CHAPTER 127: THE LINE BETWEEN HUSBAND AND CEO

"I understand," I said once I was sure he wasn’t angry with me. "Next time, I’ll just give him a wireless handshake instead."

I could hear Lando let out a long sigh on the other end before saying, "Helcia... just tell him your hand’s dirty or something." Then, in a calmer tone, he added, "Or kick him if he ever tries anything stupid."

Oh, how I wanted to do that. But honestly, wouldn’t that be a straight ticket to getting fired?

"What if he tries to ruin my reputation and makes me look bad in front of the media?" I asked.

"Then we’ll frame him as a terrible person as well," Lando replied calmly. After a brief pause, he added, "Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. It’s about your acting career."

"My career?" I blinked. "What about it?"

"Right now, you’re an independent actress," he said. "It gives you freedom, sure, but it also means you don’t have any protection. That’s why I think it’s time for you to join an agency."

I went quiet for a moment. I knew that sooner or later I’d have to join an agency to secure my image and position in the industry, but honestly, the word agency still gave me a little trauma.

My last agency had treated me horribly. I’d gone through so many bad experiences there that even the thought of signing another contract made me nervous. If the same thing happened again, I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

"Do you have any suggestions?" I asked quietly, lowering my gaze to my shoes resting on the car floor. "I don’t really know any good agencies right now," I lied.

Lando chuckled faintly. "Helcia, do you remember where I work?"

It took me a few seconds to realize what he meant. "Zentra Media," I murmured.

"Exactly," he said.

I suddenly remembered that Zentra also had a division for actors: Zentra Talent Entertainment, or ZTE for short. I’d heard about them before. They were known for scouting unknown talents and helping them rise to fame instead of chasing already famous stars.

At first, I thought it sounded too ideal, like one of those agencies that pretended to care. But after knowing Lando was the one running Zentra, I started to believe maybe they really were different.

"I remember," I said softly. "Do you think Zentra would be a good fit for me? But the drama contract I signed doesn’t include any agency yet."

"I think it’s perfect for you," Lando said. "And don’t worry about the contract. You can add a pre-existing commitment clause—that way, the agency will respect your current contract and won’t try to profit from it."

That kind of clause did exist, but most agencies rarely agreed to it, unless the actor was already popular.

Because if they accepted, the agency couldn’t earn anything from the actor’s previous deals. They’d still have to manage the schedule, take care of promotions, and basically work without immediate returns.

Sure, they could still get revenue later through ads or endorsements, but it wasn’t the same.

"But they’d probably have to wait at least four months before I could officially belong to them," I said. "Wouldn’t it be better if I joined after my drama shoot ends?"

Lando went quiet for a moment, as if weighing her words carefully. "That would be the safer option," he finally said. "But I think it’s better to join now, while things are still fresh. That way, they can start protecting your image before the drama airs."

He had a point. Once the show started getting attention, reporters and gossip sites would be digging into my background. Having an agency meant someone else would handle all that noise, filter the interviews, and protect my reputation if any scandal came up.

Well, hopefully, they wouldn’t throw me into a den of hungry wolves the moment I got into trouble, like my former agency did.

"Then... I’ll ask Marissa to contact Zentra and discuss the matter," I said, still feeling a little unsure.

"Marissa? It’s fine, I’ll take care of it myself," Lando replied quickly. "You just need to come here tomorrow and sign the papers."

I blinked a few times, taken aback by how casually he said it. I knew he was the man behind Zentra, but if he wanted to keep that fact private, why was he making it so obvious?

Who would believe he was just a regular employee when he could get a newcomer signed that easily? If other actors found out, they’d definitely assume I got into Zentra through nepotism—though, well... technically, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

Still, as Marissa once told me, there’s nothing wrong with using my husband’s help when it comes to chasing what I want.

"Can you come here tomorrow morning?" Lando asked again when I didn’t answer right away.

"Yes! I can come tomorrow," I said quickly. "But I have to stop by Green Leaf first to sign the drama contract. Is that okay?"

"That’s fine," he said warmly. "Just come by when you’re done. I’ll be waiting."

His tone was gentle but firm, and somehow that made my heart beat a little faster. Even when it came to business, Lando always made it sound personal, like no matter what the world threw at me, I’d never have to face it alone.

Maybe I could also ask him to help me buy some shares in the new game Zentra was about to launch. At first, I planned to do it quietly, without telling him. But after thinking about it, that seemed almost impossible.

Sooner or later, he was bound to see my name listed among the shareholders, right?

"Then, I’ll... come to your office tomorrow," I said with a little giggle, my feet lightly tapping against the car floor. For some reason, just thinking about seeing my husband at work made me feel oddly excited.

He probably wouldn’t take me to his real office—the one reserved for executives—but that didn’t matter. Just being able to see him in his work environment, surrounded by the world he built with his own hands, already felt special.

However, when I said that, Lando suddenly sounded nervous. "Y-yes. I’ll wait for you... in my office."

Maybe it was because he’d just realized he needed to hide his real identity and not make it too obvious. Honestly, at this point, it might’ve been better if he simply told me the truth, and I could just pretend to be surprised.

"Helcia," he called again once he seemed to calm down. "You’re sure you’re alright, right?"

Oh, was this still about Kai? I’d almost forgotten that was how this whole conversation started. Somehow, every time I talked with my husband, I ended up forgetting all the problems in my life.

"I’m fine, really," I said with a small smile, even though I knew he couldn’t see it. "Thank you for worrying about me, Lando."

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I could swear he held his breath for a moment when I said his name. He used to do that whenever I called him husband, but now that he’d grown used to it, he seemed more startled when I used his actual name instead.

That was when I realized I probably needed to switch between the two once in a while, just to tease him.

We talked for a few more minutes before I told him he should get back to work, because honestly, I was sure he’d lied when he said he wasn’t busy.

"See you later, husband," I said softly. "Don’t overwork yourself."

Lando’s voice came back, low and warm. "See you later too... my wife."

The moment the call ended, I couldn’t help but let out a silent scream, kicking my feet as my heart raced. The way he said wife in that deep, husky voice—God, it was unfair how easily he could make me blush.

"Young Madam, are you alright?" asked Mr. Silo when I suddenly started acting like I was possessed by a demon.

I immediately froze and straightened my posture. "I—I’m fine," I said quickly. "I’m just... too happy."

Mr. Silo glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly unsure whether to believe me or not. Meskipun demikian, he decided untuk tidak mengatakan apapun and membiarkanku tenggelam ke dalam my own euphoria.

===

The next morning, the first thing that greeted me was Penny’s annoying voice.

[Reminder: This is the last day to complete your weekly mission.]

I groaned, dragging myself out of bed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Stop nagging me already."

Still half-asleep, I reached for my phone and headed toward the bathroom, scrolling through my emails and messages. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing new. It wasn’t like I had many people texting me anyway.

Well, at least my social media notifications never failed to explode whenever I forgot to log out of my account. Small comfort, I guess.

But then, one notification instantly warmed my heart.

[Husband: Morning. I’m sorry if I’m waking you up. I just wanted to remind you that you have an appointment at the Zentra office.]