Hugo walked down the stairs, scanning the hall for Uma, but she was nowhere to be seen. His thoughts were a tangled mess — too many emotions, too much noise in his mind and he felt the urge for some fresh air. He left the crowded room and stepped into the garden. Every time he thought of Tracy, a dull headache began to pound in his temples. Even a fair judge couldn't settle matters of the heart, and love entanglements were always the hardest to untangle.
He took a deep breath of the cool night air, and the swelling in his head eased slightly. He had thought he already knew enough about his "past life," about Lancaster's twenty-five years of experience, and that he was well prepared. But now, he realized there were still so many unknowns waiting ahead — all things he had no choice but to face. This was his life now, and he would have to live it himself.
He had barely taken a few steps when he saw Joseph walking toward him, looking unusually grim. Though Hugo himself was burdened with thoughts, he immediately noticed the stiffness on Joseph's face. After all, the two of them had spent nearly every day together over the past year, they knew each other better than most.
"What's wrong? Did you run into Baum?" Hugo asked, his first guess being Brad's agent, Martin Baum. He hadn't seen Martin all night — could it be that Martin had tried to throw his weight around in front of Joseph?
Joseph looked at him, hesitated for a moment, then avoided his gaze. Hugo frowned. "What?" he asked.
Joseph still didn't turn his head, merely shrugged. "It's nothing. I didn't run into Baum… someone else did." He didn't specify who, leaving Hugo confused. Normally Joseph would've just kept quiet, but now that the two were close friends, he felt less restrained. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't hold it in any longer. "It's Uma. Uma and Martin are having quite the pleasant chat right now."
Hugo hadn't expected that, but he didn't look overly alarmed. "It's just a chat, nothing more. Don't overthink it. Besides, there's no real feud between us and Martin — we're just competitors. As long as Uma isn't talking to Ron, there's no real problem."
His joke made Joseph roll his eyes helplessly.
And Hugo wasn't wrong. In Hollywood, there was no such thing as eternal enmity. Even if Ron turned up wanting to work with him again, it wouldn't surprise anyone. In an industry ruled by profit, success was the only real measure that mattered. Still, emotionally, it was hard to ignore — less than ten minutes ago, Hugo had learned that he'd lost the role in The Firm, likely because Martin had pushed hard for Brad to get it. No wonder Joseph looked so sour.
Though Hugo had tried to reassure him, he couldn't help scanning the room for Uma clearly, he cared more than he let on. Especially with Tracy now connected to Brad, and Martin being Brad's agent, it was impossible not to feel uneasy after everything that had happened tonight.
It didn't take long to find them. Uma and Martin were standing by the buffet table. Uma's radiant smile suggested she was enjoying herself, while Martin, ever composed, wore his usual friendly expression — his slightly wrinkled eyes narrowed just enough to reveal the faint, calculating gleam behind them.
Hugo and Joseph strode toward them. As soon as Martin noticed Hugo's approach, he raised his champagne glass with a faint smile. "Ah, the gallant escort arrives. I suppose that means my duty here is done."
Uma greeted Hugo with a bright smile and gave him a warm hug, clearly in good spirits. Hugo forced himself to relax, smiling politely as he said to Martin, "Thank you for keeping her company. I hope you're enjoying yourself tonight?"
Martin maintained that same polite smile. "Of course. With Miss Thurman's company, it's easy to forget my lack of dancing skills." He squinted slightly, studying Hugo with quiet amusement. "I hope you're enjoying your evening as well. Don't get too busy and forget the lady by your side. Now, if you'll excuse me."
His tone was pleasant, but his words carried an unmistakable undertone — a subtle reminder of his victory with The Firm. Joseph's hands clenched into fists at his sides, and Hugo, too, felt a wave of frustration. He had thought that his strong performance over the past two months had earned him a bit more leverage, but reality reminded him that in Hollywood, he was still just a newcomer with no real power.
When Martin left, Hugo turned back to Uma, his smile softening. "So? Everything all right?"
Uma nodded cheerfully, still smiling. Hugo exhaled, relieved. "Good. Then let's head out. We've finished what we came for time to get to Alex's party as planned."
But Uma didn't nod as he expected. Instead, she hesitated. "Leave already? We've only been here half an hour. Can't we stay a little longer?"
Hugo chuckled. "I didn't think things would wrap up this quickly, but there's really nothing else keeping us here, is there? If we go now, we can catch the peak of Alex's party — spend the countdown with friends. Isn't that better?"
Uma still looked uncertain. Her smile began to fade, and she bit her lip. "But I promised Nicole I'd have a drink with her later a few of us girls made plans. I was just about to join them after I finished talking with Martin. We already agreed."
Hugo suddenly realized that while his business for the night was over, Uma's wasn't. That left him in an awkward position. "But you know we already promised Alex, right?" He frowned slightly, biting his lip as he considered. "Will it take long with Nicole and the others?"
Uma nodded. "Can't you just skip Alex's party this time?" she asked tentatively. "We're already here, and the atmosphere's great. It'd be fun to ring in the New Year with everyone. You've already explained things to Alex — he'll understand. So… can't we just stay?"
Hugo looked at her, a little surprised. "I thought we agreed on this." His tone came out sharper than intended. After everything that had happened tonight, his patience was wearing thin. He paused, took a breath to steady himself, and continued more calmly. "Just like you made a promise to Nicole, we made a promise to Alex. We should keep our word. After all, compared to Nicole, Alex is the real friend here, isn't he?"
Uma stared at Hugo, the disappointment in her eyes as dark as the night outside. The sparkle and excitement she'd shown moments ago vanished completely, swallowed by that shadow. She didn't answer immediately; instead, she thought for a moment before finally deciding. "All right," she said softly. "I'll go sit with Nicole and the others for a bit, explain the situation, and then I'll come with you. Okay?"
That was fair enough. Hugo nodded. "That's only right. Since you already promised Nicole and the others, you should at least explain before leaving." He looked into her eyes and added warmly, "Do you want me to come with you? After all, this is partly my fault I interrupted your get-together. I should apologize to them myself."
Uma immediately shook her head, forcing a small smile. "No, that's not necessary. It'd be awkward if you came — just a group of women chatting. I'll just be a few minutes."
Hugo thought about it and realized she had a point, so he agreed. Finally, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead, watching as she turned and walked back into the hall.
Then he turned around to call Joseph so they could wait in the front yard together — only to find Joseph standing there with a dark expression. Hugo assumed Joseph was still brooding over The Firm and clapped him on the shoulder. "Forget it. Don't dwell on it. It won't change anything anyway…"
But Joseph frowned and looked straight at him. "How could she do that?"
Hugo stopped walking and turned to him. Joseph's brows were furrowed tightly. "She didn't even ask you how things went with The Firm. She knows what happened, and yet she's still being so friendly with Martin. I just don't get it — it doesn't feel right."
Hugo froze for a second. His mind had been too cluttered earlier to notice that, but now that Joseph pointed it out, he felt a stiffness in his chest. Still, he shook his head and gave a faint smile. "Don't be so sensitive. She and Martin didn't talk about anything serious, it's just a social event. She doesn't need to carry the weight of our loss, does she?"
Joseph looked at him deeply, wanting to say more, but in the end, he only sighed. Matters of love were always delicate. If he spoke his mind too directly, he might say something that couldn't be taken back. But saying nothing at all made him feel like a bad friend. After thinking it over, Joseph decided he had already said enough. Besides, he was in a miserable mood — still sore about The Firm and probably too sensitive to judge fairly.
"So, where do we wait for Uma?" Joseph finally asked.
Hugo suddenly let out an "Ah!" of realization, making Joseph stop mid-step. "I forgot to tell Uma where to meet us." Things had happened too fast earlier. "Never mind, let's just wait in the front yard. She'll see us when she comes out."
So Hugo and Joseph headed toward the front entrance, chatting quietly as they walked.
"If we leave now, we'll make it to Alex's party in about half an hour," Hugo said with a light chuckle. "He'll probably lose his mind when he sees us show up. Maybe we should sneak in and give him a scare — haha! And Charlize too! We'll put on masks and see if we can find something really spooky…"
....
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