Chapter 9 Taunt
In the dressing room, Graciela took off her wet clothes and found a clean towel to wipe her hair.
It was late autumn, and having been soaked in the lake for so long made her feel cold all over. Besides, she had had that car accident not long ago. Though her injuries had healed, she was still weak.
After sneezing a few times in a row, she realized she might be coming down with a cold.
Someone couldn’t stand seeing her like this anymore and
walked over to her with a hairdryer. “Ms. Ferguson, use this to dry your hair.”
“Thank you,” Graciela thanked her sincerely.
She really needed to dry her hair before stepping outside again- it was so cold outside.
Her scenes were scheduled over the next few days. If things
were delayed because she fell ill, she wouldn’t know how to face
Helena, who had made a great deal of effort before winning this
role for her.
Leanna had deliberately made her suffer. No one on set was stupid, and they could all tell.
But they were all shrewd and seasoned sycophants and had probably gotten used to it already. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so hard for her to find even a hairdryer in the dressing
room.
“What’s your name?” Graciela had always been the grateful type, and she found the woman with a round face in front of her quite adorable.
The woman was about to tell Graciela when her friend came into the dressing room, pulled her outside, and reminded her in a lowered voice, “What were you thinking talking to her? Didn’t you see she had offended Ms. McLean? If Ms. McLean’s assistants see you, you’ll be fired!”
“But…”
“Stop it! Don’t be a busybody. I heard Mr. Arellano is here to visit
Ms. McLean. Let’s go!”
They soon left, and the dressing room fell silent again.
Graciela shrugged and started to dry her hair.
After she was all set, she packed her things and left. As she
walked past the filming set, she saw Bryant standing in front of a tall, slender man, saying something with a fawning smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Leanna was holding hands with the man, the smile on her face added a touch of gracefulness to her temperament.
Graciela found the man’s back slightly familiar.
But she didn’t intend to find out who he was.
Other than Lamar, that big jerk, Leanna was now the person she hated the most.
However, things didn’t always go the way she wanted.
“Ms. Ferguson,” Leanna called out to her.
She turned around and wasn’t surprised to see the trace of
complacency flashing across Leanna’s eyes.
Leanna’s voice also attracted the others‘ attention. The man
beside her tilted his head slightly, and Graciela saw his
handsome face.
She immediately recognized who he was and rolled her eyes,
thinking, “The duo I hate the most? Just my luck.”
“What?” she said coldly, the physical discomfort made her
slightly impatient.
Leanna still wore a smile. “Lamar is here to visit me on set, and
he brought snacks for everyone here. Come over and give it a go.”
“No need. I’m not hungry. Thanks.”
O Graciela turned to leave.
Yet, Leanna immediately pouted, her eyes brimming with tears. “Ms. Ferguson, are you blaming me for making you jump into the water so many times? If so, I apologize to you sincerely. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time. It’s just… I’m always critical when it comes to my job. I did this for everyone’s sake. It’ll be such a great honor for all of us if this film wins awards, right?”
The corner of Graciela’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She thought, “What a big phony!
“Does she think I’m stupid or what?”
She wasn’t, but apparently, someone was. The tears in Leanna’s
eyes softened Lamar’s heart, who immediately looked at the
silent Graciela with displeasure.
Then he comforted Leanna, “Leanna, don’t apologize to her. I’m sure no matter what you do, you do it for art. Everything is for the greater good, right? If somebody is too blind to see that, they might as well leave the crew as soon as possible.”
Graciela thought, “Gosh, does he think he gets to intimidate me
by saying that? I don’t want to rely on Emery or Morton. Otherwise, I would have dealt with all of you already!
“Lamar is a stupid jerk indeed. Such a waste of a perfectly handsome face.”
She no longer bothered to play along to Leanna’s act. Instead, she decided to mimic Leanna and play the goody two–shoes, too.
“Ms. McLean, you got me wrong. I’m not upset with you at all. After all, you made it big in Haleywood, which is such a glory to our country. Having your acting advice is my honor, and I’m sure everyone agrees with me. Next time, maybe the others could pick your brain, too? I’m sure they’re happy to be soaked in the water for a couple of hours. Am I right, guys?”
She dragged everyone else on set down together.
They smiled awkwardly. They all knew Leanna had
deliberately given her a hard time, yet, here she was,
implicating them.
But she couldn’t care less about what they thought. She smiled sweetly and pretended to be indignant. “Come to think of it, there’s another actress from our country in Haleywood, Betty Schmidt, who has just won the Best Actress of Goldew Award. Both the media here and abroad are crazy about her. But, as far as I’m concerned, she’s nothing compared to you, Ms. McLean. It must be that you’re so generous and spend all your time
O coaching amateurs like us that she beat you and won. Right, Ms.
McLean?”
Leanna’s smile vanished as her face turned livid.
She claimed that she had come back to reignite her career in the country, but those in showbiz knew she was just a nobody in Haleywood–after years, the best role she could get was a bit part without even lines. On the contrary, Betty was widely recognized in Haleywood.
The comparison was so harsh, and she finally decided to give up
and come back.
Graciela felt great when she saw the look on Leanna’s face. She
then turned to Lamar and smiled genuinely and brightly, “Mr.
Arellano, am I showing Ms. McLean with enough respect now?
Forgive me, but I gotta run and get some cold medicine. I’ll be so
upset if I miss the chance of being coached by Ms. McLean.”
She waved her hand in a great mood and left briskly.
Her radiant smile and sunlit vitality left Lamar in a daze.
He thought, “She was with me for five years and never smiled like that.
J
“Somehow, I can’t forget about her bright, luminous eyes at all.
“How come she’s like an entirely different person after leaving me?”
His
gaze fixed on her retreating figure.
He couldn’t help but wonder, “Graciela, how many more secrets have you been keeping from me?”
Leanna struggled to swallow her bitterness and resentment and put on a pitiful face, wanting Lamar to feel sorry for her. To her surprise, he was dazed while gazing at Graciela’s back.
She was utterly uneasy and instinctively called out to him,
“Lamar? Lamar?”
“Yeah?” He snapped out of it and looked at her gently. “What’s
up?”
“Did I make a mistake? Perhaps Ms. Ferguson didn’t need my
advice at all. It’s because of me that she caught a cold…” Tears.
were brimming in her eyes.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You were just trying to help,” Lamar comforted her tenderly.
“Alright.” She lowered her head, not letting him spot the flickering light in her eyes.
She thought, “I was so nervous when I knew Lamar was here. I won’t let anything or anyone make him think less of me.
“Damn you, Graciela. How dare you taunt me!
“I swear I’m gonna make you regret it.”
