Tia accompanied Jaylah to the Mirth Hotel after her morning photo shoot. She was there to sign a contract that day. Wanting to perfect her appearance for the role, she had asked Tia to spare no expense in renting a beautiful white dress for her and styling her hair like that of a forest elf or a pure angel.
Tia was thrilled with Jaylah’s stunning look and couldn’t resist capturing a photo of her. She quickly posted it on Twitter, captioning it, “Today’s Jaylah is an angel.”
Eager to see the response, Jaylah held her phone tightly and eagerly awaited the comments. True to her expectations, within just five minutes, her post garnered numerous comments.
“Oh my god, Jaylah looks breathtakingly beautiful with just a simple braided hairstyle.”
“I could stare at Jaylah’s beauty on my screen for the rest of my life. I love her. Jaylah, will you marry me?”
“Jaylah, keep acting boldly, and your fans will always support you. It’s unfair if Jaylah isn’t a big hit.”
When she was reading all the praise lavished upon her beauty, Jaylah’s confidence soared. She could already envision her immense popularity once the show aired.
Soon, their car arrived at the Mirth Hotel. As Jaylah stepped out of the vehicle, she accidentally collided with a young girl who rushed out of the hotel in a state of panic. Even from a distance, Jaylah sensed the girl’s anger.
Frowning, Jaylah found herself baffled by the girl’s behavior. If it weren’t for the fear of being photographed while confronting her, and the potential harm it could cause to her rising stardom, she would have taught the girl a lesson for her rudeness.
Moreover, Jaylah was in a hurry. She had heard that the director and other actors had already arrived, and being late would leave a negative impression. Her priorities were clear, and she couldn’t jeopardize her own future.
Nevertheless, Jaylah couldn’t help but feel upset about the unprovoked treatment she received. She turned to Tia and said, “Tia, find out later what’s wrong with that girl. She must be crazy.”
Tia had been racking her brain since their encounter, trying to recall where she had seen the young girl before. Finally, it clicked, and she exclaimed, “Jaylah, that’s Maxwell Chandler’s daughter from Globalhive Pictures.”
“Maxwell Chandler?” Jaylah was momentarily stunned. The name rang a bell.
“I haven’t offended her, her father, or been involved romantically with him. Why does she hate me so much?” Jaylah wondered aloud.
“I’ll look into it,” Tia assured her. “But for now, let’s not worry about it. Go ahead, Mr. Snider is known for his friendliness. Besides, Mr. Graves is here. Let’s not sour the atmosphere.”
Jaylah nodded and strode towards the elevator, determined to set aside the incident for the time being.
This time, their meeting took place in Francis’ room directly.
Initially, Jaylah hesitated when she received the news. As an up-and-coming female star, going to a hotel room to meet the director seemed risky, as she feared potential exploitation. Fortunately, Francis informed her that August Graves and screenwriter Rosie Hawkins would also be present, along with their respective staff. Satisfied with the arrangement, Jaylah refrained from expressing any concerns.
It wasn’t that Jaylah was being hypocritical. Early in her career, she had been lured into a director’s room, only to find herself publicly shamed on the internet within a matter of minutes. The director’s wife had berated her severely. Since then, Jaylah had instructed Tia to be extra vigilant, ensuring such incidents would never occur again.
Tia had always been diligent in this regard, well aware that Jaylah was the second daughter of the Read family. Crossing her would bring no benefits for her own future.
So, she would comply with any request from Jaylah.
As Jaylah arrived at the room, the door opened from the inside, revealing Francis’ assistant, Harrison Foster. Spotting Jaylah, he greeted her politely, “Miss Read, please come in. Mr. Snider and the others are waiting for you.”
Jaylah nodded, leading Tia into the room together.
Inside, Francis, Rosie, and August were seated in the reception area, scripts spread out before them. August and Rosie were engaged in a discussion about the protagonist’s emotional journey.
Rosie seemed particularly dissatisfied with Jaylah taking on the lead role. As soon as Jaylah entered, she overheard Rosie’s blunt remark, “Our heroine is so self-righteous, she can’t even bother to arrive a few minutes early. I’m beginning to think she doesn’t even want to act at all.”
Jaylah had heard rumors about Rosie being difficult to work with, but she never expected such direct sarcasm upon their first meeting.
For a moment, Jaylah’s expression turned sour. While she may not have achieved significant popularity yet, many people in the industry treated her with respect due to her status as the second daughter of the Read family. People were usually eager to please her, and she had never encountered anyone who would dare to openly mock her face to face.