The woman before Cassius broke into a cold sweat after hearing his order. She hadn’t signed up for a torture like this.
“Please…”
“Do what I say, or you’ll wish you had,” Cassius’s piercing blue eyes seemed to scream, ‘You’re doomed!’
The woman looked at Tatiana, silently begging for pity.
Tatiana stared back with a cold expression, clearly waiting for her to follow through. The woman’s heart sank-her face might fall off!
“Are you testing my patience?” Cassius’s cold voice snapped her back to reality.
“One,” he began counting. If he left, her punishment would only worsen. The others watching gave her pitying looks.
Even the two girls who had insulted Tatiana trembled secretly in fear.
“Two.”
The woman quickly knelt beside the bowl of hot water. She dipped her face in briefly, and immediately, her scream echoed through the whole place. The pain was far worse than she had imagined.
Watching the woman tremble in pain brought a small, satisfied smile to Cassius’s face. He then returned his gaze to Tatiana, who quickly looked away.
He knew why she had been avoiding him after that night, and it slightly annoyed him. What a little rebel.
He took a step forward, prompting her to look up and get caught in his captivating gaze.
Leaning close, he whispered, “Little rebel, have you been avoiding me?”
Before she could answer, Director Felix arrived and halted when he heard the woman’s screams. He was about to speak when his eyes caught sight of the person standing beside Tatiana.
Cassius King?!
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Cassius King was really on his set.
“M… Mr… King?” Director Felix stuttered so badly, completely forgetting about the crying woman on the ground. He took careful steps forward, as if afraid the man might disappear.
“G… ood morning, s… ir. May I ask… what brings you here?” he asked, carefully choosing each word. It was clear how hard he was trying to control his excitement.
“I happened to come across this project you’re about to start. It has quite a promising potential, and I’d like to watch, if you don’t mind,” Cassius’s words came out fluent and polite.
Tatiana almost scoffed. She knew he wasn’t here just for the project.
Director Felix’s eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to process the sudden interest of the legendary Cassius King in his project.
“Of course, I don’t mind, Mr. King! You’re highly welcome, and I promise not to disappoint you… haha! What would you like? Drinks? Snacks? Food? Anything you want, and I’ll have my workers bring it for you.”
Cassius glanced at those assisting the director. They all bowed so deeply their heads almost touched their knees.
“I’ll be fine,” Cassius replied, sitting on a bench and crossing his legs, his arms resting on either side. “Just start your work.”
The director immediately got to work.
Cassius’s eyes met Tatiana’s, who remained in her place and gave him a small glare.
“Go on, little rebel,” he mouthed with a small smirk.
“Enjoy the show, Mr. King,” she said with a light bow before joining the others.
Jolene, who had remained frozen the entire time, snapped out of her trance when the man’s gaze settled on her.
“I… I’ll be leaving too,” she said, bowing deeply and making to leave, but Cassius stopped her.
“Don’t.”
Jolene halted in her tracks and slowly turned, unsure if she had heard him correctly.
Cassius patted the seat beside him. “Take a seat.”
Jolene blinked several times as she slowly went to sit beside him, never imagining she’d be sitting next to the king of the entertainment industry.
She should really thank Nathan for betraying Tatiana that night. Indeed, every disappointment brings a blessing.
While the work continued, Cassius finally saw Tatiana act in person. After learning she was a famous young actress years ago, he had searched for her work and watched her movies.
Now he understood why Hudson liked her so much. Tatiana had a unique way of portraying her character, as if she *was* the character. Her expressions, emotions, and words were just perfect.
Soon, he wasn’t watching her acting anymore; he was just observing her features. Her beauty was undeniable.
Tatiana, who had just finished acting a scene and was preparing for another, noticed his intense gaze. Did he not have anything else to look at apart from her?
Others might get the wrong idea.
And she was right-others noticed but thought Mr. King only stared at her because of her talent. Jealousy flashed in the eyes of many.
She decided not to look his way for a long time, but when she finally did again, he was still staring at her. This time, Jolene seemed relaxed, chatting with him while he smirked. It was definitely something about her.
What is that drama assistant of hers doing?!
She shot Jolene a glare but received only a small wave and smile in return.
No one expected Cassius King to actually stay for five straight hours. Maybe it was because of Jolene, who wouldn’t stop talking now and then, or maybe it was because of Tatiana’s talent and beauty.
Director Felix came over to greet him, and when asked if he needed anything, Cassius simply shook his head.
“And we’re done for today,” Director Felix announced, and the whole set sighed in relief.
Jolene handed Tatiana water as she approached them after finishing her scene.
Director Felix greeted Cassius again. “How was it, sir?”
“Good.”
One word was enough to make Felix’s heart skip a beat. His senior director must hear of this.
Cassius looked at Tatiana. “Come with me,” he ordered simply and stepped out.
“I think you’ve got his interest, Tatiana. He might decide to support you; he is a man of honor,” Director Felix said, and Tatiana nodded.
Tatiana and Jolene stepped outside and found Cassius waiting for her to get in his car.
“I’ll drive your car back to your place. You should go with the big boss,” Jolene quickly said, rushing to Tatiana’s car before she could retort.
Cassius had a knowing smile on his face as he watched her approach. He started the car after she got in.
“Mr. King, I appreciate what you did, but I’d like to succeed without any help-”
“Is that your way of saying thank you?” His deep voice cut her off.
“I just did-”
“Not enough. Your pretty face would be swollen red right now if I hadn’t shown up in time,” he said, and Tatiana could hear the subtle anger in his words. She knew he wished he could go back and destroy the woman.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate you and will pay you back someday,” Tatiana said, noticing the satisfied look that flashed across his features.
“Hm, repay me. I’ll get to decide that,” he smirked.