45: Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"So, when are we signing the contract?" Henry asked.1

"As soon as possible, Sir," Jack Quinn replied, not wanting to lose this opportunity to lock in the deal. "We have had the contract ready since the first meeting, all we need is yours or Mrs. Woods' signature as representatives of Emperor Publishing, and Miss Irene Banks' as the Author of the book to be adapted."

Jack Quinn quickly left the meeting room to call several representatives of Netflix so that they could prepare and sign all the documents needed. 

While they were waiting for the Netflix team to return, Henry glanced at Irene Banks, whose face instantly reddened when he winked at her, "Um… Mr. Grant…"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever considered a career in acting?" 

"I've been approached by different agencies plenty of times, but I have no intention of becoming an actor," Henry replied. "Why do you ask?"

"W—Well, I just think that you'd be perfect to cast as the male lead for this Netflix adaptation. Oh, but you'd be perfect as the male lead for any romance film!" Irene Banks praised as she got even more bashful when Henry smiled at her. 

"Then who would be the female lead of the film? Maybe Ms. Banks would consider being the  female lead? I'd love to work with you," Henry said frivolously. 

"Ah! T—That's too much, Sir! I'm not suited enough to act in a film, I'm not pretty enough!" Irene shook her head as she tried to act as modest as possible, but by how she behaved, it was apparent that Irene was giddy. She definitely wanted to spend some private intimate moments with Henry with the way she kept glancing at Kate, signaling her to leave.

Meanwhile, sitting between them, Kate could only endure her two companion's flirtatious banter. She didn't care if Henry hit on random women outside, but Irene Banks was an important author for Emperor Publishing. The company would suffer if their relationship turned sour..

Kate gave Henry a sidelong glance and glared at him as she tried her best to signal him to stop. 

When that didn't work, she tried to pinch the back of Henry's hand gently to warn him.

Unfortunately, none of her warning cues worked on Henry. In fact, the harder she pinched Henry's hand, the bolder he got when it came to flirting with Irene Banks.

"I think this adaptation will be a huge success, Ms. Banks," Henry predicted. "You are a great romance author. I suppose you have a lot of experience, right? Did you get inspiration from one of your exes or your current boyfriend?"

"N—No, I was inspired by a historical figure," Irene Banks said bashfully. "I'm still single, Mr. Grant."

"Really? A woman as beautiful as you is still single? Maybe I can help with that," Henry said. "Would you like to go grab a lunch—"

"Mr. Grant, we have a meeting after this," Kate interrupted when she had had enough of Henry's frivolous banter with Irene. "Please refrain from making a promise you can't keep."

Henry grinned as he leaned closer toward Kate until their thighs rubbed on each other, "I don't think we have a meeting after this, Mrs. Woods."

"We have," Kate insisted. "We are going to the meeting together, Mr. Grant."

"Only the two of us?" Henry asked. His voice became deeper and sweeter, like chocolate mixed with honey. He also sounded more affectionate than flirtatious when he spoke to Kate. 

Kate gulped, "Yes, just the two of us. This meeting is about the future of our company, Sir."

"Ah, I see, then—" Henry looked at Irene Banks, who sat next to Kate and smiled apologetically. "—pardon me, Ms. Banks. I forgot I have a private meeting with our Chief Editor here. Not sure what it is, but it's definitely about work."

Irene Banks was clearly disappointed based on her expression and she seemed a bit upset because it was obvious that Kate tried to stop her from spending time alone with Mr. Grant.

But she also had a good relationship with Kate, so she couldn't just get angry at her.

"Then, I hope we can go and grab lunch or dinner somewhere another time, Mr. Grant," Irene Banks said. "I—I want to get more input from you about my new novel."

"Oh, sure, Ms. Banks, I'd love to," Henry said, but his eyes were glued on Kate, who looked pretty mad. "Only if I'm not too busy attending meetings with our Chief Editor, of course."

Irene was disappointed. After all, it was a clear rejection for her because it seemed that Mr. Grant had no interest in prioritizing her over Kate.

Irene looked closely at Kate and Henry, who sat side by side. She noticed that the way Henry watched Kate was very different compared to the way he looked at her or at any other woman. 

Henry had that charming and frivolous look when having eye contact with Irene. It gave off the aura that he respected her and was willing to entertain her, but no more than that.

But his gaze was deep, meaningful, and affectionate when he had his eyes on Kate, as if the only woman that existed around him was Kate. 

An assumption formed in Irene's mind, though she found it a bit weird because she knew that Kate was a very stern and professional career woman, but she couldn't deny that the chemistry between the pair was just too good.

'Don't tell me that they are—'

Knock. Knock.

Everyone's attention quickly shifted to Jack Quinn, who knocked on the door as he entered the meeting room with the other executives of Netflix, bringing with them several documents that would seal the deal between two companies. 

One of the executives put the document on the table and slid it towards Kate's side, "You can read the contract first, Mrs. Woods, I'm sure you want to be certain that everything is according to our agreement, then you can sign it. I just need the author and one representative from Emperor Publishing to sign the contract."

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