A/N; I already know some of y'all might be like... Ugh! Mason... Why?! But just know, our MC ain't someone who has no connections/relationships in the industry. Plus, he needs to maintain good relationship with as many as trustworthy people possible. Thanks, happy reading!

-

The next morning, Ian woke beside Angelina.

As he opened his eyes, he felt someone poking his shoulder. He squinted his eyes and looked at the hand.

“Rae-”

“Shhh!”

Ian understood that she was trying not to wake Angelina up. But the raging headache limited his thoughts.

He stood up and walked out of the bedroom without thinking more. Raelynn tucked her in the bed and followed Ian.

“What is it?” Ian asked as soon as they were out.

They both leaned on the wall beside the bedroom.

“Enjoyed last night?” Raelynn asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

Ian smiled. “Thanks. What about you…? Did you-”

Raelynn shook her head. “Oh no. Some space was all I needed,” she said and kissed him on his lips.

He looked at her and smiled. He was lucky to have her and he knew it. She was beyond ecstatic to have him, and she knew it.

“Well, I’ll be in the library after a shower if you need me. And, don’t let Angelina go before I get to talk to her,” Ian said and pecked her cheek.

She nodded as Ian walked away.

-

The cold water hit his body as he looked at the wall.

‘Last night was amazing… But now that The Godfather shooting is done, should I take a break?’ he thought to himself.

Ian overexerted himself as he continuously shifted back and forth between shooting and participating in the marketing campaigns of Kiara.

Nevertheless, the number of profits he made with the movies and acting overall made it possible for him to get a vacation for even years worth.

"But I can’t do that,” he again thought. Removing all the thoughts that wanted him to take a break from work.

The weight of his mind library was hovering above him as he knew that without creating the movies that he thought would be great in this world, taking a break would be denying his conscience.

‘Let’s get going'

He turned the shower off and walked out of the bathroom.

-

After talking with Angelina about how it was going to be after the night they had spent, three of them, including Raelynn felt at ease.

Angelina first thought of saying how it was simply a mistake, but later on, Ian and Raelynn assured her it was fine and things happened.

Ian went ahead and explained how no one regretted anything.

“Bye, Ian,” Angelina said and stood up.

Raelynn sighed as soon as Angelina left.

“Hm?”

“Poor girl. She was so confused. But I’m glad both of you had fun. Anyway, Ian,” Raelynn brought him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“What will you do next?” she questioned.

Ian thought for a while.

He had one thing planned to do next. And he was about to do it. But he was about to take no one’s help with the project, which made things even harder for him to think about.

“I already have it planned.”

“Script?”

“I’m still working on it, but trust me, this one is going to be great,” he said.

“What is it going to be? C’mon, give me a hint at least. I mean, I’ve been waiting to know about this for weeks, Ian!” Raelynn said and tugged his arm.

It was true. Ever since the entire cast knew that the movie shooting was about to end, they had many questions about what Ian’s next move would be.

Because whenever a movie shooting ended, Ian would start working on his next project.

Names like Project hungry director, and Busy-Bee director roamed around the internet for this reason.

Nevertheless, Raelynn couldn’t get a single piece of information from Ian.

“You will see. Of course, as the cinematographer of Renner Studio, you will be needed,” he said and walked away.

Raelynn looked at him impressively. He never ceases to amaze. He was the type of director to win Oscars consecutively. Or the type of director to be talked about over and over when people talk about Hollywood even after fifty years.

She looked as his back continued to disappear from her sight.

-

[Renner Studio]

The intercom buzzed more than twice bringing Ian back from his focus.

“Yes, Murphy. Make it quick,” he said as he scrolled down the script that he was editing.

“Mr Striver is here,” Murphy’s message made Ian smile.

Uncle Mason was finally after the long vacation he had. Just like he had promised even though he retired, he was here to check on Ian.

“Please, send him in.”

“Alright.”

In the next second, Mason walked in with a smile on his wrinkly face. His white hair was dyed and he looked younger than he used to.

Maybe it was because of how the stress was taken off of his shoulders, or maybe because he simply enjoyed his time with his grandkids.

“Uncle Mason, good to see you,” Ian said, stood up and shook his hand.

“Ian, you look tired. But such a pleasure to see you again in one form,” he said and extended his arm.

They both shook hands.

“Ah, I’ve been working.”

“Well, glad to say that the studio is doing better than ever. The box office numbers are just… Wonderful. And yes, I couldn’t help but sneak in a little to check from time to time,” Mason said and smiled.

Ian nodded.

“What’s your next step?” he asked directly.

“Well, I’ve been planning to do a project for a long time. Simply put, a space soap opera.”

Mason leaned forward.

“Ask Murphy to bring us coffee.”

Ian chuckled. “Sure, uncle.”

It felt good to have someone around to discuss his projects. A sense of nostalgia hit him as he told Murphy to bring two coffees.

He couldn’t help but feel even better as he realised that Mason was interested in knowing as well.

With all the power and responsibility he gained when Mason left, he also had the weight of deciding everything alone and thinking on behalf of the entire studio.

And at times his lack of experience showed, and at times there were moments he wished he could gain advice, but he learned through every step.

But seeing Mason sitting in front of him, even if it was for a while, he cherished it.

“Alright, let’s talk about it.”

-

WWW.PATREON.COM/TC_L (read ahead!!! 10+ chapters!!!)