Although she had a distant temperament she hoped the people around her had wa.
Avery Hayes forwarded the list to Diana Marks without a second thought.
It wasn't her job to worry about bothering the company; it was the company's job to handle things like this, especially when someone was out there slinging mud.
Her energy was reserved for two things: her acting and dealing with the Sterling family.
She didn't have the time or the mental space for online wars or tracking down trolls.
Frankly, if the producer, Mr. Sterling, hadn't warned her last night that his family was trying to blacklist her, she wouldn't have even bothered to look into it.
After hitting send, Avery tapped open the "Chicken Dinner" group chat.
Maya and Leo were already deep in a conversation, complaining about some flaky actor from a web series.
Leo's second project was about to start production, and the guy he'd booked online to play the second male lead was already proving to be a problem.
He was supposed to be on set today but had been a no-show.
After making everyone wait around all day, he'd finally sent a message saying he was still in Fairview and wouldn't get in until tomorrow.
Avery scrolled through the chat history, not planning to jump in. But seeing Maya's name pop up again and again, she felt an impulse and typed out a message about Willa Patton's birthday invitation.
**Avery:** *@Maya Laurent, should I go?*
**Leo:** *Yo, busy bee, how's the new set? Did Conrad King chew you out 'til you cried yet?*
**Maya:** *Avery, don't go. I haven't worked on any big movie sets, but I've heard those parties big celebrities throw are never a good scene.*
**Maya:** *Just find an excuse and turn it down. In your world, if it's not an official event or something your own company is hosting, you just don't go.*
**Maya:** *My boss says celebrity parties are a total mess.*
A genuine smile, the first one she'd felt all day, touched Avery's lips.
The sour mood Melina Warner had left her in finally lifted.
It wasn't that she cared about Melina's silence, they'd never been close.
But Melina's attitude was a cold, sharp reminder of just how superficial this industry could be, and that was something Avery hated.
She'd grown up surrounded by that kind of coldness, and while she might be distant herself, she wanted the people around her to have some warmth.
**Avery:** *@Maya Laurent, "You Are My Defender" has an audition on the sixth of next month. Director Leo Bell is looking for a supporting actor for the full shoot. You wanna try?*
The show had a lot of scenes set in a law firm, and most of those roles were still uncast. Avery knew Maya was ambitious, and since she considered her a real friend, it felt good to give her a little push.
**Owen:** *Is the pay good? I want to try too.*
Owen Bowen popped up out of nowhere. So he'd been lurking the whole time.
**Avery:** *The flat rate for a full-shoot supporting role depends on screen time, usually around four to seven thousand. But it's a much bigger time commitment than a web series.*
**Owen:** *Never mind then. Doesn't pay more than what I'm making now. I'll stick to my thing.*
**Maya:** *I'm in! Where's the audition?*
**Avery:** *Hollywood. Send me your resume, and I'll talk to Director Bell later.*
**Leo:** *@Avery Hayes, does "You Are My Defender" still need investors? Like, a small amount. I scraped together all my pocket money from Zac and Ethan. It's not much, maybe $150k to $250k. Think he'd take it?*
**Avery:** *You think I have that kind of pull? That's a question for Dexter.*
She could recommend a minor actor on the goodwill she'd earned from rewriting the script, but getting involved in financing?
That was the producers' territory, not something she could just bring up.
Still, no production ever complained about having too much money.
If Dexter Reed was willing to make the call, Leo could probably get his foot in the door.
**Leo:** *Okay, I'll ask Dexter then.*
He immediately logged off to message Dexter.
Leo didn't want to invest because he had faith in Leo Bell's directing; he wanted to invest because he had faith in Avery.
In the month or so he'd known her, he'd noticed that she did everything with an unnerving confidence.
She never fought a battle she wasn't prepared for.
Even her time as a background extra in Hollywood had served a purpose.
Someone like her wouldn't take a role casually, let alone rewrite a script on a whim.
She had to be banking on this show being a hit.
Trust the straight-A student's vision. Trust her ability.
Whatever Avery filmed, he'd invest in. Following her lead, he was sure he wouldn't lose money.
His dad was on his case all day long, but just wait.
Once he started making real money, he was going to cover his dad's bed in cash and show him what a good son looked like.
No one knew about Leo's chaotic new financial plan. Avery still had scenes to shoot in the morning, so after chatting with Maya a little longer, she turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The filming schedule was brutal. They'd been working through dialogue-heavy scenes for a week and still weren't done.
The plot had only just reached the point where the Fourth Prince approaches Isolde, intent on making her a secondary consort while letting the "barbarian princess" die quietly in some forgotten corner of the palace.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Willa Patton's birthday.
Avery had no intention of going, but she still had to go through the motions.
A few days earlier, she'd bought a tea set online.
The nearly three-hundred-dollar price tag made her wince, the old Avery, the lawyer, wouldn't have even sent a lollipop.
But that was just the way the industry worked.
At award shows, even sworn enemies had to play nice for the cameras, and she and Willa weren't even enemies. Yet.
During a break in filming, Avery found Willa rehearsing with Raphael Valenti in the corridor outside the palace set.
"Willa, Mr. Valenti," Avery called out, gathering the folds of her elaborate costume and sitting down across from them with a smile. She nodded to the bodyguard in a black suit standing behind her.
He understood immediately, stepping forward to place a gift-wrapped box on the small table in front of Willa.
Avery had requested him from Dexter. Being an artist at Stellar Media wasn't easy; there were too many people gunning for you, and one careless moment could lead to an "accident." She had to protect herself.
Stellar Media knew what its artists were up against.
It wasn't just Avery; Leila Norris and Ethan Holt, who was on another film set, were each assigned two bodyguards as well.
They were the ones who had chosen to stay when the company was in crisis.
Their acting wasn't great, and they'd never become huge stars, but their loyalty during Stellar's lowest point had earned them the company's full support.
And then there was Avery.
The company had assumed a newcomer wouldn't be a target so quickly and was still putting her team together.
But she'd barely made a splash, and someone was already trying to pull her under.
As the artist with the most potential, the one Julian Shaw and Dexter Reed were counting on to turn things around, they weren't about to let anything happen to her.
The two bodyguards, Howard Lane and Zane Bishop, had been assigned to her three days ago.
"Happy Birthday, Willa," Avery said, her smile bright as the box settled on the table. "I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to make it to your party tonight."
Willa had been about to ask when Avery would be done filming, maybe suggest they wait for each other. She wasn't expecting a flat-out refusal. Her eyes widened slightly, and she shot a quick glance at Raphael, but he just kept his head down, seemingly absorbed in his script.
Not ready to give up, Willa pressed, her voice laced with concern. "Did something come up last minute?"
Avery nodded, putting on an apologetic look. "Diana asked me to go see a production team with her after I wrap."
It was the perfect excuse. No one would be rude enough to question it. Even if Willa knew it was a lie, she wouldn't dare demand Avery skip a meeting with a production team for a birthday party. If she did, Avery would have no problem staring her down.
After all, in this business, the people with the money are always the boss.