From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 173: Chapter 173

Paisley's current project required the screenwriter to be on set during filming to explain the storyline to the actors and make script adjustments as needed. After several setbacks, the production had finally resumed.
Technically, as the head screenwriter, Paisley should have been on set constantly during the early stages. However, due to Serena's hospitalization, she had arranged with Gary to film less critical scenes first and to step in only for major ones.
Today's schedule included one of those important scenes, so Paisley headed to the indoor studio, where the crew was still preparing the set.
Gary was busy directing the team to finalize the scene layout. Upon seeing Paisley, he quickly gave the staff a few instructions before walking over with a smile. "Nion, you're here."
"Yes," Paisley replied, noticing the white strands in Gary's hair. He had been tirelessly working on the production.
"How's your daughter? Is she okay?" Gary asked. After all, as long as Serena was in the hospital, Paisley couldn't fully commit to the project.
"She's fine now. Just a few more days of observation, and she can be discharged." Paisley felt relieved and grateful that Serena had been treated in time, avoiding any irreversible consequences.
"Glad to hear that," Gary said with visible relief. As a father himself, he could somewhat understand Paisley's feelings.
After a brief chat, they discussed the upcoming scene and rehearsed it with the actors. Once the discussion was over, Paisley sat in her designated chair, reviewing the rest of the script.
"Ms. Vaire, hello." A soft, sweet, and slightly shy voice suddenly sounded above her. Looking up, Paisley saw a stunning beauty with striking features and fair skin. It was Sheela, the female lead of this project.
Sheela was one of the top beauties in the entertainment industry, often hailed as the epitome of elegance. She was the favorite of luxury brands and a regular showstopper on red carpets.
She was once mocked by the media as a "candy star," and because of her stunning looks and immense popularity, she faced a lot of criticism from various sectors.
But she remained calm and focused, steadily improving herself and proving herself. In the past two years, thanks to a few well-received TV dramas, she quietly shed the "candy star" label.
Gary chose her this time because of her improved acting skills and the huge boost her popularity brings. So when the official Twitter announced that the lead role of the show was switched to Sheela, it caused quite a stir. The once one-sided mockery quickly turned into widespread anticipation.
Although there were still some who criticized the show, it wasn't enough to shake things up.
There was a top-tier superstar, yet in front of Paisley, she was as shy as a newcomer to the industry. Holding the script, she blinked her beautiful starry eyes and stared at Paisley, not even blinking.
Paisley had met some big stars before. While some were approachable, she had never encountered someone like Sheela before.
"Is there something you need?" Seeing Sheela being so cautious, Paisley softened her voice.
After all, everyone loved a beautiful person. Admiring beauty truly was a pleasant experience.
"Well, there's a scene where I can't quite grasp the heroine's emotional shift, so I thought I'd ask you," Sheela said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Paisley.
Paisley couldn't resist such a gaze. She leaned forward. "Which scene? Let me take a look."
"This one!" Sheela smiled sweetly, then sat beside Paisley.
And so, on set, a stunningly beautiful moment unfolded. Two breathtakingly beautiful women, side by side, heads leaning together, both reading the same script. They whispered softly, occasionally exchanging smiles, sometimes frowning in discussion.
The behind-the-scenes director certainly didn't miss this moment, and by the time Paisley and Sheela realized it, the camera and photographer were almost right in their faces.
"What's going on?" Paisley felt a bit uncomfortable.
On the other hand, Sheela was used to it. After all, she was an actress, and being filmed was part of her job.
The behind-the-scenes director chuckled, "Ladies, go ahead." With that, he moved a little farther away but continued filming them.
It couldn't be helped; it was just too beautiful. One was a beauty queen, and the other was a screenwriter whose looks rivaled that of a movie star. Surely such a scene couldn't be captured anywhere else but this set.
Just then, an unpleasant voice interrupted them. "Sheela, what are you doing here? Come over and rehearse your scene with Sam."
Sam Salter was the male lead of the show, a fellow artist from Sheela's company. The voice belonged to their mutual manager.
As of now, Paisley was mostly satisfied with the cast, with one exception: Sam. He wasn't the actor Paisley and Gary originally wanted for the role. Instead, he was bundled with Sheela by her company.
The message was simple: if they wanted Sheela for the lead, they had to take Sam as the male lead. Otherwise, no deal. In other words, they were using Sheela's popularity and box-office pull to boost Sam's career.
Gary was so eager to have Sheela that he had no choice but to agree. This was already the second show where Sheela had to carry Sam. The company continued to market them together, not caring at all about the backlash from Sam's fans.
Paisley had done most of her homework on the cast before the contract was signed, so she already knew about this. Therefore, she wasn't fond of the manager or the male lead.
But she didn't say anything, since her only condition before signing was that Brittany wouldn't be cast in the show. Other casting decisions were left to the director and producer.
"Didn't you already rehearse the scene? Why do you need to do it again?" Paisley didn't bother to spare the manager's feelings and directly asked.
The manager looked at Paisley with an unpleasant expression, then ignored her and continued speaking to Sheela, "Hurry up, don't keep Sam waiting."
Standing behind the manager, Sam looked over at them with a dismissive sneer. Sheela tightened her grip on the script, giving Paisley an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Ms. Vaire, I'll go now."
Paisley didn't want to make things too awkward for Sheela, so she nodded. "Okay, go ahead. If you need anything, just ask me." With that, she handed Sheela her business card.
Sheela gladly accepted the card and, under her manager's urging, walked toward Sam.
Sam glanced at Paisley and sneered, "What's there to rehearse for a crappy script?"
The manager patted Sam on the shoulder. "Don't say that. If you perform well, you'll definitely blow up when it airs."
Sam grumbled, totally acting like the king of the world, and said to his assistant, "Go get some snacks. Put it on my tab. I'll treat the whole crew."
Lucy walked over with a playful expression, watching Sheela leave, and asked, "You'd think with Sheela being a top-tier celebrity, how could her agent treat her like this? She doesn't seem to respect her at all."
"Mind your own business." Paisley withdrew her gaze and went back to reading her script.
"Fine." Lucy pouted in response, then turned around to see a crew member, who had somehow appeared behind Paisley, staring at her intently.
"What are you looking at?" Lucy frowned and asked.
Paisley heard the voice and turned around, spotting a man in the crew uniform. "Do you need something?"
The man quickly waved his hands, looking a little awkward. "No, nothing. I am just passing by." After speaking, the man hurriedly ran off.
Lucy walked up to Paisley and said, "That guy was definitely staring because you're so pretty!" This kind of thing happened often, so Lucy wasn't surprised anymore.
Paisley ignored her and continued reading the script. After a while, it became noisy outside the studio.
Gary, who was filming, lifted his head from the monitor, annoyed. "What's going on outside?"
The staff member who went to check quickly returned. "A few food trucks are parked outside, saying they're treating the whole crew to dinner."