“Not specifically. Craig’s a very well-rounded performing arts student,” Winona interjected to speak up
for Craig. “By the way, Elise, do you think Rushmore Entertainment might consider signing Craig up as
one of their artists? I saw that they were recruiting.”
Winona knew that Mr. Howard took Elise’s words seriously, and if Craig could get her recommendation,
his career could blossom in Rushmore Entertainment. Moreover, Mr. Howard had very casually paid off
Garreth’s contractual damages, which racked up to well over hundreds of millions, after all. So, surely
he would extend the same sentiment to Craig if he got into the agency.
While Craig had the same idea, he still looked flustered when he heard Winona reveal his innermost
thoughts. He reached out to tug on the corner of her shirt as he muttered in embarrassment, “Winona,
what are you doing? You can’t ask Miss Sinclair to go through the trouble…”
Obviously, he was only feigning courtesy because he immediately glanced up at Elise expectantly after
he said this, trying to whittle her down with his pleading gaze.
Alas, Elise was not one who fell for tricks like these. So she raised her glass at them and smiled as she
changed the subject. “I’m sure the both of you would want to catch up after all this time. I won’t be a
third wheel, then.” With that, she headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs, indirectly rejecting their
request for her favor.
Craig faltered when he sensed that Elise had no intention of helping him with his career. He waited until
she had disappeared around the stairwell before saying in low, angry tones, “What the hell, Winona?”
“What?” Winona shot him a blank look.
“This is the first time I’m meeting Miss Sinclair, and you’re already trying to build connections? What will
she think of me?!” he demanded as frustration welled up in him.
Winona felt tears prick her eyes as she argued, “Be reasonable, Craig. I was only doing you a favor
and hoping that you could start your career on the right foot. Do you plan on going around filming
commercials for the rest of your life?”
“I’m a man, Winona. I don’t want them to think that I’m only with you to get connections!” he snapped,
his voice growing louder in the kitchen.
“Well, I know you’re not like that, so isn’t that enough? Why do you care about how others might see
you anyway?” She could feel the pricking sensation in her nose as she added in a teary voice, “We’re a
couple, and I don’t see the need for you to mind if I try to network for you. It’s not even that big of a
deal!”
This rendered Craig speechless as he stood there with his hands planted on his hips. He was still
boiling with rage, but he was worried that he might push Winona over the edge, so he stopped arguing
with her.
All of a sudden, the tension in the living room was so thick and suffocating that one could slice through
it with a knife.
Just then, a steady set of footfalls drew near from the threshold, sounding particularly loud in this
pregnant silence.
Craig turned to see who it was, but he had only just registered Jack’s presence when the latter’s fist
came hurtling in his direction, then slammed right into his face.
Caught off guard by the assault, he staggered and toppled to the ground like a felled tree.
Winona gasped and quickly crouched down to prop Craig up, asking anxiously, “Are you okay?”
Craig knew that Jack had only punched him because of Winona. He swiped her hand away and spat
out a mouthful of blood, then sat up on his own as he glowered at Jack mutinously.
On the other hand, Winona didn’t seem to mind that he had so brusquely turned down her help and
only went on to assess the damage to his face. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any bruises or signs
of a broken nose, though that didn’t stop her from turning to glare at Jack incredulously. “Mr. Jack, why
did you do that?”
“I’ve been wanting to hit him for a while now,” Jack ground out through gritted teeth as his fists
clenched at his sides. He looked intimidating and angry, like a high-strung predator ready to strike.
He didn’t think Craig would continue his shameless ways even after being warned. He was clearly
using Winona to achieve his own ends, and it was disgusting to see him put on a holier-than-thou and
goody-two-shoes demeanor.
“Is there something going on between the two of you?” Winona pressed. She knew that Jack was not
an unreasonable person, and she decided to try and mediate. “Craig’s my boyfriend, and he’s a really
nice person, to boot. Did you maybe confuse him for somebody else?”
A grim look passed over Jack’s face as he ignored her, and the awkward tension in the living room
made an even stronger comeback this time.
As things were, she could only help Craig onto his feet. But he had only just straightened up when he
shoved her aside, clearly lashing out at her.
She wasn’t offended by this. Jack was something like a friend to her, and now that he had hit Craig,
she couldn’t help feeling guilty. She frowned and said nothing, though she eyed him worriedly
nonetheless.
“You ambushed me like a coward! Why don’t you prove you’re a real tough guy and fight me without
sneaking around, huh?!” Craig challenged furiously.
Jack’s expression was not even the slightest shift as he drawled icily, “You think you’re a match for
me?”
“What the hell are you both doing?!” Winona was baffled by the hostility toward one another as she
stood between them to hold them apart.
“You saw what he did, Winona! He started it! Whose side are you on?!” Craig thundered, trapping her
in a dilemma.
She was so torn that she wasn’t even sure what to do with her hands right now. Craig was her
boyfriend, but Jack had been nothing but kind to her all this while. It would weigh down on her
conscience if she were to side with either one of them.
As though reading her mind, Jack pointed out coolly, “This thing is between you and me, and we’ll
settle it like men without having to drag the poor girl into it, you coward.”
“If it’s a fight you want, then so be it!” Craig hollered, raising his fist and gearing to brawl.
Jack was incensed as well, and he took an imposing step forward.
Stuck between them like a weak barricade, Winona reached out her hands to try and stop them from
coming into contact.
“What’s with all the noise?!”
At that moment, Elise appeared at the foot of the staircase and shouted at the two aggravated men, “If
you’re going to fight, then take it outside! I won’t have that sort of nonsense happening in my house!”
She was on Jack’s side, of course, but seeing as he refused to confess his feelings for Winona and
then chose to butt into the couple’s personal affairs, she was irritated and decided that he deserved to
be snapped at just as much as Craig did.
Presently, Craig dared not disobey Elise, and Jack was always obliging when it came to her. The two
men exchanged a glance, then did as they were told and marched to take the fight outside, with Craig
being the last to go out the door.
Worried that something might happen to him, Winona wanted to hurry after him, but Elise stopped her
firmly. “Stay here, Winona.”
“Elise, I have to go and stop Craig from getting into a brawl. What if they hurl fists and end up roughing
each other up so badly that they leave injuries? They can’t afford to have their faces bruised up, not if
they still want their careers in this industry!” Winona explained anxiously, though she did not try to take
another step toward the door.
“He’s a full-grown man, and it’s his job to settle his own personal affairs. As his girlfriend, all you can do
is wait for him to come back after he blows off steam so that you can try and talk some sense into him.
You don’t have to mediate a fight or join in the brawl. We ladies need to protect ourselves at all times
instead of going all out to clean up the men’s mess,” Elise pointed out patiently.
“But…” It was clear to see that Winona could not stop fretting over the two grown men fighting outside.
“Look, go and stop them if you want to, but you ought to really think about why Craig never told you
that he and Jack were on such horrible terms. Does he even see you as a girlfriend or a confidante?”
Elise turned around and made her way to her room after she said this.
It was only then that something clicked in Winona’s mind, and her thoughts were suddenly clearer than
ever. In recent times, she had become more oblivious to what was going on in Craig’s life.
Before today, she had been under the impression that they were both working regular, monotonous
jobs, which did not make for interesting conversation. However, judging from the scene earlier, Craig
clearly had a far more exciting life than she thought.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Jack and Craig had come to a stop just in front of the door. They were
glaring at each other balefully, and the air around them crackled like there was a brewing storm.
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