Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

Chapter 38: Miranda: Why is Martin So Handsome?

Back in the moment, Miranda wished she could find a hole to hide in.

What on earth was that just now?

Was I… enchanted?

In a way, she was—enchanted by a true succubus charm.

At that moment, Martin approached her, extending his hand with a polite smile. "Hi, Miranda. How about I show you around the house?"

His invitation eased her embarrassment. She saw his outstretched hand and, realizing he wanted to shake hands, instinctively placed her hand in his.

"Sure, Martin," she replied, smiling.

And to everyone's surprise, Martin didn't just shake her hand; he gently took it in his and led her into the villa.

Frank raised his eyebrows. "That little rascal! I thought he was just going to shake her hand, but he went for the hand-hold!"

A thought occurred to Frank, Maybe I could try that move sometime…

But when he glanced at Kris, who was chatting with Grant and Linda, he quickly dismissed the idea.

Sigh. Those days are behind me. I'm practically a married man now.

---

Holding Miranda's soft hand, Martin led her on a leisurely tour of the house.

"This is the back garden."

"This is Grant and Linda's bedroom."

"This is my bedroom."

"And this is my study."

By this point, Miranda had recovered, but rather than pulling her hand away, she felt a warm happiness at holding his hand, listening as he introduced each room.

Was she actually paying attention?

Well… probably not.

Miranda let herself be led, listening dreamily to Martin's voice as he took her into his study. Martin gestured to a large chest in the corner. "This chest holds all my written works from over the years. Want to see some of my unpublished stuff?"

Miranda, snapping out of her daze slightly, looked in awe at the enormous chest, over two meters wide and one meter tall. "This entire thing is full of your manuscripts?"

"Not yet, but that's my goal," Martin replied, lifting the lid to reveal the neatly stacked manuscripts taking up about a quarter of the chest's space.

"This is Ready Player One, my upcoming book—it should be published in November. And here's Harry Potter, a long story I got inspired to write while filming in London. Over here are some scripts, and these are notes and ideas I'm still developing…"

Miranda's face gradually filled with admiration as Martin spoke.

"Martin, you're amazing!"

"Of course I am!" he said with a laugh, handing her the manuscript for Ready Player One. "Want a sneak peek of my new book?"

"Can I really?" Miranda asked, thrilled.

"Of course!"

Time passed unnoticed as they pored over the manuscript together.

Downstairs, Mrs. Arlanda stepped into the living room and announced, "Dinner is ready, ladies and gentlemen."

The adults rose from their seats, and Kris frowned slightly, whispering to Frank, "Miranda hasn't come down yet. She's still alone with Martin."

Not catching her tone of concern, Frank volunteered, "I'll go get them."

Kris opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it. She'd tried dropping hints earlier, but Frank hadn't picked up on any of them.

As Frank entered Martin's study, he couldn't resist calling out, "Well, well, well! What are you two up to in here, a secret date?"

Startled, Miranda jerked her head back, like a deer caught in headlights.

Martin, however, remained calm, looking up to say, "Dear Uncle, didn't anyone ever teach you to knock before entering someone else's room?"

Frank laughed. "Nope! My dad always just told me, 'Don't you ever lock your room door.' He was an old tyrant, you know."

"Maybe I'll just tell Grandpa what you said."

"Hmph! Who do you think he'd believe, me or you?" Frank retorted, trying to sound confident.

"Care to make a bet?" Martin asked, a sly grin on his face.

Frank immediately conceded. "Alright, you win!"

"Ugh, how did I end up as the lowest-ranking person in my own family? I even think the dog, James, has a higher place than me!"

"James? Who's James?" Miranda asked Martin curiously.

With a grin, Martin replied, "Our Grandpa's Labrador."

Miranda let out a laugh, her cheeks dimpling adorably.

Martin couldn't help but feel a little thrill at her smile; he had a sudden urge to plant a playful kiss on her round, rosy cheek.

"All right, enough joking around—" Frank started to say, intending to call them down for dinner.

But his eyes caught sight of something on the desk—a sheet of paper with a sketch on it.

Curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but ask, "What are you two looking at?"

Miranda's smile softened as she replied, "It's a drawing Martin made of what he thinks I'll look like when I'm older. It's amazing! We were just admiring it."

Of course, she wouldn't admit that she'd been leaning close to breathe in Martin's scent, thoroughly enjoying the cozy moment they'd shared.

"A drawing of you as an adult?"

Frank's curiosity only grew. He took a few steps closer to examine the sketch on the desk.

On the page was a lifelike, future version of Miranda, drawn in delicate pencil strokes. Though it was just a sketch, the shading, lines, and contours were so finely rendered that it resembled a black-and-white photo.

In Martin's sketch, the older Miranda had an air of maturity, her figure elegantly curvaceous, with loose, wavy hair cascading down, giving her face—a mix of cuteness and elegance—a touch of undeniable allure.

She wore a tank top and shorts that highlighted her long legs, and her pose, hands on her hips with high heels accentuating her stance, was pure model chic.

But it was her eyes that Martin had captured most vividly. They seemed alive on the page, gazing back at the viewer with a playful, knowing look.

"Oh, my God! It's uncanny… it really looks like Miranda's future self. It's like she's about to step right off the page!" Frank exclaimed, in awe.

Just then, Linda's voice rang out from downstairs, "Frank, Martin, bring Miranda down—dinner is ready!"

Frank flinched, instinctively straightening up. "Coming, coming!" he called out.

Even as a grown man, he still felt a certain intimidation from his older sister—a deep-seated family dynamic he couldn't shake.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.