Chapter 39 Scattered High Heels and Stockings
The skeptical murmurs from the crew were relentless, but Thalia remained unfazed.
Listening to the director explain the scene, she walked to her mark and took a moment to get into character.
"Action!" the director called, and the camera started rolling.
Thalia came sprinting around the corner, stumbling at the door as the sight before her made her knees buckle. She collapsed to the ground, then shakily stood up again, her eyes wide with horror as she looked at the body on the floor. Terror, despair, and devastation flooded her expression.
Silent tears streamed from her desolate eyes...
"Cut..."
As soon as the director's voice echoed, Thalia snapped out of character, reverting to her cold, untouchable persona as the princess of Emerald City.
"How'd I do?" Thalia called out to the director, her gaze steady.
The director gave her an OK sign. "Perfect. One take."
Thalia smiled and walked over to a nearby chair to rest.
"Andrew, didn’t you say Thalia's acting was terrible?" they asked, clearly surprised. They had been worried about working with Thalia, fearing a bad performance would lead to endless criticism.
If it wasn't for the company's insistence, Andrew wouldn't have taken this job.
Thalia... really had hidden depths.
Andrew stared at Thalia, stunned.
Like everyone else, he had thought of Thalia as a woman who did whatever she wanted because her father was a big shot. But seeing her today... she was completely different.
"See? You gotta judge people for yourself, not just listen to gossip."
Assistant: ...
"Andrew, what did I tell you? This show won't disappoint you. Among the new actresses, Thalia is the best. In this industry, being beautiful and having connections means people will always talk. Just ignore it."
"You might not like her, but she probably doesn’t care. Your fans are fierce enough to tear the world apart. They’re already trashing Thalia on Facebook."
Andrew's face showed a flash of embarrassment, and he forced a smile. "I was narrow-minded."
On Facebook, Andrew's fans and Thalia's fans were already at each other's throats.
Thalia glanced at the chaos on Facebook, her mouth twitching.
"Capitalist’s daughter, so what?"
"Yeah, can she really ride on Andrew’s fame?"
"Ms. Smith, say something! Are you playing dead?"
"Exactly! Doesn’t she have a boyfriend? Isn’t he a big shot lawyer in Emerald City?"
"Thalia?" Isla looked at Thalia with concern.
Thalia, lounging like a cat basking in the sun, lazily glanced at her. "What?"
"Stop looking at that! They’re insulting you, and you’re enjoying it. That’s twisted."
"I'm learning new curse words."
If she didn’t learn, how would she fight back in the future?
Isla: ... "Whatever makes you happy."
"Thalia..." Isla called her, motioning with her eyes.
Thalia: "Got a twitch in your eye?"
"She’s trying to tell you that I’m here," Andrew said, walking up with a coffee.
Thalia instinctively wanted to move away, but her chair was the only place to sit.
"Andrew, what's up?"
"I saw the stuff on Facebook. I just posted a clarification. Sorry about that..."
"Okay," Thalia said, scrolling through Facebook. "You clarified, but they're still cursing. What’s the difference?"
Andrew: ...
"I'm starting a livestream in a few days. Want to join me? It’d be great. My streams get hundreds of thousands of viewers, and lots of celebrities would kill to be my first guest."
"Yeah, sure."
"No."
Isla and Thalia spoke at the same time.
Thalia glanced at Isla, then looked at Andrew. "I’m afraid of getting cursed out."
"No need to clarify for me. Just stay away. Thanks."
Andrew: ...
Thalia stayed on set for three days.
When it was time to head back to the city, it was night. Isla drove, glancing at the sleeping Thalia in the back. She planned to ask where to drop her off but ended up taking her to Sunset Grove Villas.
"Thalia, we’re here."
Thalia groggily woke up. "Where?"
"Sunset Grove Villas."
"Take me to Golden Valley."
Isla admired Thalia for seemingly evolving beyond the need for sleep, catching naps in the car and being unfazed by lack of rest. It was already 1 a.m., and she still wanted to see a man?
"Thalia, you've been exhausted for days. Give the guy a break!"
"You don’t get it. Am I after a man? I’m after billions in inheritance."
Isla was speechless but turned the car towards Golden Valley, where Nicholas’s apartment was just above William’s.
Thalia opened the door and stepped in. The cleaning service had already been through.
Looking at the minimalist decor, Thalia’s mouth twitched. Do all city elites like this sterile style?
At 3 a.m., William was woken by noises from upstairs.
Thinking he was imagining it, he lay in bed, listening.
There it was again...
Nicholas had several homes in Emerald City, but he mostly stayed at Ashford Hall. Why was there noise upstairs at this hour?
William grabbed his phone and called Nicholas, irritation clear in his voice. "What are you doing?"
Nicholas's breath hitched. "What’s wrong?"
William’s face darkened. "What’s with the noise?"
"I’m not at your place?"
"You’re at Ashford Hall?"
"Yes!"
"Then what’s that noise upstairs?"
"What noise? You mean Golden Valley? No! Is my place being robbed? Go check it out."
William wasn’t one to meddle, but the noise was disrupting his sleep. If it wasn't for that, he wouldn't care if Nicholas’s house was robbed or his ancestral grave was dug up.
At 3:05 a.m., William, in a robe, went upstairs, using the spare key Nicholas had given him to open the door.
The place was a mess, with a suitcase in the middle and high heels and stockings scattered around... William’s instincts kicked in.
Suddenly, the power went out.
Thalia, who was showering, froze...
Power outage?
She grabbed her robe, wrapped it around herself, and stepped out of the bathroom.
As she walked barefoot into the bedroom...
The door was flung open, and a dark figure stood there. Thalia screamed in terror...