Episode 19

Originally, Katharine was just an ordinary girl living peacefully with her parents, blessed with a comfortable life thanks to her father's job as a manager at his office and her mother's home-based cake business.

Katharine typically spent her time after school with friends and pitched in with her mother's baking whenever she had free moments.

There was nothing amiss in Katharine's tranquil existence until the day news of her father's involvement in corruption shattered everything.

The sums involved in her father's corruption were no trifling matter - amounting to around five billion rupiah. He was arrested and thrown in jail after police investigations confirmed the allegations.

None of the money from her father's corrupt activities ever found its way to his family, leaving Katharine and her mother firmly opposed to the scandal.

But the situation worsened when the police also uncovered evidence that all the embezzled funds had been funneled to her father's mistress, leaving her mother in such shock that she fell ill.

Amid their misfortune, not a single person, including Katharine's friends - who had vanished without a trace - came to their aid.

Katharine was at a loss, with all the family's valuable assets seized to repay her father's stolen money, and even then it wasn't enough to cover the substantial debt.

Katharine was compelled to work alone, determined to clear the debt and pay for her mother's medical care.

Months passed as she toiled as a waitress in a restaurant, but her earnings were still insufficient for her mother's medical expenses.

Feeling useless in that job, Katharine decided to quit, just as she noticed an audition advertisement from FGC Entertainment.

Who wasn't aware of that company? Even a basic living allowance from them could sustain someone for years, so without hesitation, Katharine went to apply.

She looked over the registration form and was taken aback realizing she'd need to pass a series of acting auditions to be accepted; resolved, Katharine practiced for days on end to hone her acting skills.

Her dedication paid off sweetly as Katharine was admitted, despite a few hiccups at the start.

Katharine was overjoyed yet felt uneasy reading the script for the role she was to play.

Her cheeks flushed as her eyes rapidly scanned the exceedingly provocative words written on the script titled 'A Night of Blossomed Love in France'.

Whatever thoughts occupied her mind, all that was obvious was her deep embarrassment at having to read the detailed adult scenes.

"Do I have to play the lead female role in this?" Katharine asked Aria, hope lacing her voice.

"Yes, you must perform all the scenes the lead female does," Aria replied, deepening the color in Katharine's cheeks.

"I can't do this; I've never even had a boyfriend, let alone kissed as described in this scene," Katharine protested, pointing at a steamy kissing scene in the script.

Aria felt for the innocent girl before her, the very picture of the naïve and unsullied character the script required.

However, Aria could not force Katharine to do something she was uncomfortable with; the last thing the team needed was a sexual harassment lawsuit.

"If you want to back out, that's okay — I can find another candidate more willing," said Aria with a long sigh.

"No, I'll stick with it!" Katharine declared after a moment's reflection.

She couldn't just abandon something she'd worked so hard to achieve, willing to forsake her dignity for her mother's sake, who was still hospitalized.

"May I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Who will be playing the lead male?" Katharine inquired, feeling she needed to know who she'd be performing such intimacy with.

Before Aria could answer, Aldo spoke up, "I will be playing the male lead."

Katharine turned to see Aldo, who had been sitting quietly on a nearby sofa, his piercing gaze fixed upon her blushing face the entire time.

Now, knowing Aldo would be her partner in the mature activities, her embarrassment intensified.

Uncertain of what to do, Katharine wished only to escape the awkward situation.

"I—it's nice, I look forward to working with you, but now I must visit my mother at the hospital!"

Katharine hastened toward the door, but stopped as though recalling something.

*I have no money for the trip home*... she reflected.

Aldo and Aria were aware of Katharine's predicament, having heard her earlier mention that she was broke from the journey here.

So Aldo rose to offer assistance, "Let me take you."

"Uh? But—"

"It's not safe for a woman to travel alone so late at night," Aria interjected, halting Katharine's objections.

*Being alone with a man at this hour is far more dangerous!* Katharine thought hysterically.

Sensing her worry, Aria assured her, "Don't worry, Aldo is a decent man, there's nothing to fear."

*Decent man*? Aldo suppressed a chuckle.

Pressed by Aria's insistence and her own dire finances, Katharine reluctantly accepted Aldo's offer to take her home.

Lacking a car of his own and feeling it inappropriate to escort a lady by bus, Aldo borrowed one of Aria's multiple vehicles for the purpose.

*Ugh... I should probably buy a car of my own next time*... Aldo mused.

He had earned enough money now and saw no harm in spending a few million on a car to avoid the daily hassle of crowded buses.

Silence enveloped the black sedan as Aldo drove, with Katharine still abuzz with nerves and mortification facing the man who would soon kiss her and more.

"Ahem, do you have a boyfriend?" Aldo cleared his throat, aiming to break the silence.

"Not yet," Katharine answered tersely.

Aldo glanced towards Katharine, who could only look down.

"You know, you don't have to go through with the role if you don't want to, and don't worry about your mother's bills—I'll take care of everything," Aldo suddenly offered, astonishing Katharine.

"I can't let you do that!" Katharine protested.

Though the role given to her was problematic, accepting unsolicited aid was even more so. She appreciated Aldo's gesture but could not accept without reciprocating somehow.

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