Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 128: Bickering Lovers

Rocco: "Ria, but I don’t know how to cook."

Riley Perry was speechless. ’What’s so hard about kneading some dough?’

Samson Sinclair had no choice but to say, "I’ll call and have some ingredients delivered."

Riley Perry: "Sounds good. I’ll pay."

Samson Sinclair picked up his phone and started making a call.

Just then, Joanna called. "Nana~ Do you have some good news for me?"

Joanna’s voice was filled with excitement. "I renegotiated your contract with Director Warren, and your appearance fee is up by twenty percent! He also said the advertiser was extremely satisfied with your performance. They even called Director Warren just to praise you.

Also, the cash tips from your livestream this time were over two million, and he’s giving you twenty percent as a bonus for your hard work."

The moment Riley Perry heard more money was coming in, she couldn’t suppress the smile on her face, and she even propped one leg comfortably over the other.

"Director Warren is a stand-up guy. In that case, I’ll be sure to badmouth him a few more times on the next episode."

The two men in the living room were at a loss for words.

Joanna burst out laughing on the other end of the line. "Suit yourself. As long as you keep it up, I’m sure Director Warren will be nothing but thrilled."

Thanks to Riley Perry’s roasting, Director Warren had gotten a lot of screen time, and his current popularity was comparable to that of a B-list celebrity.

"Nana, have you eaten dinner? We’re about to have hot pot. Want to come over? It’s just Rocco and Samson Sinclair here."

"I’m coming! But I want the good stuff—king crab, geoduck, Australian abalone, whelk meat..."

Riley Perry chuckled. "Alright, alright. Basically, order whatever’s most expensive, right? I get it."

’This manager of hers is genuinely good to her. Forget one hot pot meal; she’d gladly treat her to one every single day.’

After hanging up, she called Rhona. Hot pot was always more fun with more people, after all.

The delivery from the hotel arrived quickly. The prepped ingredients were packed in exquisite food containers; even the vegetables were already washed. Soon, the marble dining table in the kitchen was covered with food. The electric hot pot was bubbling away, its base split between a super-spicy broth on one side and a clear broth on the other.

A short while later, the doorbell rang.

Samson Sinclair went to get the door.

The moment Rhona saw Samson Sinclair, her expression turned cold. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Rhona blocking the doorway, Joanna gave her a little push. "Get inside, get inside. You can talk later."

With that, she squeezed past her and went inside.

After looking around the apartment, Joanna exclaimed, "Riley! You’re really something else. This place has to be at least eighteen hundred square feet, right? And you just went and bought it. You’re incredible!"

Riley Perry, who was in the kitchen teaching Rocco how to knead dough, heard her and laughed. "It’ll do. I bought it for my parents. As long as it’s big enough for them, that’s all that matters."

Joanna: "Wow, such a good daughter. Your mom and dad must be super sweet and friendly, right?"

"Heh, you’ll find out when they get here."

’There’s more than one side to every story, but in her eyes, her parents were, of course, the best.’

Her gaze swept across the living room, landing on the bickering rivals, who were at it again. ’I have no idea what’s going on between them,’ she thought. ’They argue every single time they meet!’

"Watch yourself. Don’t forget your place. My boss, Ria, is a celebrity. You should keep your distance from her."

Samson Sinclair retorted, "I’m her bodyguard. How am I supposed to protect her by keeping my distance? You, on the other hand... is your family too poor to put food on the table? Look at you, you’re as skinny as a rake."

Rhona wanted to curse him out. ’What does he mean, skinny as a rake? Is a rake this curvy? Does a rake have these assets?’

’I worked hard for this slender figure! I’m fit, not a rake!’

"What does my being skinny have to do with you? Am I eating your food or something?"

Samson Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Not at all. But if you wanted to eat my family’s food, wouldn’t you have to marry into my family first?"

Rhona’s face instantly turned red. She knew "marrying into his family" had a much deeper meaning.

"Pah! Who would want to marry into your family? You should go take a piss and look at your own damn reflection!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Rhona knew she’d gone too far, her eyes darting guiltily toward the scar on his temple.

But Samson Sinclair was completely unfazed. ’So what if I have a scar? Scars are a man’s badge of honor!’

Besides, he never found the scar on his forehead ugly. On the contrary, he felt it made him look more masculine.

He had no anxiety about his looks whatsoever.

"What’s wrong with how I look? I may not be as handsome as my young master, but I’m still pretty damn good-looking. There are tons of girls chasing after me!"

Of course, he wouldn’t know, because he’d never actually seen a single woman actively pursue him. In his mind, girls these days were just too reserved, keeping their feelings bottled up inside instead of making a move.

Stunned by Samson Sinclair’s confidence, the last shred of guilt in Rhona’s heart vanished. "Heh. Well, allow me to offer a moment of silence for those poor girls. They must be blind to fall for an idiot like you."

Samson Sinclair was speechless. ’Me? An idiot? Is she kidding?’

Listening to the two of them bicker, a knowing, fond smile spread across Joanna’s face. She jutted her chin in their direction and asked Riley Perry, "What’s the deal with those two?"

Riley Perry gave her a conspiratorial look. "Maybe they’re just naturally incompatible?"

Joanna winked back. "Heh, I don’t know... they’re giving me some serious bickering-lovers vibes."

Samson Sinclair and Rhona, who had overheard the exchange, both thought, ’What part of this looks happy to you? We’re just fundamentally incompatible!’

"Alright, alright, time to eat! Everybody go wash your hands," Rocco announced, bringing the freshly made noodles to the table with a proud look on his face.

After washing her hands, Rhona sat down next to Riley Perry, with Joanna on the other side. Slices of high-quality, marbled beef were dipped into the pot as the group chatted.

"Nana, have any scripts come in these last few days?"

At the mention of this, Joanna’s brow furrowed. Despite Riley Perry’s recent surge in fame, they hadn’t received a single decent script. It seemed the repercussions from whatever that person at Stellux had said were still lingering.

"We’ve gotten offers, but they’re all for small productions. You can tell at a glance they’re just unreliable projects trying to ride your wave of popularity. I turned them all down."

Riley Perry picked up a slice of abalone, dipped it in sauce, and popped it into her mouth. It was fresh, fragrant, and crisp—the texture was perfect. "If there aren’t any, there aren’t any," she said. "Director Quinn called me today. He said Director Nathan Chenning is about to shoot a new film and got me an audition slot, though filming is still a ways off. The variety show schedule is pretty tight anyway, so I’m not in a rush to take on a new script."

Joanna nodded. "Good. If you’re not in a hurry, then neither am I. By the way, *Elegance Resonance* comes out on Sunday. Remember to share it on your feed."

Riley Perry said nonchalantly, "Aren’t you managing my account for me? You can just share it."

"You certainly trust me." In most entertainment companies, a celebrity’s social media accounts were run by their team.

Stardust was no exception.

But Joanna had never actively asked to take over her artists’ accounts. In fact, she thought it was great that Riley Perry managed her own feed. Hadn’t everyone seen how many new followers she’d gained recently?

"I know how much you care about me, Nana. You want me to succeed even more than I do myself. What’s there not to be confident about?" As Riley Perry spoke, she used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of meat on Joanna’s plate, the very picture of thoughtfulness.

Joanna was delighted by the sweet gesture, and suddenly, tonight’s hot pot tasted exceptionally delicious—especially the piece of meat Riley had personally served her.