CHAPTER 644: CHAPTER 644

"You like Santiago too? He’s very nice and charming. What’s more, he’s professional, humble, and virtuous. In short... he’s my idol, the one and only one!" When Clara thought of Santiago, she smiled and thought, ’Ethan, so what if you have your first love? I have an idol I admire too.’

"Mr. Jiminez, do you know Santiago? I heard that he’s pretty aloof and rarely befriends people in the entertainment circle, " Clara asked him curiously. At first, she was not very interested in the shrewd director, but when she heard that he admired Santiago too, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. Her mood improved too, and she was friendly to him now.

"We’re way more than that-we’re close friends. I’ll let you in on a secret... Santi owes me a big favor, so he’ll surely come here if I invite him," Adam raised his head and said proudly. If a person could pacify such a difficult character in the entertainment circle, they were truly capable regardless of how wide their connections were. It was something they could boast about forever.

"He once was a guest actor in my movie. There was a scene where he needed to dive into the water. Santi was very professional, and even though others got substitutes to do it for them, he wanted to do it himself. Unfortunately, he nearly drowned, and I jumped into the water to save him. That’s why we’re close now."

"Oh, I know that. Is that the rumored drowning accident during the filming of Abyss 2? Mr. Jiminez, you’re so great. You saved his life as well as his many fans’ lives!" Clara still remembered the news. Some people claimed that it was a rumor while others claimed that it was true. Now that she gained the affirmation from Adam, she admired him and Santiago even more.

"So, what do you think? Would you be willing to be a fixed guest of this show if I can invite Santi over?" Adam finally circled back to his main purpose.

"Yes, of course. I’m willing even if I have to pay." Clara nodded eagerly. "I never dreamed of shooting a show with my idol. It’ll be a lifelong memory even if it’s just an episode or two!"

"If you’re alright with it, we can sign a contract. After all, Shirley is sick, so you can take her spot," Adam offered, wanting Clara’s confirmation quickly.

His enthusiasm confused Clara. "But Mr. Jiminez, I’m not a famous person or star... I’m just an ordinary person. Why do you want me to join this show? Fixed guests have a lot of scenes, so aren’t you afraid of me ruining your reputation?"

"That’s impossible. I’m still counting on you to help me advance to the next level!" Adam patted her shoulder and said brightly, "I’m good at judging people since I’ve been in this industry for so many years. You’ll become a hot topic and definitely be favored by the audience. You’re born to be a star. You’ll definitely shoot to fame after the show is broadcasted!"

"Fine, you have my word," Clara agreed to it directly. She didn’t care that much about fame, but since she was running a company now, she should at least take the offer to advance her business. She could build a foundation for her career too, and she’d have close contact with Santiago. She couldn’t think of a single disadvantage!

"But..."

Clara frowned, worried. "I just hurt Shirley. Everyone avoids me and sees me as a wicked woman, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get along with them."

Clara felt anxious when she recalled how the other guests treated her that morning. Those people were fickle—if they saw Ethan and Shirley together, they would curry favor with Shirley and regard Clara as their enemy. If she had to shoot for the show under such circumstances, she was afraid that she might end up fighting with them on camera.

"It’s fine. You can fight with them if you can’t get along with them. You can fall out with whichever pretentious person you want. Just be yourself, you don’t have to pretend to like them. I hate pretentious people the most too." Adam took a fancy to Clara because he found her an unaffected person. She was unlike the stars who had been in the industry for many years. They were different in front of the camera and in private. As a result, the show became a platform for their hypocrisy. It was meaningless.

After Clara made up her mind, she felt much better. She signed a contract with the crew and agreed to be a fixed guest on the subsequent episodes of the show.

It was like killing two birds with one stone for her-she could meet her idol, and use the time to get useful clues from Shirley.

Two days later, Shirley returned to the crew from the hospital, wearing a cast. Ethan had been taking care of her for two days, so he returned at the same time.

Clara was lying in a hammock and enjoying the sunlight on her face. Both her body and mind could relax like this. At first, she was in a great mood, but when she saw Ethan help Shirley walk into the house, her mood worsened.

"Hey, you’re back. Great! We missed you guys so much when you weren’t around..." Lily and the others went to them enthusiastically, asking about Ethan and Shirley’s health.

Clara lay in the hammock with a green foxtail in her mouth. She did not even look up, like a true loner.

"I’m sorry for delaying the shooting. I asked the doctor, and he said I can move around a bit now, so I came back. I hope I’m not a burden to everyone," Shirley said pretentiously. She could move around long ago, but she just laid in bed wearing the cast so Ethan would take care of her.

Although she enjoyed it very much, she was afraid that she might get sick from lying in bed all day, so she finally decided to leave the hospital.

People would think she was dedicated to her work... It was the perfect plan.

Ethan remained quiet. He left Shirley in her assistant and agent’s care before leaving the noisy crowd. He looked around and finally saw Clara in the hammock under a large tree in the backyard. He was happy to see her healthy and happy, but he also felt strangely disappointed that she wasn’t affected by his absence.

He strode to her, forming a tall shadow as he looked down at her condescendingly. "You caused a lot of trouble, but you don’t look guilty or remorseful at all."