Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Let Me Treat You to a Late-Night Snack
The message came in just as Ashley Shaw was starting the machine.
So Warren Prescott’s message was right at the top.
Warren Prescott: [Want to grab a late-night snack later? Grandpa said he has a friend who’s opened a food stall. You and your friend should come over to eat together.]
Ashley Shaw temporarily ignored Warren’s message to check others.
Claire Xavier and Cillian Xavier both sent messages asking if she had arrived, and the rest were from the people at Pastoral Symphony.
In addition to these, there was a message from Leo.
But he wasn’t asking if she’d arrived; instead, he said he’d set off and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. He’d contact her when he returned.
Ashley Shaw replied to Leo with a "Good luck" emoji, then went on to respond to the other messages, saying she’d arrived and was on the way to the hotel.
After taking a break, surprisingly, more than ten minutes had passed.
Ashley Shaw mused on how in her past life, she had only Ariana Grant as a friend, but in this life, she had so many true friends, and she felt quite blessed.
Ariana Grant was also busy, replying to messages from Joyce Sutton and her father.
Owen Sinclair had sent even more messages.
He was about to end a twenty-year contract with his original company and planned to start his own company, signing some new talents to mentor.
He might look young, but he knew his own age well. This industry looked glamorous, but when busy, it was endless hard work, and he was gradually feeling overwhelmed, so he needed to start mentoring newcomers.
As a result, every day was full of endless tasks and messages to reply to.
By the time the three of them finished replying to messages, the car had already arrived at the hotel entrance.
Owen Sinclair glanced at the hotel. Though it looked a bit old, it was still a star-rated hotel, so safety shouldn’t be an issue.
Feeling relieved, he said to Ashley Shaw, "I won’t see you upstairs. I still have a few people to meet later."
"Alright, thank you for the ride. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Owen Sinclair watched them get out of the car, and the assistant had already taken their luggage out of the trunk.
The two waved at him and walked toward the hotel together.
"Luckily, she has a reliable good friend. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be at ease with her staying alone in a hotel." Owen Sinclair said as he rolled up the car window.
The manager and assistant, already aware of Ashley Shaw’s identity, comforted him, saying, "This is Aethelgard, right under the emperor’s feet. Even if she’s alone, there won’t be any trouble."
"What do you know?" Owen Sinclair rubbed his chin and proudly said, "My daughter is too beautiful; she could be in danger anywhere."
Manager: "..."
Assistant: "..."
The two were speechless but felt there was some truth to what Owen Sinclair said.
Indeed, she’s quite pretty, more than enough to make it in the entertainment industry.
Especially the manager, if not for knowing Ashley Shaw was Owen Sinclair’s daughter, would have already sent an olive branch, inviting her into the entertainment industry.
"So shall we head to The Film Academy now?"
They had arranged to meet some promising students from The Film Academy and if they found any potential, observe for a while, and if there were no major issues with their character, they could sign them directly.
The Film Academy was near Aethelgard Medical University, in University City, where several universities were clustered, making the surrounding area very commercial.
"Shall we go there first, or grab something to eat first?"
"Let’s meet them first. They have a curfew; let’s not delay them getting back to the dorm."
"Alright, I’ll get in touch with them now."
"Okay." Owen Sinclair nodded, a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
But thinking of getting through this busy period, once he’d brought out the newcomers, he could retire to focus on raising his daughter. Suddenly, this bit of fatigue seemed insignificant, and he quickly perked up.
The result of his exuberance was that he decided to meet all ten individuals scheduled for today instead of just the five originally planned, which meant meeting five more people by noon tomorrow.
The manager silently lamented but knew that as long as he worked diligently, Owen Sinclair would take him along when leaving the original company, so he, too, was fired up, hastily contacting the ten students.
Not only did he contact them, but he also needed to arrange the meeting times and locations.
A ton of things to do.
While Owen Sinclair was busy for Ashley Shaw, Ashley Shaw was unaware and, once she and Ariana Grant entered their booked room, spread herself out on the bed like a starfish.
So tired, so tired.
Although they’d traveled first class, practically lying down the whole way, for some reason, they still felt mentally exhausted.
"I’ll take a shower first, and then we can go for a late-night snack afterward?" Ariana Grant asked.
Upon hearing the words "late-night snack," Ashley Shaw’s eyelid twitched as she remembered the WeChat message from Warren Prescott.
She murmured "Okay" and pulled out her phone from her bag, opening the chat with Warren Prescott.
Just as she was wondering how best to respond, whether to directly say she wasn’t in Westcroft anymore or come up with another excuse to avoid the snack, her phone screen went dark as a call from Warren Prescott came through.
Ashley Shaw jolted up from the bed.
Her fingers hesitated over the answer button, letting the ringtone ring several times without answering.
The screen soon went dark, displaying a missed call notification.
She exhaled a sigh of relief, planning to approach Elder Prescott, ready to dial him when a call from Warren Prescott came through again.
Her hand trembled, accidentally hitting the answer button.
As if her blood instantly froze, she heard Warren Prescott’s voice: "Hello?"
Ashley Shaw took a deep breath, her voice unexpectedly calm as she spoke.
"I’m here, go ahead."
"Did you see the message I sent you?"
"I just saw it. I..."
"I was just about to tell you that I got caught up with something here and can’t make it to the snack. I’ll take you next time."
The words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
"Hello? Are you there?"
"Yes, I heard you."
"Alright then, I’ll get busy. When you’re in Aethelgard, let me know in advance, and I’ll take you and your friend out a day earlier."
Before Ashley Shaw could say anything, Assistant Mark’s voice came from the other side.
"Mr. Prescott Jr..."
"Hold on." Warren Prescott’s voice was a bit distant but quickly returned close: "I’ll talk to you later; got to go now."
Ashley Shaw had intended to explain everything now, seeing his urgency, she could only agree: "Alright."
Just as she finished speaking, the call ended abruptly, indicating he was indeed very busy.
Feeling inexplicably vexed over unspoken words and her momentary hesitation, she missed the chance to explain.
Just at that moment, Ariana Grant came out of the shower.
She sighed, "There was a full-length mirror inside. I checked myself, and it seems two days of dieting hasn’t made a difference. My stomach still looks like I’m eight months pregnant."