Chapter 24: Don't Even Think About It

[Chapter 24: Don't Even Think About It]

Stepping out of the mansion, Kate grabbed her phone and called Ian. "Where are you?"

"Out front, on the right side of the street in a white van."

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm doing?"

"No need to, sweetheart. You know I can always see the bigger picture," Ian chuckled softly.

Kate didn't respond.

Ten minutes later, she exited the mansion.

As she spotted the white van, she started to knock on the door, but Ian had already opened it.

He smiled at Kate and said, "Come on in."

Kate was speechless. "Don't tell me you heard my footsteps."

"A reporter's intuition," Ian motioned for her to get in as he closed the door behind her.

...

The inside of the van was filled with monitors, and Kate saw on the screen Lili Marlene letting loose.

She sighed, and Ian handed her a glass of wine he poured from a bottle nearby.

As she looked into the glass, the deep red liquid reminded her of flowing blood.

She gently bit her lip and asked, "Is the news really that important to you? Important enough to harm others without remorse?"

"Harm others?" Ian laughed. "No, just reporting the facts. If their actions come to light, why should they worry about exposure?"

"Can you guarantee that everything you do can withstand the light of day?"

Ian quickly shook his head. "I can't, but I wouldn't hate someone who uncovers my secrets. I would admire their ability to break through my defenses and respect them while sending them off to meet their maker."

Kate was increasingly speechless.

Why did this guy always make so much sense while seeming utterly unreasonable? The man before her confused her, as if he were a mysterious and powerful creature, commanding yet at ease.

On the monitors, the guests in the house were still laughing loudly.

They drank lavish wine and reveled without knowing the consequences that awaited them.

Kate hugged her knees, resting her head on her legs.

She had begun to imagine how everything would pan out once it was reported and the furious expression Lili would wear.

She murmured, "But you're ultimately building your gains on the suffering of others."

"America has always been like that, hasn't it?" Ian scoffed.

Although the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq hadn't broken out yet, America had committed plenty of wrongdoings before; otherwise, how did 9/11 happen?

Wait... 9/11?

Ian felt a chill.

It was still the year 2000; the events of 2001 were yet to unfold. In this timeline, would those things still happen?

The disparity between timelines left Ian uncertain about relying on any rebirth advantage. Yet, since most of what he currently knew existed, many things might still unfold...

His mind raced endlessly as he watched the footage, falling silent.

Kate didn't know Ian was contemplating so much over a single statement and said, "I'm not equipped to think about national issues, but I at least know that what you did was illegal."

"Illegal?" Ian smirked.

Leaning against the wall of the van, he pondered seriously.

After a while, he began, "Let's say two people collaborated on a smuggling deal, one contributing 80% and the other 20%. Once the deal was done, the primary investor only gave the minor investor one-tenth of the profits. The minor investor was unhappy, saying, 'I put in a fifth of the money, so how can I only get a tenth?' The primary investor replied, 'Because I had to pay a hundred grand to get things done, so you only get a tenth. Do you think the primary investor was justified?"

Kate felt bewildered for a moment.

After a pause, she replied, "That's not fair. Even so, it should have been the profits divided proportionally after deducting the hundred grand. What's up with that?"

Ian laughed.

His eyes sparkled with excitement. "I love your answer. Do you know why?"

He looked at Kate Beckinsale and slowly said, "Because you didn't realize this was an illegal business!"

Kate was astonished.

Ian covered his forehead and chuckled softly. "You're not as just as you think you are, Miss Beckinsale."

Kate remained silent.

Ian watched her with a faint smirk playing on his lips.

The light fell across his face, highlighting the arrogance and confidence of a self-assured young man.

Faced with this confident expression, Kate grew a little irritated. "You're just a cunning bastard, Ian Carr. You're the most disgusting person I've ever met!"

Ian's expression finally turned serious. "I can understand why you dislike everything I do, but you can't deny one fact: I saved you and helped you! Just because you disagree with my methods, you've never really thanked me!"

Kate was once again taken aback.

She realized!

No matter how outrageous his actions, he had ultimately saved her!

He wasn't a good person; what did that make her?

Damn it, what was she thinking?

She was in Hollywood; are there really good people in this industry?

Who wasn't climbing to the top for a chance?

Why did she have to hold him to such high standards?

Just because he used her, she wanted to hate him in the name of justice?

In that moment, she looked at Ian and finally bowed her head. "Thank you... I'm sorry!"

Ian chuckled. "You're welcome. By the way, there's something I never told you: the reason I got caught that time was that I was following you."

"What did you say?" Kate was shocked.

Ian laughed. "I was desperate; I saw you enter a man's house and thought it would make for good news. So, I followed you in. I didn't expect there would be a woman in there. I thought maybe the three of you would all be together, but it didn't happen, which disappointed me until Charlie Mills showed up."

Kate looked at him, stunned. "You were disappointed I didn't act promiscuously?"

Ian laughed. "We didn't know each other well back then."

Kate: "..."

After a while, she asked, "Why tell me this now?"

"Just thought you might want to know you have nothing to feel guilty about. You don't owe me anything!"

"Is that so? But at least I became famous because of you, twice. Now I'm not worried about getting film offers anymore," Kate murmured.

Ian raised an eyebrow. "Wow, are you looking for reasons to thank me?"

Women were truly fascinating.

When they wanted to thank you, they wouldn't; when you didn't want it, they found reasons to be grateful.

Kate laughed softly. "At least that's a fact."

As they exchanged looks, the previous barriers began to fade.

Just then, an erotic scene played out on the screen.

...

"Oh my God!" Kate covered her eyes. "Lili Marlene, how could she do that?"

Ian watched the monitor with a smile. "They're really getting into it. Don't act like a naive rookie, Kate."

Kate dropped her hands in anger. "I'm not a slut!"

Her gaze returned to the screen, and she felt her heart race. This time she didn't cover her face; she just kept watching.

Ian grinned at her.

Her face flushed crimson.

Watching a porn video together was a common way to hook up, but no one anticipated it would be live-streamed.

Seeing her tightening legs, Ian's hand naturally moved closer.

He wrapped his arm around her waist from behind.

Kate jolted slightly, gazing into Ian's handsome face, as if etching it into her memory.

She murmured, "No! Ian! Don't even think about it!"

She whispered again, "No! Ian! Don't even think about it!"

*****

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