Chapter 99
Tom pondered, Zack and Vivian both have serious connections. They are not people one could afford to offend. But Blackthorn, the author of Innocence, is just as untouchable.
These people are all a nightmare to deal with. I can’t do this anymore. I should just quit”
Tom let ou a long, weary sigh. Seeing how serious Simone looked, he knew this wasn’t going to be easy to fix.
Left with no other choice, Tom shot Zack and Vivian a subale look, hoping they’d at least try to act a bit more professionally. Then he said. “This is Blackthom, the author of Innocence”
Zack and Vivian were both stunned.
Zack was just as shocked. He chimed in. “Yeah, she looks like she’s barely a teenager. How could someone that young write something
Avery stepped forward and explained. Tim Blackthorn’s editor. There’s no reason for us to lie. If you don’t believe it, you can call my boss to
Vivian, looked Simone up and down completely incredulous. She said. “But everyone online says Blackthorn is some middle–aged guy. How could it be her?”
– like this?”
confirm
At this point, no matter how shocked they were. Zack and Vivian had to accept it. Still, since Simone only had one well–known book and was new to the writing scene, they didn’t take her too seriously.
Not wanting things to get any more awkward, Tom quickly said to Simone, “Blackthorn, we’ve got a few more scenes this afternoon. Why not stick around and watch? I’m sure our actors will show their professionalism.
With things said like that. Simone couldn’t argue. She just nodded, hoping Zack and Vivian would act like professionals this afternoon instead of repeating what happened earlier.
At lunch, Simone and Avery ate boxed meals with the rest of the crew.
They had just sat down when Avery immediately started apologizing. She said, “Simone, I’m sorry, I should’ve done my homework from the start.”
Avery looked downcast, guilt written all over her face. She hadn’t expected the production team to be this unreliable, and now she felt like she’d let Simone down after being trusted with so much.
Simone didn’t seem bothered at all. She just smiled and reassured Avery, “It’s not your fault. None of us could’ve seen this coming
“Thank you, Simone,” Avery said, so touched she was on the verge of tears.
As a veteran editor, Avery knew every author treated their work like their own child. She thought, “If only I had done a better job checking out the crew and the actors, Simone’s child wouldn’t be getting dragged through the mud like this.
Neither Zack nor Vivian has an ounce of professionalism. They messed up the same scene dozens of times. Avery was completely disillusioned with these celebrities now
“This whole crew is a nightmare. I never should’ve sold them the rights,” Avery muttered, so frustrated she wanted to curse. She let out a long sigh and said. “If only we could get out of the contract.”
“Why can’t we?” Simone asked, her eyes flickering with curiosity as she looked at Avery
Avery didn’t even hesitate. She explained, “No way. The contract says if we break it, we owe them 3.3 million. That’s a sky–high penalty. There’s no way we could afford it just thinking about that number made her shiver
Simone didn’t say anything else, just focused on eating her boxed huuch.
Avery glanced at Simone as she ate. She thought, There is something so pleasing about the sight. Beauty dors shine through no matter what she is doing
Suddenly, a loud crash enipted behind them
Simone turned toward the nose and saw a woman jabbing her finger in a young man’s face, hurling vicious insults
The woman snapped, “What are you
are you, a pig? You eat so much at every meal. Are you trying to finish all the crews
food by yourself?”
The woman grabbed the boy’s lunchbox and slammed it to the ground, scattering food everywhere. The boy’s eyes turned red, but he just crouched down and quietly picked up the spilled nce, one grain at a time.
Chapter 99
Instead of apologizing, the woman only got nastier. She kicked the boy hard in the back a few times. Her voice was full of disgust as she said, “You think you’re worthy of competing with Zack for a role!
“You’re just an extra, landing the second male lead is already a miracle for you. And you still dare to dream about the lead? Shameless.”
The boy stayed on the ground for a long moment before finally getting up. He clenched his fists tightly.
Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out, “Why can’t I want it? I act better than Zack. Em younger and I work harder. Why shouldn’t I
get the lead!
“If he hadn’t bought his way into the crew halfway through, the lead role would’ve been mine. His voice trembled with emotion.
The woman just laughed and said, “Why? Because you’re just some fresh grad. You have no family, no background, no connections, no credits, and no experience. That’s your original sin.
“There’s no such thing as ‘should’ve been in this world. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being strong enough.”
The boy, Cohen, shot the woman a fierce glare, his eyes dark and cold. He gritted his teeth and said. “One day, I’ll make it big. Don’t you dare look down on rge. With that, he stormed off.
Simone remembered what Cohen had said earlier. After finishing her meal, she casually pulled aside a girl and asked, “Hey, I heard the male lead wasn’t originally supposed to be Zack. is that true?”
The girl nodded and said, “That’s right” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening before continuing. “If Zack hadn’t brought in his investment halfway through, the lead role was supposed to go to Cohen.
“Cohen has had it rough. After graduating from college, he spent years playing extras. He finally landed the male lead in a big production like Innocence through his talent.
“But right before filming started, he got told he was being bumped down to the second male lead. Talk about bad luck.”“
Mentioning Cohen made the girl think of the original female lead, and she let out a sigh. She said, “And you probably don’t know this, but the female lead wasn’t supposed to be Vivian either.
“There are rumors she only got the part because she slept with the company boss. If it weren’t for that, she never would’ve landed the lead. Oh no, I’ve said way too much. The girl quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and stopped talking.
Simone sandled at her and said, “Relax, I won’t tell anyone. You have my word
Only then did the girl finally relax.
Filming picked back up in the afternoon, but Zack and Vivian were
e still just as off as they’d been that morning
After Tom called “cut” for the fourth time, Simone finally spoke up. “Tom, these two have already wasted enough of the crew’s time. Why don’t we just swap them out!
She pointed at Cohen and added, “I think he’d be a much better fit.”
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