Chapter 537

Chapter 537

Bruce paused before answering, "The project is still in its early stages. It's mainly for certain special groups, like... victims of major accidents or violent incidents, helping them with psychological recovery."

He paused, then added, "At the nursing home, the children are all doing well. Your music has been a great help to them."

Elsie acknowledged him with a sound and said nothing more, picking up her bag and standing up.

"Elsie," Bruce also stood up, his voice strained, "I'm so glad you're alive. If possible, I'll disappear from your world."

Elsie turned to look at him. "But Bruce, we're friends. We were before and we still are. I hope your project picks up again. We can both start new lives."

She pulled open the café door, her figure quickly disappearing into the twilight.

The door closed gently, shutting out the noise from outside.

Bruce stood there for a long time. Finally, only a very soft sigh remained.

"But Elsie, some things... when they're wrong, they're just wrong."

At the studio.

Jacob had really blown up recently.

The theme song he sang for that hit TV series had spread everywhere almost overnight.

Several popular variety shows had reached out to him.

"Ms. Taylor, this outdoor reality show, I read their proposal, it's pretty interesting, and what they're offering..." Jacob's voice carried barely contained excitement.

"No."

Aline's response was quick and short, cutting him off directly.

She didn't even look up from her tablet, her finger still scrolling across the screen.

Jacob's half-spoken words stuck in his throat, the heat on his face quickly fading.

"Why not, Ms. Taylor?"

"This is a rare opportunity, and the terms they're offering..."

"I said no." Aline finally put down the tablet.

She stood up and walked over to Jacob.

"What should you be doing right now?"

"Your album. Your singing."

"What will those variety shows give you?"

"Burn through what little buzz you have now?"

"But more exposure means higher public recognition, right?"

"That's how everyone does it these days..." Jacob's voice dropped, clearly losing confidence.

"Others are others, you are you."

Aline's tone wasn't loud, but it carried weight.

"Jacob, in this business, one wrong step and there's a bottomless pit below."

"Things are just starting to look up and you already want to run around everywhere. If something goes wrong, who's going to pull you back up?"

Jacob lowered his head, saying nothing more, unconsciously picking at his pants seam with his fingernail.

In the training facility's lounge area, Jacob had just shuffled out dejectedly when Clinton walked in, casually tossing a sports drink to Aline.

"That fired up?"

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Aline twisted off the cap and took a big gulp. The icy liquid went down her throat, but it didn't cool the fire in her chest much.

"If I don't knock some sense into him, he'll get too full of himself."

She snorted.

"New artists, with no foundation, get a little benefit and they're over the moon. Then their hearts go wild and they forget about singing."

"This industry has no shortage of people with restless minds. They rise fast and fall hard. Artists need to have some real skills."

Clinton made a sound of agreement but didn't respond further.

They'd known each other for more than a day or two. He had a pretty good handle on Aline's temper.

Changed into racing suits, onto the track—the roar of engines quickly drowned out all other noise.

After a few laps on the track, they returned to the lounge area.

Clinton had just removed his helmet and shook out his sweat-soaked hair when an overdressed young girl, carrying water and a towel along with a wave of sickeningly sweet perfume, rushed straight toward Clinton.

"Mr. Potter!"

"You were in such great form today!"

"I made this special sports drink myself, try it!"

The girl's voice was cloyingly sweet, holding an elegant water bottle in her hands.

Clinton's expression was cold. "Thanks, but I don't need it."

The girl's disappointment was visible to the naked eye, watching reluctantly as he walked away.

Aline sighed. "Clinton, do these girls like your face or your racing skills? How do they keep finding our training facility?"

"Don't know," Clinton had been racing for so many years and was a famous star in the racing world—he'd long since gotten used to this sort of thing. "It's getting late, let me drive you back. Don't worry too much about that young artist. Remember you told me his family situation isn't great, and he was slandered before."

"For a moment, seeing he's gained some fame and wanting to earn more money is just human nature. You don't need to be so anxious sometimes."

Clinton smiled, trying to comfort her.

Aline spread her hands. "Can't help being anxious. You know Olivia's recent scandals have those investors ready to eat me alive. I wish I could split myself into eight hundred pieces a day, and my only artist isn't making things easier. How can I stay calm?"

"Go back early, watch that old injury of yours, don't let it affect the race. I'm heading out."

Clinton waved and left casually.

The studio was empty except for Aline.

She finished handling several emails, her fingers pausing on the keyboard, losing focus for a moment.

Larry's face, with that gentle yet slightly stubborn quality unique to him, popped up without warning.

Their last meeting was quite a while ago. She wondered how he was doing now.

Once this thought arose, she couldn't sit still anymore. She grabbed her jacket and car keys from the chair back and headed straight downstairs.

Outside the Borgia Group Building.

The receptionist's smile was standard and polite. "Sorry, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Borgia hasn't been at the company these past few days."

"Not here?"

"Where did he go?"

"Well... we're not too clear on the specific reason."

Aline's heart sank, a bad feeling welling up. She immediately pulled out her phone to call Larry, but all she heard was the cold automated message saying the phone was off.

Why would his phone be off?

Aline's brow furrowed tightly. Larry wasn't the type to go missing without reason. The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt. She knew a bit about the Borgia family's nature. Could it be... could Larry have been put under house arrest by his family?

Once this thought arose, Aline couldn't sit still anymore. She understood Larry's situation and knew he didn't have it easy in the Borgia family.

In her urgency, she thought of someone.

Aline took a deep breath and dialed Elsie's number.

"Olivia, are you busy?" When the call connected, Aline tried to make her voice sound calm.

Elsie had just finished discussing Tammy and that mysterious headhunting company with Harold. Hearing this, she said, "Not busy, what's wrong? You don't sound right."

"Larry, he... he might be in trouble." Aline's voice carried a trace of barely detectable urgency. "I just went to the Borgia Group Building to find him. He hasn't been to the company for several days, and his phone is off. I'm worried he's been... by the Borgia family..."