Chapter 77

NATHANIEL.

It was past five in the evening and Nathaniel was in the middle of packing up for the day when his phone rang. He swiped at the screen to answer the call, holding the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

A female voice filled his ears. “Hey, Nathaniel. It’s Sophia. How are you?”

It took a moment for the name to register. Sophia Knight, the wife of his friend, Michael Knight. The last time he'd seen them both was at a weekend getaway in Dubai, the one he'd attended with Aurora. He frowned. It wasn’t weird for Michael to call him. But his wife? “Hey, Sophia. I’m great. How are you?”

“Good too. Are you busy? I hope I'm not interrupting. There’s something important I want to discuss with you.”

Nathaniel immediately straightened. Her tone sounded serious. Had there been an issue with her and Michael? “Not at all, Sophia. You sound troubled. Talk to me.”

“Well,” she began, “you know I’ve been acting for a while now.”

He didn’t know that but he egged her on. “Yeah…”

“And I landed a lead role in this book adaption that began filming some weeks ago. I saw Aurora, your wife on set and apparently, she’s the writer of the book. My point is that she's facing some malicious treatment from the director and some of the crew members. It's been bothering me, and I thought you should know.”

Thane’s expression darkened. He felt a resilient urge to protect Aurora from harm and a growing concern for her welfare. Whatever the reason was behind the malicious treatment she was facing, it was unprofessional and Thane reasoned it couldn’t be easy for her to work in such an unhealthy environment. Why hadn’t she said anything to him? Most importantly, where was Mateo and why wasn’t he protecting her?

“Thanks for letting me know, Sophia. I appreciate it. I'll look into it and see what I can do to help.”

“Sure thing. As your wife, she’s our friend too. We women have to look out for each other.”

He couldn't help but smile a little. “Give my regards to Michael.”

“I will.”

Thane hung up the phone, contemplating the next step to take in this situation. Because he was going to do something. Nobody would mistreat his wife if he had something to say about it, and he did. However, he knew her well enough to understand that she was fiercely independent and might not welcome his overt interference in her professional life but seeing her struggle and facing mistreatment was something he couldn't simply ignore.

He leaned back in his leather chair, steepling his fingers as he considered his options. Thane was a man of influence and resources, and he realized that he could make a discreet move to address the issue without directly involving Aurora.

What she didn’t know would not hurt her.

He picked up his phone, knowing that the solution lay in the power of his connections. He had money and what better way to use it than for the benefit of his wife?

A third party had reached out to him a while ago regarding investing in the production. He’d not been interested at the time but now that Aurora was involved in it, what was there to not be interested in? Thane dialed the number of the third party involved in the film's production, and after a few rings, a male voice answered on the other end.

“Hello, this is Nathaniel Everleigh. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time.”

“Mr. Everleigh, not at all. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. How can I assist you today?”

“I have a proposal I'd like to discuss. I'm aware that you have invested in the upcoming film project being handled by Standard Film Company.”

“Yes, we have.”

He went straight to the point. “I’d like to buy out your stake. I'm willing to offer a generous price for it.”

There was a brief pause on the other end as the investor considered Thane’s proposal. At first, the investors were reluctant to sell but Thane was a born business and it didn’t take him long to convince them. Though he’d had to pay double the actual price for the stake, it was worth it. By the time the call ended, Thane had become the largest investor in the firm.

With his keen business acumen, Thane understood that a delicate touch was often more effective than brute force. He leaned back in his comfortable leather chair, the soft glow of the evening sun filtering through the large windows of his high-rise office. This was the benefit of being wealthy. He didn’t need to talk about his money was loud enough. Before he even walked into a room, his name had already spread far.

His status as a major investor in the film gave him significant leverage. He was ready to use this leverage to pressure the film's producers into addressing the mistreatment of Aurora on set. Simply put, he wanted the director fired. It was absolutely ridiculous that nobody had done that a long time ago. If he could, he would have done it himself. However, he was also aware that such a direct and confrontational approach might not be in Aurora's best interest, especially considering her independent nature.

The thought was vexing. Aurora would’ve never said anything to him concerning this issue and if Sophia had not told him he would never have known.

But he understood her fierce independence, her determination to carve her own path in the world. It was one of the qualities that had drawn him to her in the first place.

With a deep sigh, Thane decided to take a step back. He trusted Aurora's capability to handle her own affairs. She was a strong, resilient woman who had already overcome many obstacles in her life. His support was unwavering, but he would let her navigate this challenge on her terms. Observing her approach and stepping in only if she truly needed him seemed like the best way to respect her independence and self-reliance.

Nathaniel was ready to go to great lengths to protect the woman he loved.