A Baffling Birthday Invitation
Avery and Wyatt still hadn't landed on a decision about getting her a personal assistant. The thought had barely surfaced before they were already heading back to their hotel.
Just outside the film crew's main gate, Raphael Valenti was standing under a tree. There was no telling how long he'd been there, or if he'd overheard Avery's conversation with Producer Sterling. He just watched her go, his gaze fixed on her back, his expression deep and unreadable.
"What are you looking at?" Franklin Price asked, walking up with a takeout box from some upscale restaurant. He followed Raphael's gaze down the street.
When he spotted Avery and Wyatt walking away together, he let out an envious sigh. "Man, the way Dr. Hayes is blowing up... She's trended, what, three or four times this month alone? At this rate, she's going to completely change the game for young actresses next year."
Raphael didn't answer. He just glanced at his phone and started walking toward his own hotel.
They were on different rungs of the fame ladder, so the production had put them up in different places.
While Raphael had a suite at a nearby five-star, Franklin, like Avery, was in the budget hotel the crew had booked for most of the cast.
Franklin just shrugged as Raphael blew him off.
He turned, staring in the direction Avery had gone, and for a moment, he seemed lost in thought.
Then, something seemed to click. He hurried back to the main gate, his eyes scanning the spot under the tree where Raphael had been standing.
A few seconds later, his expression darkened.
He looked down, thinking hard, but when he heard other crew members approaching, he quickly smoothed his features into a casual mask and headed toward the hotel, takeout in hand.
Back in her room, Avery took a quick shower and collapsed into bed.
She'd been up since before dawn and was completely drained, too tired to even think about finding Alden Pierce to run lines for tomorrow.
She only had five scenes the next day, nothing as intense as today.
She figured she could just ask Alden for help on set if she needed it.
The next morning, Avery had barely gotten to set and opened her script when the martial arts instructor handed her a tablet.
"Dr. Hayes, take a look at these videos when you have a minute," he said politely.
Like most of the crew, he called her Dr. Hayes, a nod to her old career.
"You joined late, so you missed the initial training. Just memorize these moves for now, and we'll run through the choreography a day or two before we film the fight scenes."
He'd clearly put in the time, recording a detailed breakdown of the entire routine the night before. He knew her schedule was packed with dialogue-heavy scenes and figured she could watch the videos between takes.
Avery thanked him and opened the tablet.
Assuming she was a total novice, the instructor had kept the routine simple, a series of sharp, clean moves that were easy to follow.
With her memory, Avery had the whole thing down in her head within a day.
Of course, that was the easy part. Getting her body to actually follow what her brain knew would take work.
She'd definitely need the instructor's help to make it look smooth.
Four of her five scenes for the day were intense confrontations with the movie's main villain, played by Willa Patton.
Willa, in her early thirties, had sharp, elegant features and carried herself with the calm confidence of a veteran actress.
She played the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue, one of the old emperor's consorts.
In their scenes, her character approaches Isolde to secretly propose an alliance, hoping the Huihe will back her son's bid for the throne.
The clever Isolde immediately senses the infighting tearing the Central Plains Dynasty apart.
With her own agenda in mind, Isolde doesn't agree right away, instead leading the consort on.
Through their verbal sparring, she uncovers a crucial piece of information: the young general who'd fought the Huihe to a standstill was the son of the man her own brother had recently killed at the border.
It was a tense back-and-forth where every word was a veiled threat and every gesture carried weight.
Director Conrad King was a perfectionist, insisting that even the way they held their teacups had to be just right.
Avery had to do several retakes for messing up the timing of her lines, while Willa had to do a few herself for coming on too strong.
To avoid another lashing from the director, both actresses would immediately huddle with their acting coaches after each failed take, desperate to nail the next one.
It was the first time Avery had seen just how harsh the director could be, and while his criticism was always professional, she wasn't sure she could have held her tongue if it had gotten personal.
By evening, Avery was finally done for the day. She quickly wiped off her makeup, eager to get back and have Alden help her with the fight choreography. She was a complete beginner when it came to martial arts and needed every spare minute she could get. The dialogue could wait.
Just as she was about to leave, Willa Patton called out, "Dr. Hayes."
The voice was clear and friendly. Avery turned to see Willa walking out of the studio with Raphael Valenti. She stopped, her eyes discreetly scanning the pair before landing on Willa.
"You get out of your makeup so fast! If I hadn't asked the stage manager, I would've missed you," Willa said, her tone warm and familiar as she approached.
Avery offered a polite, practiced smile. "The martial arts instructor gave me some fight choreography to practice on my own, so I'm in a hurry to get back and run through it."
"So dedicated," Willa replied with a smile. "I saw you with Ms. Pierce today. Not many newcomers take it as seriously as you do."
Avery smiled modestly. "I'm new to this. I have to work harder." She paused, then cut to the chase. "Was there something you needed, Ms. Patton?" She had a feeling Willa hadn't stopped her just for small talk.
Willa pulled an elegant invitation from her purse. "It's my birthday in a week, and I'm throwing a small party at The Onyx Hall. I'd love for you to come, if you're free." She handed the card to Avery, her eyes hopeful.
Avery took it, her fingers brushing over the gold-embossed lettering. She was surprised by the formal invitation; they'd only just met. But for the sake of keeping things smooth on set, she knew turning it down wasn't an option.
Her smile brightened. "I'll definitely be there."
"Great! You have to come," Willa said, her own smile widening at the quick acceptance. As she turned to leave, Franklin and Mr. Vance, the actor playing the emperor, emerged from the actors' lounge.
Overhearing them, Franklin's eyes darted between Raphael and Avery. He grabbed Mr. Vance's arm and hurried over. "Willa, that's not fair! Where's my invitation?"
The smile on Willa's face faltered for a fraction of a second, a flash of annoyance in her eyes before it vanished.
She pulled out two more invitations. "I just happened to run into Dr. Hayes," she said smoothly, handing one to Franklin.
"Here, this one's for you." She then turned to Mr. Vance.
"Mr. Vance, you should join us next week, too."
Mr. Vance waved a hand, politely declining. "That's a party for you young folks. I won't get in the way."
"Alright," Willa said easily. "Then I'll have to invite you out some other time." With a polite smile to the group, she left with Raphael.
Raphael, silent the whole time, walked beside her. As he passed Avery, his eyes lingered on her face for a beat, and he gave her a small nod.
Franklin spun the invitation between his fingers, then gave Avery a mock salute with the card before walking off with Mr. Vance.
Once everyone was gone, Avery lowered her gaze, her amber eyes fixed on the invitation in her hand.
Wyatt, who had been standing beside her the entire time, stepped closer, his brow furrowed as he watched Willa walk away. "Willa Patton is with Zenith Entertainment."
At the last audition, Diana Marks had been crystal clear: Avery needed to stay away from actors signed with the big three entertainment companies.
Wyatt had done his research since then and was stunned to find that most of the industry's top talent was tied to one of them.
Even supposedly independent stars like Melina Warner had studios linked to Evergreen Media.
The internal politics were notoriously dirty. People like Roman Duke were known for their shady backroom dealings, and Wyatt was worried. If Avery got too close to people like that, she could get dragged right into the muck.