"Why didn't you tell me earlier that you are an excellent singer?" Uma gazed deeply into Hugo's amber eyes, where tiny specks of light shimmered. A playful smile tugged at her lips as she spoke with emotion. Although her eyes remained fixed on Hugo's, her hands slid slowly down along his body, feeling the fine yet firm texture of his skin. With the warmth of her palms, Uma planted tiny flames one after another upon the surface of Hugo's skin.
Looking at Uma lying on top of him, Hugo's lips curved into an unconscious smile. "I already told you last night, didn't I? Forgot? We haven't even been on a proper date, nor had a real conversation. You never gave me the chance."
Uma's hands made Hugo's skin tingle, and his body quickly reacted. The smile in his eyes followed the sultry gaze of Uma downward, taking in the boundless spring scenery laid before him. The joy within his heart lifted his spirits. Hugo's hands traced along the smooth curves of Uma's back, slowly moving downward, causing Uma's breath to grow heavier.
Uma bit lightly on her lower lip, struggling to steady her breathing. "No, you had the chance, remember? The set visit of A Few Good Men… the guitar, the singing…" It was from that impromptu performance during the set visit that Hugo eventually decided to create the end-title song for A Few Good Men. Of course, he hadn't forgotten.
"So, that means you already knew, didn't you? Then why bother asking me again?" Hugo raised his upper body slightly, using the strength of his abdomen to draw closer to Uma's face bit by bit. But Uma mischievously lifted herself away, refusing to let him near. Hugo was forced to pin down her shoulder blades with his hands, keeping her from escaping further, and then pressed his lips against hers.
Uma immediately took the initiative, biting Hugo's lips in return. Her hands continued to explore downward until they reached a scorching heat, drawing a muffled groan from Hugo's throat. A triumphant smile flickered across Uma's lips. She pulled away from Hugo's enticing mouth, then traced downward—along his jawline, Adam's apple, collarbone, chest, and abs—using her lips to explore, guiding Hugo step by step toward the peak of blissful ecstasy.
Outside, the morning sun was already shining brightly. In the dining room, Charlize and Alex sat together, listening to the faint sounds drifting from a room at the far end of the hall. Helplessly, they exchanged a glance.
Yesterday, the premiere of A Few Good Men had been a great success. Enthusiastic questions from the audience had come one after another, stretching the event until midnight. By the time Hugo returned home, it was nearly one o'clock in the morning. Originally, Charlize and Alex worried Hugo might, just like after the premiere of Scent of a Woman, toss and turn restlessly through the night. But unexpectedly, Hugo had found another method—clearly a very effective one. This morning, instead of seeing a zombie-like, anxious Hugo, they instead heard sounds even more joyful than sunshine and ocean waves.
The creak of a door opening echoed through the hall. Uma, still wearing her outfit from the premiere, her long golden hair now flowing freely, stepped lightly and cheerfully into the bathroom. She even made sure to greet Charlize and Alex along the way. But just before Uma entered, Charlize suddenly thought of something and called out, "Uma…" The words left her mouth before she realized they might be impolite. Watching Uma turn her face back, Charlize carefully adjusted her tone. "Hugo's towel is the white one. Please use that one, alright?"
Uma, hand on the bathroom doorknob, squinted her eyes and studied Charlize, as though trying to detect some hidden meaning in her words. The scrutiny made Charlize uncomfortable. Then Uma finally replied, "Alright, no problem." And with that, she entered the bathroom.
Alex nudged Charlize with his elbow, whispering curiously, "You don't like her?"
"No!" Charlize answered firmly, her voice even rising slightly, as if eager to deny it. The intensity startled Alex. Realizing her overreaction, Charlize quickly smiled. "No, it's not that. I just don't want her using my towel. Or yours. You know how sensitive I am about things like that."
Alex had no further doubts. Nodding in sudden understanding, he recalled how last time Uma had stayed over, she had used Charlize's towel, and afterward Charlize had thrown it away—a fact Alex knew. "From now on, whenever Hugo brings someone back for the night, we'd better remind him about this."
Seeing Alex not probing further, Charlize finally let out a quiet sigh of relief, nodding absentmindedly. "Yes."
Her gaze drifted toward Hugo's slightly ajar bedroom door. Listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom, her expression froze for just a moment. But she quickly pulled her gaze back, taking a deep breath. The hesitation between her brows was swept away by the sunlight pouring through the window. A light smile curved across her lips, carrying a trace of ease.
Soon, Uma had finished freshening up, spent a little more time in Hugo's room, and prepared to leave. Standing in the hall, she bid farewell to Charlize and Alex. After a brief hesitation, Uma looked toward Charlize and asked, "You don't like me?"
The suddenness of the question left both Charlize and Alex stunned. Neither had expected Uma to initiate further conversation with them, much less to do so with such direct and pointed words. Yet Charlize remained composed, even smiling as she countered with, "Is that so?"
Uma paused, her eyes lingering on Charlize's casual smile and her open, unflinching gaze. "You should like me."
This time Charlize raised her brows slightly, allowing her surprise and curiosity to show openly. She countered again, "Should I?"
Uma hesitated for about a second. She had assumed Charlize also liked Hugo, or at the very least shared some ambiguous feelings. But now it seemed she had overthought it. Perhaps a woman's intuition had simply been too sensitive—or perhaps it revealed how her own feelings for Hugo were quietly deepening. Uma chuckled, shaking her head. "No, I just thought too much. Sorry if my question was a bit blunt." After apologizing, she waved goodbye once more and left.
Hearing the noise in the hall, Hugo finally emerged from his room, leaning against the doorway as he asked, "What's going on? Did something happen?"
Alex had no idea how to explain. It seemed the two women had just fought a brief but silent battle under his very nose, but he neither knew the cause nor how to describe it. So instead, Alex simply lowered his head and obediently continued with his breakfast. Today's bacon tasted particularly good.
Charlize, however, did not avoid Hugo's gaze. Remaining calm and at ease, she shrugged. "Nothing. Just a simple conversation. Uma asked how I slept last night, and I told her not very well. That's all."
"Why? Were you worrying about my movie last night?" Hugo asked with a cheerful smile. His mood today was excellent—not only because the movie premiere had been a success, but also because everything between him and Uma had gone smoothly. Although Hugo still could not tell whether his affection for Uma came from his predecessor or from himself, he was certain of one thing: regardless of predecessor or self, the signals coming from his brain now belonged to the same person. So he no longer hesitated, nor did he need to. He simply let his inner hormones flow freely. Last night had been a wonderful night.
"No." Charlize tore off a piece of French bread calmly as she spoke. "Because the noise from your room was too loud."
Alex burst out laughing at once, the bacon in his mouth spraying onto the plate in a mess. Yet he couldn't stop himself, snickering uncontrollably. Hugo, whose face had moments ago been alight with excitement, suddenly froze. Scratching his head awkwardly, glancing around with embarrassment, he then slipped shyly and self-consciously into the bathroom.
Watching Hugo's retreating figure, Alex's laughter exploded again. "Girl, you…" He gave Charlize a thumbs-up, showing his admiration.
Charlize didn't think much of it. She simply smiled. "Don't you agree?"
"Yes, yes, of course," Alex said, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. "Not only do I agree, I'm jealous." That simple sentence, however, made Charlize pause. Then a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, leaving Alex utterly baffled.
Hugo had originally planned to linger in the bathroom longer, but the appearance of Joseph and Kal ended the reprieve, allowing him to emerge earlier than expected. Though last night's successful premiere had given Hugo plenty of confidence, and the wonderful night had kept his nerves at bay, the anxiety of awaiting the first wave of reviews still attacked him. Even though it came later than expected, Hugo now felt every muscle in his body tighten.
Hugo looked nervously at Joseph and Kal, their expressions stiff. The scene reminded him of the first reviews for Scent of a Woman. Could this be another bad beginning? And if so, could the later reviews turn things around again like before? Nobody liked a bad start, even when they knew a comeback was possible.
Joseph saw the tension written across Hugo's face, and the same unease mirrored in Charlize and Alex. He worked hard to steady his tone, suppressing the tremor in his voice. "Nicholas from the Los Angeles Times was the first to publish a review." That was not a good sign. "He gave A Few Good Men a score of ninety."
"Oh, God…" Alex let out a wail but then froze mid-sound. He realized this might not be bad news after all. Just then, Hugo's voice trembled with excitement. "You mean… ninety out of one hundred."
"Yes!" Joseph's smile curved gently, like a hyacinth swaying in the wind.
....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu