Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 33: Brother Cole Kane Is Only Good to Me
Nina Thorne’s cheeks were scalding hot, as if she’d been tossed into a steamer.
Justin Kane’s body was pressed tightly against hers, the scorching heat almost searing her.
Nina Thorne felt like she was being driven mad by the sensation. She pushed him away forcefully and said in a flurry, "I’m going to take a shower."
The bathroom door was quickly shut.
Watching her hasty escape, Justin Kane snorted in amusement.
Nina Thorne was in the shower for a while before the scalding heat in her body finally subsided.
’So that night was just a misunderstanding.’
It actually made her curious about Vanessa Walsh.
Everyone said Justin Kane kept his distance from women, whether in love or friendship.
After so many years with zero scandals, there wasn’t even the shadow of a woman by his side.
’Anyone Justin Kane considered a friend must be quite formidable.’
An hour had passed by the time Nina Thorne came out of the shower.
Justin Kane wasn’t in the room.
After she went downstairs, Miss King told her he was in the study and tried to smooth things over.
"The president has never been in a relationship, so he might not know how to handle a girl’s feelings. Please don’t be upset with him, ma’am."
Clearly, their argument downstairs had given Miss King the wrong idea.
Nina Thorne joked, "It’s fine. Worst case, I’ll just drink some herbal tea to cool off."
What Miss King liked most about her was how down-to-earth she was.
’It just goes to show,’ she thought, ’that people from good families who are also beautiful and elegant often have the best tempers and character, too.’
Nina Thorne poured a glass of water and went back to writing her script in the living room.
The villa’s only study belonged to Justin Kane, so she usually had to write at the tea table in the living room.
The words flowed easily today, and before Nina Thorne knew it, she had been writing for three hours.
Her phone rang. It was Misty Hughes.
"Nina, is everything okay over there?"
The question struck Nina as odd. "I’m fine. Why do you ask?"
"I heard—and this is just a rumor, mind you—that the producer and director have apparently decided to shoot another script in the same genre as yours first."
"And that script... I think it belongs to that young lady from the Kane family."
Nina Thorne froze. Neither the producer nor the director had mentioned anything to her about it.
’If this is true...’
’...it means that once my script is finished, its production will either be delayed or canceled altogether.’
Even within the same company, scripts of the same genre are in direct competition.
If the first one to be filmed becomes a smash hit, the next one will inevitably be compared to it.
And if it doesn’t measure up, there will be all sorts of fallout.
"Are you sure this information is solid?" Nina Thorne asked again.
Misty Hughes replied, "No doubt about it. The assistant director was the one who let it slip."
"Okay, I understand." A serious expression fell over Nina Thorne’s bright features.
Misty Hughes told Nina to let her know if she needed help, and offered a few words of encouragement and comfort.
After hanging up, Nina Thorne stared at the script on her computer, lost in thought.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice a pair of eyes watching her from nearby.
Justin Kane stood on the landing, having watched her for quite some time.
He walked over to Nina Thorne and tapped the table. "What’s got you thinking so hard?"
The sound of his tapping snapped Nina Thorne back to reality. She looked up at him, then quickly shook her head.
"It’s nothing. Just something with the script."
Her eyes were dim, like a bright moon hidden by dark clouds.
A stark contrast to their usual clear brightness, they now looked heavy with worry.
Justin Kane’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t press the issue.
A few days later, the company issued an announcement confirming it.
As Nina Thorne read the announcement, her heart sank.
Misty Hughes called.
"Nina, did you see the announcement? They’re actually starting to film in just a few days!"
Nina Thorne’s voice was listless. "I saw it."
"This is so shady! Even if they were going to film it, they should’ve waited for you to turn in your script first! They’re absolute scumbags."
The announcement included a synopsis of the new script, and its main plot was essentially identical to the one Nina Thorne was writing.
To put it bluntly, it wasn’t just the same genre—the degree of overlap in the story was startlingly high.
"They still haven’t even notified you, and they’re rushing to give that woman her chance. I bet she pulled some strings." Misty Hughes was indignant on her friend’s behalf.
Nina Thorne’s gaze darkened. "If they won’t contact me, then I’ll go to them."
After hanging up, Nina Thorne went to the company.
In the conference room, the producer and director were just finishing a meeting with their staff.
Nina Thorne entered the conference room and questioned them about the announcement.
The producer sighed repeatedly. "The industry is brutally competitive right now. It’s all about being fast, ruthless, and precise. You can’t just wait for market opportunities to come to you. Your script needs at least another two weeks. In the meantime, we had a suitable script ready, so we decided to shoot it first and test the waters. If it does well, yours can still come next."
’Technically, that logic made sense.’
"But this script you’re about to film is practically identical to the one I’m writing. Did you give my outline to someone else?" Nina Thorne asked coldly, a scornful laugh escaping her lips.
’Only the producer and the director knew the main plot and character designs for my script.’
’The extreme similarity between the two scripts couldn’t be a coincidence.’
The producer frowned. "What are you implying?"
"You gave my outline to someone else, didn’t you?" Nina Thorne stated, her voice firm with conviction. "You gave it to Serena Kane."
The producer froze for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and shot up in anger. "Nina Thorne, that’s slander, you know that?"
The producer’s name was Todd Grant. He was a tall, thin, middle-aged man who wore glasses and had a scholarly look about him.
He was the complete physical opposite of the short, stout Director Young beside him.
"If my outline hadn’t been leaked, there’s no way they’d be this similar. The first few episodes of her script are almost identical to mine." Nina Thorne met his furious gaze with cold eyes, not giving an inch.
’The only reason I can only say the first few episodes are similar is because I haven’t seen the rest of it yet.’
’And I’ve already submitted over forty episodes to the director so far.’
’It’s an eighty-episode series, and I’ve already turned in half of it.’ A terrible premonition bloomed in her chest.
Nina Thorne’s hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists. Her gaze was cold as she declared, "If the rest of the script is the same as mine, I will sue you."
"Fine, fine, fine."
The producer exploded. "Get the hell out of my sight! And don’t bother writing the rest of the script. Now get out!"
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Director Young stepped in. He finally managed to persuade the producer to leave the room so he could speak with Nina Thorne alone.
"I just want a straight answer. Did you give my script to Serena Kane?" Nina Thorne asked, her eyes fixed on Director Young.
Director Young hadn’t expected someone so normally easygoing to lose her temper so spectacularly.
He also didn’t realize Nina knew Serena personally; he assumed she had just seen the name in the announcement.
Director Young put on a troubled expression. "Nina, you know how it is. I’m just the director. The producer and the execs, they’re the final decision-makers. You’ll still get paid for the script, and if it becomes a hit, you’ll get your share. Just... endure it for now and stop asking, okay?"
His words were a tacit admission.
Nina Thorne was seething with anger. Suddenly, the conference room door swung open.
Serena Kane walked in. Seeing Nina Thorne’s furious expression, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
"Looks like you already know. But so what? Your script is mine now. And this was all Cole’s idea. How does that feel? Are you heartbroken?"
Serena Kane taunted, "Let me tell you, Cole will always be good to me. As for you, you’re nothing!"
Nina Thorne’s brow furrowed tightly. ’Cole was the one behind this?’
Her heart plummeted.
’That damned scumbag,’ she thought. ’He’s as despicable as ever!’
