Peter Waterman was practically ecstatic.
Rick Astley was the best potential star he'd found in recent years, but he never expected him to have a sister whose talent was even more explosive!
That ethereal, melodious voice, as smooth as chocolate, was still ringing in his head.
Forgive the foreigner; this lack of culture was dreadful. They didn't even have an expressive idiom like "a sound that lingers for three days."
"Rick, I think you two should take that song..." Peter paused, asking, "What's this song called?"
Audrey chimed in, ""picture to burn"."
""picture to burn"!" He nodded. "You should rearrange this song into a duet."
"We won't record today. We'll wait until you're ready."
Rick let out a sigh of relief. In any case, he'd managed to get through the day.
Peter walked to the door, then suddenly remembered something and turned back.
"Rick, what kind of older brother are you? Look at what Audrey is wearing!"
When Audrey had returned last night, she had rummaged through Rick's room, finding his shorts and t-shirt to use as pajamas.
Now, in Peter's eyes, it looked extremely awkward.
The ill-fitting shorts and t-shirt were conspicuous on Audrey. If not for her outstanding appearance and temperament, she might have been mistaken for a refugee.
Rick scratched his head. Audrey had only arrived last night; hadn't they just not had time to buy anything yet?
Audrey, however, shook her head. "Mr. Waterman, you know our family isn't well-off..."
Her pure, deer-like eyes were full of life, vividly portraying the image of a pitiful child from a poor family.
To be fair, having the face of a young Audrey Hepburn was, in itself, cheating.
How could Waterman resist this?
He quickly pulled his wallet from his pocket.
"Rick, really. If you're having difficulties, just say so! Even if you suffer, you can't let Audrey suffer!"
Before Rick's astonished eyes, Waterman handed Audrey a thousand pounds. Mr. Waterman was famous for being stingy!
With Rick not having produced any work yet, Peter Waterman Ltd. only paid him 850 pounds a month!
How could the difference between people be so vast!
Even the simple-hearted Rick felt a pang of jealousy.
"Audrey, take this money and buy some nice clothes," Peter said, his face wreathed in smiles, a far cry from the stern image he'd presented when they first met. "I look forward to seeing you in the recording studio."
He turned back to Rick, the smile instantly vanishing. "I am very satisfied with "picture to burn". Work hard these next two days and arrange the male-female duet version."
Finished, he waved his hand, opened the door, and left.
Rick stood blankly at the door, but Audrey had already run into the kitchen—she hadn't finished her breakfast!
"Brother Rick, after I finish eating, let's go shopping!"
Rick nodded and went upstairs to change.
His expression was dazed. Even now, he hadn't fully processed it:
Last night, he picked up a homeless girl with amnesia.
This girl recognized him as her older brother.
He gave her a name, accepting her as his sister.
This sister is a genius.
Wrote a song that stunned Mr. Waterman;
This sister is a genius.
Her singing talent is above his own;
This sister is a genius.
Can pull a thousand pounds from a notorious cheapskate!
The key thing is, isn't his sister supposed to have amnesia?
Is this behavior reasonable?
'Actually, it doesn't matter if it's unreasonable. After all, Audrey got him out of a jam. She saved him, didn't she?'
'Aren't we going to form a singing group?'
'Even if she's not a sister, being colleagues isn't bad, as long as she doesn't try to scam money off me.'
...
...
Audrey changed into her black and white dress, the bow at the collar very eye-catching.
If Peter Waterman were still here, he would have discovered that the outfit the girl was wearing was high-end, custom-made!
Unfortunately, Rick didn't know any better, mistaking a lady for a vagrant.
Rick's house was near Manchester Square. The closest shopping center was Marks & Spencer.
It was about three blocks away.
The two left the house and saw that the usually deserted alley was filled with strangely dressed, grim-faced people looking around.
Rick was warm-hearted. He worried these people were up to no good and might harm his neighbors, so he went up to ask:
"Sirs, what are you doing near my house?"
The strange man who was asked replied, "We are secret police, hunting a vicious fugitive. The criminal killed two people and is very dangerous!"
Rick was shocked. "So you're police!"
He was truly someone who trusted others too easily. To put it nicely, he was simple.
He added, "Is there anything I can do to help? What does the criminal look like? Do you have a photo?"
The "secret policeman" replied impatiently, "That person is extremely dangerous. This isn't something someone like you can get involved in. Go away, don't obstruct us!"
Rick walked away dejectedly and complained to Audrey, "I just wanted to help, but that man was so rude to me! Do secret police get to be so arrogant?"
Remembering that secret police in literature were always a lawless bunch, Rick felt a lingering fear and couldn't help but shiver. "Audrey, let's go quickly. These secret police are not people you want to mess with!"
'Indeed, not easy to mess with.'
Audrey thought to herself.
'These people are Aurors. The wand holsters on their waists are so conspicuous. Only Muggles would be fooled by them.'
'And the vicious criminal they're talking about is, most likely, her—this seemingly harmless and adorable little girl.'
The Aurors had actually noticed the two of them when they left the house. When they saw Audrey's clothes, they all felt a brief flicker of excitement.
But after seeing Audrey's face, they were extremely disappointed.
Wizards really didn't study Muggle clothing. They didn't know that modern Muggle children wouldn't dress like this to go out on the street.
And just like that, the Aurors ultimately brushed past Hydrus. Perhaps this one missed encounter would last a lifetime.
—They would never get another chance to capture her.
...
Marks & Spencer was a retail store with a long history.
Rick led Audrey into the store, and they immediately became the center of attention.
It couldn't be helped. Having Audrey Hepburn's face was just that eye-catching.
"Mommy!"
A little girl said to her mother, "That big sister looks just like Audrey Hepburn!"
"Hermione!" her mother scolded. "It's very rude to comment on people's appearances like that. Don't do it again."
The little girl said, "Oh," and lowered her head.
Audrey looked over. It was a little girl, about six or seven years old.
She had a head of thick, bushy brown hair, bright brown eyes, a pretty face, and delicate features. Only her prominent, beaver-like front teeth ruined the beauty of her face.
'It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?'
'Running into one of the original trio, Hermione Granger, here?'
Noticing Audrey's gaze, the girl's mother gave a slight nod with an apologetic expression.
Audrey returned a big smile, then dragged Rick into a nearby clothing store.
'Are you kidding? She was trying every-which-way to stay away from Hogwarts. Why would she actively approach a main character?'
'Is laying low not good enough? Is slacking off uncomfortable?'
...
Half an hour later, Rick, holding two sets of clothes, was led out of the department store by Audrey.
"Audrey, we have money. Why didn't we buy more?"
Audrey stopped, turned around, and said very seriously:
"Brother! It's enough to have clothes to wear! The biggest problem in our house right now is—"
"There's no food in the fridge!"
...
...
After finishing their shopping trip and returning home, Rick was inexplicably moved.
'Audrey was so frugal for the sake of this family that she wouldn't even buy extra clothes, yet I'd previously thought she was suspicious and had a mysterious background.'
'I'm simply not human!'
'Audrey is a little angel! How could she possibly harm me?'
The more he thought, the more it made sense, and he wanted to slap himself.
'I have nothing. What good would she get from tricking me?'
'Not only did she not scam a single penny from me, she even bought a pile of groceries and daily necessities for the house!'
'And she used the money she earned from Peter "Stingy" Waterman!'
'Such a good sister! I, Rick Astley, swear to protect her for the rest of my life!'
'God as my witness!'
Actually, Rick's original vow was to take care of her for life. But then he remembered he didn't know how to do anything, and it was more likely Audrey would end up taking care of him.
So, he changed "take care of" to "protect." That way, he could show his value as an older brother!
'Yes, protect her for a lifetime!'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]