Addiction to Temptation: His Mischievous Sweetheart Captivates Him-Chapter 195: If the Ruse of Self-Sacrifice Fails, Use the Beauty Trap
When Old Master Blackwood brought Serena Blackwood to the Vaughn Family, the usually amiable Vaughn couple both wore cold expressions. James Vaughn’s reaction was even more direct, nearly throwing Serena out of the Vaughn home.
If it hadn’t been for Old Master Blackwood, the Vaughns wouldn’t have even opened the door.
Natalie Vaughn received James’s call just as Director Gable was lamenting. He never expected that Serena, who seemed decent on the surface, would have such a poor character. Especially considering Serena visited the set twice, each time using him as an excuse.
"Vaughn, I owe you an apology for this matter."
Natalie simply blinked.
"Director Gable, you’re mistaken in saying that. Her feet are on her own legs; how could you decide where she goes?"
"But the crew indeed lacked strict management."
If Julian Sutton hadn’t cautiously mentioned it, Natalie wouldn’t have thought about laying a trap. If there had been no precautions, any mishap with the wire work would have endangered lives.
"Well then, if you really feel the need to apologize, hurry and finish filming so I can go home earlier."
Natalie originally planned to fly to Brythania after filming, but given the situation, she had to make a trip home to comfort her dear parents.
Director Gable was caught between crying and laughing.
"You’ve been working until one or two o’clock every night just to finish quickly. How much faster can we go?"
"Well, maybe you could cut some of my scenes, Director Gable."
Director Gable: ...
Others begged for more scenes on his set, but not her—she wanted them cut. For the first time, Director Gable doubted his abilities. In all this time, hadn’t he made Natalie experience the charm of acting?
He couldn’t even keep Miss Vaughn!
Natalie was completely unaware of Director Gable’s tangled thoughts. She only knew if she didn’t return home soon, she’d get scolded.
Even though James knew Natalie was prepared, he couldn’t help but say something after watching the video.
"There’re plenty of ways to catch someone. Why choose this one?"
"Isn’t this the fastest way?"
"You’re still arguing with me? How many things have happened in the month and more you’ve been filming? You’re not allowed to film next time."
"Oh, my dear brother, you’re burning bridges after crossing them? Discarding me after use? And so quickly? Jim Archer is still here and hasn’t left."
James: .....
"Mom and Dad are mad. You deal with that yourself; I won’t say a word on your behalf. Also, I am mad too."
"Okay, I’ll come back to stay for a few days after I finish filming. My dear brother, how can you bear to be angry with your cute sister?"
James decisively hung up the phone.
Natalie: ...
Why is everyone so hard to console lately? Natalie opened Zane Thorne’s WeChat chatbox. Ever since she missed that video call, Zane hadn’t responded to her.
It wasn’t until Theodore Langdon messaged her to express concern that she knew Zane had seen the video on Weibo.
"Summer?"
"Yeah?"
"How do you soothe an angry man?"
Summer Churchill opened her mouth; she’d never been in a relationship. How would she know how to soothe an angry man?
"Oh well, I guess you wouldn’t know either."
Summer: ...
She felt pissed off and unconvinced by the ridicule.
"Nina, is your husband ignoring you?"
Natalie, out of boredom, scrolled through her phone, repeatedly tapping on Zane’s profile picture. But the man still didn’t respond.
"Nina, if the pity strategy doesn’t work long-distance, we can try another tactic."
Natalie’s eyebrows twitched as she turned to Summer.
"What tactic?"
"The beauty trap."
"A beauty trap, how do you pull that off when you’re not even together?"
Summer cleared her throat and regained her confidence.
"Nina, you don’t get it. Even though I’ve never dated, I’ve read novels. In your situation, your husband is acting petulantly. From my observation, he really cares for you, cough, cough, and probably gets jealous often?"
Natalie became slightly interested.
"Go on, continue."
"Well, you have a scene where you fake a wedding. Send those photos to your husband, dazzle him. Then post something on Moments visible only to him. When he finds out you’re marrying another man, even if it’s just acting, he’ll definitely get jealous."
"Then you don’t send him any messages, keep your aloof image. Even if he likes or comments, don’t reply. He’ll surely break down and call you."
After listening, Natalie remained silent for a moment, then looked at Summer’s bright eyes and asked.
"What kind of novels have you been reading?"
"CEO novels, all about domineering CEOs. I read them during middle school."
Natalie’s mouth twitched slightly; no wonder it sounded so old-fashioned and cliché—it was middle school reading material.
"Nina, don’t you believe it’ll work?"
Natalie: ...Can she say she doesn’t believe it?
Yet, under Summer’s eager eyes, Natalie couldn’t bear to hurt the young girl’s enthusiasm and reluctantly said.
"I believe."
"Then let me take pictures of you later, Nina. Trust me, I’ll make you look like an angel."
"...ahem, aren’t set costumes and makeup not supposed to be leaked prematurely?"
"Don’t worry, if you set it so only he can see, only heaven, earth, you, I, and your husband will know. No one else will."
"..."
"Besides, with your capability, you won’t let those photos leak."
"..."
Haha, Summer isn’t as naive as a little white rabbit; she’s quite crafty at heart.
Natalie was initially resistant to using such an old-fashioned tactic, but Summer’s enthusiasm won her over.
She had no doubt Zane would get jealous. She was worried that even if he did, he wouldn’t want to deal with her, thus compounding her "offenses."
Once he returns from Altara, there’s no telling how he’ll reprimand her.
Natalie recalled the night she flew back to Astra City to watch Jason Lynch’s performance... and Zane scolded her harshly.
Under Natalie’s influence, Summer executed her plan with great efficiency, not only taking numerous glamorous photos of Natalie but also selecting a few for simple retouching.
She even thought up caption ideas.
Thus, under Summer’s fervent gaze, Natalie had no choice but to post that Moments update viewable only to Zane.
"He’s in Altara; who knows when he’ll see it."
"Nina, don’t worry, once your husband sees it, he’ll definitely call you."
Natalie found Summer’s confidence amusing.
"Shall we make a bet, Summer?"
"What are we betting on?"
"Bet whether he will call me or not?"
"So if he calls, I win?"
Natalie raised an eyebrow.
"Of course."
Natalie expected Summer to agree immediately, but the young girl frowned.
"Nina, there’s something wrong with this logic. You should be hoping your husband calls you. Why would his calling mean you lose?"
Natalie: ...
Summer’s point seemed flawless.
