"Ahhh..." Emily screamed as she heard the door slam shut behind her with a loud "bang"!

She was pushed to the ground, landing face-first in a rather undignified manner.

When she managed to get up and return to the door, she found it wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pulled.

She banged on the door several times and shouted "Help!" but all she heard was her own echo.

When she had followed that so-called staff member here, she already felt the place was too secluded. At first, she could still see people around, but soon, there was no one in sight.

It was clear now-she had been set up.

The person who had arranged this had planned it all out perfectly. They knew this was a place where no one would ever come, and that was precisely why they had brought her here.

Emily turned around to inspect the place. It was pitch dark, with only a faint light coming from what seemed like a ventilation grate.

She turned on her phone's flashlight function and realized she was in a conference room. But since there were no meetings scheduled, the room was naturally unused, meaning no one would have any reason to come here.

She walked around and discovered there were two doors: the main door she had entered through and a back door. But the back door was also sealed shut.

What should she do now?

It was only then that Emily noticed her phone had no signal!

Of course it doesn't, she realized with a groan. This is a basement level. Unless they've installed a signal booster, how could there possibly be any reception here?

"Darn it!" Emily couldn't help but curse.

She had always known that this industry was a complicated mess, but she never expected to be schemed against before even setting foot into it!

With no way out, she could only call for help. But her phone had no signal.

Holding her phone, she took a slow, careful lap around the room. Suddenly, she stopped. Right in this spot, a single, weak bar of signal had appeared.

Emily looked up and saw that it was near the ventilation grate.

Just as she was about to make a call, that faint bar disappeared!

It flickered, there one moment and gone the next.

Emily glanced up at the ventilation grate again. It seemed like she would have to climb up there to get a stronger signal.

She dragged a chair over, placed it underneath the vent, and climbed up. The space was so cramped that she had to keep her head low. If it weren't for her flexibility, she wouldn't have managed to balance up there.

But once she got up there, she realized, who should she call?

The police?

What say what?

That she was trapped in an underground conference room because someone set her up? They'd probably think she was crazy.

But scrolling through her contacts, she realized there was no one she could call to rescue her. She had a husband, but she had never even seen his face, let alone had his phone number.

Emily opened her call history. The most recent calls were from Oliver and-

That man from the other night.

Just the thought of him made her heart beat faster.

Should she call him?

Would he come?

Her finger hovered over the unsaved phone number. Suddenly, her hand slipped, her finger tapped the screen, and the call went through.

She ignored the phone for a second to change her position; staying in one posture for too long was exhausting.

It was in that exact moment that the call connected.

"Hello-" Even though they had only met twice, Emily was very familiar with his voice.

"Hi, I... I'm trapped. Can you come rescue me?"

"What? Where are you now? Your signal is terrible. Move somewhere else, there's too much static!"

"This is the best signal I can get here." Emily quickly told him her location, but just as she finished, the call dropped.

She didn't know if he had hung up or if the call had dropped due to the poor cell signal.

She also didn't know if he had heard her address clearly, or if he would come.

Emily couldn't hold the position any longer and finally climbed down. She decided she had to rely on herself after all. She needed to find a possible way out.

About an hour passed. She tried everything she could think of, even attempting to crawl through the ventilation grate, but it was utterly impossible.

The place was stuffy and hot, and all the effort had drained her energy. Emily sat down, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

If no one found her trapped here, would she suffocate to death? She was already starting to feel short of breath.

"Emily Avery-" a voice called from the doorway.

Emily immediately propped herself up and moved toward the door. "I'm here..."

"Over here, open the door," the man's voice instructed.

The door was quickly opened, and a beam of flashlight light shone in, causing Emily to close her eyes and turn her head away. After being in the pitch-black space for so long, she wasn't used to such bright light.

"It's okay now," Kenneth said, waving off the staff who had opened the door. The staff left immediately.

He turned to look at Emily. "Hey, you can come out now! Didn't get enough of the place?"

Emilyshuffled out. The moment she stepped out, her knees buckled, and she started to fall. Royce was quick, though, and caught her before she hit the floor.

"What are you doing? Trying to pull a fast one on me?"

"Dizzy," Emily replied weakly, her eyes still closed.

Kenneth pulled Emily into his arms. "It's too stuffy in here. Let's get out of here."

Emily took a few deep breaths to steady herself and then wriggled out of Kenneth's embrace. She looked up at him. "Okay."

Kenneth led Emily through a labyrinth of twists and turns until they reached the ground floor. He found a place with chairs where they could rest for a bit.

Suddenly, Emily slapped her thigh. "Oh no!"

"What's with the freak-out?" Kenneth frowned.

"I'm here for an audition today! I need to get there now!" Julia shot to her feet and hurriedly ran towards the audition room she had been to earlier.

When she arrived, the waiting room was already empty, with staff cleaning up.

"Excuse me, is the audition for the third female lead over?"

"It's all over. Why are you just getting here?" one of the staff asked offhandedly. Everyone is breaking their necks to become a star these days, and yet here's someone who actually shows up late!

Emily quickly dashed to the next room, which was the actual audition room.

Inside, two assistant directors were sorting through stacks of papers while chatting.

"Directors, I haven't had my audition yet!"

Both assistant directors looked up at her, one of them clearly annoyed. "Kid, rule number one in this industry is you follow the rules. Punctuality is basic. If you can't get that right, you're not cut out for this. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, it's been over for half an hour," the other director chimed in.

"But, Director, please give me a chance, won't you? I really need this opportunity!" Emily Avery pleaded.

If she wasn't chosen because of her skills, she could accept that. But being sabotaged and arriving late? That was something she couldn't swallow!

"Young lady, look around. Who here doesn't need this opportunity?" one of the directors said dismissively, tapping the stack of papers in his hand.

"Young lady, consider this a lesson about the rules of this industry.

Learn from it, and your trip won't be in vain." Without even looking up, the director exchanged a glance with another director, and both stood up with their papers.

"Director, please, I really..."

The two directors ignored her, not even sparing her a glance as they walked past. As assistant directors, they had seen countless girls like her.

Emily Avery could only watch helplessly as the two assistant directors left.

Just then, Kenneth Butler walked over and noticed the disappointment in Emily's eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Emily shook her head. "The audition is over. I missed my chance. Let's go."

Kenneth frowned. "Where's the restroom around here?"

Emily pointed to the left. "Just keep walking straight, then turn left at the end."

"Alright, wait here for me. Don't run off! I saved you today, and if you ditch me, that'd be heartless!" With that, Kenneth walked off in the direction Emily had pointed.

Emily sighed. She had no intention of running off. Even though she knew Kenneth wasn't exactly a good guy, he had saved her today. She understood the importance of gratitude. Besides, he still had those compromising photos of her.

She found a chair and sat down, quietly waiting for Emily Butler to return.

Who knew what the man was doing in the bathroom for twenty minutes? Emily was beginning to wonder if he had left when he finally reappeared in her sight.

"I thought you fell into the toilet! Took you long enough!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'm too big to fall in!" Kenneth Butler replied with a grin.

"Let's go."

As they were about to leave together, a staff member approached them. "Are you Emily Avery?"

Emily nodded.

"Here's the thing, the role of the third female lead hasn't been filled yet.

After discussing it with the director team and hearing from the assistant director about you, we've decided to give you a chance."

Emily was taken aback. The last time she was offered an "extra opportunity," it turned out to be a trap, and she was a bit wary.

"Is this another trap?"

"What are you afraid of? I'll go with you!" Kenneth placed a reassuring hand on Emily's shoulder.

Emily quickly shrugged off his hand. "Alright then."

The staff member led Emily and Kenneth upstairs. They stopped in front of a room, and the staff member said, "Miss Avery, please go in. The directors are waiting for you."

Emily instinctively looked at Kenneth.

"It's okay! I'll be right here at the door. If anything happens, just scream for help, and I'll come rushing in."

Emily Avery nodded. They were on the third floor, and the sun was shining brightly outside. There shouldn't be any trouble, especially with the man standing guard outside.

She pushed the door open and walked in, immediately spotting Director Blithe sitting in the center, discussing something with the two assistant directors she had seen earlier.

Oh my god, Director Blithe himself was going to audition her!

Julia's heart leaped into her throat.

The assistant next to Director Blithe noticed Emily's entrance and quickly walked over to her, handing her a piece of paper. "These are your lines. Take a look. You have three minutes to prepare."

Emily took the paper, her hands trembling.

Seeing her nervousness, the assistant shook his head. If she couldn't even handle this, she probably wouldn't make it.

Emily took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and started memorizing the lines on the paper.

The lines were short and lacked any scene descriptions, leaving her to infer the context from the dialogue alone.

Three minutes flew by quickly.

The assistant reminded Director Blithe, who then paused his discussion with the assistant directors.

"Alright, you can start now. Don't be nervous, just go with the flow," Director Blithe said.

Emily nodded and stepped into the center of the room.

No costumes, no music, no scene descriptions—just a few lines of dialogue.

For any actor, this was a huge challenge but also an opportunity. After all, it allowed for a lot of creative freedom.

The two assistant directors, who had just spoken rudely to Emily Avery, also looked up.

Just as everyone was waiting for Emily's performance, she suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Not only were the two assistant directors startled, but even Director Blithe was taken aback, unsure of what was happening.

After falling to the ground, Emily Avery's body trembled slightly. She then slowly got up, her arms barely supporting her shaky frame, as if she might collapse again at any moment.

"I grew up with Miles. We were childhood sweethearts, inseparable. He was always so kind to me, always giving in to me. I love him, I love him so much, and only him..."

Tears glistened in Emily Avery's eyes, but they didn't fall, making her eyes especially captivating and giving her gaze a stubborn quality. As she delivered her lines, she bit her lip tightly.

After finishing her lines, she closed her eyes in pain, and only then did the tears slowly start to flow.

Director Blithe looked at the girl. Her hair was a bit messy, and she seemed to have some wounds on her body, which made the scene even more poignant in light of her lines.

Though the performance lasted only two minutes, the three directors were left in a daze, as if their emotions had been swept away by her portrayal.

Emily Avery wiped her face and stood up.

"Director, I've finished my performance."

Director Blithe stroked his beard. "Your performance was quite unique. Some people delivered these lines with great joy, and others with pitiful tears. You chose a middle path."

Emily Avery smiled. "Director, to be honest, Imight have taken a shortcut. I read the novel this script is based on, and when I saw these lines, I remembered the part where Tiffany gets beaten. That's why I performed it this way."

This historical drama was adapted from a novel, so Emily Avery had stayed up all night to finish reading it.

"That novel is over two million words long. You read the whole thing?" Director Blithe asked, astonished.

Emily Avery nodded. "Yes, I've read it all."

"Then tell me your understanding of this character."

"Tiffany is the male lead, Miles's, first love and childhood friend. Her humble background makes her somewhat insecure. In the novel, she often comes across as gentle and fragile, but in reality, she has a quiet strength and a stubborn streak. I think

the author named her Tiffany to hint at her hidden sharpness."

Blithe nodded repeatedly. "It seems you really understand the character well. Even those who have read the novel think Tiffany is too weak."

Hearing Director Blithe's praise, the two assistant directors quickly chimed in, "Yes, this young lady may be a newcomer, but her emotional performance was spot on."

"Not only was her emotion on point, but her expressions while delivering the lines were also very rich. Especially those tears that she held back until the very end!" Blithe nodded again. "Alright, the role is yours. We'll notify your agent later."

Emily Avery gave an awkward smile. "I don't have an agent, and I'm not signed with any company. So, you can just call the number I left when filming starts."

Blithe was quite surprised. Nowadays, most young actors, big or small, are signed with some agency. This young lady had the looks and acting skills, yet she wasn't signed.

"Alright then, wait for our notification."

"Thank you, Director!" Emily Avery bowed deeply. She couldn't believe she had landed the role so dramatically!

As Emily Avery walked out of the room, she still felt like she was floating, as if in a dream.

Kenneth Butler came up to her. "How did it go?"

Emily Avery looked at Kenneth Butler with a blank expression. "I got the role! I nailed it!"

Kenneth Butler finally breathed a sigh of relief and playfully tapped her forehead. "How are you going to thank me?"

Emily Avery patted Kenneth Butler on the shoulder. "I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Sounds good, but before that, let's head to the hospital." Kenneth Butler noticed the injuries on Emily Avery's body.

Emily Avery finally noticed that while crawling up and down the basement, she had accidentally scraped her arms and legs in several places, and they were now oozing blood. 

"It's nothing serious, just a few scratches. I'll buy some antiseptic on the way back and clean them up."

The two of them walked out together. Kenneth Butler, as usual, drove his Ferrari LaFerrari, following Emily Avery's directions to a street food stall. Yes, it was indeed a street food stall.

One look at the surroundings, and Kenneth Butler's brows furrowed tightly.

With his status, he had never set foot in such an environment.

Emily Avery, however, was quite familiar with the place. She greeted the slightly hunched owner and ordered a bunch of skewers and two small clay pots. For her, this meal was already quite a treat. Kenneth Butler coughed lightly, "Um, Emily Avery, don't you think my car doesn't quite fit in with this place?"

Emily Avery glanced at the sapphire blue Ferrari LaFerrari parked by the roadside. It indeed looked out of place in this seemingly dirty and chaotic environment.

"But I can't afford to treat you anywhere else!" She shrugged helplessly. "I'm really poor. If I told you my wallet is cleaner than my face, would you believe me?"

Kenneth Butler let out a slight hum and didn't say anything.

"How do you know my name is Emily Avery?"

Emily Avery remembered that the first time they met, she hadn't told him her name to avoid any future entanglements. The second time they met, it was a brief encounter, and names were never mentioned.

"Well..." Kenneth Butler was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn't intended to call her by her name, but in the situation that afternoon, he had no choice. Thinking back, she indeed hadn't told him her name. "You forgot that in the library, you used your card to get in. I just asked around and found out."

"The lady at the card desk must have been so smitten by a handsome guy that she didn't care about anything else!" Emily Avery couldn't help but complain. "By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Hmm... just call me Kenneth," Kenneth said, not wanting her to know just yet that he was actually her husband. After all, he still had things he wanted to figure out.

"Oh, what do you do for a living?" Emily Avery asked.

Kenneth Butler hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Just as he was about to speak, Emily suddenly slapped the table.

"I got it! You're a gigolo, aren't you?"

"A gigolo?"

"Yeah, look at you driving such a nice car but wearing clothes that look like they came from a thrift store. Plus, you were hanging around in a bar. You're handsome and have a great body, so you must be a gigolo!" Emily said, squinting her eyes at him.

She had heard from her classmates that there were quite a few gigolos in bars. So when she decided she wanted a baby without any strings attached, she went to a bar, thinking it was risky but also that a gigolo wouldn't cling to her.

"Uh..." Kenneth Butler was at a loss for words. His clothes, though simple, were actually high-end custom pieces from a designer brand. Yes, even his plain T-shirt was custom-made!

"Don't be embarrassed. I don't judge people based on their jobs," Emily said, giving Kenneth Butler a hearty pat on the shoulder.

Royce Butler didn't bother to correct her.

"Thanks a lot for today," Emily said with a bright smile.

Royce Butler waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he asked, "That's it?"

Emily's eyes darted around. "Yep, that's it."

"What, just a simple 'thank you' and that's it?!" Emily Avery couldn't believe expressing gratitude could be so straightforward.

"Didn't I already treat you to some barbecue skewers?" Kenneth Butler scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "Don't forget, I still have your photos. Plus, I saved you this time. Without me, you might not have landed that role today. So, don't you think you owe me something?"

Emily had hoped that by getting on good terms with this man, she could smooth over the photo issue. But it seemed he hadn't forgotten about it at all.

"So, how do you want me to repay you?" she asked.

"I've made it very clear before," Kenneth leaned in closer to Emily, "sleep with me one more time."

Emily bit her lip. "You sleep with plenty of people in your line of work, and you get paid for it. What difference does it make if you sleep with me?"

"Of course, it makes a difference. You're young and fresh. The women I usually sleep with are rich but older. What's the fun in that? Besides, I can pay you too!"

She had called him a gigolo, and he didn't mind playing along.

"Can't we just be regular friends?" she sighed.

"That's boring," Kenneth waved her off, clearly uninterested in that idea. "Emily, didn't you enjoy it last time? What's the difference between once and twice? Besides, you seemed to have a good time in bed last time."

Emily's face turned pale with anger.

If she didn't sleep with him again, her photos would undoubtedly be leaked.

Kenneth Butler could tell just by looking at Emily Avery's expression that something was up!