Chapter 62
As a seasoned actor, Kimberly commanded respect from everyone on set. They assumed she might have deeper insights. into the performance, so no one objected.
“Alright, let’s do another take,” the director, William, agreed.
Emily, watching from her cool spot on the sidelines, felt a surge of satisfaction seeing Sharon get slapped. Kimberly was Sophia’s friend, after all, so that slap was surely meant to avenge her.
The second take started directly with the slap.
Kimberly glared fiercely at Sharon, a flicker of smugness passing through her eyes. It was hard to tell whether this was part of her character or something more personal.
Just as she was about to bring her palm down, a figure darted out from the crowd, firmly catching her hand mid–air.
The sudden appearance of a girl in modern clothes caught everyone off guard, leaving the crew momentarily stunned. Emily, who had been comfortably lounging in her rocking chair, eagerly anticipating Sharon’s beating, suddenly furrowed her brow. “Who dares to interfere? This displeased her greatly.
But when she recognized who it was, her heart leaped into her throat. ‘Ophelia? Why her again?”
Lately, the mere thought of running into Ophelia sent chills down her spine. Trouble seemed to cling to that woman like a shadow. Her heart raced. She’d had enough of the drama and quickly retreated to her dressing room.
William and crew members stood up, bewildered. “Who’s this? Some tourists who wandered onto our set?”
Sharon was stunned by Ophelia’s bold move. Her usually calm eyes sparkled like starlight until the director’s sharp question snapped her back to reality. “She’s… She’s my friend,” Sharon stammered. “She came to visit the set
“Visitor or not, she can’t disrupt our filming, William grumbled.
Ophelia released Kimberly’s hand, her icy gaze carrying a clear warning. Kimberly suddenly felt guilty and avoided eye
contact
“I apologize for the interruption,” Ophelia said smoothly. Tve brought some snacks and drinks for everyone. Director, could we take a short break? Sharon’s face is swollen, and I’m not sure the footage will turn out well.”
Right on cue,
Sharon’s assistant swooped in, armed with an assortment of snacks and drinks for the crew.
The gesture was too good to pass up. Even William, now mollified, agreed to a one–hour break. Conveniently, the crew’s lunch had just arrived, making it a perfect time for everyone to eat.
In the dressing room, Ophelia’s brow furrowed at the sight of Sharon’s swollen cheek.
“It’s nothing.” Sharon said quickly. “Just part of the scene we were filming.”
“Hold still,” Ophelia murmured. She wrapped an ice pack in a napkin and gently pressed it against the red mark on Sharon’s face.
Sharon’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Ophelia, her gaze reminiscent of a starstruck fan meeting their idol. “I can do it myself,” she said softly.
Ophelia handed her the ice pack and glanced at her watch. “Where’s Emily’s dressing room?” she asked
Feona immediately pointed in the right direction.
14:50 Mon, Nov 11
Chapter 62
“Let’s go, Ophelia said, heading for the door. “We need to pay her a visit.
Watching Ophelia’s determined expression, Sharon could guess what was happening. Ophelia must have found out about the online smear campaign against her. Even though they both new it was a setup, the only way to quell the rumors now was to apologize to Emily.
A pang of guilt hit Sharon. Once again. Ophelia was left to clean up her messes.
A knock sounded on the dressing room door. Tracy opened it. As she saw who had arrived, a flicker of understanding crossed her face, poorly concealing her contempt.
‘She must be here to apologize to Emily, Tracy thought. After how things went down, how could she not?
“Well, well, if it isn’t Ms. Campbell,” Tracy sneered, a smug grin spreading across her face. “Looks like your cheek’s swollen too, huh?” Her eyes flicked to the woman beside Sharon, a sense of familiarity tugging at her.
Before Tracy could place her, Ophelia and Sharon breezed past her into the dressing room.
Emily, who had been lounging comfortably on the sofa, immediately stiffened at the sight of Ophelia. She sat up bristling like a cat with its hackles raised.
straight,
“What are you doing in my dressing room?” Emily asked, her voice tight with sudden nervousness, her eyes wary.
“We left something here,” Ophelia replied with a hint of a smirk, amused by Emily’s reaction. She walked to the vanity and picked up a lipstick.
Emily’s eyes were fixed on Ophelia’s hands, watching intently as she pressed something on what appeared to be a lipstick tube. Suddenly, a small red light blinked on.
Upon closer inspection. Emily realized with a jolt that this wasn’t lipstick at all but a hidden camera. A sense of dread washed over her.
You
put a camera in my dressing room? Ophelia, have you lost your mind?” Emily stared at her in horror. ‘How long has this been going on?‘ Her mind raced, wondering if everything from before had been recorded.
Sharon slood frozen, watching as Ophelia pulled out her phone. A video appeared on the screen, showing Sharon and Emily rehearsing their scene.
The phone’s speaker crackled to life. “Ms. Campbell, we have a slapping scene coming up. I want you to really go for it–no holding back. It’s our first scene together, so we need to give it our all
Sharon’s voice came through. “Of course. I’ll make sure to control the force, but I’ll make it look authentic.”
The video jumped to a new angle, clearly showing the red mark on Emily’s face. But a keen observer would notice that it wasn’t the result of a sideways slap. Instead, it looked as if a hand had been pressed against her cheek.
“Did you get the shots!” Emily’s voice rang out.
Tracy replied, “Don’t worry, Emily. They’re already on Twitter. Being a diva the lead actress on set? Let’s see her try to salvage her reputation after this.”
ting rehearsals and now physically attacking
Emily nodded with satisfaction. “Alright, hurry up and wipe this stuff off my hand.”
Tracy dutifully began wiping away the paint from Emily’s palms with makeup remover.
Emily admired herself in the mirror, a smug smile playing on her lips.
Unbeknownst to them, a hidden camera was capturing every moment of this exchange. It was perfect
14:51 Mon, Nov 11 u
Chapter 62
When Ophelia learned on her way to the set that Emily had replaced the original lead actress, she made a quick detour to an electronics store to buy a hidden camera.
She had ‘accidentally” bumped into Tracy, slipping the device into her pocket.
Ophelia knew Tracy would naturally place it on Emily’s makeup table. Even if it didn’t capture video, the audio would be enough.
As Tracy spotted the familiar lipstick, a sudden realization hit her. But it was already too late.
Ophelia suddenly announced. “Well, we’ve found what we came for. Let’s go and leave Ms. Hastings to rest.”
“Ophelia, what… What are you planning to do?” Emily hurriedly stood up to block their path. She couldn’t let them release that video footage. It was absolutely out of the question.
She frantically tried to snatch the camera, but Ophelia didn’t dodge. Instead, she calmly handed the device over, knowing full well the video had already been copied to her phone.
Emily, now groveling, pleaded, “Ophelia, please. Is this really necessary? Do you have to crush me to feel better? Can’t we just call it even if I grovel and say sorry?” Her act was Oscar–worthy, but a hint of cunning lurked beneath the surface.
She turned to Sharon, cranking up the theatrics. “Ms. Campbell, I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I’ve even been defending you online. I swear…”
As Emily clutched at the hem of Sharon’s costume, her face a mask of humility, her eyes flashed with calculation. She discreetly signaled to Tracy, urging her to take photos of the scene.
She’d already imagined the perfect headline: [Sharon Bullies Emily, Forces Her to Kneel and Apologize in Public] Everyone would sympathize with her, the victim who’d been struck and then forced to apologize. They’d turn on Sharon en masse.
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