Chapter 9

Zoey had no clue what was up with Arthur; she had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

The leading lady in "To Rest in Peace" was Natalie Davis, a TV Best Actress award winner. This was her first movie, and she was paired with the Movie Best Actor award winner, James Garcia, which showed the producer was really backing Natalie.

No one could figure out why James would stoop to join such a low-budget film.

Maybe because of her TV background, Natalie was super stiff, making the first intimate scene a real pain to shoot.

After the crew switched up the equipment, they went with live sound recording to keep things natural.

But Natalie's performance was so-so, making it look like James was dealing with a lifeless mannequin.

The director threw in the towel, waving his hand. "Forget it, just focus on the male lead."

He then told Natalie, "Make your voice more appealing to set the mood."

Even though her scene was cut down to just her voice and a brief glimpse of her body, Natalie still couldn't deliver; her voice just sounded like a frog.

But when facing the director, Natalie could play the coy card. "Sorry, I'm really embarrassed."

James tried to smooth things over for her. "I get it, Miss Davis is quite conservative."

'Why be conservative when you're acting?'Zoey rolled her eyes, fed up. "Let me show you how it's done."

Natalie pretended to be surprised. "Ms. Cavendish, are you sure?"

If it weren't for the investor appointing Zoey as the supervisor, and the producer and director insisting she stay, she wouldn't waste her time here.

Zoey didn't waste words, nodding to signal James to get into position.

Zoey pushed James, who then sat on the bed.

She lifted her skirt and straddled him, one hand around James's neck, the other lingering on his chest, whispering his character's name in his ear with a husky and seductive voice, "William Rodriguez."

James's ears turned red instantly, and he raised his hand to steady her waist, pretending to kiss her collarbone.

Zoey leaned back slightly, showing off her curves, accompanied by soft breaths.

The director and script supervisor on set blushed, wondering how such simple touches could be so steamy.

James's eyes became dreamy, and his hand instinctively moved up her waist.

Before he could touch her, Zoey abruptly stood up, her voice calm again. "That's it, very simple."

Zoey's expression was cold, as if she hadn't just been in a passionate moment.

She had studied voice acting to some extent, so this was a piece of cake for her.

James's hand fell empty, a flash of disappointment crossing his face.

The director's team snapped back to reality, quickly calling Natalie to try.

Natalie was still hesitant. "But, it's a bit too much, I've never done this before." Her voice grew smaller.

Zoey had heard plenty of gossip about Natalie when she learned about the crew's setup; she was far from as innocent as she appeared.

"Miss Davis, this equipment costs $20,000 a day. Are you going to cover the delay fees?"

"Everyone has already spent two hours with you."

The script supervisor and crew showed frustration.

Zoey was about to say something, but the producer quickly ran over, out of breath. "The investor wants to see you, in the car outside the studio."

It seemed urgent.

Zoey wanted to ask, but the producer pushed her. "Go quickly, he said if you're not there in ten minutes, he'll pull all investments and sue our crew."

Zoey hurried outside the studio.

She was worried about finding the car. But as soon as she stepped out, she realized it wouldn't be a problem. The low-key, luxurious Maybach was hard to miss.

'Why is the CEO of Chase Corporation looking for her? Do these rich folks just invest on a whim?'

Zoey grumbled to herself as she walked over, but before she got ten steps away, someone suddenly appeared, blocking her path.

"Are you looking for Mr. Windsor?"

The woman wore a tight-fitting dress, her wavy hair very seductive, fitting Zoey's image of a secretary.

"He asked for me."

So he was from the Windsor family too. She wondered what his relationship with Henry was. 

Layla Martinez frowned, scrutinizing the clumsy woman before her. "Who are you?"

Zoey was about to say her real name but then thought the CEO might only know her stage name, so she said, "Aurora."

"Aurora? The designated music producer in Hollywood?"

Layla sneered. "She should be abroad busy scoring a blockbuster. Why would she be here?"

She clearly didn't take Zoey seriously.

Zoey didn't bother explaining, just confirming. "Is Mr. Windsor in the car?"

Layla, seeing Zoey not taking her seriously, was furious. "I said, you need to introduce yourself first."

As she spoke, her expression suddenly turned strange, staring at Zoey for a long time. "Are you Zoey?"

Zoey was startled. "You know me?"

This couldn't be right; Zoey had a good memory and would have recognized her if they knew each other.

Getting a confirmation, Layla's face twisted into a cold smile. "So the rumors are true; you were chased away by someone's wife and only now dare to come back?"

"Are you now targeting Mr. Windsor? Forget it, Mr. Windsor wouldn't be interested in a woman who's been played by other men," Layla mocked her.

Zoey was so speechless that she almost laughed. "Do we know each other? Clarifications have been everywhere. How can you, as Mr. Windsor's secretary, have such poor information-gathering skills?"

Seeing Zoey didn't recognize her, Layla thought she was bluffing and became more sarcastic: "Who knows if the clarifications are true? If they were, you wouldn't be pretending to be Aurora to meet Mr. Windsor."

Zoey had never been so speechless; she was unable to communicate with her, so she walked straight to the car.

Furious, Layla reached out to stop her. Zoey accidentally unbuttoned her blouse in the scuffle.

Layla immediately covered her chest in shame and anger, glaring at Zoey. "You!"

Seeing her glare, Zoey seemed to recognize her. "Are you Layla? The most beautiful senior?"

Layla was incredulous. "You really don't remember me?"

Zoey never kept unnecessary people in her memory, her expression serious. "Senior, we have no grudges, why are you making things difficult for me?"

Her words seemed to trigger something in Layla, who coldly laughed. "No grudges? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have missed the chance to be recommended to a foreign university!"

As Layla spoke, she pulled out her phone, aiming it at Zoey. "You say you're Aurora? Let's see how her fans react to someone impersonating their idol."

Zoey disliked excessive exposure, reaching to block her phone.

However, Layla slapped her hand away, refusing to let go.

The two struggled, and Layla shouted into her phone, "The fake music producer was attacking me on the street!"