Novel Update
Chapter 476
Chapter 476
Johnnie lay in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life, the victim of a mysterious poisoning. The whispers
around town were unanimous: it was Elio Lambert's doing.
Now, whenever Elio entered a room, a hush would fall, and eyes would dart nervously, as if fearing
they might be the next to find themselves hooked up to a drip.
Astrid raised an eyebrow as Elio approached, "What brings you here?"
Elio shrugged, "Gracie's out on a date, so I'm stepping in as her replacement for the day."
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
Her assistant? Elio was acting as Astrid's assistant? Love really is blind!
While everyone else was visibly shocked, Astrid looked anything but impressed. "Oh, please. You, my
assistant? I can't afford that luxury. The moment we step out, how many girls would throw themselves
at you? That's the last thing I need – more chaos."
Elio smirked, "Oh? And which of these girls would dare, I wonder?"
With that, he reached out and casually wrapped an arm around Astrid's waist.
Astrid stiffened, uncomfortably aware of the many eyes on them. She pushed Elio away and turned to
Carlos, the director, "I'll head over now, if that's okay with you?"
Carlos nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, of course..."
As Astrid walked away, Elio's face reverted back to its usual cool indifference.
Though Elio had come to the movie premiere, he didn't join the cast on stage for the live interaction.
Instead, he chose a seat in the audience, his gaze fixed on Astrid.
It was a film about magic, and naturally, live tricks were part of the show.
Astrid pulled off several illusions in a row, leaving the online audience awestruck. [My god, I can't find a
single flaw in Astar's performance!]
[Astar's fingers are just so elegant.]
[I heard Mr. Lambert is at the premiere too, why isn't he on stage?]
[I bet Mr. Lambert's here to keep an eye on the romantic games they play, making sure nobody gets too
close to his girl. Too bad the lead actor fell sick and didn't show. He probably feared getting hammered
by Mr. Lambert!]
[Pfft, haha, sick or scared of a little intimacy – hammered either way!]
[You know too much, my friend, haha!]
[Can't wait for 'Adventures in the Abyss' to start streaming again. Feels like I've aged a decade waiting!]
[All those reality dating shows are scripted. At least Astar and Mr. Lambert are the real deal!]
The magic act had ended, and the host turned to Astrid with a smile, "Astrid, take a look at the big
screen behind you. It's filled with real-time comments from our viewers. The next segment, we'll have
you answer their questions."
"When I say 'go,' viewers will start posting their questions in the comments. You'll call 'stop,' and
whatever question the cursor lands on, you'll answer. Ready?"
Astrid nodded, "Let's do this."
She stood to the side, squinting at the barrage of comments flooding the screen.
"Go!!!" the host announced. The comments took off, the screen a blur of flying text.
Astrid called out, "3, 2, 1, stop!" This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
The comments froze, and everyone leaned in to see the pointed-out question.
The host glanced at Elio sitting quietly below the stage before reading the question aloud with a touch
of hesitance, "Alright, here's one - Astar, you've consistently turned down Mr. Lambert's advances. Do
you feel he's not good enough for you?"