Chapter 44 Groper in Workplace
Emelia looked at Viggo next to her with an inquiring expression. Viggo gave her a helpless look, meaning he didn't know how Julian could have come either.
The director's name was Harvey Norman. He reacted faster than Emelia and Viggo. He greeted Julian with a smile on his face as soon as he saw him enter, "Mr. Hughes, I didn't expect you to come. It's such an honor to me!"
Julian shook hands with the director, "It is you who arranged the dinner, sure I will come."
The director and his team greeted Julian before Viggo brought Emelia forward. Although Viggo had some unpleasant talks with Julian last time, since they were continuing to work together on this project, they were able to turn their grievances into peace.
Viggo smiled and greeted with Julian, and finally it was Emelia who had to face Julian.
She took the most respectful and formal attitude as a newcomer to the workplace to greet Julian: "Mr. Hughes, how are you?"
Apart from Maisie and Viggo, no one else knew about Emelia's past with Julian.
The director interjected and said to Julian smilingly, "Mr. Hughes, last time Ms. Jones wasn't present, and I didn't expect she is such a young and beautiful woman. Since we'll have a beautiful woman to work with us, we won't feel tired on the set, right?"
The director felt that he was complimenting Emelia, but he received a cold stare from Julian.
The reason why Julian glared at the director was because he thought it was obscene for this director to say something about having beautiful women at work.
Reaching out to shake Emelia's slender hand that she offered, he suddenly said to Emelia, "I heard that Ms. Jones' pen name is Wintry Frost. Your hand is indeed quite cold. Is it because you are underdressed?"
Emelia thought Julian was insane. What was he doing being sarcastic about her outfits? Did he have anything to do with it?
After withdrawing her hand, she said with a smile, "Mr. Hughes, you are funny."
The director interjected again, "Mr. Hughes, young girls nowadays all dress like this. Look at her thin waist."
The director actually tried to reach for Emelia's waist as he spoke. Emelia's face changed slightly and she instinctively took a step back.
Although she had not been involved in the workplace officially, she had heard and seen a lot of gropers in the workplace, and Nina had told her that many directors, assistant directors and certain male actors would take advantage of some actresses.
But she didn't expect that something like this would happen to her today as a scriptwriter. She was confused, but more than that, she was angry.
Luckily, she was quick enough to dodge, otherwise she would have felt disgusted if the director had really touched her waist.
But what was the use of being disgusted and angry? She still had to stay.
The director failed to touch her, so it was somewhat inappropriate for her to fight back even if she wanted to.
When that director saw her dodge, a slightly embarrassed expression crossed his face, and before he could say anything, a murderous gaze was suddenly shot towards him. He jerked his head up only to mee Julian's gloomy expression, which scared him into an embarrassing chuckle.
Viggo duly tried to ease the tension, "Let's sit down. Shall we?"
Viggo, of course, was also angry and fed up with Harvey Norman's behavior, but he did not do anything on such an occasion.
Emelia sat with Maisie, distancing herself from Harvey.
After the dinner began, it was time for the men to drink, while Emelia bowed her head and ate her food in silence.
Originally, she had quite a lot of respect for this director and thought she could ask him a few questions tonight. The communication between the director and the scriptwriter was very important because when the scriptwriter wrote some scenes, he needed to ask the director if it would work in the actual filming.
But because of that director's behavior, she was not in the mood for anything now.
She even felt a headache, wondering how she was going to get along with this director later on.
But Emelia, who was eating in silence, noticed that every time a dish that had beef or mutton in it was brought to her, it was took away by someone quickly.
Emelia raised her eyes to look at Julian at the main seat and glimpsed that it was his slender fingers that were pressing the round table around.
When she looked over, Julian lifted his eyes to look at her, and Emelia bit her lip and lowered her eyes to continue eating.
It seems her sarcasm had worked last time, and he had remembered that she couldn't eat beef or lamb.
After alcohol, the director suddenly said to Emelia with a glass of alcohol, "Emelia, you were absent at our last meeting, although you had a reason, on such an occasion today, you have to take a penalty drink."
After the director's words were said, Julian and Viggo looked at him together; both of their eyes had expressed warning and displeasure.
The director seemed to have sensed something and was about to let Emelia off the hook, but Emelia stood up and said, "Okay."
"Indeed, I should take this, as my apology to you." She said, looking at a few people, "I'm honored to be able to work with you all this time as a scriptwriter, so we should take care of each other in the future." After she finished, she tilted her head and drained her glass and sat down without changing her face.
Everyone at the table was surprised, for she, being meek and soft, didn't look like she could drink.
They didn't expect she drained the glass at a gulp.
Viggo gave Emelia a knowing glance, while Julian's face fell straight away.
Since when did she learn to drink?
She didn't seem to drink during the three years she was with him, and she used the excuse that she couldn't drink at family gatherings to excuse herself. Why didn't she refuse at this moment? And did she know that, once a woman showed the slightest sign of being able to drink at the table, the men would not leave her alone?
Of course Emelia knew that, but could she not drink on such an occasion?
She was now a newcomer to the workplace, and everyone present was more senior than her in this circle, and she could not afford to offend any of them.
Maybe this time she could turn to Viggo, her boss, to reject for her, but what about next time?
She could not expect others to help her every time, so she had to help herself.
Just drink it, she was not afraid.
Perhaps no one could associate Emelia's gentle appearance with her ability to drink, but she could drink.
Emelia and Nina had been friends since high school. Back then, Nina was beautiful but not good in study, while Emelia was an all-round straight-A student. It was deducible from the fact that she, a top student, became close friends with Nina. She had recklessness and craziness in her genes.
It was from that time that she learned to drink with Nina, and later the more she drank, the more she was better, and she was not easy to get drunk. She was going to drink with that director and his team and get them wasted, so that they would not dare ask her to drink in the future.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐
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