Chapter 1286

"I said, stop beating!" Luella thumped her chest, cursing her own uselessness. Yes, Jimmie's face and body were absolute perfection, but she had looked at thousands of photos of hot guys. She shouldn't be losing her mind over this!

The sky began to dim.

"Cut!" The director yelled, signaling the end of the shoot.

"Great work, everyone," Jimmie said politely.

Clark rushed over with a jacket and draped it over his boss's shoulders. "Mr. Langley is here," he whispered.

"At this hour?" Jimmie turned and spotted Luella standing under a large tree, dramatically thumping her own chest as if trying to start a fight with herself.

"Get some rest tonight, Mr. Tate. We'll wrap up the final shots tomorrow," the director said with a warm smile.

"Sounds good," Jimmie nodded smoothly. "Whatever works for the schedule."

"Perfect!" The director beamed. There was a reason everyone in the industry wanted to work with him. He was professional, dedicated, and incredibly easy to get along with. It was no wonder he was the undisputed king of the entertainment world. Once he was fully dressed, Jimmie walked straight toward Luella.

"Hey, Jimmie." Seeing him approach, Luella immediately flashed a bright smile, her dimples showing clearly on her small face.

"Why did you come all the way out here now?" Jimmie looked her over. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her shoes were caked in mud. She had clearly rushed.

"The earring is in the RV. Come with me," he said, his voice gravelly.

"Okk." Luella quickly followed, her hurried steps causing her to crash right into his back.

"Ah, sorry," she laughed awkwardly, rubbing her forehead.

He just looked at her without a word.

Today's theme was a "sunset shoot," so the location was a bit far from their base camp—about a ten-minute walk through the woods.

"Do you like it?" Jimmie asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the path ahead, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Huh?" Luella craned her neck, looking completely lost.

"The car." He stopped and looked down at her.

Luella slammed on the brakes. Standing at just barely

five-foot-seven, she felt like a tiny chick next to his nearly six-foor two frame. She instinctively took two steps back to create some breathing room, her cheeks warming up. "I love it. You really spent too much."

"As long as you like it." He looked away and started walking again. Out of nowhere, he added; so are

AQ

you going to thank me for finding

your earring?"

"Huh??" She frowned, thinking it over carefully. "Should I buy you a car too?"

"Don't need one."

"Jewelry?"

"Don't need it."

"Then what do you need?" She

thought he was being impossibly difficult. Taking a quick step to catch up with him, a mischievous grin spread across her face "Donttell me you need a girlfriend?

Jimmie looked down, locking his dark eyes onto the "boy's" face. His traitorous heart instantly went into overdrive again.

"I don't need one!" he snapped coldly. "Hurry up. Do you want the earring or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" She trotted after him.

They hadn't gone far before a light drizzle started to fall, quickly intensifying into a heavy downpour.

"Keep up." Jimmie slowed his pace, waiting for her. Why did this guy walk so incredibly slow?

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered under her breath. The path had turned into a muddy, slippery mess, making every step a struggle.

"Careful." Jimmie stopped and reached out to grab her arm. "It gets dangerous here."

The path narrowed significantly, and the mud made it treacherous. Going back now would be even riskier than pressing forward.

She shot him a look, grabbed his wrist, and used the leverage to pull herself up.

The rain poured down harder, practically blinding them as they struggled to see the path ahead.

Suddenly, disaster struck.