"Hey, Emma, how was your day?" After getting the news from the servant, Adriaan went downstairs to little Emma's side. "You don't look too happy. Did the other Emma pull a prank again?"
"No …" Little Emma, who was curled up on the sofa, sighed and looked at Adriaan with one hand supporting her cheek. She stared at him for a while.
"Is there something on my face?" Adriaan couldn't help but touch his face curiously.
"No … I'm just … a little curious." Little Emma made a few meaningless gestures and suddenly moved a few inches in front of him. She stared at him with her eyes wide open. "Am I pretty, Eide?"
"Pretty? Oh, of course. Not only are you pretty, but you're also very classy. You're a cute little thing. " Adriaan smiled and pinched her little face, but immediately felt that it was inappropriate. He retracted his hand and looked away after coughing.
"Then …" Little Emma, who didn't realize it, continued to ask, "Then … Between me and Charlotte … Who's prettier?"
"Why are you asking this question?" Adriaan was a little confused. He squinted his eyes as if he was trying to see something from her little face.
"I just want to know." Little Emma said in a coquettish voice. She even grabbed his arm and shook it.
Adriaan frowned and quietly pulled his arm back. He hesitated for a while before saying, "Alright, you and Emma … You're as pretty as Charlotte."
For some reason, the perfunctory reply made Little Emma happy. She immediately knelt on the sofa and widened her eyes even more. "So … Does that mean I can do what Charlotte did?"
"Hmm … Hmm?" Adriaan blinked and looked at the girl in front of him.
"I … I … I mean … I mean …" Little Emma gestured, but she couldn't say anything for a long time. Hesitation, shyness, and depression flashed across her little face. In the end, she jumped up abruptly and quickly sat in the corner of the sofa. She hugged her arms and sulked.
Adriaan was getting more and more confused. He could only sit back down. "You can tell me if you're unhappy, Emma. You've always been willing to tell me, haven't you?"
Little Emma looked up gloomily and bit her lip. She then asked an irrelevant question, "Will you come to the movie premiere in a few days?"
Alright, she obviously didn't want to talk about it anymore. Adriaan shrugged. "Of course. Your aunt, Charlotte, and I will all come. It'll be a very enjoyable premiere."
Not only were the blockbusters released during this period of popularity, as long as the quality and prospects were good, and the movies with a certain degree of competitiveness would also be released during this period of time. For example, "Heartthrob", which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Wendlyn van De La Annan, was starring little Emma as the main lead and had a budding child star, Chloe Moretz, playing the role of Emma as a child.
There was no doubt that this was arranged by Adriaan. From Sunshine Beauty to Fairyland Bridge to Heartbeat, the route he planned for little Emma had shown obvious results. In terms of commercial value, little Emma was far behind little Emma, but in terms of reputation, she had an advantage that little Emma couldn't compete with. Not to mention, the nomination for Best Supporting Actress had given her a lot of points, not to mention that she was Julia Roberts' niece. For some reason, she was also the target of Universal Pictures.
Therefore, as early as when the filming of "Heartbeat" began, director Rob Reiner had praised her, and after the trailer and test screening, many film critics gave her high marks. Therefore, although the scale of the premiere was not big, it still attracted a lot of media attention, which was something worth celebrating.
Therefore, Adriaan wanted to use this to divert little Emma's attention, but the girl still said weakly, "Alright."
Seeing this, Adriaan simply pulled her up and pulled her upstairs to play with Julia, Zeta Jones, and Patricia. She got along quite well with Patricia. Then, when the girl was a little happier, he pulled Julia and asked her in a low voice. In Adriaan's opinion, Julia was little Emma's aunt, after all. She should be able to tell that little Emma had something on her mind, but the answer he got made him not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Emma has something on her mind?" Julia blinked, looking confused. It didn't look like she was faking it at all.
Alright, it was understandable. After giving birth to Patricia, Julia had to transfer most of her energy to her daughter. Even though she still cared for little Emma, there was still a difference. This was human nature, and it was inevitable. Emma's aunt was the same. In this aspect, the two Emmas could be said to be in the same boat.
Even if little Emma's parents were still alive, she still hadn't forgiven them. She was very cold to them when they met a few times, so she was very sensitive to the changes in her aunt's feelings. Adriaan felt that what was on her mind might have something to do with this, so after brushing Julia off, he went to find little Emma a few days later to understand the situation. Unfortunately, little Emma had her own troubles.
"Do you know what I'm facing now, Eide? I have a war! And it's a war for you! I don't have time to care so much. " Little Emma was very depressed, and she walked around the room with her brows tightly furrowed. She was very, very unhappy, as if she had suffered a huge setback.
"If you frown often, you'll grow old very quickly." Adriaan sighed, and quickly changed the topic when little Emma was about to pounce on him. "Didn't she go out to play with you that day? She should have told you more or less, right? Or is it that even in this situation, you still … hmm? "
"Oh, of course, I just emphasized that this is a war!" The little devil waved her arms and yelled, "I have to win this war!"
Then, she suddenly thought of something and looked at Adriaan. She squinted her eyes and revealed a naughty smile, "How about this, Eide, I can help to talk to Ruth, but …"
"Don't even think about it," Adriaan immediately rejected.
"Oh, Eide, how can you be so heartless?" Little Emma immediately stuck close to him, and even wanted to use a certain address. Unfortunately, Adriaan was not moved, and used his hand to cover her mouth, "We agreed."
It was rare to see her embarrassed, so how could he let it go? Although little Emma had the upper hand against Kate, and even though Adriaan had almost polished off Kate's edge, it did not mean that she did not have any left. So, once Kate put down her pride, even the little devil had to retreat.
She only used a very simple method. Didn't little Emma say that she wanted to do a chest massage? It would only be effective if she did it for a long time, and Adriaan had so many things to do that he could not be here every day, so … She would do it for him.
Imagine Carter pressing little Emma down on the bed, waiting for her to struggle until she was exhausted, then grabbing her softness and slowly kneading her. How interesting and tempting would that be? Moreover, little Emma would not be able to resist. Lily was Kate's Achilles' heel, but wasn't she also Emma's Achilles' heel? Kate could not tell Lily about this, but could little Emma tell Lily about it?
So, when Kate forcefully pulled little Emma away from Lily and used the excuse of "remember, we have something important to talk about" to drag her to another room, little Emma could not use Lily to get rid of her at all. Of course, the result of this was that Lily became more and more confused.
"I think … mommy and Emma are becoming more and more strange. They are a little like … Aunt Charley, but not exactly the same." Lily complained to her father in private.
"Hmm … Alright, Lily, mommy and Emma have a small problem that they have been trying to solve. But due to various reasons, they have not been able to do so, so it has been dragging on until now. It is not easy to solve this problem in a short period of time, but it is also mommy and Emma's privacy. Even I can't ask, so don't disturb them, okay? "Adriaan racked his brain for an explanation to his daughter.
"Something feels strange. Daddy is actually hiding something, right?" The little fellow squinted her eyes and looked at her father for a long time before saying this. Then, she clapped her hands in a serious manner. "It's fine, I'll wait for mommy and Emma to solve it."
At least, she was almost ten years old and a little precocious. Even though she was still curious, she knew what she could and couldn't do. Otherwise, if she were to peep on mommy and Emma one day … Alright, Adriaan could not imagine his daughter's reaction. Facing the little fellow was not much easier than trying to balance the balance between Kate and little Emma.
"I didn't say anything and you already rejected me." Little Emma continued to act pitiful.
"Because I know what you want to say." Adriaan stood up. "Alright, since you are not willing, then let's leave it at that for now. I'll go see if someone else is willing to help."
With that, he left the room. Little Emma who had failed in her plan was very depressed, but she did not give up. After rolling her eyes, a smirk appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Alright, alright, Eide, I'll help you. But you have to give me what I want … If you can't, that's fine too!" The young girl humphed 'fiercely'.
Obviously, Adrian's method of loosening the reins only to grasp the reins worked, but Little Emma also had her own thoughts. When the time came, there would definitely be a good show. However, they definitely didn't expect that the final result … was far from what they expected.
Heartbeat was finally released. Without a doubt, it received praise from film critics. Little Emma's reputation also improved. Her acting was indeed not bad, and the character was also very likable. Naturally, she was very popular. However, no one knew what would happen in a few years. After growing up, it was common for child stars to be compared to how they used to be. It was also common for people to say that they were not as good as they used to be.
However, although the reviews were high, the box office was very ordinary. In the first week, it was only around four million in the 400 cinemas. Compared to Julia's production company, Forty Year Old Virgin, which Amanda had a role in, which was released at the same time, the box office was over twenty million in more than two thousand cinemas. It was a far cry from that.
But as a relatively niche work, this number was acceptable, and it was already much better than the original. This was the power of distribution. Whether or not a movie could be promoted was an important factor in whether or not it could sell well. Just like the Oscars, acting was the foundation. Without foundation, there would be nothing. But basically, the deciding factor was PR and luck.
Of course, it was also thanks to this being a PG-rated family movie. There was a lot of room for manipulation. Also, Adriaan did not expect to make money from the box office. It was fine as long as he could break even. Profits could be obtained from other channels.
So, he still had to hold the party that needed to be held.
"Don't look so sad. You should be proud. Everyone says you acted well, but when they talk about me, they only shout, 'Wow, Hermione!'" On the sofa in the corner of the party, Little Emma put her arm around Little Emma's shoulder and said casually, "It might be happy at the beginning, but as time goes on, I feel … Oh, I shouldn't have agreed to Eide's role in the first place. But if I didn't agree … It's so contradictory. I hate contradictions."
"Is it that obvious?" Little Emma asked in a dispirited manner.
"Huh?" Little Emma did not understand.
"I said, isn't it obvious?" Little Emma repeated herself.
"Pretty much." Little Emma, who finally understood, clapped her hands. "Anyone can see the words' I'm not happy 'written all over your face. Do you know why people kept coming and leaving the whole night? It's because … Hey, Rose, are you even listening to me? "
Little Emma asked in dissatisfaction as she looked in the direction she was looking at. She froze for a moment because Adrian was chatting with a few people in her line of sight.
"Rose, is there something on your mind?" Little Emma squinted her eyes as she looked at Little Emma, then at Adriaan who was far away.
"Hmm? Ah, this … "Little Emma smiled awkwardly when she came back to her senses. Then, she became a little annoyed. She stood up and sat down, then stood up and sat down again, as if she was hesitating about something.
"Rose, if you have something on your mind that you don't want to tell Eide and the others, you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?" Little Emma tried to persuade her.
"Tell you?" Little Emma immediately showed an expression that said 'I don't believe you'.
"Yeah!" Little Emma opened her hands and tried to be honest. "I admit that I like to tease you, but that's because I care about you."
"Are you saying that you want to go on a date with me?" Little Emma grinned.
"No!" Little Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm saying, Rose, we're very similar in many ways. So, if you have any ideas, you can tell me. Maybe I can give you ideas. You can do what I can do."
"You can do what I can do?" Little Emma repeated and became hesitant again. But this time, she did not hesitate for long. After a few minutes, she finally gathered her courage and whispered into Little Emma's ear, "That night … That night last year … Did you kiss Eide?"
Little Emma's expression suddenly became strange. Her guilty look was like a cat that was caught stealing food. After a while, she finally asked, "You … You saw it?"
She did not deny it. Since Little Emma was asking, there was nothing to hide.
"Yes." Little Emma heaved a sigh of relief and slumped on the sofa. "I just wanted to be alone for a while, but I saw Eide walking deeper into the garden. I wanted to talk to him, but you came out after two steps, and then …"
She stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed, but there was a hint of … anticipation in her eyes.
Little Emma believed that she was not mistaken. In fact, with her intelligence, she could basically guess what Little Emma was thinking. But she still asked, "What … do you want to do?"
"I want to kiss Eide too." Little Emma shrunk her neck and looked left and right before saying softly with a blushing face.
"Wh … Why?" Little Emma asked subconsciously.
Little Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise, as if she was surprised that Little Emma would ask such a question. But she quickly recovered and looked at Adriaan with a gentle smile. "You should know."
Alright, Little Emma was speechless. Just like what she said, they were similar in every aspect. Maybe not every aspect, maybe only two aspects, but it was enough. So Little Emma completely understood Little Emma's infatuation and desire, because she was like that. If that was the case, then …
"I have a suggestion. Do you want to hear it?" Little Emma said after a moment of silence. She then moved closer to Little Emma's ear and whispered something.
Little Emma's mouth widened in shock. "You guys already …"
"Shhh!" Even the fearless Little Emma had to put her finger to her mouth.
Little Emma quickly shut her mouth and looked around to make sure no one was looking at her. She then asked with a hesitant but excited tone, "How … How do you feel?"
"Hmm … Do you want to try?" Little Emma blinked her eyes.
"Now?" Little Emma's eyes widened. Her already trembling body trembled even more, but it was definitely not because of fear.
"But …" She was still a little hesitant.
"No buts. Tonight is a good chance. Your auntie has already gone back, right?" Little Emma said excitedly. "He doesn't have any other women with him at the moment. It took me a lot of effort to get him. I had my own plans, but since you're so sincere, I'll let you have him."
"But … But …" Little Emma became timid again. "I … I … He … And my auntie …"
"So what? If you want him, you should take the initiative!" Little Emma cheered her on. "It's not like you haven't fought with me before."
But Little Emma still looked hesitant. Little Emma sighed and looked around. She then took out a small paper bag the size of half a fingernail from her pocket and waved it in front of her.
"Do you know what this is?" Little Emma smiled wickedly. "Spanish fly powder!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
