A Night of Desire

"Never mind how I found out. Can you tell me why you disagreed?"

Rhys Ryston lowered her gaze and smiled slightly. "The reason is actually quite simple. These days, when novels are adapted for the screen, they’re often changed beyond recognition. It disappoints not only the loyal readers, but the author as well."

"Besides, I can’t pick the actors myself. What if they cast some pretty faces with no acting talent? Wouldn’t that be even more disappointing?"

"The book I poured my heart and soul into is like my own child. I don’t want it to be ruined. That’s why I won’t agree, even for a hefty licensing fee. And another thing..."

As she spoke, a look of disdain flashed across Rhys Ryston’s face. "The representative Aegis Media assigned to contact me was completely unprofessional!"

Uh...

’Just a moment ago, she was thinking that Rhys Ryston and River Sterling were fated to meet, but it turns out that in Ryston’s mind, he’s a totally unprofessional guy!’

’But River Sterling said he’d never even met Ryston.’

"You met him in person?" she asked.

"Not in person. He contacted me online, and I just got a bad vibe from the way he talked. He seemed unprofessional and unreliable, so I didn’t want to bother and just turned him down flat," Rhys Ryston said with a shrug.

Clara Grant was speechless.

’Alright, as curious as she was about what River Sterling could have said to make Ryston think he was unprofessional and unreliable, it was more important to get down to business.’

"What if I told you that you could be the screenwriter for the TV adaptation? And that I would play the female lead? I can also guarantee that we’ll find a male lead who has both the looks and the acting chops. Would you agree to sell the rights then?"

"Well, of course I’d be willing then! I remember saying back then that I hoped you would be the one to play the female lead. In fact, one of the reasons I didn’t want to sell the rights was because I was waiting for you." After saying this, Rhys Ryston suddenly processed her words and looked at her in confusion. "You?"

"That’s right." Clara Grant nodded with a smile.

"You’re representing Aegis Media?"

"In a way," Clara Grant explained her connection. "The president of Aegis Media is my husband. The person who contacted you is also a senior executive there. I happened to overhear them discussing it, so I volunteered to come talk to you myself."

"You’re married?" Rhys Ryston was obviously surprised. The news was rather sudden. "But shouldn’t the president of Aegis Media getting married be huge news? How come I haven’t heard anything? Otherwise, I would have sent you my congratulations ages ago."

"We haven’t had the wedding ceremony yet, we just registered our marriage. But he did announce that part publicly through the media."

"Oh, I’ve been too busy lately. I write during the day and work as a designated driver at night. I’ve been so swamped I haven’t had any time to keep up with the news."

Now it was Clara Grant’s turn to be surprised. "You work as a designated driver at night, too? That must be exhausting."

’No wonder she loves coffee,’ she thought. ’Working around the clock like that, she must need it to stay awake.’

"It’s fine, I can handle it. Besides, I only started working as a designated driver recently." Rhys Ryston lowered her gaze, avoiding Clara’s concerned look. ’I need the money,’ she thought. ’I have to do it, no matter how hard it is.’

Clara Grant wanted to say something more, but Rhys Ryston looked up and smiled at her. "Well, in that case, of course I’ll agree to sell the rights to Aegis. Just have your representative contact me to sign the contract whenever you’re ready."

Clara Grant nodded happily. "Alright..."

She had barely gotten the word out when she heard someone call her name. Looking up, she saw River Sterling approaching from the opposite direction, hurrying over to her with an excited look on his face.