New Life : A Second Chance

Chapter 197 - Starting Over

As Kyle walked into view, Agent Oreo came bouncing over with an extremely 'worried' look on his face as he shouted, "Kyle! Are you okay?!"

He began patting Kyle down to make sure there as no injuries (all for show, of course).

"Yeah, not a problem," Kyle answered, "Midnight and I are friends now."

Sam came over and handed the mineral water bottle to Kyle wordlessly. His eyes full of questions but he refrained from asking them. All he knew was that Kyle had landed into the backyard of Samantha Greene - who had also been naked. Or close to it.

Kyle took the water gratefully and started rinsing his mouth. He couldn't spit out the water as that was rather unhygienic to do so, thus he could only swirl the water in his mouth and swallow it. At least the worst of the taste of the suntan lotion was gone.

When he had first started on the fingers for Samantha, all he did was hold his breath. Since the sense of smell is strongly associated with the tongue, so long as you hold your breath, you wouldn't taste what you're eating. Once you start breathing again, though, the aftertaste will still linger in your mouth.*

He then started washing his fingers, glad to get that part cleaned. Sam's eyebrows shot up at this, wondering even more furiously just what Kyle had been up to. His hands didn't look dirty yet the way Kyle was rubbing at his fingertips and hands made Sam imagine ... quite a lot of things.

Little did he know that he was quite correct in most of that thought.

Chad and Mark quickly came over as well, as Kyle was handing the reins over to Larry. However, Midnight refused to move from Kyle's side, ignoring the tug of Larry to bring her over to him. She dug in her hooves and trotted over back to Kyle, nudging him at the back of his head.

Kyle turned to face her and stroked the bridge of her nose, putting his forehead on it and said to her, "Go and follow Larry back. You need to rest."

Midnight snorted and turned, obediently heading back to her cabin and Larry had to practically run to keep up with her.

Chad watched all of this in shock.

"Glad to see that you're okay," Chad began hesitantly, but sincerely.

Kyle could see the regret in Chad's eyes, and that his attitude appeared to be much better than before.

Chad had gotten the fright of his life when Midnight had run off with Kyle on her back. Worse, he got word that Midnight had trespassed onto Mansion BMX's compound. He had visions of Kyle's body being taken away in a stretcher, his career going down the drain and the repercussions of the whole thing.

When he got word that the Young Mistress had Kyle, another wave of panic hit him.

The next 15 minutes had been the longest 15 minutes of his life.

Getting the 'okay' to shoot some parts of the film here had been a great opportunity and one that was obtained through various channels and pulling lots of favours (plus giving them). If the Young Mistress decided Kyle was a pest ... Chad had to actually change clothes as the first pair had been utterly drenched in his sweat.

Finding out that Kyle was released unharmed had made almost made him faint from relief.

Mark, who was not privy to all of the dangers of Mansion BMX, was worried for another reason. He was the one that brought Kyle over and if anything happened to the Smith Heir ...

Chad looked at Kyle seriously and offered his hand, saying, "Congratulations. You passed the screen test. Your agent can talk with our representatives regarding the contract."

Kyle looked at him, his hand and said, "I never said I wanted the part."

"What?" Chad exclaimed, looking at Kyle in surprise, bringing his hand down awkwardly, "Then what was that screen test for?"

"I was interested but frankly, you haven't exactly been forthcoming nor given me any information about the whole thing," Kyle pointed out, "All you did was assume that I'm here to beg for a role. I am here as a favour to Mark and felt that, at the very least, I would listen."

"Look, I don't really need this and obviously, you don't really want me either," Kyle continued, "That screen test was a joke. John Wick movies are more than just action and even though Mr. Keanu does most of his stunts, I don't think you'd get me to do my own."

"So what was the point of it? So shall we just cut the bull and stop wasting each other's time?" Kyle demanded, staring at Chad in the eyes unflinchingly.

Chad looked at the young boy in front of him.

The kid was right. He had treated the kid like he was the one giving him a golden opportunity - which he was - but it couldn't be denied that the kid had something that the movie needed.

Right now, the so-called kid was not only giving him a lecture, but there was also this unmistakable aura of authority radiating from him that Chad found impossible to ignore. He wasn't even acting. Heck, this was something that was ingrained within the bones of the person and Chad could see - and sense - the power behind those eyes.

When he had seen Kyle's picture, he was immediately taken in by it. There was a certain charisma to it, yet an innocence, that was perfect for the role that they had envisioned. There had been countless auditions before this, yet there was always something lacking in all of them.

When he had seen Kyle in person, that impression of him was confirmed. Yet, he couldn't quite accept the sort of nonchalant attitude that the kid had. It rubbed him the wrong way. He realised that was his ego talking and it impaired his judgment.

Seeing how fluid the kid's movement was on the horse, how he controlled the situation properly and how the horse had started to bond with him in that little time. There was no doubt about it. He was made for the role and after this, Chad knew that he would never be able to find another person to fit so well.

He regretted his earlier impulsive attitude.

"Yes, you are right," Chad finally said with a sigh, "I've kinda been a dick, haven't I?"

Kyle smiled at that and answered, "You think?"

Chad offered his hand again, and said, "I'm sorry. Shall we start all over again? Hi, I'm Chad Stahelski and would like to offer you a part in the next John Wick movie."

This time, Kyle took Chad's hand and shook it with a smile, "Hi, Mr. Stahelski. I'm Kyle Smith. I'll have to hear what the part is about first before deciding."

Kyle Smith ... Kyle Smith ... why did that name sound familiar? Chad's eyebrows furrowed a bit at that, as if something was nagging at him at the back of his mind. He had been quite busy so he hadn't really been up-to-date with any news. It was his assistant that would always tell him what he needed to know.

Smith was quite a common surname, wasn't it? But why was it standing out at this point?

Just then, Chad's PA came running over, a panicked look on his face. Especially when he saw Kyle. He rushed over to Chad, pulling on his sleeve and said urgently, "I have something I really need to tell you."

Chad waved him aside, saying, "Later. I need to discuss some details with Kyle first."

"I"m sorry, Sir, but this cannot wait. Really," the assistant said insistently.

Chad's frowned when Kyle said, "Please, don't worry. We'll still be here."

Chad nodded, apologized and walked a bit of a distance away as he then asked, "Spill it. What's so urgent?"

The assistant was a bit shaking, his forehead wet with beads of sweat, "I - I'm afraid I left out a few details on Kyle Smith."

Chad's eyes narrowed, finally taking in the nervous state of his assistant. He didn't say a word and the assistant gulped, knowing that the next few words could be the last words he spoke to Chad as his assistant.

Chad listened with wide eyes. The more he heard, the more he wanted to strangle the man in front of him. Taking the paper in the assistant's hands, he read through it quickly and glared at his assistant that was now cowering in fear. Rolling up the paper, he began hitting his assistant on the head and shoulders.

Finally, he slammed the papers on the assistant's chest and growled, "Make a mistake like this again and you might as well quit before I fire you."

His assistant started apologizing profusely before running away, really relieved that the worst was over. He had survived. He was still working. He made a mental note never - ever - rush a job again. Never did he think the family background could be so important. He won't make that mistake again.

Chad looked at the young man that he had picked out just from a picture.

Looks like his instinct was spot-on again. No wonder the kid wasn't fazed by the grandeur of Mansion BMX - his family's property was probably much bigger and grander than this. No wonder he wasn't impressed by his identity as a world-renowned director - he had been rubbing shoulders with world leaders since young so what is a director in his eyes?. No wonder the kid had treated him like an equal - then, as someone below him when Chad hadn't taken him seriously.

Chad felt really foolish now. Luckily, he had apologized and Kyle had already accepted it. Looks like the Smith Heir wasn't an egotistical young lord ... unlike a certain someone who acted all that. Chad scolded himself at that, and this experience made him a much better person in the future.

"Thanks for waiting," Chad said as he walked back, "Let's go to my office. We can discuss the details and see if we can work something out."

Kyle nodded, agreeable.