Chapter 157

Jingle bell, jingle bell...

The ringing of his phone jolted Martin awake. He groggily reached for his phone, cursing under his breath as he glanced at the time: 12:25 AM.

"Damn it, who the hell is calling me at this hour?"

Despite the annoyance, Martin reluctantly answered the call.

"I don't care who you are, but you better have a damn good reason for waking me up at this time," he growled.

A clear, playful laugh came from the other end of the line. "Giggle, Martin, you're so funny. It's Drew Barrymore. I have something important to discuss with you."

Martin was still half-asleep. "Who?"

"Drew Barrymore!"

"Drew... who?"

"Drew Barrymore! Don't you remember? I contacted your agent a few days ago about purchasing the film rights from you. Wait a minute, are you messing with me on purpose?" Drew's voice sounded a bit exasperated.

Martin, smirking but pretending to be confused, responded, "One-zero-zero... Drew, right? Do you know what time it is? I was sleeping, and you woke me up—now I'm supposed to be the bad guy?"

"Go to bed, Martin! It's only 6 PM where I am. Don't tell me you go to bed that early?"

Martin sighed heavily. "You idiot, this is New Zealand! There's an eighteen-hour time difference. Do you even understand time zones?"

"Oh, Shet, I forgot!"

Drew let out a sheepish giggle, sticking her tongue out—though Martin couldn't see it.

"Okay, now that you know. Good night," Martin said dryly. "I'll call you again at dawn."

With that, he hung up, his irritation mounting. Drew, however, was not so easily deterred.

She counted on her fingers, trying to figure out the time difference, but math was never her strong suit. Fuming, she dialed Martin's number again.

"This again? Can't you take a hint?" Martin grumbled, irritated but resigned.

"Don't be so grumpy, little Martin," Drew teased. "You're awake now anyway, so why don't we chat for a bit? It won't take long."

Martin sneered, "Ha, you're right. It won't take long, because I'm telling you clearly: we're not selling it."

With that, he hung up and turned his phone off.

"Turned off your phone?!" Drew muttered, her big eyes wide with surprise. "What a stingy little man!"

The next day, on the set of Lord of the Rings, Martin found himself staring at Drew Barrymore, utterly stunned.

"Your mother went through all this trouble for movie rights? She flew halfway across the world from the U.S., then took a six-hour bus ride just to talk to me about this in person?" Martin swore under his breath.

"No, didn't I clearly reject you last night?" he added sarcastically.

"Rejections over the phone don't count!" Drew countered matter-of-factly.

Martin groaned in disbelief. This woman had a persistence that could rival any force of nature.

"Fine, let's go talk," Martin finally relented.

He led Drew to his private tent on set. As they walked, Elijah Wood glanced over their shoulders with envy.

"Man, Martin is so lucky. He's got Drew Barrymore after him. I've always admired her," Elijah whispered to himself. "To think she flew all the way from the U.S. to New Zealand just to see him..."

Inside the tent, Martin dropped into his chair, clearly irritated.

"Alright, let's see how you plan to convince me," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back.

Drew didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she squatted in front of him, gently rubbing his leg.

Martin chuckled inwardly. "Seduction? Really? Is this all you've got?"

Unfazed, Drew straightened up and leaned over the armrest, her chest "accidentally" pushing toward him.

Martin's eyes flickered downward, then he quickly looked away. "No way."

Drew gritted her teeth in frustration but kept at it. She bent over further, her hands pressed against the armrests of his chair. The front of her outfit hung down under the pull of gravity.

Martin, keeping his resolve, refused to look directly at her. Instead, he started humming a tune to himself.

"Ah, I see… mountains, rivers..."

"Ahem!" Martin cleared his throat, internally focusing on controlling his reactions.

Drew, noticing his efforts, smiled mischievously. "Martin~, dear Martin~, just help me, please..." she purred, her voice a soft, teasing whine.

Martin felt a wave of goosebumps. "No, no, no, not gonna happen."

This wasn't about business anymore; it was a battle of wills. Drew continued her playful assault, but Martin stood firm.

However, Drew had other plans.

Suddenly, she leaned in and kissed him fiercely. After a long moment, she pulled back, breathless.

"Is this okay?" she asked, still hoping to break him.

Martin, unfazed, simply shook his head.

Drew kissed him again, more intensely this time.

Still, Martin refused.

The cycle continued: kiss, pull away, shake his head. Drew's persistence began to wear on Martin's patience.

Eventually, she shifted her body on top of him, swaying provocatively. Martin, now visibly uncomfortable, pushed her away.

"Drew, let me make this clear," he said, frustrated. "I prepared this for my woman, not for you. So don't even think about it."

Drew, smirking, wasn't deterred. "Then let me be your woman."

Martin blinked in surprise. "What?!"

Before he could react, Drew started undressing.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" Martin stood up, shocked.

Drew, ever confident, smiled brightly and replied, "You can't even see this? I'm ready to be your woman! Didn't you say the movie was for your woman?"

Her voice softened, becoming almost seductive. "Martin~, if I become your woman, you'll promise me, right?"

"Stop!" Martin shouted, finally breaking his calm demeanor.

Drew's boldness had pushed him to the edge. He couldn't take any more.

This woman was a product of Hollywood—a trained professional from a young age, someone who knew exactly how to manipulate people. In fact, she was more like a devil than any succubus he'd ever known.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧