novelraw Chapter 117: If scheming had scores.
Chapter 117: If scheming had scores.
Relanie furrowed her brows as she stared at Elara, a strange look crossing her face. Then she let out a pitiful laugh. "You really don’t know anything?" she scoffed.
When Elara didn’t reply, she laughed again and slowly moved closer. But she didn’t stay for too long before walking past her and letting out a quiet sigh.
"I didn’t know too," she said, lowering her voice, sounding almost kind. "But I’m not stupid or clueless... so I found out, even when everyone else was still wondering who the mysterious man was."
She stopped behind Elara.
"Let’s not pretend this is anything else. You’re with him because of what he can give you... the money, opportunities, protection... including this role." She paused briefly. "You can say you don’t know it was him, but that doesn’t change anything. Don’t try to dress it up as something else."
"How could you, a newcomer in this industry, suddenly land a lead role?" She sighed and walked back to stand in front of Elara again. "But let me tell you something... Adrian doesn’t even understand what love means. He can’t relate to it at all. He doesn’t have a soft place for anyone, so even if he does things with you... or if he gives you things... don’t think it means anything."
Elara knew there was truth in her words, but she refused to let her have that satisfaction. "You really talk like you know him so well," she said in a sarcastic tone while Relanie’s jaw tightened and she looked up instantly.
"What do you mean? You think you know him because he uses you in bed?" she snapped.
"Watch your words." Elara warned, her eyes narrowing coldly.
Relanie snorted and looked away. "You know nothing. Do you even know he has a sister? And if you do... do you know how she died?"
At the mention of his sister, Elara’s chest tightened in uneasiness.
Relanie noticed this so she locked eyes with her. "If you knew..." she continued, her voice rising confidently, "even if he offered you the whole city of Starfall just to stay with him, you’d disappear from his life without hesitation."
"Are you warning me... or threatening me?" Elara asked, the corner of her lips lifting a little.
"Well..." Relanie muttered immediately, "both."
She then leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Because... if you ignore all my warnings, you’ll surely suffer for it in my hands. Or rather..." she paused, her gaze darkening, "in his hands."
She straightened up quickly after that, smoothed her expression, then turned and walked out of the room.
Elara stood still staring at nothing in particular. Then she let out a quiet, self mocking laugh and looked away, walking toward the bathroom.
With everything that had happened this morning, she didn’t even know if it was already afternoon; regardless, she was already exhausted.
"Elara, hurry up. Filming is about to start," Ziva, who had just entered the room and was now standing by the door, said immediately.
Elara nodded in reply and walked into the bathroom.
–
After Adrian entered the office with the director, Harris turned to the actor with his usual bright, harmless smile. The actor also looked up at him slowly, his face stiff.
Harris frowned when he saw his expression. "Hey... why do you look like you just saw your ancestors?" he asked patting his shoulder gently. "Come on relax. Let’s go get some fresh air while we talk okay?"
"Yes sir... fresh air is okay, sir," the actor replied quickly while he nodded in satisfaction, and they both walked out of the building.
As they stepped outside, the actor began talking non-stop. "I didn’t really mean anything bad. I just searched where I thought..."
Harris sighed and turned to him, a look of unmistakable concern in his eyes. "Relax young man. I mean you no harm. You haven’t seen me before, have you?"
The actor gulped and quickly faced him. "No sir... but I’ve heard about you."
Harris raised his brows, clearly interested. "Wow, you’ve heard of me? What did you hear? Tell me, quick," he asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.
The actor bit his lips and hesitated, but when he saw the friendly expression on his face, he relaxed a little. "Nothing much really... but I’ve heard people call you Mr SBS."
Harris frowned in confusion. "Mr SBS? What does that even mean? But it sounds important though." He paused, smiling to himself. "Wait, let me guess... Smart, Brilliant Strategist?"
"Not at all sir," the actor said quickly.
"Alright, I’m not good at guessing. Just say it." he replied with a sigh.
The actor hesitated again before blurting out, "Mr Sunshine Burial Services."
Harris froze for a second, then stared at him with a strange expression. "What the heck of a name is that?" he asked, clearly offended.
"I didn’t mean to..." the actor started, but Harris quickly cut him off, patting his shoulder again.
"You know what, it’s fine. Let’s just focus on the main issue. About the missi–"
"It wasn’t really me!" the actor blurted out while Harris paused.
"It was Miss Relanie," he rushed on. "She told me to put the prop in their wardrobe last night before Miss Elara came back. I saw that only her assistant was in the room and she was already asleep, so I took the chance to sneak in and hide it somewhere in the wardrobe where they wouldn’t see it immediately."
It was as if he hadn’t breathed the entire time he spoke.
"She helped me get the role, and she said all she needed was for me to help her with some things during filming. I didn’t know it would turn into something like this..."
Harris listened quietly, sighing from time to time. When the actor finally finished, he let out a soft breath and nodded slowly. "Ah... Miss Relanie again."
"But I like her though. She really doesn’t like peaceful days." he said with an admiring grin. "If scheming had scores... I’d give her a three hundred and twenty on the final exam. A plus for the plotting. Another A plus for the boldness. And maybe a C minus for the ’not getting caught part’"
He nodded again, as if impressed. "Truly... I respect the courage. Kudos to her."
Then his smile widened as he turned to the actor. "And you too... you did great."
The actor froze for a second, then his eyes lit up. "Thank you! Thank you so much sir!"
Harris blinked at him in confusion, then narrowed his eyes a bit. "Why are you thanking me?"
The actor paused, confused. "Because... you said I did great."
Harris chuckled softly and looked away. "Yes, you did great..." he said, then his tone shifted a little. "At being used."
The actor shrank back instinctively.
"You followed instructions perfectly," he continued calmly. "If this were a school exam, you would have gotten full marks." He sighed pitifully. "Unfortunately... this isn’t school."
The actor looked like his soul had just left his body.
Harris glanced at him and added casually, "Next time someone offers you a role and a secret mission together... choose one. Mixing careers can be very stressful." He paused, then smiled again. "And dangerous."