Chapter 44
Franz had just finished the final touches on his recording studio at the western wing of the estate. It took them a few days to complete the assembly of the equipment, as most of it had been picked up from his old place.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm before glancing at the clock on the wall. He decided to take a quick shower and change into a clean set of clothes before meeting his manager.
When he came down to the sitting room, he found Samantha seated on the couch, playing games on her mobile phone.
“You’re early,” he commented, taking a seat on the couch across from her.
Samantha hummed, then asked without looking at him, “Where’s Aria p>
“Still at the company,” Franz replied. “Do you need something from her p>
Samantha shook her head.
“No,” she answered. “It’s just that I haven’t seen her since you two got married p>
Franz fell silent. Silence was easier than explanations he wasn’t ready to give.
This time, Samantha turned to look at him and burst out laughing.
“What? Still can’t believe she married you p>
Franz still said nothing. Instead, he looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.
“But as I see it, you have yet to make any progress, Franz. You and Arianne are living together, but you’re no different from housemates p>
Franz glanced toward the door before the exchange could stretch further. The person he’d been waiting for had arrived.
He and Samantha stood at the same time. Samantha hid her phone behind her, her expression turning nervous.
“Hey, Daryll. It’s been a while,” Franz greeted his manager and gestured for him to take a seat.
Daryll nodded and sat on the couch Samantha had occupied earlier.
He had been Franz’s manager for over ten years. He had seen careers rise and collapse faster than contracts could be rewritten.
“Daryll, this is Sam Pemberton, the one I mentioned to you before,” Franz said, introducing Samantha to his manager.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jameson.” Samantha shook Daryll’s hand and greeted him politely.
“Ah, yes. I’ve seen your profile, Ms. Pemberton. Unfortunately, I won’t be handling your account. If it’s all right with you, my subordinate will take your case. She should give you a call one of these days to discuss the auditions you might take p>
Samantha’s face lit up, and she thanked Daryll repeatedly. She squealed in delight and gave Franz a wide grin.
“You’re cheerful today, Sam. What’s up p>
Everyone turned to see Arianne. Franz stood at once and walked toward her.
“You’re early today,” he said before accepting the folders she handed him.
“The meeting was adjourned early because of some missing reports,” Arianne replied, before Samantha pulled her into a hug.
“Aria! I finally have a manager!” Samantha shared the news with her.
“Oh?” Arianne furrowed her brows in confusion. “What happened to your previous manager p>
Samantha forced herself to calm down and explained the situation.
“Modeling projects barely come to me now, Aria. I asked Franz to help me transition into acting. Mr. Jameson just told me I have a new manager. Anyway, I have to go, Aria. I need to make some preparations for the auditions p>
Samantha didn’t wait for Arianne or Franz’s reply and left at once.
Arianne could only look at her departing figure. This was the first time she heard Samantha was planning to retire from modeling and wanted to test the waters in acting.
Daryll, momentarily stunned upon seeing Arianne, stood up.
“Noah, this is p>
He didn’t know what the right question to ask was.
Daryll had known for a long time that Noah Hart’s real identity was that of the son of a conglomerate family. He was the Franz Rochefort that the public had been criticizing for weeks.
“Ah Franz hesitated, but eventually said, “Daryll, this is Arianne Summers, Franz Rochefort’s wife p>
Daryll was stunned in place. He stared at Franz for a moment, wondering if he was joking. But seeing there was no hint of deception on Franz’s face, Daryll could only sigh before taking a seat again.
It was one thing to hide Noah’s real identity, but adding another secret would put Franz’s career and reputation at risk.
“I’m sorry, Daryll. I should have informed you much earlier.” Franz apologized.
Arianne took the chance and offered Daryll her hand.
“I’m Arianne Summers. I know the risks and pressure might affect Noah’s career, but please do not blame him. If there’s anything I can do to lessen the burden on you, don’t hesitate to tell me p>
Daryll was taken aback, but in the end, he gave her hand a firm shake.
So this was Arianne Summers. He gave Franz a knowing look.
“Thank you for the consideration, Mrs. Rochefort. I’ll keep it in mind,” he said evenly.
Arianne nodded, then turned to face her husband.
“I’ll be at my study if you need anything p>
But Franz held her wrist and stopped her.
“Would you mind joining our conversation? It should give you an overview of how my work as Noah Hart goes p>
Arianne didn’t answer immediately, but she eventually agreed.
She took a seat next to Franz and turned her phone to silent mode.
Daryll cleared his throat before starting.
“As I mentioned earlier, Ms. Quinn is asking when you plan to return to work. You’ve already lost a few endorsements during your hiatus. Some projects were also stalled and reassigned to another actor. Everyone is asking if your injury was career-ending p>
Franz touched his right shoulder absentmindedly.
“How serious is your injury?” Arianne asked.
“I tore a few muscles while doing a stunt during the last film,” Franz admitted, not wanting to keep secrets from her. “I’ve undergone surgery and am still recuperating. The doctor also told me to take therapy to recover faster p>
“Is Noah’s body insured?” Arianne asked Daryll. She had heard that popular celebrities insured their faces and parts of their bodies.
Daryll nodded.
“Yes, Noah is insured. It covered his medical expenses. This is actually the first time he got into an accident,” he said, glancing at Franz.
“Noah, you’ll need to step back into the limelight. If you prolong your hiatus, you’ll break the contract with the company p>
Arianne fell silent. Numbers, risks, timelines—she arranged them quietly in her head. She mentally noted the issues Daryll raised.
Daryll tapped the edge of the folder he was holding.
“You have six weeks,” he said. “After that, I can’t hold the line p>