Isabella sat nervously on the edge of the bed, glancing secretly at Regina and Cynthia, accidentally making eye contact with them.
The three of them simultaneously ‘hmphed,’ rolled their eyes, and ignored each other.
Isabella furrowed her brow, thinking to herself, ‘These two seem determined to stay. I wonder how Lucius is doing. He wouldn't run away at the last minute, would he?’
With that thought, Isabella felt a surge of anger. ‘Hmph, he insisted on staying here when he was injured. Now that I'm in trouble, he's quick to run. Lucius Knight, if you dare to run, may you step in dog poop every day for the rest of your life.’
Just as she was cursing him in her mind, the door suddenly clicked open.
Lucius walked in.
Isabella was overjoyed and quickly stood up.
As soon as he entered, he angrily took off his shoes, threw the
Isabella walked over and pulled open the door, pointing outside. She said coldly to them, "Leave immediately, or I'll call the police."Cynthia was unwilling to give up and still wanted to continue confronting Isabella.Regina gave her a meaningful look, grabbed her arm, and restrained her previous hostility. "Cynthia, let's go. Your sister casually cohabits with a stranger and secretly got married, completely disregarding her father. Let your dad handle this matter."Cynthia understood instantly. This house was originally meant to be retrieved behind her father's back. If her father found out, he would definitely blame them.Now, Isabella had married this lowly man without permission, showing disrespect to her elders. For their father, who valued prestige more than anything, this was an embarrassing family scandal. He would surely intervene and discipline Isabella himself.By th
Miss Kirsten was taken aback, not expecting Mrs. Rivera to speak of the Rivera family's eldest daughter in such a way. Naturally, she was unaware of the animosity between Isabella and Regina.Seeing that Miss Kirsten was silent, Regina made her intentions clear, "I hope you won't admit Isabella to the school. This is also for the sake of the school's reputation. We don't want her to tarnish it."Miss Kirsten finally understood; Mrs. Rivera clearly disliked the eldest daughter of the Rivera family. It seemed the rumors that Mrs. Rivera was a stepmother were true.Given that someone of Mrs. Rivera's status had personally made this call, Miss Kirsten immediately realized she couldn't afford to offend such an influential figure. She quickly agreed, "I understand Mrs. Rivera's concerns. However, Isabella is already enrolled. It would be against school regulations to expel her without cause."Regina furrow
In the next moment, the entire class erupted in thunderous laughter.Mocking voices aimed at Isabella rose one after another."Oh my god, scoring zero points is quite a feat. I couldn't even do that if I tried.""How did a loser like this get into a top school? Isn't this a disgrace to the school?""Disgrace? She's very pretty, though—a pretty loser.""They say the prettier someone is, the lower their IQ. I guess it's true."Isabella ignored the mocking voices around her. Those were last year's exam results; they only represented the past. Today was a new beginning.Her sole focus now was on the placement exam. It was as if she couldn't hear the laughter, remaining absorbed in her studies.Jaden, hearing his classmates' discussions, turned to glance at Isabella with displeasure.The girl was slend
Isabella entered the exam room and found her assigned seat according to her exam ticket number.To her surprise, Jaden was seated right behind her.Jaden didn’t even glance at her, acting as if she was invisible.Isabella was about to sit down but hesitated.The previous two incidents were clearly Jaden's doing. Would he give up so easily after failing?She remained standing, and Jaden looked up at her, seemingly anxious about her not sitting down.Isabella's suspicions were confirmed—something was definitely wrong with the seat.She inspected the desk and chair closely but found nothing unusual at first.Looking again more carefully, she noticed a barely visible thin line on one of the chair legs, as if it had been tampered with.Isabella smirked slightly, realizing Jaden’s amateurish plan.
The mid-exam disruption caused by Jaden's broken glasses prevented him from receiving outside information. His constant fiddling with the glasses was a desperate attempt to regain the lost signal. The electronic device's red light leaking through the cracked frame was what caught Mr. Brown's attention.The entire exam hall buzzed with whispers and shock.It turned out that this so-called top student had been cheating his way to high scores all along. The one who was once seen as a brilliant and privileged student had fallen from grace and was now despised by his peers."Such a fraud is disgusting! Ugh!" Someone almost jumped up to spit on him."Yeah, it's so unfair. We work so hard, day and night, shedding sweat and tears to prepare for exams, and he cheats his way to high scores.""This is outrageous. He should be expelled and disqualified from the college entrance exams."
The class erupted into a chorus of discussions, voices raising uncontrollably."I was shocked when I saw the list this morning. I never thought Isabella would be the top scorer this time.""How is this possible? Wasn't she the one who scored zero on the college entrance exam? Now she's got perfect scores? Unbelievable.""I heard her college entrance exam scores were actually the highest, but her interview scored zero. The school’s record only showed her interview score, omitting her written exam results.""Wow, so Isabella is the real top student!"Some still doubted, "Maybe she cheated too. With how advanced cheating methods are these days, who knows? She can't be lucky every time. She'll slip up eventually, just like Jaden did."Isabella finally understood why everyone had been staring at her earlier—they already knew the exam results.
Lucius glanced at the broken pieces, worried that his future might be at risk, and quickly turned around obediently to wash the dishes.When it was time to rest at night, Lucius naturally lay down on the bed.As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Isabella glaring at him.Curious and puzzled, he asked, "What's wrong, Bella? Why aren’t you asleep yet? Don’t you have class tomorrow?"Suppressing her anger, Isabella asked, "Did you forget to buy a piece of furniture?"Lucius quickly denied it, "No, everything’s here. I even bought an extra-large bathtub."Isabella clenched her fists a little tighter, took a deep breath, and asked, "Then why didn’t you buy a bed?"Lucius rubbed his forehead, "Isn’t there already a bed? Buying another one would be wasteful."Ha, this spendthrift man finally knows how to be frugal.&n
Isabella’s face went stiff. If she kept arguing with this shameless man, she was bound to dig her own grave.She decided to yank him up and push him out of the bathroom. "Hurry up and go out! Nature calls!" she said as she shut the bathroom door with a click.Lucius, still amused, lazily sauntered over to Isabella’s bed and plopped down, resuming his sleep.Mmm, her bed smelled so good, a comforting fragrance that filled his senses.Lucius contentedly closed his eyes.When Isabella finished in the bathroom and came out, she saw the man sprawled out on her bed, once again taking up the whole space. Instantly, she felt a wave of despair wash over her."Wake up, this is my bed. You need to sleep in the bathtub," Isabella said, shaking him helplessly.But Lucius was already deep in dreamland, completely unresponsive.Isab
Lysander, a bit taken aback, asked, "Why not? Cynthia has set traps on set and secretly slandered Isabella. If you don’t replace her, are you just going to let Cynthia continue to make things difficult for your Isabella?"Lucius’s voice suddenly grew deep and frosty. "If we remove Cynthia from the role, the Riveras will pull their investment. That money is essentially owed to Bella by the Riveras, and it should be paid to her. Why should we let them take it back?"Lucius’s voice carried a barely perceptible cold smirk as he looked at the bathroom door, touching the wound Isabella had bandaged for him. Although the scab had fallen off, the psychological terror Isabella had endured that night from the Rivera family—those helpless, frightened eyes like a young deer—still pained him deeply.His voice, now subtly heavy, grew louder. “If the Riveras withdraws their funding, it won’t affect them much. I want Cynthia to stay in the production and continue playing the le
Faced with overwhelming evidence, Cynthia had no way to defend herself. Every trick she wanted to pull unraveled before she could even speak.Someone shouted, “Cynthia, you brought us all here to the assistant director’s office to slander Isabella, didn’t you?”The onlookers, who had been dragged into this mess by Cynthia, were now desperate to distance themselves from her. That shout was clearly directed at the assistant director, pleading for forgiveness and hoping he wouldn’t hold a grudge.The director and Producer Aileen remained silent, as the truth was already crystal clear. There was no need for them to say more. Cynthia was caught, with no escape.Panicked, Cynthia tried to bluff her way out. "That love letter was just a prank between my sister and me. Nothing actually happened, you're all overreacting—”“Slap!”Before she could finish her sentence, Isabella delivered a hard slap across her face, causing Cynthia to see stars and nea
The assistant director remained composed, standing firm as he gave Hailey a calm, steady look. “So, what you’re suggesting is that I’m having an affair with Ms. Isabella?”Hailey raised an eyebrow, her lips curling in a sneer. She stared at Isabella with contempt. “Exactly. I like to call things as they are. You two were alone in your office—what else could it be but an affair?”“Who said they were alone?” A cold, sharp voice suddenly interrupted from behind the assistant director.Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, and a woman stepped out of the office.It was none other than the assistant director’s wife, Producer Aileen, who also worked on the project.The onlookers were stunned.What was going on? Why was the assistant director’s wife here too?Producer Aileen looked calmly at Hailey, her expression unreadable. She asked coolly, “Isabella was in the office for less than a minute, and you’re claiming she and the assist
If Isabella tries to clear her name now, it'll only make things worse—who would believe her anyway?Cynthia is probably stirring up more trouble behind the scenes, and it seems like most of the crew has already bought into her lies.The only way to stop the rumors is to force Cynthia to confess, to make everyone see her ugly true nature.With that in mind, Isabella started thinking about how to expose Cynthia.Despite everything, she acted as if nothing was wrong, carrying on as usual, completely unfazed by the stares and mockery around her.But Cynthia was running out of patience. She wanted to deliver a fatal blow to Isabella, to get her kicked out of the production—and maybe even out of the entire industry. It was time to make a bigger move.That evening, just as the crew was wrapping up, Amy approached Isabella with a file and said, "Isabella, the director wants to discuss the script for Lady Lucia. He needs to go over the lines with you.”Isabel
Isabella almost thought she’d misheard. She stared at the director in disbelief and asked again, “I can play the second female lead?”The assistant director, with a smile in his eyes, confirmed, “Yes, you’re cast as the second female lead.”Then he shifted his tone, “Although the second female lead plays a villain, it’s a highly challenging role and one of the key pillars of this drama. If performed well, it will shine brightly and win the audience's sympathy, gaining you countless fans. But if performed poorly, it will become a one-dimensional, uninteresting character, leading to criticism and affecting your reputation, which could hinder your future prospects. So, are you up for the challenge?”The assistant director’s gaze was intense and full of anticipation.Isabella nodded vigorously, confidently replying, “Director, trust me.”“Good. I’ll announce the final casting list soon. The role of the second female lead is yours.” The assistant direct
In the heavy armor, Isabella felt as if her legs were filled with lead, making each step laborious.She took a deep breath, using her core strength to try and maintain a valiant appearance.After numerous adjustments and attempts, her steps began to look more confident and graceful. The armor, instead of seeming cumbersome, added a substantial and authentic feel to her portrayal.Unlike many productions that use lightweight, superficial props, this armor, crafted from real iron, was heavy and lent a genuine sense of the historical battlefield.The weight of the armor, though exhausting, contributed to the realism of her performance, making the historical context feel palpable.Every step she took was a struggle, but she carried herself with unwavering determination, her feet steady and resolute.The armored general she portrayed wasn’t grandiose like a mythical hero but had a commendable presence, showcasing the strength and dignity of a wom
Isabella’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Of course, I’d love to. If the director gives me the opportunity, I’ll definitely perform well.”The assistant director was charmed by her enthusiasm and laughed heartily, “So confident! I like your drive. Alright, come on over and we’ll do the audition.”Isabella eagerly followed the assistant director.Her excited demeanor immediately caught Cynthia’s attention.When Cynthia learned that Isabella was auditioning for a special role, she was relieved.Although a special role was a step up from a temporary background actor, it was still quite demanding and tough, often involving dirty and strenuous work.Special roles, especially those requiring dangerous stunts, were usually assigned to tough individuals, so it seemed odd for a delicate girl like Isabella to be called for a special role.Curious about what role Isabella might play, Cynthia decided to follow along.Isabella followed the a
When Isabella appeared on set again, the most surprised were Cynthia and Director Martez.Seeing Isabella’s serene expression, Cynthia felt a bit uneasy and quickly forced a smile. “Sister, you finished the shoot so soon?”Isabella remained composed. “Yes, it’s done. Unlike you, who always seems to be acting.”The remark was sharp, and Cynthia immediately sensed the underlying tone.Cynthia pondered over Isabella’s reaction.Logically, she should have been upset after being scammed. But her calm and neutral demeanor made it hard to guess what had really happened.Director Martez watched as Isabella returned and felt a wave of anxiety. He knew that the announcement was definitely a fake scam ad. Perhaps this young lady had already been scammed, was in tears with nowhere to turn, and was coming back to blame him?Thinking this
The young man at the reception was exceptionally enthusiastic when he saw someone come to sign up.He immediately listed the benefits of joining the production team: “Generous pay, comprehensive insurance, paid vacations, and bonuses during holidays.”Isabella couldn’t help but feel a bit hesitant as she listened to his enthusiastic pitch.The difference in treatment between this production and the previous one was striking.She thought about the 11 dollars she earned from the whole day’s hard work in the previous crew and stared blankly.Now, this new crew promised a commission that was more than 100 times her previous earnings. What kind of golden crew was this, offering such excellent benefits for temporary actors?Seeing Isabella’s silent contemplation, the young man assumed she was impressed by the generous offer and quickly seized the opportunity, saying, “Miss, you clearly have the potential to be a