"Wynne, I've told you so many times—she's my sister!"
"Bang—"
A palm slammed heavily onto the table. Water trembled against the glass before sliding down its surface in thin streams.
Emily Carter's eyes reddened, tears pooling as her breathing grew uneven. She lowered her head, tears falling rapidly onto the light-colored sleeve of her outfit.
When Emily finally lifted her head to face Lucas Grant, her gaze accidentally drifted to a figure outside the car window. Sunlight slanted through the glass, its glare almost painful. The person stood in the light, their silhouette stretched long and blurred.
Yet Emily recognized him instantly. Her heart clenched, and her breathing fell completely out of rhythm.
"…Emily?" Lucas reminded her softly.
"Sorry." Emily stood up and lowered her head slightly, her eyes shifting toward the co-actor across from her. She reached toward the curtain by the car window, intending to draw it closed.
Lucas gave a faint smile and nodded, his gaze drifting to the script resting on the chair beside him. The pages were covered in yellow and green highlighter marks, with handwritten notes filling the margins.
Knock, knock—
The trailer door was gently opened from the outside. Emily glanced toward it.
A young girl with twin ponytails stared at Lucas for a long moment, her bright eyes lingering before finally shifting to Emily. In a cheerful tone, she said, "Sis, the director's about to start filming."
As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes met Lucas's—but she quickly looked away. A noticeable blush spread across her face as her fingers lightly touched her warm cheeks, her lips curving upward the entire time.
"Alright." Emily smiled faintly and looked at Lucas. "Senior Grant, see you on set."
Lucas nodded politely, his expression calm as he stood up and left the trailer.
Watching the trailer return to silence, Emily slowly let out a breath. Her hand pressed against her chest as her gaze drifted back to the window.
"Sis." The girl placed a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Sis."
Emily jolted slightly, turning her head stiffly. "What is it, Lily?"
Lily's cheeks were still flushed, her voice soft. "We should get going."
Emily looked at her and let out a soft laugh. "Look at you. Come on."
Emily stood up slowly and examined her makeup and hairstyle in the mirror for a moment, adjusting them slightly before stepping out of the trailer.
—————
On set.
"Emily!"
The director's voice crashed down like a blow. Script in hand, his brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze dark.
Emily heard the urgent shout from afar, her fingers unconsciously twisting together. The beaded strands in her hair tangled slightly, producing a crisp sound.
Lifting her skirt, Emily hurried over to the director's area, a few strands of hair already sticking to her face.
Breathing heavily from the run, she looked up at the cold-faced director before her. "Director Ryan."
Ryan Hayes sat in his chair, eyes fixed on the script, not sparing Emily a single glance. His tone was icy. "Your time must be very valuable, huh?"
Emily's throat tightened, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm sorry, I just—"
"Enough! No explanations." He cut her off. "Finish this scene today and get out. Don't stay a second longer."
"Emily, why are you still standing there? Get to your mark!"
Assistant director Ethan Cole's voice came along with a splash of water droplets that landed on Emily's wrist.
Emily glanced up and saw Ethan approaching step by step. She bowed respectfully. "Assistant Director Cole, I'll go right away."
She glanced at Director Ryan, her steps slowly retreating.
Just as she was about to turn—
"Bang—"
The sound of papers slamming onto the table was especially harsh. Everyone's attention snapped toward the director.
The crew immediately began whispering among themselves, countless eyes turning toward Emily, intentionally or not.
"Director Ryan, my time is limited."
A cold, piercing voice cut into Emily's ears like a needle.
Her pupils shrank as she slowly turned toward the source of the voice.
When her gaze met his, her entire body froze. A light breeze knocked the script from her tightly clenched hands, sending it to the ground. She stared straight at him.
Beside her, Ryan Hayes—who had been fuming moments ago—instantly broke into a warm smile as he turned to greet the man.
"Mr. Reed, I sincerely apologize. She's a bit immature and often delays the entire production. Today is her final scene. Once it's done, I'll have her leave immediately. She won't offend your eyes any longer."
Hearing the director's words, Emily lowered her head even further. Her hands gripped the hem of her dress again and again, not daring to move, afraid the director's gaze might fall back on her.
"Long time no see."
Emily looked up at him in slight surprise, her gaze lingering before she finally nodded and spoke softly, "Long time no see."
Ryan Hayes and Ethan Cole exchanged glances almost simultaneously, then turned in unison to look at Emily and Nathan Reed.
"You two are…?" Ryan asked, pointing between them.
Nathan raised an eyebrow, casually clasping his hands as he looked at Emily. "Ex—"
Before he could finish, Emily quickly cut in, "Classmates!"
Her response came so fast that it redirected the entire situation before anyone could react.
"Oh." Ryan and Ethan nodded, their tone toward Emily softening slightly. "Emily, go get familiar with the set first. We'll start filming soon."
Emily glanced around at the crew and gave a slight bow. Stepping backward a few times, she quickly fled the scene.
Nathan's gaze remained fixed on her retreating figure, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Classmates…" he murmured.
"Mr. Reed, what you mentioned earlier is something we can certainly consider. But based on the direction you suggested, Ms. Carter's role would be reduced significantly—from over three hours of total screen time to about an hour and a half." Ryan scratched his nearly bald head, his tone carrying a hint of deference.
Nathan lowered his cool gaze briefly before lifting it again toward the direction Emily had left. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Director Ryan, to ask the writer to add a few more scenes for her. Otherwise, I'm afraid our 'classmate relationship' might be wiped clean."
Ryan nodded at first, but as he kept nodding, realization hit him. He turned to Nathan in disbelief. "Re… rewrite the script?"
Nathan's smile remained as he casually swung one arm, the other hand tucked in his pocket. "Director Ryan, think it over carefully. Consider my contract along with your decision."
Ryan turned to look at the still unsigned contract lying on the table, his eyes nearly popping out. "No—wait—he's just… that casual about it?"
He turned to Ethan, who simply spread his hands. Rolling his eyes slightly, Ryan's gaze fell back onto the contract, his tone filled with frustration. "Start filming!"