"Tracy, I know your villa is nice," Landon grabbed Tracy's hand and shook it half-jokingly, "but don't always think about making me a kept man."
Before he even finished speaking, Rachel, who had been leaning her head on Tracy's shoulder, burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking.
"Listen to that! What kind of talk is that?" Rachel laughed while patting Tracy's back. "Tracy is clearly just looking out for you."
Tracy's face turned slightly red. She didn't respond, but simply pulled her hand back gently and gave Landon's arm an annoyed swat.
Landon said seriously, "Tracy, help me get in touch with a reliable real estate agent. Have them find a few places, and we'll go take a look together another day."
He paused, looking at the two women in front of him. "I can't keep letting you two feel slighted."
After saying that, he grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, leaned over to give Tracy a kiss on the lips, and then turned to kiss Rachel.
"I have to head out," he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "I have to spend the whole day on set today."
Los Angeles on a Friday was, as usual, hopelessly congested.
Landon drove the ford explorer, inching forward bit by bit through the traffic.
Zoe, in the passenger seat, was exceptionally excited today, constantly blowing bubbles with her gum.
"Wow, Boss!" Zoe turned toward him, her eyes sparkling.
"I watched that commercial several times yesterday! The shot of you throwing the can was so cool—God, it was just unreasonably handsome!"
She spat out her gum, her words coming out like rapid-fire. "Rachel was stunning too! I told my brother that was my boss, and he almost jumped out of his chair. He absolutely wouldn't believe it.
Once he finally believed me, he started sucking up to me like crazy, begging me to bring him to meet you sometime. He even insisted on getting your autograph... I told him the boss's autograph isn't just handed out for free, so he actually offered to clean for a whole week in exchange!"
"How old is your brother?"
"Sixteen, right at the age where his head is full of Hero fantasies." Zoe shrugged. "You're his number one idol now."
Landon listened, the corners of his mouth curving upward. The sun outside was blinding, so he pulled down the sun visor. "You reminded me, I'll give you a few signed stills later; you can use them to keep him quiet."
"He'll be over the moon. Oh, by the way," she suddenly lowered her voice, sounding a bit mysterious, "my mom saw the commercial and actually asked me if you were single... I quickly told her to forget it, that the girl in the commercial is his girlfriend."
"She looked quite disappointed afterward. Boss, would you mind having one more girlfriend?" Zoe teased. Before Landon could respond, she continued on her own.
"But seriously, the atmosphere on set today will definitely be different. Your rescue last time made the news, but that was more like a social event.
Now that this commercial is out, the vibe has changed—you've turned a news event into a commercial, and commercials stick around for a long time."
Landon didn't reply, just tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
Zoe's words hit the nail on the head. The heat of a news story fades quickly, but a successful commercial image sticks in people's minds like a business card.
The two of them chatted idly like that, Zoe's chattering filling the car.
Landon occasionally chimed in, but mostly just listened, his gaze fixed on the endless line of cars ahead.
The city's silhouette looked sharp and busy in the morning light, but his mind was on Tracy's slightly trembling fingers as she wiped his back, and the fine lines at the corners of Rachel's eyes when she leaned on Tracy's shoulder and laughed.
Something very soft pressed gently against his chest.
When they turned into the block where the 24 hours set was located, the atmosphere was palpably different from usual.
A few familiar faces from the crew were huddled together smoking in the parking lot. When they saw Landon's car, they all raised their hands in greeting, their smiles much warmer than usual.
Landon parked the car, and as soon as he pushed the door open and stepped out, he heard a burst of hearty laughter.
"Look who's here!" Dennis Haysbert walked over, his large frame swaying, and gave Landon a solid pat on the shoulder.
"Our big star! The whole crew has been talking about your commercial from last night all morning—not bad, Landon, you've become a commercial star before we even knew it!"
Landon swayed slightly from the pat and waved his hand with a smile. "It's just a canned food commercial, Dennis. You're exaggerating."
"Come off it!" Sarah popped out of nowhere, her eyes wide. "That's not 'just a' commercial. It's a national marketing ad for Delmont, playing on a loop during prime time—my niece is only twelve, and she called me last night just to ask if I knew you."
She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, unable to hide her curiosity. "Seriously, who was that girl you were partnered with? A newcomer? She's really beautiful."
Dennis stood to the side with his arms crossed, grinning. "I knew you were going to ask that."
Just then, director Stephen Hopkins and lead actor Kiefer Sutherland walked over side-by-side from the office building.
Hopkins, holding a storyboard, nodded to Landon and said succinctly, "The commercial's effect is good. It'll help your personal development." This director was usually a man of few words; saying this much was a rare sign of approval.
Sutherland seemed much more casual. With a smile playing on his lips, he sized Landon up. "How does it feel? Suddenly becoming a 'commercial star.' The ad was well-shot!"
Before Landon could answer, Sutherland's gaze drifted past him. A different kind of meaning suddenly entered his smile. He raised an eyebrow at Landon and patted his arm gently, saying nothing, but his expression clearly said: Look, here we go again.
Then, he and the director headed toward the monitors.
Landon turned around and saw Mia Kirshner walking toward them. She was wearing a simple beige knit sweater and jeans today, her blonde hair loosely tied back, looking casual and bright. Many eyes followed her, whether intentionally or not.
She walked straight up to Landon and naturally stood on her toes to brush her cheek against his. "Congratulations, Landon." Her voice was right in his ear, carrying a warm breath. After the cheek-kiss greeting, her hand slid down and naturally took hold of Landon's arm, hugging it to her.
Landon immediately felt his entire hand sink into a soft fullness.
"It was really so handsome," Mia looked up at him, her eyes curving into crescents. "Especially that move where you threw the can! How did you film that? Was it special effects, or can you really throw that accurately? I bet my friends that you must have practiced, but they didn't believe me."
Before Landon could reply, he caught sight of Elisha Cuthbert out of the corner of his eye, standing a short distance away.
She was leaning against the door leading to the interior set, holding a script, her gaze fixed on them.
When she saw Mia holding Landon's arm, her gaze suddenly darkened, and her lips pursed slightly.