Revenge Begins: Reincarnated as a Hated Idol!-Chapter 52: Arms of Refuge
As Aren opened the door, in his sight appeared a middle-aged man, raising his hand to strike Lisa with a furious expression as he yelled: "You bitch! How dare you—"
However, before he could complete his malicious words, the sound of the door suddenly opening startled him, prompting him to turn around to get a glimpse of the intruder.
Lisa, with hands raised to shield herself, glanced at the door too.
There, Aren was standing, eyeing the man with clenched fists before taking heavy steps and—
Bam!
He punched the man straight in the gut.
However, he controlled his strength to not let him suffer heavy injuries or faint on the spot.
He also didn’t hit him in the face since that would be a visible injury and the man could sue him for assault with the broken face as evidence.
"Urgh!" The man let out a low groan in pain, falling to his knees.
As his brain processed the pain, he rolled on the ground, grabbing his stomach.
He coughed, trying to breathe, groaning continuously thanks to the gut-wrenching pain.
Ignoring his agony, Aren turned his attention to Lisa, grabbing her wrist before storming out of there.
He took her to the nearest hotel, located only at a walking distance.
On the way, neither of them spoke. Lisa followed him silently with her head lowered.
Only after they were in a hotel room did Aren ask: "What was going on there? Who was that man? And where is your manager?"
Aren was standing in front of Lisa while she sat on the bed, her hands clutching the bedsheets as she tried to gather the courage to speak.
Aren didn’t rush her, letting her take her time before answering.
After a few minutes passed in silence, Lisa decided to speak.
She, raising her head, her eyes teary when looking at Aren, spoke with a cracking voice:
"I left my previous agency since my contract with them was over." Her lips quivered. "At the same time, I received a lucrative offer from one of the major agencies—Titan Crest Entertainment."
She gulped, swallowing down the surging emotions before adding:
"That man was my new manager—sob."
Her voice cracked as she broke into tears, unable to continue.
She gently wiped away her tears with her wrists, trying to calm the steady stream that rolled down her cheeks.
Seeing her in such a state, Aren sighed before taking a seat beside her.
He pulled her in his embrace, patting her back gently: "It’s alright. Everything will be fine." He added in a soft, comforting voice.
Lisa sobbed, her head pressed against Aren’s chest, her arms wrapping around his strong frame.
She felt safe in his embrace, feeling as if she could let loose, as if she could tell him what she was going through, and in response, he would protect her.
"Take your time." His gentle voice entered her ears, his hand caressing the back of her head. "Tell me whenever you are ready."
"Mm..." She showed her acknowledgement, tightening her grip around Aren as she remained in his embrace for a long while.
At first, she sobbed, then she calmed down, only taking long breaths.
After a while, even those stopped as a peaceful silence and calm enveloped the room.
She wanted to stay like this, cooped up in his embrace, without caring about the outer world; however, she couldn’t.
She knew she had to face the consequences of her choice.
When she felt ready, she slowly left Aren’s embrace before correcting her hair and wiping the remaining tears off her face.
A resolute expression hung on her countenance as she nodded at Aren: "I’m ready."
"Then tell me." Aren smiled gently at her.
She took in a long breath and then started speaking: 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
"As I told you, I received a contract offer from Titan Crest Entertainment, and their agent offered very favorable conditions. My previous agency was not even second tier and could not get me any roles that I would have wanted to do. Titan Crest Entertainment, on the other hand, is one of the major agencies of the country and very reputable as well. Top-tier movie stars are signed with them, so I didn’t suspect I would suffer by signing with them."
She let out a disappointed sigh: "But I turned out to be wrong. Titan Crest Entertainment took my creative control, and now I cannot even decide on roles to play myself. The agent told me their professionals knew better and could guide my career well. I believed him since many actors signed with them had made it big despite not having creative control."
She paused, pressing her lips in frustration as her gaze reflected contempt: "But I didn’t know it was a trap. At first, I thought they wanted to sign me because of To Your Heart’s success, but recently I found out I was overestimating myself. They did not sign me because of my talent or potential. Instead..."
She gritted her teeth. "The Head of Acting department had his lustful eyes on me. He simply wanted to sleep with me, and when I refused his advances, he threatened me that if I didn’t comply, he would force me to play garbage roles and end my career."
She clenched her fists, her eyes watering once again: "He even put that manager behind me as his watchdog. He constantly tries to persuade me to go to the Head of Acting Department’s house."
Her eyelashes trembled as she turned to Aren, a tear rolling down her eye.
"I’m so scared, Aren..."
Aren, with a gentle gaze, wiped the tears off her face with his thumbs, cupping her beautiful face.
"Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you." His voice was soft and comforting.
"Mm..." She closed her eyes, feeling his gentle touch.
She then leaned forward, asking with a vulnerable expression, eyes cute as a child: "Can you hold me in your arms? I feel safe in your embrace."
Aren, revealing a gentle smile, gave a nod of approval, letting her slide into his hold.
Meanwhile, Aren wondered about this Head of Acting department.
’From what I remember, The Head of Acting Department is a respected acting professor. He is old and by no means lecherous. That’d mean after I died, someone else replaced him.’
"Lisa," he asked. "Can you tell me the name of this Head of Acting Department?"
She didn’t even need to think for a second as she let his name escape her lips:
"Lucian Valcourt."
Aren’s eyes widened as soon as he heard that name.
And then, his lips curled upward in a scheming, delightful smile.
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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)
