Eulalia wasn’t interested in what was going on around her. She stood in the corner, with Ozzie beside her, trying to eavesdrop on the situation. After a while, he leaned over and whispered, “I think I heard them say they’re changing the script. Do you think they’ll cut our scenes?”Eulalia didn’t respond, so Ozzie kept listening. And sure enough, his worst fears came true.“I heard them clearly—they’re cutting your scenes, especially the kissing scenes. No stand-ins allowed, either,” Ozzie frowned, looking frustrated.Eulalia finally spoke up, “They’re cutting my scenes; why are you looking so upset?”Ozzie sighed, “Who’s in those intimate scenes with you? Me! If they cut yours, they’ll cut mine, too. And now they’ll bring in a stand-in—these days, they’re not even good-looking, and some are even guys. I can’t do that…” He trailed off, realizing how his words sounded and quickly shut up, worried Eulalia might think he was being sleazy.But Eulalia wasn’t bothered. Her mind was already
The past few days focused mainly on filming scenes with Eulalia and Ozzie. Early call times were set, but Evette, who insisted on her beauty sleep, had her scenes shifted to the afternoon, much to Reid's growing frustration.Evette rushed over after touching up her makeup, aware only that the investors wanted to see her act, but clueless about the exact scene. Nervous and uneasy, she avoided asking questions, sneaking only a quick glance in Eulalia's direction before keeping her head down and eyes wandering—a behavior unlike her usual self.Trent's gaze lazily landed on her face, his eyes narrowing as if he found something amusing. "Let’s start. We'll shoot the scene where the beggars assault her."“What?!” Evette blurted out. She had read the script thoroughly and knew exactly which scene Trent was talking about—a part where Remi is surrounded by five or six beggars, nearly losing her dignity. Her clothes are torn, her hair disheveled, and she looks utterly defeated.Evette despised
As soon as Trent called Eulalia's name, everyone's attention turned to her.Eulalia quickly finished sending a message and put her phone down, pretending she hadn't heard anything.Ozzie nudged her with his elbow. "He's calling you. Go on."Eulalia wanted to keep ignoring it, but it was beyond the point where she could pretend anymore. Even her best acting skills couldn't ignore this.The assistant director came over. "Eulalia, Trent wants you to come sit with him. Let's go - he's not someone you want to offend."Evette, who was still trying to act through gritted teeth, noticed Eulalia approaching the director's area. Her whole body tensed up and her expression crumbled."Cut!" Reid stopped filming. He couldn't continue at this point. Evette had been doing okay before, but now her performance was falling apart. There was no point in continuing.Trent hadn't come to watch the filming. He was here specifically to mess with Evette.Even though Reid was dissatisfied with Evette, he hadn'
"How did you forget your dead wife who burned in that fire and start liking her replacement? Percival, I thought you were such a devoted man, but I guess not," Trent sneered.Percival's jaw clenched, his whole body radiating murderous intent. "Don't you dare mention her!""The more you tell me not to, the more I want to," Trent said defiantly. As he spoke, the wound on his lip stung, making him wince. He glanced at Eulalia. In the past, if he'd gotten even a tiny scratch, that village girl would've been on the verge of tears with worry. But now she wouldn't even give him a warm look. Something sharp seemed to pierce his heart, causing a dull ache. He was usually good at enduring pain, but this feeling spread from his chest up to his throat, leaving him choked up.Trent pointed at Percival, unleashing his emotions: "This guy, Percival, the supposed perfect man plastered all over social media. Always going on about how he cherishes his wife and built an amusement park for his late wife.
The actress who claimed to be a die-hard fan of Victor had started to silently scream. She’d joined the entertainment industry after watching one of his movies, thinking she might get the chance to meet him, or even work with him. But a year in, she was still just watching him from her phone like always. As a fan, she’d imagined all sorts of scenarios where they’d meet, but never like this.If this really was Victor Truex, then why was he here? The first thing that came to mind was Eulalia—first, there were two guys fighting over one girl, and now, three. As a devoted fan, she felt her heart shatter a little. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t come up with any other explanation.Eulalia looked over, and in the scorching midday sun, Victor came sprinting toward her, shadows and light playing over him. He was running fast, and she could almost hear his heavy breathing. With just a mask on, his eyes—dark like obsidian—were filled with worry, and sweat covered his forehead. From the
Victor's strong arms trembled as he held Eulalia, as if cradling something precious and fragile.Eulalia felt her own heart quivering in response. She tilted her head back slightly, resting her chin on Victor's shoulder."What's wrong?" she asked softly. Her breath tickled his ear, causing it to twitch and turn pink.Victor's voice was hoarse as he replied, "I'm scared. Scared I'd be too late and find you hurt. Scared I wouldn't see you again. Scared something would happen to you. Scared you'd leave me. Scared you'd be mistreated when I'm not around. Scared you'd suffer in silence without telling me. Lalia... how do I overcome this fear?""But I'm fine, aren't I?" Eulalia paused, then hesitantly raised her hand to pat his back reassuringly. "And I'm not alone. I called you. I'm safe. I'm still here."Victor was like a wolf-dog being soothed. The warmth in his arms filled the emptiness in his heart, as if injected with hot honey, sweet to the core."I don't want there to be a next time
Bringing a cat along made it tough to find a restaurant since many don’t allow pets, and with the two of them being celebrities, they’d attract a crowd in no time.So, they decided to buy some groceries and cook at home. Eulalia’s rental was nearby, so she brought Victor over. She was cool about it, but Victor was a bundle of nerves—heart racing, face flushed—thinking about his first time visiting the home of someone he liked, and without a proper gift!Actually, he did have something—a small gift he'd kept in the car, planning to give it to her in a few days."I left something in the car. I’ll be right back," Victor said."What is it?" Eulalia glanced at the bags in his hands filled with groceries and snacks, plus the one from Jane. She checked when they got out, so it didn’t seem like anything was missing."Just wait here, I’ll be back in a second." Victor rushed off, heading to the parking lot. He opened his car door and rummaged through the glove compartment until he found a beaut
Eulalia had never seen a post about herself deleted so quickly before.She sat cradling Misty in one arm, absently fingering the tag on the cat's collar. After a few minutes, her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:"Eulalia, I don't want you as a replacement anymore. Stay by my side and I can protect you. Percival is ruthless - if you want a better life, stay far away from that madman."Eulalia frowned as she read the message. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard to reply "Go to hell," but she thought better of it and deleted the draft. There was nothing worth saying to someone like Trent. She blocked the number and set up a custom auto-reply instead.Meanwhile, Trent was anxiously awaiting Eulalia's response. He thought he had made himself clear - surely the small-town girl would get the hint. But after half an hour of silence, doubt crept in. Had she not seen the message? Or was she too afraid to reply?He sent another text:"If you come back to me obediently, I'm will