Chapter 854: Chapter 260: Aftermath
"You know, Megan, you really hurt me deeply." Adrian, without directly answering Jessica’s question, pulled out a chair and sat in front of Megan, stroking her cheek and sighing, leaving Megan momentarily at a loss.
However, Adrian didn’t give her a chance to speak and continued to sigh, "Look, you waited more than four weeks into your pregnancy before telling me and told Jessie first. Am I really that untrustworthy, little fox?"
"Of course not..." Megan hurried to explain, but she opened her mouth and didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Jessica helped out from the side, saying: "That’s normal, after all, I’m the one with experience in this area."
"Oh?" Adrian squinted at Jessica, who shrugged fearlessly: "Megan has known for a long time. Don’t think you hid it well; she just didn’t bring it up."
"Is that so?" Adrian raised an eyebrow in surprise, looked at the awkward Megan, and quickly focused back on Jessica’s face. Jessica gave a feigned cough and looked up at the ceiling, seemingly engrossed in the patterns on the wires above.
Undoubtedly, even if Megan had realized early on that Adrian, this playboy, already had several children, Jessica surely hadn’t missed the opportunity to indoctrinate her with some ideas, perhaps even guiding her to pay attention to these things. Their relationship had always been good because of their similar experiences and being troubled by the same issues; otherwise, Megan wouldn’t have gone to Jessica first after something happened, before coming to him.
However, Adrian didn’t put these thoughts in mind. He could guess the reasons behind Jessica’s little tricks and trusted that she knew where to draw the line.
So, Adrian didn’t continue on this topic at the moment but held Megan’s hand, patted it, and looked at her seriously: "So, tell me, little fox, what are you thinking?"
"I... I don’t know..." Megan bit her lip and looked at him, seemingly finding it hard to speak.
Seeing her like this, Adrian roughly understood her thoughts and could only look at her apologetically: "I’m sorry, that’s the one thing I can’t give you."
Megan’s face immediately darkened a bit. Unlike in her previous life, she was brought to Hollywood by him as soon as she stepped in. Although her ambition was somewhat present, it was quickly suppressed as she saw the broader picture, and it was the sense of security that Adrian gave her that fascinated her more. Naturally, as Megan got over the initial shock, the idea of marriage popped into her head uncontrollably. Unfortunately, whether Jessica hinted or Adrian stated outright, it was clear that it was impossible.
"You have to know, Megan, if I promised you now, Jessie would be the first to pounce on me and take a big bite," Adrian then smiled and said.
As Jessica, who was looking around, shot him a fierce glare, it seemed she was about to pounce. Megan first instinctively giggled at this, but then noticed Jessica’s expression and quickly shut her mouth, although the corners of her lips curved down couldn’t straighten out.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this." Adrian turned the topic timely and then, frankly in front of Jessica, lifted Megan, "From now on, rest well and don’t worry about anything else. Give birth to this child, and we’ll raise her together. I’m sure she will be an adorable child."
Megan subconsciously nodded, but Jessica’s face turned more unpleasant. They had obviously agreed on something before coming here, but unfortunately, Megan’s habitual reliance on Adrian made it completely ineffective. Although Megan quickly realized her mistake, having already agreed, could she still want to backtrack? She would just have to let it be.
"Let’s leave it at that then," Adrian quickly resolved the matter, "Now I’ll have someone send you back. I’ll come over once I’m done with things here. Of course, if you wish, you can wait for me here; it won’t take long."
"Um... I’ll go back," Megan said after hesitating for a moment, "I’ll wait for you at home, Ed."
"Okay, I’ll be there soon," Adrian smiled and kissed the corner of her mouth, then glanced at Jessica, "If you’re worried, Jessie should be free now; she can accompany you."
Megan immediately looked at Jessica, who, though somewhat feeling down, nodded: "I’ll stay with you, Megan."
This unexpected situation was temporarily shelved, but when sending them out, Adrian had Megan wait outside for a moment and pulled Jessica back into the office.
"Why choose this time, Jessie?" Adrian immediately pinned her against the wall and whispered in her ear, "Don’t you know you’re worrying Megan and making me awkward?"
After all, Jessica was merely looking for an ally. She was not stupid, but not exceptionally smart, either. Being seized by Adrian, coupled with Mary’s birth, had made her desire to leave quite faint, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight for her interests. However, her relationship with Kate and the others was just normal, only interacting when playing with the kids as mothers, and thus she often felt somewhat out of place as a young mother.
So, when Megan nervously told her about her pregnancy, she realized immediately that Megan was the best choice for an ally, with their similarities in many aspects, including being so young and pregnant. Based on her own past experiences, she knew Adrian would never let go so easily. Who else would Jessica seek to pull into her alliance if not Megan?
"Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that, Ed?" Jessica struggled a bit before biting her lip and looking at him, "If it weren’t for... how would I have..."
Although her words were unclear, Adrian understood and immediately laughed and kissed her: "Alright, my bad, I apologize to you."
"What good is an apology? Would you really change?" Though she said this, Jessica clearly softened, "I really wonder when you’ll finally be satisfied."
Adrian chuckled and silenced her, unceremoniously engaging with her. When dealing with these little tantrums from women, a bit of forceful yet amorous punishment was all that was required.
Sure enough, after a bout of forced kissing, Jessica continued to beat her little fists against his chest, but the redness of her face and the emotions in the corners of her eyes were plain to see.
"Alright, now go home with Megan and comfort her well, I’ll be over soon." Adrian instructed and then held the door open for her, smacking her bottom with a crisp smack, earning a pair of indignant glances from Jessica and Megan.
And just like that, things were only beginning. Even though he had placated Megan, there were still many issues for Adrian to consider, like the fact that Megan had just turned 18 in mid-May, meaning according to California law... he wondered whether he should somehow move Megan’s birthdate forward by a month to avoid any pretext.
When it comes to that, the hit rate is really odd. Zetajones had been pestering him since finishing shooting "The Terminal," hoping to get pregnant, yet after several months of efforts, there were still no signs, and coupled with this year Nicole also wanting to process a "VIP card," Adrian had been worried for some time, pondering ways to get them pregnant quickly. Only to have a classic scene replay with Megan and hit the mark immediately. Comparing it to the situation with Jessica years ago, it’s hard to know what to say.
Suddenly, as he thought of this, Adrian’s expression changed slightly, and he picked up the phone to make a call.
"Ed? Ha, why are you calling at this time? I just woke up." Over the phone, Little Emma’s lazy voice soon came through.
"Hmm... because I just finished some work and suddenly had a thought, wondering what my little devil is doing right now. So, I picked up the phone to call you." Adrian calmed his mind and said in a teasing tone.
"Don’t try to fool me. You wouldn’t be calling just for that." Although she said this, the delightful tone was unmistakable.
Adrian forced a smile, swallowed his words, and after chatting aimlessly for a while, he intentionally asked, "By the way, Emma, how have you been feeling lately? Any discomfort, like nausea or vomiting?"
"What are you talking about? Why would I be nauseous or vomiting?" came Little Emma’s confused voice on the other end.
"I was just... I’m just concerned about you." Adrian said through gritted teeth, raising his fist but uncertain what to do next.
"Oh?" Little Emma seemed to have gotten suspicious, and her tone turned ambiguous, "What if I had such symptoms?"
"Well..." Adrian hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Don’t tell anyone and just notify me, and I’ll come over soon... to take you... to the hospital for a check-up."
"Okay, then come over now. I actually had this reaction last night. Oh, I also had it once two days ago in the afternoon, but I didn’t pay much attention to it." Little Emma said earnestly.
"Re... really?" Although Adrian remained calm, he still felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
"Of course... it’s fake!" Little Emma burst into laughter.
"Emma!" Adrian couldn’t help but shout viciously, even though he suspected Little Emma was teasing him, he still felt relieved hearing that.
"Alright, alright, who did you accidentally make pregnant this time?" The mischievous little devil giggled and asked.
Adrian was momentarily speechless; how mature is this girl?
"I’m serious, Emma. If it really happened... that would be a very serious matter." He sighed and spoke into the phone.
"Sounds like it’s really serious, so I’ll kindly inform you, there really aren’t any symptoms. Don’t worry, Ed, I’m really good, never been better." Little Emma reassured him.
Even though there was still some worry, Adrian completely relaxed. During his second entanglement with Little Emma, it was outside, but due to habitual practices, the first time was inside. So, if he accidentally hit the mark like with Jessica, it would be a huge problem.
Alright, this can be set aside for now. Changing plans to accompany Megan at night is another story, even though pregnancy makes bed activities difficult, don’t forget Jessica. Their relationship has become closer because of this. Afterward, Adrian needs to inform his women and... well, Cameron who is supervising post-production for "Transformers."
To his surprise, neither Kate, Monica, Sophie, nor Blanchett were too shocked. They’ve become numb to the point that they think such things are very normal. It would be strange if no woman were pregnant for him.
Only Gwyneth, who had recently become a mother, seemed a bit discontent.
"You know, Ed, you’re just a stallion, bred for producing offspring." She said this, but it was more teasing than genuine frustration, given she had actively wanted a child.
"Oh, Aibo, your mom actually called you a colt, that’s just too much." Adrian joked with the little one, still in the swaddling cloth and barely able to open her eyes, causing Gwyneth to retract her previous statement.
She’d given birth in early May, another girl. A very pretty little thing named Aibo, which means apple. Adrian chose this name based on a habit, although it sounds anatomical, he believed that even if he didn’t pick this name, Gwyneth would sooner or later do so.
Look at the names she prepared early on, Argeian and Bronna, sound pretty good, right? The former means orange, the latter banana, not better than apple. So Adrian ended up using the name Aibo, anyway from Lily to Patricia, except Eleanor, they’re basically all following this pattern, why should Aibo be an exception?
Even though it was another daughter, Adrian still liked her very much, though he wouldn’t miss the chance to dramatically sigh about yet another daughter. By now everyone was increasingly amazed; this was the seventh daughter, perhaps it was God’s punishment for Adrian?
So when Megan became pregnant, Kate simply sighed: "Lily’s going to have another sister."
Compared to the women’s calmness, Cameron was throwing a major tantrum.
"I knew it, Adrian, I knew it! It was like this last time, and it’s like this again this time! What the heck are you doing!" He roared at him in his office.
"Calm down, Jamie, calm down. You need to listen to my explanation." Adrian rarely used his nickname, raising his hands in an innocent gesture.
"Explanation? How do you plan to explain?!" Cameron’s eyes were close to bulging out like plates, "Are you going to tell me that compared to ’Dark Angel’, at least ’Transformers’ has already wrapped filming?"
"Isn’t it...?" Adrian thought about it and carefully replied.
"What if re-shoots are needed? What if post-production voiceovers are required? What if further photo production is necessary?!" Cameron yelled, "Oh, damn it, is this how you direct and produce, Ed?!"
"Calm down, Jamie," Adrian tried to soothe him again, "Let’s calm down first. Would you want the entire studio to know about this?"
Cameron, who was glaring at him, originally wanted to say something else but, after opening and closing his mouth several times, finally took a few deep breaths and gradually managed to control his emotions.
"I know, it’s my fault. Although I didn’t anticipate such a situation." Adrian finally started speaking, "But since it has happened, we should first think about how to remedy it."
Pausing here, he then said, "Why don’t I invest another 20 million to make the movie even more spectacular? After all, it’s already on the brink of overspending."
"You want to buy me off?" A calmer Cameron squinted his eyes.
"Oh, don’t put it so harshly, Jamie," Adrian waved his hand, "I’m merely considering making the movie even better."
"20 million doesn’t seem enough..." Cameron seemed to mutter to himself.
Adrian couldn’t help but find it amusing, raising his hand again to press down, "Don’t rush, Jamie. The amount of investment isn’t important, it’s whether it’s worth it."
"You’ll see." Cameron finally calmed down, sighed, and leaned against the edge of the desk, "Ed, I’ve advised you a few times as a friend, and even if you find it annoying, I need to say it again, you have to be careful, don’t always be so excessive. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, no one is like you, no one can reach this level, you are unique in the film industry, don’t let these small matters ruin you."
He spoke earnestly, entirely as a friend, which Adrian appreciated very much.
"Thank you, James," Adrian used his full name, looking at him sincerely, "No matter how many times I’ve said thank you before, it doesn’t stop me from saying it again. I will be more cautious."
"Hopefully." Cameron had an expression of disbelief, but after a few seconds maintained it, finally laughed, and Adrian laughed along, nothing more needed to be said.
In the days that followed, besides work, Adrian primarily spent his time with Megan. Thankfully, due to a series of arrangements, she had some popularity but not to the level of Lindsay or Hilary, those teenage idols. So temporarily disappearing from media was not difficult; if this were to happen after "Transformers" released, the trouble level would be at least ten times higher.
As for the loss of popularity, oh, no need to worry. That day after Cameron’s roar at the studio, Adrian checked on the post-production work of "Transformers" in detail again, and it’s almost certain that the final release date will be next year’s summer. By then, Megan should have given birth and regained her figure, with this blockbuster propping her up, why worry about lacking popularity?
Although spending time with Megan was the main event during this period, it didn’t take up much of Adrian’s energy, as she’s only been pregnant for a little over a month. Therefore, he always kept an eye on the films scheduled for debuting in the summer, such as "The Day After Tomorrow," releasing at the end of May.