“Oh, sure. Take a nice pic of the dress.” Luna took out her makeup product to reapply some makeup, grabbing every chance to show off her dress.
The photographer thought she was being extra, but he said nothing. After all, the producers said these two were VIPs.
Half an hour later, the SUV stopped before a manor on the outskirts of the city. Abigail noticed that a few cars were parked before theirs, and she realized they weren’t the first to arrive.
The production team had set up the stage, the props and cameras standing around the venue. Staff members went around doing their work, everyone looking as busy as a bee.
Aside from the models, the artists from East Joy Talent had shown up as well, and things were getting lively.
“Hey, that’s Alana’s car, isn’t it?”
“I think so. Their cars are different from ours.”
A discussion broke out.
Since they were special guests, Abigail and Luna were in a different car from everyone else. It was a champagne-colored Alphard, so the moment it showed up, the crowd stared at it.
Luna got out of the car wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses. Abigail composed herself, then she followed Luna out of the car.
They swiped their IDs and went into the venue, and then a couple of models huddled around Abigail.
“My gosh, you must be Alana. I love your designs. They’re awesome. I can’t believe you’re so young.”
“Did you design this dress yourself? Oh, I love your work. Everything I bought from your store, I kept it in my closet. The dresses fit me well, and they’re comfy.”
The ladies were gushing away, worshipping Abigail like she was an idol.
Just when they were about to take their phones out and follow each other on social media, someone mocked, “Seriously, that’s the one you butter up to? She’s just my assistant who helps me change into my clothes.”
Joan noticed Abigail the moment she got out of the car. Seeing everyone praising her was annoying, so she sneered and went ahead to rain on Abigail’s parade.
“Sorry, ladies, but I’m indeed just an assistant.”
Abigail hated shallow socializing, and she was more than happy to let someone deal with it for her.
The ladies exchanged a look of awkwardness. Just when they were about to snap back, they realized it was Joan, and they swallowed their words and left sheepishly.
“It has been a while, but you’re still as foul-mouthed as ever, Miss Palmer.” This b*tch spews sh*t from the wrong mouth. Luna adjusted her sunglasses and sneered. Just when she was about to say something more, Abigail stopped her.
“We should put our luggage down somewhere.” Abigail nudged Luna and dragged her away. This was their first day on the set, and she didn’t want to raise hell over something so trivial.
Luna heaved a heavy sigh, but she let her friend drag her away.
…
The sunset shone upon the landing strip, and a plane quickly landed. Cameron was outside the airport, welcoming the disembarked Sean. “Are we going to the company, Mr. Graham?” Cameron took the suitcase and put it in the trunk.
Sean put out his cigarette and tossed it in the ashtray. Calmly, he said, “We’re going to L.Moon.”
“Of course, sir.” Cameron wondered why. Every time Sean came back from a business trip, he would go straight to the company. This was not what he had in mind, but Cameron shut up and drove to L.Moon.
“Sorry, sir. Ala – The boss and Abigail have gone to film a show. They’re not here.” The assistant smiled sheepishly, hoping she didn’t let anything slip.
Sean cocked his eyebrow. They went to film a show?
The manor was brightly lit at night. After dinner, the guests were led to their abode situated behind the manor. Legend had it that this was a castle that was passed down for generations, but the lackluster management and declining state of the family eventually forced the family to sell off this estate.
The castle was then refurbished and expanded into a hotel. The entrance was held up by a few gigantic pillars with immaculate patterns engraved on them. The first thing the guests saw was a row of wooden fences and the clocktower standing atop the brownish-red roof. There was a grass field outside the entrance, surrounded by roses and vines. It looked exotic, romantic, and solemn at the same time.
Luna stopped and looked around. She then turned back and whispered to Abigail, “The renovation must’ve cost at least a few dozen million.”
“I heard the Grahams bought this place. The Stewarts partnered up with them to run the show, but this place wasn’t open to the public previously.”
“No wonder I haven’t seen this beauty before. Did they acquire it just for this show?”
…
Abigail and Luna heard sounds of discussion coming from behind before they even opened the door. The models were whispering to one another, praising the spectacle of a place.
Luna and Abigail entered the room the production team had arranged for them. Everyone else shared regular rooms, but since they were special guests, the production team had prepared a suite for them. The suite was located on the top floor of the castle, and there were only three of them in the whole corridor. The other two were locked.
“We can’t be the only ones on this floor, can we?” Luna stared at the dim corridor, her jaw dropping. She was starting to imagine ghosts grabbing her. Spooky castles. Yeah, this is 100% a horror movie set.
“Maybe everyone else is out?” Abigail shrugged. It had been a long day, and she just wanted to rest. She had no time to care about anything else.
There were two bedrooms in the suite, and the bedding products all came from Simmons Bedding Company. They were all made of silk. There was a tearoom and a bathroom in the middle of the suite, and the fridge was filled with all kinds of drinks.
Luna happily locked the door and tossed her luggage to the side, then she sank into the plump couch. “Hey, I heard the girls. This place belongs to that filthy rich husband of yours?” Luna looked around the resplendent room and touched the oil painting above the couch.
“No idea. He never tells me about his business.” Abigail unpacked the luggage. They had to stay here for a while, after all. She dismissively answered, “We’re getting divorced soon anyway. Not like this place has anything to do with me.”
Luna sank deeper into the couch, sighing in enjoyment. She muttered, “Yeah, I know, but this is shared property if its lease is renewed during your marriage. I can’t believe you can turn a blind eye when he’s using your money to spend on Joan.”
“So? What’s not mine can never be mine. Come on, get ready to sleep. Shooting starts tomorrow.” Abigail gave her friend a resigned look, but she helped lay out the bed for her.
The ladies washed themselves up and went to the living room, sorting out the things they might need for the shooting the next day. Just then, they heard the ding of the elevator coming from the far end of the corridor.
The sound of heels clacking against the wooden floorboard was grating, especially at night. Before Luna could even check out who the person was, they had gone into their room and closed the door. “They’re late. Maybe they’re up to some hanky panky.” Luna crouched in front of the peephole to check who it was, but she heard nothing.
“It’s probably a crew member. Stop messing around. There are cameras everywhere, and if they catch you doing something you shouldn’t, you’re getting canceled.” Abigail didn’t bother to find out who the guest was and sorted out the final file, then she dragged Luna back to their bedroom.
The next morning, ladies were woken up by the incessant ringing of someone’s phone. A groggy Abigail picked the phone up, but when she saw the time, she jumped up. “Hey, you didn’t set the alarm!”
It was an unknown number so Abigail paused for a moment, but she picked it up in the end. “Good morning, Ms. Quinn. We’re the crew members who’ll be attending to your needs during filming. Work is about to start soon, but you and Ms. Smith haven’t had breakfast yet,” a woman said gently.
Abigail heard a lot of noises in the background. “Oh, um, sorry. We’ll skip breakfast and go straight to the set.” Abigail pursed her lips awkwardly. Great. First day on the set, and we’re late. She hung up after that.
She did wake up just now thanks to her circadian clock, but when she noticed it was still dark outside, she went back to sleep all too happily. When she got up, she realized that the curtains were drawn shut. The thick curtains blocked out the sunlight, and if she hadn’t checked the time, she would have thought it was still in the wee hours.
“What? I did.” Luna got up reluctantly, rubbing her eyes. She yawned and picked up her phone. She fiddled with it for a moment before realizing that her phone was dead. “Oh, crud. Phone’s dead and I didn’t charge it.”
“Get up. Production team just called. Say goodbye to your breakfast.” Abigail sighed and got out of bed. She took out a comfy white dress from her suitcase and quickly changed into it. They had no time to put on any makeup, so the ladies washed themselves up and only lathered a layer of sunscreen on before they went out.
It was fortunate they weren’t far away from the set, and the ladies managed to arrive on time after a lot of chasing. There were two dining halls in the place, and a few ushers were waiting at the doorstep.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.