From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 174: Chapter 174

"Huh?" Gary checked the time—it was still a while until mealtime. "Who's so generous to treat the whole crew?"
There were hundreds of people in the crew, and treating them all to a meal wasn't cheap. Even he would avoid doing something like this if possible. Not only was it expensive, but it was also a hassle.
The agent remembered that Sam had just mentioned buying snacks for the crew, so hearing Gary's question, she stepped forward and admitted, "It's from Sam. He wanted to show appreciation for the crew's hard work, so he had someone buy some snacks."
Gary looked at Sam, feeling a hundred times more unhappy. If he could, he really wouldn't want to work with Sam. But to get Sheela, he had to deal with Sam.
Thankfully, although Sam wasn't great with his personality, his acting was decent, and as long as he didn't mess up, the chances of this project being a hit were high.
With that in mind, Gary held back his frustration. "Everyone, take a break and have some snacks." He added, "Thanks, Sam!"
With the director saying it, the studio was filled with voices of thanks to Sam. Sam, hearing all the thanks, started to feel a bit smug.
The staff opened the studio's big doors, and when the crew saw the luxury food trucks outside, filled with chefs, waiters, and a variety of foods, they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
They had seen crew-wide meals before, but this was the first time something like this had happened. These weren't food trucks, this was a luxury buffet!
They even had a station to grill steaks and slice sashimi on the spot. Even the ice cream in the dessert section was an expensive brand.
Not only were the staff shocked, but Sam himself was also stunned. The agent looked at Sam uncertainly. "I thought it was just snacks. What's all this? How much did this cost?"
Sam was also confused. He called his assistant, but no one answered. If it weren't for so many people around, he would've smashed his phone and cursed at them.
"Damn it, does he even know how to handle things? I just asked him to buy some desserts, and he brought the whole restaurant over!" Sam felt a sharp pain in his wallet, but now that the deed was done, he couldn't back out.
Seeing Sam's discomfort, the agent quickly spoke up, "Don't worry, I'll apply for reimbursement from the company. Later, we'll shoot more footage and post it, buying more trending topics. This way, you'll get another boost in traffic."
Knowing someone had his back, Sam relaxed and acted like everything was fine, calling the crew over. "Come on, Gary, everyone, don't be shy, let's all eat together." He then looked at Paisley. "Nion, don't just watch, come eat too."
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." Paisley politely declined. She really wasn't hungry. And she didn't like how Sam interrupted the filming.
Sam thought Paisley was just being shy, so he walked over and reached out to grab her. "Come on, Nion, you don't have to be shy. You work hard writing scripts, so you should eat more to refresh your brain."
The agent, following Sam's lead, added, "Yeah, you don't get opportunities like this often. Now that you have one, why not take advantage of it? Take some pictures, post on social media. Don't girls like you always do that?"
Perhaps because Paisley hadn't given this agent face earlier, the agent now spoke with a bit of sarcasm. The tone was as if Paisley had never seen the world before.
Paisley didn't argue with them. Her upbringing and character didn't allow her to waste time on people like that. She dodged Sam's outstretched hand and coldly refused again, "Thank you, but really, I'm fine."
Seeing that Paisley still wasn't moved, Sam grew tired of talking to her. "Tch, ungrateful." After saying that, he headed straight toward the food truck outside. The manager followed along after rolling her eyes subtly at Paisley.
Sheela walked over to Paisley uneasily. "I'm so sorry."
Paisley smiled at Sheela. "Why are you apologizing? It has nothing to do with you."
Seeing Sheela lingering by her side, Paisley asked, "Aren't you going over to eat with them?"
Sheela stared longingly at the delicious food, visibly gulping. "I need to lose weight."
Paisley glanced at her stick-thin figure. "You need to lose weight? You're already so skinny!"
"Yeah, but I need to get even thinner so I look better on camera."
Paisley understood. The entertainment industry had such harsh standards for women. But there was no other choice—there was a price to pay for everything.
Over by the food truck, Sam and the manager finally noticed how lavish the spread was after getting closer. They both silently cursed the assistant again in their hearts, but outwardly kept up their "gracious" personas.
The manager even snapped several pictures of Sam by the food truck, planning to send them to an assistant for editing before posting online. Gary was surprised—Sam, who had such a terrible attitude while filming, was suddenly so generous.
"Sam, thanks so much for treating us to this feast," Gary said politely.
Gary's comment triggered another round of gratitude from everyone present.
The manager, done posting pictures, approached Gary with a meaningful look toward Paisley. "What a shame. Some people just don't know how to appreciate kindness."
The manager's real intent was to use Gary to put Paisley down. Both she and Sam could tell that Paisley didn't like them.
However, when Gary looked over at Paisley, his face showed a hint of unease. Did these two idiots somehow offend Nion? If Nion got upset, how were they supposed to continue filming?
But Sam and the manager didn't notice Gary's complicated expression or what was going through his head. Sam was buoyed by all the praise. He started to feel a bit smug. "Don't be shy, everyone. Eat as much as you like. It's on me!"
"On you?" A cold male voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Sam froze, turning around to meet a pair of equally cold eyes. The man towering over him forced Sam to look up just to meet his gaze. But it wasn't long before Sam was overwhelmed by the man's intimidating aura, unconsciously stepping back and hiding behind his manager.
"Gary, who is this?" The manager, who had spent years navigating the entertainment industry, instantly recognized that this man wasn't ordinary. One look, and she could tell he was someone important.
Gary glanced at the man, startled, before respectfully addressing him, "Mr. Vanderbilt."
Dominick stood there, his cold eyes scanning the crowd gathered around the food truck he had arranged. Yet Paisley was nowhere in sight.
And then, some clueless guy had the audacity to say he was treating everyone—right in front of him. The food he prepared for Paisley had somehow become this guy's way of playing generous host.
"Where's Paisley?" he asked.
Why wasn't she eating? Had these people bullied her? Wasn't she quite feisty in front of him? So why couldn't she even manage to get a meal here?