Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 22: This One Looks Alright

Kaija shot a glance at Room 2, then back at Charles, thinking.

Long gone were the days when she still believed a "drink at a guy’s place" meant just a drink. She had Niklas to thank for that enlightenment.

Karl had mentioned the other day that she wasn’t the first woman to come beg for Charles’s attention.

After the whole Juho incident, she was even more convinced Charles might be the same kind of man — someone who’d had plenty of stunning women in his life and treated short flings like everyday habits.

Even if Charles’s intentions were pure, accepting that invitation could still lead to a mess. If anyone found out, she’d probably earn herself a bad reputation, considering Charles was basically her boss.

Still, she couldn’t deny the fact that she found Charles a very attractive man.

With the last two long weeks filled with nothing but heartbreaks, from Niklas, to Marja, to the debt, and most recently Juho, her worn-out soul honestly felt like taking a small break and a small risk.

"I’d love to," she said quietly.

Charles’s lips curved faintly. He turned and gestured her toward his door.

Room 2 didn’t look quite like Room 1. It was more furnished, more lived-in, with soft, warm light glowing along the walls, making the place feel cozy.

"Would you be okay with wine instead of boba tea?" Charles asked as they stepped inside.

"Wine is great," she said.

He led her to a room next to the master bedroom. "Come," he said, pushing the door open. "Pick whatever you like."

The moment she saw what was inside, her mouth parted. If that space was a closet in her flat, here Charles had turned it into a full-blown private collection of wines and spirits.

At that point, she could already picture how he’d invite some beautiful singers or actresses, then charm them with this entire setup and let them pick a bottle. Every bottle in here looked like it could easily cost a few thousands of S dollars.

Kaija took a tour around the room, scanning the shelves, until her eyes landed on a dusty old bottle of red wine on the lowest rack. The label was worn and plain. She figured it was probably one of the cheapest ones.

"This one looks alright." She picked it up and showed him.

"Hm." He took the bottle, opened it, and poured two glasses.

They toasted and took a sip. Her eyes widened the moment the taste hit her tongue. It was sweet and tangy, nothing like any red wine she’d ever tried. Definitely worth whatever ridiculous price it cost.

"This tastes amazing," she commented, eyes wide with amazement.

Charles didn’t look even half as impressed as her. "Not bad," he said casually. "I almost forgot about it since the auction."

A chill ran down her spine upon hearing that word, the glass trembling slightly in her hand. "Did... did you just say auction?" she echoed. "Um, Charles, how much did you get this for?"

"Two hundred fifty thousand or so."

Good thing Kaija didn’t drop the glass. She’d basically just drunk something that cost as much as the debt that made her sell her soul to this man.

And yet, he looked utterly unfazed. Not even a hint of pride in his tone. She could already imagine how stunning the women who’d been here before her must have been to satisfy his kind of taste. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The wine didn’t taste good in her mouth anymore. It tasted expensive.

"I heard everyone at KE knows about you now," Charles said, leading her back to the living room. "Is the training going well?"

"Not too bad," Kaija shrugged. "I’ve met... quite a few interesting people."

"Like Antony?"

"Um, yes," she nodded, taking her seat at the sofa. It seemed to her that Antony’s reputation was so well-known even someone at the top like Charles was aware of.

Charles sat next to her. His tone suddenly cooled. "Is he more handsome than me?"

She blinked, unsure if he was joking. She didn’t think someone like him would bother with that kind of thing.

Would it enrage him if she said they were equally hot? Probably.

Men were competitive creatures, especially rich and powerful ones like this silver-eyed lion here. Better not set him off.

"Well, Antony’s... intimidating. And strange," Kaija deflected.

"Strange?" The corner of his mouth lifted, amused. "How strange?"

"I gave him a friendly pat on the back the other day, then found out he doesn’t like women touching him."

"So he’s still like that, huh?"

She raised a brow. "You know about that too?"

"How could I not?" Charles said, his tone smooth as ever, taking another sip of his wine. "Antony is my younger brother."

Her face went stiff. Her hand almost crushed the glass.

"Half-brother, to be exact," he added coolly.

Kaija froze to stone.

Did he just tell her so casually that her handsome but cranky dance instructor was one of the potential heirs of the Kosonen family?

The same Antony who could dance like water and yet screamed like a girl the moment she touched him?

No wonder they shared the same chestnut shade of hair. And that icy aura too.

They practically mastered the art of weaponizing it, shooting cold spikes at anyone who dared breathe near them.

She downed the rest of the wine in one go and set the glass down. With how this conversation was going, she was pretty sure the glass wouldn’t survive if she kept holding it. "If... if Antony’s your half-brother," she pondered, "then why is he not, you know, involved in your family’s business?"

"Because the boy knows his place," Charles said, lips curling into an insidious smirk. "And he’s not interested in that world anyway. His passion’s always been in music and performing."

She stared at him, uneasy. "Then do you know why Antony doesn’t like being touched by women?"

"His mother committed suicide after giving birth to him. After he learned the truth, Antony just became like that. Never lets a single woman touch him."

Kaija went quiet. Guilt washed over her all at once.

No wonder Antony had seemed so off that day. She’d asked him to pull her up without thinking, and he actually did, despite his trauma.

And yet, she still hadn’t apologized since. What an insensitive fool she was, she thought.

Charles finished his wine silently, watching her drooping face. She was so deep in her thoughts she didn’t even notice Charles had moved closer.

"Would you sing a song for me?" he asked, his voice low and soft, just inches from her ear.

Kaija startled, jerking back a little. This time, she didn’t feel as nervous as before at his request. Or maybe the wine had simply kicked in.

"Of course," she said. "What would you like to hear this time?"

"Something not related to your ex-boyfriend," he murmured. "Or any other exes I’m not aware of."