The Rich Second Generation is a Daddys Boy
The film crew was running on a grueling schedule, but Avery Hayes was holding up okay. As the second female lead, her screen time was limited to a few dozen scenes scattered across the entire series, which gave her some breathing room.
Maya Laurent and Owen Bowen, on the other hand, were really feeling the pressure.
In the four days since filming began, Maya had barely left the set. Aside from a few hours of sleep back at the crew housing on the first two nights, she was a permanent fixture on set, crashing in a spare chair for a quick nap whenever she got a break.
Avery used her own downtime between scenes to cram, trying to learn everything she could about the craft of acting. After memorizing her lines, she'd drag a small stool over to sit near Director Duke, one earbud in, the other ear tuned to his on-set directions.
It didn't take long for the director to get curious about what she was listening to. He slipped the free earbud into his own ear.
A moment later, he nearly stumbled, his expression completely thrown.
He glanced at the small notebook in Avery's hand, its cover labeled "Finding Camera Angles Lighting Analysis," then back at the earbud hanging from her ear.
In all his years of directing, he had never seen an actor study so diligently on set, and certainly not while listening to a lecture on criminal law.
That's right. Criminal law.
It was unbelievable. If this girl ever made it big, she was going to be a force of nature.
After four days on set, Avery was starting to get a feel for the world of short-form dramas, and she could see it was a different beast from the mainstream entertainment industry.
The actors' skills weren't any worse than those in traditional television, in fact, some of their micro-expressions were even more powerful.
But aside from the visionary Director Duke and the wealthy supporting actor, Leo Foster, everyone else was just there to punch a clock and get paid.
Even Leo, who had initially carried himself like he owned the place, wasn't so bad once you got to know him.
His way of talking was still grating enough to make you want to punch him in the face, but when things were calm, he was a decent guy.
He'd buy bubble tea for the crew, and when he found out Maya was on her period, he sent his assistant out for painkillers.
But he was still just as arrogant as ever.
Like right now.
"That snake Sterling is backing this project? You actually took a role in a drama he's involved with? Are you trying to get yourself into a mess?" Leo was sprawled in his chair in his signature lazy slouch, his face caked in over-the-top stage makeup.
Maya unscrewed the lid of her thermos, blew on the steam, and took a small sip.
"You know Mr. Sterling?" She'd been on her period for days, and combined with the frantic filming schedule, she felt drained.
Even under the heavy makeup, her exhaustion was palpable.
Luckily, her character was supposed to be sickly, otherwise she might not have made it through her scenes.
Leo sneered. "Mr. Sterling? Any nobody can call himself a big shot these days. The guy runs some pathetic little company and acts like he's king of the world."
Maya just curled her lip, unimpressed. *You're one to talk,* she thought. *If you had any real pull, you wouldn't be trying to act important on this tiny set. You'd also have avoided that lecture the producers gave you halfway through your power trip.*
"What, you think you're better than me?"
Leo was clearly stung by her dismissive look.
He raised a hand to smooth his bangs. "I might not be a huge deal, but people show me some respect outside of Westlake City. That dog Sterling is just some stray who hasn't even figured out this town yet but is already acting like he owns the place."
"Well, you've got a pretty good handle on who you are," Avery remarked, coming over after changing out of her costume. Filming for the day was done. She poured herself a cup of water and sat down next to Maya, giving Leo a small smile.
After a few days of filming together, she had him pegged. The guy was condescending, but he wasn't truly a bad person. He was just an arrogant, stubborn, attention-loving brat with a soft spot buried deep, deep down.
"That's right," Leo said, puffing out his chest. "It's the only thing my old man ever praised me for."
Avery was baffled. *Is that supposed to be a compliment? What kind of environment did this kid grow up in?*
Leo turned back to Maya, his tone suddenly serious. "Hey, I mean it. You really shouldn't take that role. The guy behind it, Sterling, is bad news in this business."
"What role?" Avery asked, having missed the beginning of the conversation in the dressing room.
Maya looked up. "Someone contacted me today about a traditional web series. They want me to play the third female lead. The pay is really good." Her voice dropped a little as she added, "I don't want to pass up a chance to be in a traditional series."
Nearby, Owen Bowen gently chimed in. "It's tough for traditional web series to get picked up by the major platforms. Just look at the big streaming services, how many indie shows like that do you see?"
"Hey, this isn't about whether it gets picked up or not!" Leo snapped, his temper flaring at being ignored. His voice was so loud it made the other three jump.
Maya shot him a sideways glance before turning away, clearly done with the conversation. Avery and Owen just looked at each other, speechless.
Did he really not get it? Maya was only offered the third female lead.
If this Sterling guy really had some sleazy agenda, it wouldn't be aimed at her; he was probably just investing in the show to get closer to someone else.
In their eyes, Leo's concern was completely overblown.
Even a newcomer like Avery could see that, but the big idiot was completely oblivious.
No wonder he'd gone from being a well-connected guy just trying to learn the ropes to some petulant actor throwing tantrums over makeup.
If they hadn't spent the last few days getting to know him, they wouldn't have bothered listening to him at all.
"I'm not kidding," Leo insisted, his voice dropping as if he were sharing a huge secret, though it was common knowledge in his rich-kid circle.
"That guy is seriously bad news. He's ruthless."
To prove his point, he leaned in. "You all heard about that hospital incident that was trending a few days ago, right? The guy who attacked the doctor is Sterling's cousin. Well, the doctor refused to settle and is determined to press charges.
So that lowlife Sterling threatened a couple of days ago that he was going to *get* that doctor."
He shrugged. "I've been on set, so I don't know the latest, but I heard he's already made arrangements. That doctor is probably in for some serious trouble."
Avery had only been half-listening, curious to hear just how scummy this Sterling guy was. She never expected to hear her own story.
Her eyes hardened. Her grip on her cup tightened until her knuckles were white.
An icy chill shot from her heart straight to her brain.
She shifted in her seat, her mind racing as she analyzed the Sterling family's situation.
It seemed they were getting restless and had decided to try a different approach: use force to get a letter of forgiveness from her.
But the head of the Sterling family was a respected corporate president.
He couldn't be so shortsighted. The hospital incident had fallen off the trending topics, but its social impact was still huge.
If she, the victim, had an "accident" right now, the Sterlings would never be able to clear their name.
Surely they knew that. Was this Sterling's own move, or was someone else pulling his strings?
Leo's dismissive voice cut through her thoughts.
"We live in a society with laws, and this dog dares to openly threaten a doctor. What kind of person does that? He never touched the entertainment world before. The industry looks exciting, but everyone's losing money. For him to jump in now, he must be up to no good."
Avery, the doctor in question, pulled herself together and managed a dry joke. "Aren't you also trying to break into the industry right now?"
Leo scoffed. "You can't compare me to him. I've got my guy Dexter looking out for me, and I'm attached to the Short-Form Content Division of Stellar Media Group."
He paused, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face.
"Honestly, I wanted to invest in a traditional series, but my old man said the budgets are huge and they take forever. He told me to practice with short-form content first. Even if I lose it all, it's just pocket change to him."
The three of them just stared. They finally understood why someone as sharp as Dexter Reed would bother managing this simpleton.
He was just a rich kid coasting on his dad's money.
It was probably a good thing he was a daddy's boy; at least by listening to his father, he might actually go somewhere.
Otherwise, he'd be no different from the scumbag he was just describing.
"By the way, Avery," Leo said, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as he seemed to remember her profession.
"Dexter told me you used to work at Westlake City Hospital before you started filming. Do you know what really happened with that whole incident? I heard there's some other gossip floating around."