Chapter 630

Chapter 630

Elisa was puzzled by Julia's mention of Conrad's whereabouts, but since it was valuable information, she simply nodded.

Then, a light bulb went off in her head. She could use this as an excuse to see Conrad and check out the new leading lady.

Without hesitation, Elisa grabbed the script and headed off to track down Conrad.

Approaching Conrad's dressing room, she noticed a crowd gathered outside, eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the new leading lady. When they spotted Elisa approaching, their eyes were filled with curiosity and judgment.

Many of them were die-hard fans of Conrad, and based on past rumors, they were not thrilled about Elisa's presence, hoping there was no romantic link between her and Conrad.

Unfazed by the disapproving glances, Elisa went straight to knock on Conrad's dressing room door.

In the background, she could faintly hear the fans grumbling in discontent. "What's Elisa doing here, discussing the script at a time like this?"

"Ugh, she's so annoying. Thinks she's all that."

"Doesn't she understand boundaries? Always seeking attention from men. Is she the star of her own show now?"

Luckily, Conrad promptly opened the door, allowing Elisa to escape the uncomfortable situation.

She remarked, "You sure have a lot of female fans."

To her surprise, Conrad responded earnestly, "If it bothers you, I can release a statement."

Feeling a bit exasperated, Elisa inquired, "What kind of statement? Are you going to claim you're taken or start talking about other relationships?"

Sometimes she felt like Conrad wasn't thinking straight, like he was under some sort of spell.

Conrad just chuckled and remained silent.

Getting to the point, Elisa asked, "Do you know who the leading lady is?"

"I have no idea."

"You don't know either? Wasn't she supposed to be in your dressing room?"

"She had already left when I got there, so I missed seeing who it was."

Even Conrad was tight-lipped about it, hinting that the leading lady was probably someone significant, maybe even with a history involving one of them.

"Whoever she is, I'll just focus on shooting," Conrad shrugged, indifferent to the leading lady's identity, as Elisa's role wouldn't change, making no impact on him.

Before Elisa could reply, a playful voice cut in, "Seems like you've matured. You wouldn't have said that before."

The dressing room door had quietly swung open, revealing Ainsley with a grin, trailed by eager Conrad fans.

Working alongside the Best Actress winner was a golden opportunity for Conrad to make waves in the TV drama scene!

Elisa was equally taken aback by Ainsley's presence, given her stature, joining the cast.

The only one displeased in the room was Conrad.

He stood up, poker-faced, and stated, "Help me cancel the contract. I'll cover any penalties."

Lawrence, stepping in at that moment, felt a shiver down his spine. Was this production truly not meant for him?

Ainsley coolly remarked, "I praised you for a moment, and you're back to your old self. No worries. I happen to have a friend who admires your role. Thank you for willingly giving it up."

Conrad, being young, didn't take well to such taunts. Taken aback, he shot back, "You'll be disappointed. My fans and I have high expectations for this role."

"Are you taking back the role then?" Ainsley maintained her smile, unfazed by Conrad's change of stance, pointing to his cheek. "Go touch up your makeup. Let's not waste any more time."

Conrad turned away in annoyance.

Only then did Ainsley turn to Elisa. "Ms. Garcia, we haven't properly met. Hi, nice to meet you."

Being addressed by a Best Actress winner was a lot for Elisa, who humbly replied, "I have a lot to learn. Maybe you'll have to be my mentor."

Most of the scenes reshooting that day were solo shots of the leading lady, likely to help Ainsley get comfortable with the role.

At times, Elisa would step in for a scene, but Ainsley and Conrad never shared a scene together.

Conrad, usually lively around Elisa, grew quiet and withdrawn, sitting on the couch with little interest.

Elisa discreetly asked his agent, "Is there tension between him and Ainsley?"

The agent cleared his throat and, knowing Elisa admired Conrad, replied simply, "They used to date but broke up."

Elisa widened her eyes in disbelief. Wasn't Ainsley into women?

"Seriously?"

"There were even photos from back then, and Ainsley was the one who ended it," the agent confirmed.

The more she heard, the more puzzling it all seemed. Something was definitely off in this situation.

Elisa was extremely curious and almost felt like gathering everyone for a showdown but managed to hold back.

Just as she tried to shift her focus from the issue, Howard's timely call came through, and she answered promptly.

"Elisa, there's a problem with the engagement ring."

Elisa was shocked. "What's wrong with it?"

How could gold have an issue?

"I accidentally nicked it a bit," Howard lied smoothly, eyeing the flawless surface of the ring.

Elisa felt relieved. "It's just a small chip; it's fine. Gold is meant to wear like that."

"No, what if it gets more damaged later on?" Howard persisted stubbornly.

"So, we'll just get a new one then?" Elisa couldn't grasp his sudden concern and tried to go along with it.

Howard went quiet, then tapped his finger slowly and said, "I've heard diamonds are really tough and won't chip."

Elisa almost didn't hesitate. "Diamonds don't hold their value, and they're way too expensive."

She didn't expect such a firm rejection. Howard struggled, "Market prices are like that, not too high. And we're not buying a diamond ring for investment; it's a symbol of commitment."

Elisa hesitated, "Okay, but I can't afford a big diamond ring. I can only get you a small one as a token."

Howard didn't pay attention to the second part. He only heard that she would buy him a ring and felt much happier. "Great."

After hanging up, he couldn't stop smiling and glanced at Adrian. "See, I told you she loves me."

On the table lay a love test result indicating that Elisa valued money more than him.

Adrian's temple twitched. Frankly, he was surprised too, as Elisa seemed to prioritize money.

And hadn't Mr. Brown heard about Elisa's offer of a token?

In a good mood, Howard casually tossed the test into the trash can and told Adrian, "Don't bother me with these boring tests again."

Adrian felt slighted but didn't dare to speak up. He just smiled and replied, "Sure."

As he walked away, he overheard Howard saying, "Look into the diamond ring market, give me a heads-up on prices, and keep them reasonable."

Faced with the sudden increase in tasks, Adrian took a deep breath and agreed.

He promptly reached out to the engineering department to investigate all the connected devices in the company to eliminate unwanted ads.