Chapter 84 - 82: Exit One, Enter Another
James Lockwood looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, I remember that the role of Jade, now played by Suzanne Sawyer, was originally given to Lily Sterling. Later, Suzanne’s father bought the role with a five-hundred-dollar investment."
James Lockwood had already explained the inside story to Cecilia Sterling once before. At the time, the production was short on investment, so the move was understandable.
Recalling his recent conversation with Mr. Sawyer, James Lockwood’s smile widened. He looked at Cecilia Sterling and said, "It’s rather interesting. A role he initially paid to snatch, and now Mr. Sawyer is suggesting a different role for his daughter. He says he can’t bear to see his daughter play a maid; it breaks his heart to watch."
"Of course I wasn’t going to agree to a role change. That’s just ridiculous, isn’t it? I just promised him that we’d have fewer kneeling scenes for Suzanne Sawyer in her upcoming shoots. After all, for a maid’s part, it’s not a big deal."
As he spoke, James Lockwood gave a helpless little laugh and shook his head.
Cecilia Sterling’s expression didn’t change. After taking a sip of her juice, she said very casually, "President Lockwood, you’re not quite right about that. There are major and minor maids. The role of Jade has the most screen time of all the maids. Giving her special treatment will only make her stand out awkwardly."
James Lockwood was an extremely sharp man. Cecilia Sterling’s words seemed like an opinion on the surface, but they concealed a targeted jab, which he picked up on instantly.
"Then what do you think should be done, Miss Sterling?" James Lockwood asked, testing the waters.
After all, it was a no-brainer who was more important: a five-hundred-dollar investor or a ten-thousand-dollar one.
Cecilia Sterling looked at James Lockwood. There was no need to beat around the bush with a smart man. Her expression was flat as she said bluntly, "Since he’s so worried about her knees, then just cut her out of all the group scenes that require her to kneel from now on!"
She said it nonchalantly, but with that one sentence, she had effectively cut nearly half of Jade’s scenes.
Cecilia had read the original novel. In the book, the character of Jade was outwardly timid but inwardly dark. In the beginning, she was meek and seemingly honest, but later on, she betrayed her master for personal gain and abandoned all loyalty.
Therefore, the act of "kneeling" was a core part of Jade’s character throughout the entire show. She knelt in the early stages, and she knelt in the later stages. And as a maid, her group scenes would inevitably outnumber her solo scenes.
’If her group scenes were eliminated, how much screen time would she have left?’
’How dare she bully my sister?’
’Lily wouldn’t fight back, so as her older sister, I have to step in!’
James Lockwood understood perfectly. He knew Cecilia Sterling wouldn’t make things difficult for Suzanne Sawyer over the role-snatching incident, because Miss Sterling had said she wouldn’t have let Lily play Jade anyway.
’So, her actions today must be because of some conflict that happened after they started filming.’
’Suzanne Sawyer could have picked a fight with anyone, but she just had to walk right into the line of fire!’
’At this point, even if Cecilia Sterling had demanded to have Suzanne Sawyer replaced, I probably wouldn’t have dared to refuse. Fortunately, Miss Sterling isn’t that overbearing and has left me and the crew a little room to maneuver.’
James Lockwood immediately beckoned his assistant over. After whispering a few words in his ear, he gave the man a look that said, "Go now."
The assistant nodded in understanding and quickly left the room, heading for the film set.
Meanwhile, on set, the second scene was about to begin filming. The assistant director was running lines with the actors.
"Master Bloom is furious! All servants on set, bow your heads, kneel, and be silent! Then, Madam Bloom and Audrey, you’ll pick up your lines. The camera will pull back for a full shot. No one in the frame is to slack off, you hear me?!"
While the assistant director was enthusiastically giving instructions, the director received the message from James Lockwood’s assistant.
He listened with a furrowed brow, finally nodding to show he understood. Then he called out to Assistant Director Lawson, "Lawson!"
Assistant Director Lawson turned at the call, his previously stern expression instantly replaced with a smile. "Director Cole, what is it?"
Director Cole jutted his chin toward Suzanne Sawyer and said, "Jade isn’t needed in this scene. Have her step out."
Suzanne Sawyer, who had been silently rehearsing her lines, froze. She looked from Director Cole to Assistant Director Lawson with a bewildered expression.
Assistant Director Lawson was baffled too, but he knew Director Cole’s temperament—he hated being asked why. So, he turned to Suzanne Sawyer and said, "Alright, Suzanne, why don’t you go take a break for now. Wait for the afternoon shoot."
Suzanne Sawyer exclaimed in shock, "Wait... why? I have lines in this scene, Director Lawson!"
"Huh? You have lines?" Assistant Director Lawson quickly glanced at the script for the scene and saw that Suzanne Sawyer did, in fact, have a line.
Afraid that Director Cole had made a mistake, Assistant Director Lawson called out to him, "Director Cole, Jade has a line in this scene. She can’t be cut, can she...?"
Director Cole replied with a serious face, "Give Jade’s line to Beatrice. It’s an insignificant line; it doesn’t matter who says it."
Beatrice was another of Flora’s maids. The young actress playing Beatrice hadn’t expected this pleasant surprise and broke into a happy smile.
Suzanne Sawyer was far from ready to accept this. She wanted to argue, but she saw Director Lawson shake his head at her.
’When Director Cole gives an order, getting upset is useless. It will only make him angry.’
Suzanne Sawyer, having her scene inexplicably cut, stormed off the set, puffing her cheeks in anger. At the same time, a seed of doubt was planted in her mind. ’Did I accidentally do something to upset Director Cole?’
However, as one act ended, another was about to begin.
Having just dealt with Suzanne Sawyer, Cecilia Sterling and James Lockwood had barely exchanged two more sentences before Jessica Reynolds came looking for them.
"President Lockwood!"
Upon seeing him, no matter how famous or willful Jessica Reynolds was, she didn’t dare to directly question James Lockwood. So, she put on a smiling face to greet him, completely hiding the anger in her heart.
But at the sight of Jessica Reynolds, James Lockwood instinctively furrowed his brows.
He hadn’t seen Jessica Reynolds since the incident at the press conference. However, following Miss Sterling’s wishes, he had instructed the publicity team to act accordingly.
Seeing her suddenly today and recalling what she had done to Lily Sterling, a wave of disgust rose in James Lockwood’s heart.
’He knew competition in the entertainment industry was fierce, especially among actresses; scheming and backstabbing were the norm. But the crudeness of one’s methods was a true measure of character.’
’Jessica Reynolds had used such underhanded tactics to suppress a newcomer who hadn’t even made her debut yet, and I was extremely displeased by it.’
’And right now, the older sister of Lily Sterling—the very person she had tried to suppress—is sitting right next to me!’
Cecilia Sterling was, if anything, even more striking than Lily Sterling. Jessica Reynolds noticed Cecilia at a glance, and the fact that she was alone in a room with President Lockwood instantly set off her internal alarms.
’There are so many beautiful girls in the world! So many it’s infuriating!’
Her lips twitched imperceptibly. Her smile was stiff, but she feigned a casual air as she asked, "Busy, President Lockwood? This young lady is gorgeous. Is she a new talent at our company?"
James Lockwood let out an almost inaudible sigh. He cautiously watched for any change in Cecilia Sterling’s expression. Seeing her look so placid actually made him feel even more on edge.
’What is it with today? Why does everyone want to walk right into the line of fire?’
"I’m busy right now. If you don’t have anything important, go back to your dressing room," James Lockwood said.
’She is, after all, an artist from my own company. Losing six months of promotion is already a fatal blow for an actress. I don’t want Jessica Reynolds showing up in front of Miss Sterling now, trying to make her presence known.’
’If Miss Sterling were to suppress her even further, should I, as the boss, agree or not?’
’I’m in such a tough spot!’