LOVE IN PARIS: Married To My Brother-in-law-Chapter 77: Mr Mystery

Leila’s eyes flashed with indignation. "This is ridiculous! . Yvette here is the star of this campaign, who is he to dictate the terms. If he doesn’t want to work with her, maybe he’s the one who should be replaced."

Yvette raised a hand to quiet her manager. "No," she said firmly and faced the director. "So what do you plan on doing?"

"I don’t even know at this point, I’m stuck right now and I don’t know what decision to make. Dylan here is the perfect choice for this shoot, there’s no way to find any other person who could replace him perfectly in such a short amount of time and you . . I don’t even know what to do".

The clang of weights hitting the floor echoed through the gym, mixing with the steady rhythm of treadmills and the occasional grunt of effort.

Under the harsh fluorescent lights, Dylan, the model who was supposed to collaborate with Yvette, a second generation heir turned star, wiped the sweat off his sculpted jawline with a crisp towel.

His manager, Damon, stood nearby, shifting uneasily as he adjusted his tie.

"Dylan, we really can’t afford to offend Mr. Logan. He’s unlike Mr Rogers who could be shifted easily and corporative besides he’s the company’s representative from abroad, someone like this . . We dare not offend him". Damon began, his tone a mix of urgency and pleading. "You know how important his connections are. This role could solidify your standing even in the . ."

Dylan cut him off with an arrogant laugh, his lips curling into a smirk as he ran a hand through his tousled hair, the other reaching for a bottle of water. "Connections? My family’s name is all the connection I need." He causally slung the towel over his shoulder and started walking toward the dumbbells, leaving Damon scrambling to follow.

"But refusing to show up unless the actress is replaced? That’s extreme, even for you, and if this gets out, it’s going to be dangerous. You know how dangerous the netizens can be ".

"And that’s why you must make sure it doesn’t gets out". Dylan cut him off rudely as he wiped his face.

Damon pressed, lowering his voice as a few gym-goers glanced their way. "You don’t even know her, I mean there’s no connection whatsoever between you and this lady in question. What kind of grudge could you possibly have to treat her like this?"

Dylan’s expression darkened, his smirk fading into a scowl. He leaned casually against the rack of weights, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I’ll do whatever my girlfriend asks and wants and that you know perfectly. I can never go against my sweetheart and since she doesn’t want me working with her, so that’s that."

Damon groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Your girlfriend, huh? Fine. But what am I supposed to tell Mr. Logan when he calls? He’s not going to take this lightly, this is clearly a breach of contract and if this gets out, it’ll be bad for both you and your girlfriend."

Dylan shrugged, his indifference infuriatingly casual. "Then settle them, it’s just money anyways and it’s not like I’m short of those. And Mr. Logan , just tell him I’m sick. Make it convincing." He picked up a set of weights, signaling the end of the conversation.

When Damon’s phone buzzed moments later, he hesitated a little before answering, carefully choosing his choice of words.

"Hello, Mr. Logan... Yes, about Dylan . .he’s not feeling well. Food poisoning, unfortunately. He’s asking if you can wait a day , he’s currently at the hospital and can’t be discharged any moment from now". Damon’s voice faltered as Dylan gave a subtle thumbs -up mid -curl.

Damon grimaced but continued, his tone convincingly apologetic. "I understand, sir. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience... Of course. Thank you." He hung up, the pit in his stomach deepening.

_________________________

Back at the studio, Mr. Logan the representative, ended the call with a frown.

He then approached Yvette and Leila who were seated across the pacing director who was pacing to and fro worriedly.

Yvette was poised, her slender fingers resting lightly on the armrest of her chair. Her almond-shaped eyes clouded with uncertainty watched Mr. Logan closely as he approached, reading his expression.

"What’s next?" . Yvette asked, her voice calm but underpinned with worry. Her sleek black hair shimmered under the studio lights, and her measured composure belied the storm brewing within. "Switch me, as he wants?"

Mr Rogers who now had a stern and worried face glanced at Mr Logan. "If it keeps the project moving, we may have no choice but to agree with him, I mean . ."

"No". Mr Logan raised a hand sharply in objection to his words. Absolutely not." His tone was clipped, brooking no argument. "It’s against my principles to cave in to such childish whims and I won’t set a precedent for this kind of arrogant. If he wants to stay sick, let him stay sick. He can sulk in his mansion for all I care. This project will not hinge on one spoiled second-heir brat who decides to pull out out of the moon for such a stupid and unreasonable reason" .

Mr Rogers glanced at the representative, Mr Logan nervously. "But where will we find another model to replace him in such a short period of time? Someone aesthetically fitting and with the right chemistry to complement her?" His fingers drummed anxiously against the clipboard in his hand.

Yvette straightened in her chair, an idea suddenly sparking in her mind. "I know someone who would be a perfect match." Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile.

Mr Rogers raised an eyebrow. "Perfect? Who? Is it Blair, your friend?" . He asked as that was the only name he could come up with, afterall everyone knew the relationship between the duo was great and perhaps she was hoping to have him help her out.

Mr Logan chimed in before Yvette could answer. "Blair is great, sure. But he doesn’t have the right chemistry with her, aesthetically or otherwise. He’s not just suitable—"

"Calm down," . Yvette interrupted with a small smile. "I wasn’t done yet. It’s not Blair but someone else."

Mr Rogers crossed his arms, studying her carefully. "Who, then? How do we contact him and how much does he charge?"

"Don’t worry about that,". Yvette said, her smile widening and Leila continued, immediately catching up what she was up to.

"He’s someone Yvette is personally acquainted with and no worries because be it in terms of appearance, height, looks. He’s the best for this". Leila smiled confidently as she replied.

"Are you sure there’s such a person except Dylan in this modelling industry?". Mr Rogers asked, quizzically.

"Of course". Leila smiled. However, there’s one request and it’s to keep everything confidential. All we ask is that you keep this confidential. No one can know his identity and you can’t even film his face, even the set must be cleared of unnecessary people. Is that okay with you? ".

Mr Rogers dumbfounded, glanced at Mr Logan who was of no different from him. "Is it ?. "He asked.

Mr Logan kept quiet for a while before agreeing and nodding positively. "I can guess he’s someone from outside our industry and probably he doesn’t want to be exposed but worry less, we can film it from the back and still keep to the original plot so it’s okay".

Leila sighed in relief as Mr Rogers glanced at her quizzically. "Are you really sure about this and how do we contact him".

"I’ve said it before Mr Rogers. Be it in terms of appearance, height looks or presence. Everything about him perfectly complement our Yvette here". Leila explained again.

"Someone from outside the industry and the person has these amazing qualities, then why does he not just make a debut then in the entertainment industry?". Mr Logan whose interest was sparkled upon Leila’s explanation asked.

"You’ll see soon and you’ll be able to tell yourself". Yvette replied cryptically, the gleam in her eyes and the confidence in Leila’s made him pause wondering who exactly was the big shot they were all about.

And for the first time that day in the past few minutes, a spark of hope flickered in the room.

"It’s settled then, we’ll go get ready and contact him". Yvette said softly and stood up alongside Leila leaving the two mens stunned and short of words.

"Can we trust them ?". Mr Rogers asked. "This is a very important project for us".

"Their confidence is on point so I choose to , to believe in them. This is important for her as much as it is important for us also so I do ". Mr Logan replied, dusting off the invisible dust off his sleeves.

"Then, can you guess who this person is?". Mr Rogers whispered as he leaned in .

"Well, unfortunately no. Cause I’m just as curious as you are. Guess, we can only wait for our Mr mystery to reveal himself". Mr Logan replied.