Because it was extremely quiet on Weston’s end of the line, he could clearly hear the background
noise on Stella’s end.
Weston was sitting on the sofa. The black genuine leather felt cold against his skin. The rest of the
room was just as cool and serene.
“Where are you?” he asked Stella. Stella explained exactly what happened. There was only silence
when she finished speaking, as Weston made no reply. “Can I… go home a little later today?” Stella
hesitantly asked. Weston glanced at the time,
“How late is a little later?”
Stella pursed her lips and looked around the set. Things seemed to be in an uproar, with people
shouting and hurrying around. Even as she stood there in a relatively quiet corner, she was still in
someone’s way from time to time.
“I don’t know how long this’ll take,” she replied. “Once I’m done, I’ll let the driver know.”
Weston remained silent.
Stella’s heart was pounding as she awaited his answer. She could never guess Weston’s mood or
temper. She was also afraid that he might do something to her if he was unhappy.
Stella didn’t know how long Weston just stayed silent like that, not saying a single word, until he finally
just hung up the phone.
Stella sighed in relief when she heard the beeping tone. She knew, of course, that he was possibly a
little disgruntled, but at least it was a sign he agreed that she could remain on the film set for the time
being, albeit reluctantly, otherwise he would’ve had someone come over and forcibly take her away.
Stella put her phone away and rushed back towards the stage. Ruby was still there as her part was not
over yet. The assistant frowned when he noticed Stella walking in.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
“Just there,” replied Stella, pointing at the quiet corner.
The assistant was about to lose his temper, but when his eyes met Stella’s, he suddenly found his
anger subsiding for some reason. “Fine…” he muttered. “But next time please tell me before you
wander off somewhere. You’re the only accompanying Ruby here today. Mr. Smith is my old
acquaintance, so I could help you keep an eye on Ruby, but I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to
you or Ruby.”
He was getting a little irritated just now when he found that Stella was suddenly missing. He’d thought
that she had sneaked away somewhere. But now that he’d heard Stella’s explanation, he realized that
he might’ve been overreacting.
But Stella had always been very patient, so she merely replied with a smile.
“We should’ve been able to wrap things up a long time ago,” he continued, now feeling a little
embarrassed for losing his temper, “if it hadn’t been for Guinevere Co—”.
The assistant stopped himself short of finishing his sentence before continuing again.
“I mean, it would be unfair to put the blame on any particular actress though…” He realized that he’d
been speaking too much. He shouldn’t have leaked any information about any actor or actress like that
to an outsider. This was basic professional ethics. “There’s been a slight problem,” he explained, “so
now everything’s delayed. Everyone’s under immense stress, so please don’t take anything to heart.”
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Stella, flattered that the assistant felt he owed her an explanation. “I
totally understand.”
Ruby couldn’t remember all of her lines, so her performance had not gone very well. She was already
upset about this, but when she saw her dance teacher chatting away cheerfully nearby instead of
paying attention to her, she lost her temper immediately and started a tantrum. “I… I can’t remember
my lines!” she yelled red-faced at the director. “I’ve forgotten it all! I don’t remember anything!”
The director sprang up onto his feet. He was already in a thunderous mood before that, but now that
this child started acting up too, he just couldn’t take it anymore. “Don’t think that I’d go easy on you just
because you’re a kid!” he shouted, pointing at Ruby.
Ruby pouted and started sobbing. “But I honestly don’t remember my lines!” she cried, rubbing her
tears away with the back of her hands before wailing even louder.
Everyone on set was now looking at Ruby. The director’s patience was wearing extremely thin.
“This is a crucial scene,” he bellowed. “If you can’t do it, then I’ll get someone else to replace
you!”
“Sir,” the assistant director quickly whispered in his ear, “She’s the only one here today. There’ve been
some glitches so the others didn’t make it. If we don’t finish filming this scene today, the subsequent
filming schedules would be delayed too. If that happens, Guinevere Cohen will definitely raise hell!”
The director took a long deep breath to steady himself. He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his
brows and tried his best to keep it together. “Come on,” he told Ruby in a much gentler voice this time,
“Clear your mind and try to remember. This is your chance to be a star! Just try to remember your
lines!”
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