A Night of Desire

In the actress’s dressing room at the film studio, Faye Jennings and Sandra sat side by side in front of the mirrors, having their makeup applied.

Sandra tilted her head slightly to look at Faye Jennings. "Faye," she began, "Clara Grant’s scenes have been pushed back for days. They say we’re officially shooting this morning, but are we really? She hasn’t even come back yet."

Faye Jennings reached up to smooth the hair at her temples and said with a smile, "I already asked Director Keane. He said we’re definitely filming today, so Clara will be here on time. Besides, you know how Director Keane is. If he says we’re shooting, we’re shooting. So don’t worry, it won’t delay our scenes."

She put a slight emphasis on her last sentence, turning her head to give Sandra a smile. Her gaze was fraught with meaning.

Sandra raised an eyebrow and smiled back. "Oh, I trust Director Keane. It’s Clara Grant who’s always holding us back."

Just as she said that, Holly Summers walked in. Holly frowned slightly but said nothing.

Sandra continued, "If she didn’t just take days off whenever she felt like it, we would have finished this scene days ago. Why did it have to be pushed until now? If she hadn’t taken that time off, maybe the entire production could wrap early."

She had barely finished speaking when a scornful laugh came from behind her. "Listen to someone who’s constantly getting NGs talk about wrapping early. And blaming someone else for holding things up? That’s rich."

Sandra instantly recognized the voice. Furious, she whipped her head around. The makeup artist, who was in the middle of applying her lipstick, was caught completely off guard, and the lipstick drew a long red streak from the corner of Sandra’s mouth all the way to her cheek.

Sandra, oblivious, snapped at Holly Summers, "Holly, who do you think you’re talking about?"

Everyone in the dressing room, except for Faye Jennings who hadn’t turned around, saw the lipstick streak on her face, and a ripple of soft laughter spread through the room. Holly Summers suppressed a giggle and said, "What’s the matter? I didn’t name anyone. Why are you so agitated? Or do you just have a very accurate assessment of your own acting ability?"

"You!" Sandra sputtered, choked with anger but unable to retort.

’In truth, her acting wasn’t normally this bad. She had been in quite a few shows, even if only in supporting roles. Her skills had been honed and were improving. It might not have been great, but it certainly wasn’t awful.’

’But her performance during the filming of *A Lifetime of Splendor* had indeed been unsatisfactory. She was convinced it was because Clara Grant had swooped in and taken her original role at the last minute. The injustice of it all consumed her; she was so angry and resentful that it always affected her performance on set. That, combined with her lack of in-depth research into the new character, was what caused her acting to decline and result in so many NGs.’

’So, when it came right down to it, this was all Clara Grant’s fault.’

She scoffed. "Hmph. So what if she’s never had an NG? It doesn’t change the fact that she’s a rookie. In terms of experience, seniority, and fame, Faye is leagues above her, right? And Faye has never taken days off without a reason like she does."

Faye Jennings laughed. "Sandra, you think too highly of me. How can I compare to Clara? She’s President Quinn’s girlfriend, loud and proud. Even if she’s a bit willful, she’s certainly earned the right to a few special privileges."

On the surface, Faye Jennings’s words seemed to praise Clara Grant while putting herself down, but if one listened closely, the underlying meaning was clear.

She was implying that Clara Grant was leveraging her status as President Quinn’s girlfriend—abusing his favor to act arrogant, demand special treatment, take unapproved leave, and show zero regard for anyone else on set.