Chapter 24: New Connections
The director turned when he heard Amber's excited cries, grinning when he saw the young girl.
"Little Amber! Come give me a hug!"
Eira released the kid from her arms, and she ran over to the portly director.
After picking the kid up, the director looked inquisitively at Elric and crew.
"Wow, you two are the most beautiful girls I've ever seen! Still, can I ask what you were doing with little Amber here?"
Eira stepped forward and explained what had just occurred outside, drawing an embarrassed laugh from the director.
"Heh, yea, that sounds like Malcom. Family-focused until he thinks about business for even a moment, then that's the only thing that exists for him."
The director leaned toward Eira, using one of his hands to shield Amber from hearing him.
"He nearly missed his own daughter's birth, just because he was so focused on preparing for an event!"
The director's stale breath wafted into Eira's nose as he tried to lean in further, but she backed away before he could get too close.
The director stepped back as well, then looked over their group again. His gaze seemed to linger longer on the two girls than it did on Elric.
"So, what do the two of you do? Are you looking for work in the film industry?"
Both of them shook their heads in unison.
"I'm actually a singer, but I've only recently entered the space."
The director nodded at Ember's response, then looked at Eira.
"I'm just a college student right now, I don't have any plans beyond that."
Holding on to Amber with just one arm, the overweight director rubbed at his chin with his other hand.
"Hm, well, if you're interested in acting, I might be able to find an opportunity for you."
A waiter walked over to the group, presenting a drink to the director.
Motioning for the man to wait for just a moment, he moved to hand the young girl over to Ember. Instead of setting the kid down first, he pushed her directly into Ember's arms and took the chance to try rubbing his arm against Ember's chest.
She turned just in time to avoid his touch, but both her and Elric's faces darkened.
The director didn't seem to notice and grabbed his drink from the waiter. After asking the worker to bring drinks for Elric and the girls, he turned back to their group.
"So then, what agency are you with, miss singer? If it's a poor one, I might be able to pull a few strings to get you into a better one…"
"Melov talent agency."
The director, who had been sporting an aimable smile the entire time, suddenly turned paper-white.
"Ah.. the one run by Peliston Melov?"
Elric stepped forward.
"Yep, and by me as well, now. I'm his son."
The fat director backed away a few steps.
"I-I see, I'll leave you to them, then! They are a very, um, competent agency!"
Elric took another step forward, and the director flinched.
"V-very nice! I have other people I need to talk to… I'll leave the three of you to explore the party! I- I'm sorry for any offense I might've caused!"
The fat director darted off into the crowd, escaping with a speed unbecoming of his figure.
"...? What was that?"
Ember and Eira both looked pretty confused, but happy.
"That creep tried to sniff my hair when he leaned forward earlier."
Eira looked up at Elric, who was a bit taller than her.
"Heh, our man must've scared him off! You have good taste, Ember! I'm dumping that West guy, let's share Elric!"
Ember looked both concerned and confused as she watched Eira try to lean against Elric.
"You are a guy though, right?"
She quickly took a step back.
"Ah, right! Yea, I almost forgot about that."
Eira's usually seductive voice got a bit higher-pitched when she realized her mistake, and Elric's eyes narrowed.
'Maybe those 'Potential Spy' notes on her profile have some merit… I have heard rumors of a 'The Girls' group chat. Our nemesis… she really could be a spy for them, sent to uncover our information!'
Elric was unable to continue with this line of thought, as someone tapped on his shoulder.
He turned to see a small group of young men. All of them wore clean suits, and were conventionally attractive.
"We're gathering up all of the younger folks over by the lounge area, come on over!"
Elric still hadn't managed to identify any producers to talk to, so he decided to follow for now. The group of three- four, if you counted Amber- headed over toward the lounge. The crowds were a bit less sparse when they arrived, and they saw that there was already a group waiting for them there.
Among the group already in the lounge was West.
"See? I told you guys that I had a partner for this event. The blue-haired girl over there is my date for tonight."
Eira looked annoyed with the young Villainous.
"Where did you run off to? You just left us with that other dude's kid!"
Amber put her hands up, cheering.
"Is that Malcom's kid? I'm sure he'll come over here soon to look for her, he always stops in to say hi to us."
Everyone started taking seats along a string of sofas arranged in a roughly circular shape.
None of Elric's group had any idea what was going on, but West leaned over to explain to them.
"Most of the time at gatherings like this, a group of younger folks will gather together to network and make friends. Some of the people here are actors, directors, singers, or anything else entertainment related."
West clenched his fist.
"The future of the entertainment industry lies with the youth! Even if we don't have much say yet, we are the ones who will rule this place in the future!"
As the conversation started, Elric felt less like he was among a group of young innovators, and more like he was surrounded by spoiled children.
One person complained about how their father was now making them work ten hours each week, and it sparked a few others to chime in with their own struggles.
Sitting to the side, West's face looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Look… I kinda forgot what these meetings were like."
The young Villainous almost looked embarrassed to be associated with the whining teens and young adults. He was working more than 40 hours a week to manage his fashion company, and genuinely worked hard.
"It might be better to leave this place and go talk to adults to make new connections…"
Before Elric could stand up to leave, one of the random girls within the group pointed at West.
"Truth or dare! Tony, you go first! What do you choose?"
Elric's group was all taken aback by the question, but if they'd been listening to the conversation's flow, they might've seen it coming.
'Ugh… yea, I don't think we're going to gain anything from this meeting. We should look for a chance to leave.'
After thinking for a moment, West responded to the girl.
"Dare."
He didn't want anyone to question his relationship with Eira, and he figured that this was the best way out without lying.
Unfortunately…
"Kiss that girl on your left! She's your date, so kiss her!"
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