Emmaline was supremely relieved that the first thing the cast had to do was a table reading instead of acting.
That way, she could get away with wearing a mask to hide the bruised side of her face and the thick foundation she layered on the parts that the mask couldn't cover weren't too obvious either.
The day after Taylor had hit her, the entire left side of her face had swelled up.
Thankfully, the table reading was two days after and the swelling had subsided, leaving a large purple bruise that stretched from her jaw to a little past her cheekbone.
When the table reading ended, Emmaline just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but the director stopped her.
"Spelt, is that right?" He asked.
Emmaline tried not to be intimidated by the super attractive, well-known actor-director, Jun Slater.
"That's me," She smiled, making sure her eyes crinkled over her mask so that he would see.
"I was a little surprised when I heard that Producer Penhas insisted on casting you but I can see why now," He told her and happiness bloomed in Emmaline's chest, "I hope to see the same energy on the set."
"I won't let you down," Emmaline promised.
With a nod, he walked out and Emmaline deflated as the tension left her body.
"Damn, what a silver fox," A voice next to her gushed.
Emmaline looked up to see the girl playing the main lead leaning on the wall next to her.
She was one of the up and coming stars and everyone's dream girl. 'The nation's sweetheart' was what she was called.
Despite her cute bangs and sweet face, her slouched posture and smirk gave off troublemaker vibes instead of sweetheart ones!
"You mean, Director Slater?" Emmaline asked, trying to remember the actress' name.
"Yeah, getting to stare at him all day is partially why I auditioned for this show," The girl bared her teeth in a cheeky grin, "The hottest star of his time, turned director and producer… Wonder if he's single."
Emmaline let out a surprised laugh and the girl turned to her, pale blue eyes sparkling.
"Aren't you going to ask?" At Emmaline's confused look, she elaborated, "Aren't you going to say that I'm supposed to be the cute and innocent Crystal Creed?"
Emmaline tilted her head, watching Crystal, "I assume that when everyone is watching you all the time, acting is a full time job."
Crystal's grin widened and she slung an arm around Emmaline's shoulders, "Thank god, someone who gets it. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along, Spelt."
Emmaline snorted, "As long as you don't hit on Director Slater and get arrested first."
Crystal let out a full blown cackle and hung onto Emmaline until her manager came to collect her for her next shoot.
"I'm surprised you managed to get a role given your subpar skills," A silky tone accompanied by the click of heels on the floor stopped Emmaline mid-stride.
She turned to see Priscilla Curtis.
With perfectly styled big, blonde curls and wide baby blue eyes, Priscilla looked like the sweet girl next door.
Thanks to experience, Emmaline knew she was anything but.
"I'm surprised you managed to get a role as well, given all the time you spend sabotaging other people," Emmaline shot back sweetly, batting her eyes.
Priscilla widened her eyes, "Who, me? I wouldn't know, I was rehearsing for the role you stole from me."
By the end of her sentence, her signature scowl was in place and she had narrowed her eyes.
Emmaline yawned.
"I didn't steal it from you, I auditioned and got it, fair and square," She stepped closer to Priscilla, not willing to back down for a second, "I would tell you to work on your own acting rather than try to take things from others but I know you can't understand that concept."
Priscilla's mouth gaped, opening and closing like a fish on land as she struggled to find the words to rebut Emmaline.
But Emmaline didn't even pay her any attention, checking her phone to find a text from Ashton asking to meet urgently.
Without bothering to say anything else, she scooted past Priscilla and headed to the exit.
"I'm not done," Priscilla screeched, "Don't walk away from me!"
Emmaline kept walking, but she threw up a middle finger to say bye.
She got another animal sound from Priscilla for that and a smug smile crossed her lips.
"Don't think you can get away with this," Priscilla squawked after Emmaline, "I'm going to take back what's mine!"
***
Emmaline anxiously waited for Ashton.
She adjusted her mask and then her wig. Once again, she owed him an apology.
He had gone to such lengths to celebrate with her and she had run out on him with zero explanation.
Burying her face in her hands, she sighed.
Knowing her mom's heart transplant might be their only chance left, there was no way she could tell him the truth now.
She had to act her heart out and get the remaining two million no matter what.
"Em? You okay?" The voice was soft and the warm hand on her shoulder was gentle.
Emmaline looked up to see Ashton in his usual office wear, looking like an advertisement for tailored suits.
But instead of the hard, imposing CEO, he looked soft and huggable.
Emmaline stopped herself right there.
Who wanted to hug Ashton Wright? Not her!
She didn't know why that thought popped into her mind.
"I'm so sorry about the other night," she blurted before her brain could cook up anything else.
"It's fine," Ashton paused and then held out a cheque to her, "I thought I should give you this today."
She gave him a puzzled look, "Your parents haven't agreed to allow you to inherit yet, I haven't fulfilled my end of the bargain so why-"
It hit her mid-sentence.
There was only one reason why he would want to give her an 'advance'.
He knew about her mom.
Emmaline recoiled so suddenly from the outreached cheque that she nearly fell over.
"No," She said vehemently, Ashton's eyes widened in surprise, "I don't need your charity and I don't want your charity."
She pushed the piece of paper back to Ashton and held it when it hit his chest, "I'll earn this fair and square."
There was a pause in which Ashton stared at her assessingly.
Emmaline knew she was a blunt person and wondered if she had offended him.
But after a few seconds, Ashton blinked and nodded.
"Alright," Ashton agreed with a fond look in his green eyes. Then his expression hardened.
The only warning she got was his eyes narrowing before his thumb swiped over the little reddish part of the bruise visible over the top of her mask.
"Are you wearing make up?" He asked, inspecting the thumb he had run over her skin.
When he registered the foundation, he frowned and before Emmaline could pull back, he had held her still with one hand and pulled off her mask with the other.
To say that his expression darkened would be an understatement.
Ashton Wright looked positively thunderous, like a vengeful god.
His green eyes were stormy and his features seemed to be cast in marble.
Emmaline shrank back at the look in his eyes.
For the first time since she had met him, Ashton scared her.
She had never seen him look so wrathful before.
Those eyes were tracing the curve of her cheek and the dark bruising that decorated it.
"Who did this to you?" He asked, in a quiet, deadly tone.