Chapter 2034
âNo biggie,â Giselle said, her face a picture of magnanimous grace.
The crew member's casual compliment sent ripples through the crowd of crew members, sparking a
chorus of praise that seemed to elevate Giselle above everyone else. Giselle shone like the brightest
star, basking in the adulation of those around
her.
And then there was Ivy, destined to play the foil.
âIvy, let me have a gander at that script,â Giselle said, reaching for the sheaf of papers in Ivy's hands.
Ivy hesitated, then pulled back, avoiding Giselle's grasp.
Internally, Giselle scoffed at Ivy's reticence, deeming her ungrateful, yet she kept a friendly smile
plastered on her face. âIvy, is the script under lock and key? No worries. You could just give me the
gist of it!â
âThanks for the offer to run lines with me, Giselle, but I'd like to mull it over by myself, see if I can
bring my own twist to the role,â Ivy responded politely, yet firmly declining.
Ivy's refusal seemed to sour Giselleâs mood, but she did not need to say a word; her entourage had
already started to grumble on her behalf.
"Still needs to study it? It's been all morning, and not a single scene done.â
âThe star herself offers to help her out, and she turns her nose up? What's with the airs?â
Ivy stood there, feeling each comment like a knife twisting inside her. She was mortified, longing for
the ground to swallow her whole, when Coltonâs assistant appeared. âIvy, Coltonâs asking for you.â
Following the assistant to Colton'âs trailer, Ivy found him letting out a weary sigh. âI heard about the
commotion outside.â
âSorry, director,â Ivy apologized, feeling she had let everyone down.
Colton gestured for her to sit and spoke earnestly, âIt's not like that. Everyone has a few hiccups
their first time on set. Even pros make mistakes, let alone someone new like you.â
Coltonâs words were meant to comfort, but Ivy's guilt over delaying the shoot weighed heavily on
her.
Seeing her distress, Colton continued, âGiselle's first gig was with me, and don't think she had it
easy. She had as many flubs as you, if not more.â
At that, Ivy blinked in surprise, looking up at Colton. âYou donât have to make up stories about her
just to cheer me up.â
âIt's the truth. I'm not fabricating anything against her,â Colton assured her, flipping through the
script to her character's scenes. âThis film is called âBallad of Valor, and your character, Valor, is the
soul of it. That's why I'm a bit tough on you. Let me walk you through this scene properly.â
Colton took the time to explain the scene's context and what it was meant to convey. He then had
Ivy perform it right there, offering one-on-one guidance.
After the director whisked away ivy, Giselle suddenly felt like a fifth wheel on set.
She had hoped to showcase her acting chops by coaching Ivy in front of everyone. Instead, Colton
had not given her the time of day, summoning Ivy away without a second glance.
Fuming and struggling to maintain her composure, Giselle excused herself, having a crew member
escort her to the makeup trailer to cool off.
Sitting in the makeup trailer, Giselle stewed over the slight, her discontent growing by the second.