuel."

Sarah stopped her. "No way, eating this late will make you gain weight."

Caroline shrugged, "I'm not overweight."

"Not yet, but if you don't watch it, you will be. The director gave you extra scenes. Your role is practically the lead now. This is a huge opportunity. You need to nail it and make sure your first show after coming back is a hit. That way, you'll be a star, and I'll be a top agent!" Sarah said earnestly.

"So, the last part is the real reason, huh?" Caroline laughed.

"We're in this together. I'm doing this for both of us," Sarah replied.

"How about I eat a slice of bread? I promise I won't gain weight, okay?" Caroline pleaded.

"No way, eat half a cucumber. No bread!" Sarah insisted.

Caroline groaned, "That'll make me so hungry I can't sleep. I'm really starving. I don't want to live anymore!"

Sarah retorted, "If you don't want to live, you might as well starve to death. Eating would be a waste for someone who's about to die."

Caroline muttered, "Alright, I'll eat half a cucumber. I'm so pitiful."

Seeing Caroline give in, Sarah left, feeling reassured.

After waiting in the living room for a while and not seeing Caroline, Sarah realized she had been tricked. She stormed into the kitchen to find Caroline devouring yogurt and bread.

Seeing this, Caroline quickly swallowed the last bite of bread, her cheeks puffed out, and smiled triumphantly at Sarah like a mischievous child.

Sarah glared at her. "Look at you! I heard the male lead in our crew is a big star. He's coming to the set soon. If you keep up your image and make a good impression, you might rise to fame quickly."

"A big star? Who?" Caroline asked.

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not sure. The original male lead dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. The crew is urgently looking for a new lead. Rumor has it they've secured a superstar. Everyone's excited, hoping his influence will bring attention to the show."

Caroline scoffed, "I don't need to rely on others. I rely on my talent."

Sarah added, "The male lead is mainly working with Roxanne. Even if you wanted to leverage his influence, you wouldn't have the chance."

Hearing this, Caroline became more interested. "If that's the case, I want to give it a try. If I succeed, Roxanne will be furious. That would be fun."

Sarah sighed, "I don't think it's easy. Roxanne is known for leveraging others' influence. She gets close to whoever is popular. She deliberately leaks photos of dining with others, claiming they're good friends, even if they only had one meal together."

Caroline chuckled, "Now I'm looking forward to the superstar's arrival."

The next morning, Caroline forced herself out of bed despite her heavy sleepiness. She insisted on personally taking Ryan and Sophie to school.

Not being able to pick them up from school had already made Caroline feel guilty, so dropping them at school in the morning became a must.

Sophie, who hadn't seen her mom all day, rushed over and snuggled into Caroline's arms, "Mommy, I missed you so much."

"Were you good at school? Did you make any new friends?" Caroline asked, hugging Sophie.

"Yes, the teacher said we're very smart. And some little girls were chasing Ryan!" Sophie said innocently.

Caroline stroked her hair. "Don't talk nonsense. You kids don't know anything about chasing."

Sophie insisted, "It's true. They were fighting to give Ryan snacks, but he ignored them. They kept stuffing snacks into Ryan's backpack, and he gave them all to me. They were really delicious!"

Caroline put on a stern face. "You can't just eat other people's food, remember?"