Your explanation

"What's wrong?" Hugo turned his head and looked at Uma gently.

Uma was very familiar with this gentle gaze. She tried hard to search for her own answer from Hugo's expression, but she failed. It reminded Uma of Hugo's trust in her. At the Golden Globe Awards celebration, Anthony had slandered her, but Hugo had unhesitatingly defended her. He never asked her about it afterwards.

Uma nervously picked up the newspaper and directly wrapped the damp seafood in it. "No, nothing."

Uma dared not face Hugo and averted her gaze, focusing on the seafood in her hands, trying to completely cover it with the newspaper. But she missed the disappointment in Hugo's eyes. That deep disappointment pierced Hugo's heart. This was his first chance for Uma.

Hugo closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Then, as if mentioning it casually, he said, "By the way, last time at the Golden Globe Awards, didn't Michelle say you were auditioning for a project? How did it go? Any results?"

Uma's heart trembled slightly, and she looked up at Hugo. There was a faint smile on Hugo's lips, and his eyes were no longer gentle but calm, like a calm lake without any ripples. His amber eyes were so profound, as if once you fell into them, you could never come out again. This reminded Uma of her first intimate encounter with Hugo. It was because of his eyes that she took the initiative and approached Hugo, who she had no interest in before.

"Oh, that project. I missed it," Uma looked away again. She dared not meet Hugo's gaze. His ordinary gaze, which was no different from usual, burned her heart at all times. She couldn't face Hugo's clear eyes. "You know, I'm just a newcomer. They might want to find an actress with more box office appeal."

"Everyone has gone through this," Hugo said softly. He closed his eyes deeply. This was his second chance. He wanted to continue trusting Uma. He didn't want to indulge in wild guesses and let his speculations ruin everything. So Hugo told himself that he should give Uma a chance to be open and honest, instead of playing guessing games. And that's what Hugo did.

"By the way, I saw a newspaper today," Hugo's words made Uma suddenly raise her head. Hugo seemed unaware of the panic in Uma's eyes and calmly continued, "The one you're holding, the San Francisco Chronicle. It said you're going to be the leading actress in "The Firm" Is that true?"

Hugo quietly watched Uma. Stormy emotions surged in the depths of Uma's eyes. She looked at Hugo in disbelief, as if she were the one betrayed. Uma couldn't believe that all the calmness from before was just an act by Hugo. It made Uma feel completely cold, but at the same time, she was overwhelmed by confusion.

The whole hall fell into silence. Joseph, Karl, Charlize, and Alex in the room all stopped what they were doing, not even daring to breathe heavily, afraid to disrupt the calmness in the room and be overwhelmed by a storm.

"You're testing me!" Uma's voice trembled as she questioned Hugo, as if she were the victim.

Hugo's pupils shrank in astonishment, but he then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again. "Yes," Hugo calmly admitted. He could even see the waves of shock and horror in Uma's eyes, but Hugo found it all so laughable. Uma's reaction made it seem as if she were the victim of betrayal. "I saw the news, but you never mentioned it to me. I wanted to hear it from you."

"You've already seen the news, so what doubts do you have? Are you pretending to know nothing and testing me? Do you think I'm a clown? Are you laughing at me? Was my performance just now so laughable in your eyes?" Uma slammed the seafood she held onto the table, and the bag filled with octopus burst open. Fresh octopus spilled out, scattered on the entire dining table.

Hugo withdrew his gaze from the octopus and looked calmly at Uma. By now, he had moved past his initial anger and regained his composure. All he wanted was an answer. There is no greater sorrow than a heart that is dead, and that's how Hugo felt at this moment. The trust that supposedly existed between him and Uma now seemed like a joke.

"No, I just wanted to hear your explanation," Hugo said calmly. "After what happened in the past week, we all know that news is unreliable. So, I don't think the journalist's information is trustworthy. I want to hear it from you."

Hugo's words humiliated Uma deeply, leaving her stunned in place. She looked at Hugo in disbelief. "You believe whatever I say?"

Hugo nodded, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "That was my original intention."

Uma suddenly realized that Hugo truly trusted her, and she had shattered that trust with her own hands. "And what about now?" Uma didn't miss the past tense used in Hugo's words.

Hugo's smile remained, but he didn't answer Uma's question. Instead, he said, "What about your explanation?"

Uma burst into laughter. She knew that the trust was irreparable. Trust is not a system that can be restored to its original state by resetting. When trust cracks, everything becomes irretrievable. Thinking of this, Uma laughed because she knew that since it was already irreparable, she didn't need to hesitate and waver anymore. She just needed to proceed according to the plan. She had always been a determined woman, once she made a decision, there was no turning back. That's how she approached Hugo in the first place, and today would be no different.

"Are you sure you want to hear my explanation? Or do you just want to confirm your guesses?" Uma turned and walked towards the sink, calmly washing her hands. Then meticulously drying them with a hand towel. Thanks to Charlize's presence, everything was always in order in the apartment, not at all like a man's place.

"It depends on you," Hugo's voice trembled slightly, but he controlled it well. He still looked at Uma with a smile. Then Uma turned around and met Hugo's gaze calmly, without any fear.

"On New Year's Eve, Martin and Tracey offered me an audition opportunity. Even though I knew they were scheming against you behind the scenes, I still wanted to seize the chance," Uma stated simply, without offering any defense for herself, because she knew that explanations were no longer necessary at this point. "But at that time, I didn't know what kind of opportunity it was. After we went on vacation to Malibu, the first time we went out was for the audition. I didn't tell you, and you should know the reason."

Hugo did not give an answer; he just looked silently at Uma.

"After the audition, I realized it was for "The Firm". My conversation with Sydney was pleasant, but he didn't promise anything, just told me to wait for news," Uma stated simply. "Then I had another audition and met Tracey and Michelle."

No wonder Uma had tried everything to keep Hugo in Malibu; evidently, at that time, Uma vaguely understood that the role selection for "The Firm" was intended to suppress Hugo. The reason she won the opportunity was exactly that. Therefore, she mustn't let Hugo know, let alone allow him to ruin this chance. Now looking back, Hugo felt like a complete fool, a total fool.

"Afterward, Sydney called me the day before yesterday, saying he wanted to talk to my agent in detail. Besides that, I haven't received any other news," Uma pointed at the crumpled San Francisco Chronicle. "As for the information in here, I don't have confirmation at the moment."

"Do you have any other questions?" After saying that, Uma calmly looked at Hugo. "Oh, by the way, Tracey wants me to find a way for you to accept an interview with Anthony. I don't know the specifics. And regarding the recent rumors in the newspapers about Chicago, it was me who accidentally told Tracey. That's all. Do you have any questions?"

Hugo looked at the composed woman before him, and memories returned to when he had just fallen for Uma. She was also confident and decisive back then, boldly pursuing her goals without hiding her ambitions. Hugo knew that Uma wanted to seize this opportunity and achieve a breakthrough in her career. Uma didn't defend herself because she knew, at this point, it was unnecessary. But Hugo also didn't expect things to reach this point.

Hugo wanted to speak but found his throat seemingly blocked. Only now did the tearing pain in his heart make Hugo realize that he had invested far more emotions in this relationship than he had imagined. "Why don't you defend yourself?"

"I have already explained, haven't I?" Uma looked quietly at Hugo, a mocking smile playing at the corner of her mouth, though it was unclear if it was aimed at herself or at Hugo.

Hugo shook his head. "You know what I mean." Uma didn't answer, and Hugo continued to look at her, at that familiar yet unfamiliar face. "If, as you said, you haven't done anything wrong, just participated in a movie audition and made efforts for your own career, that's all. My personal grudge with "The Firm" crew has nothing to do with you. Why don't you defend yourself?"

Uma gazed into Hugo's clear eyes. "Do you believe my explanation?"

"Why wouldn't I? You have no reason to hate me," Hugo took a deep breath and continued, struggling to control his emotions as they surged. He had to keep adjusting his breathing.

Hugo's words made Uma burst into laughter. As the smile gradually faded from her face, a sense of sorrow and madness broke through her impenetrable mask, blossoming slowly on her exquisite features like poppy flowers. Indeed, from Uma's perspective, she hadn't done anything to betray Hugo. She didn't join Tracey and the others' conspiracy to harm him; she merely chose a project beneficial to her career. But Uma knew that things weren't that simple.

Uma's eyes, filled with madness and longing, locked onto Hugo. "I think you know why. The outcome was predetermined from the moment you started testing me, wasn't it? The answer you want, I can't provide. So defending myself will only make me look more disheveled. Why bother?"

On New Year's Eve, Uma had made her choice, and now there was no turning back.