"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!

"Well? You won't be losing out, you know!" Kenneth Butler tilted his head towards Emily Avery.

Emily's expression turned serious. "Kenneth, from the moment you took time out of your busy schedule to save me today, I could tell you're a kind person. And I believe a kind person wouldn't force another kind person to sleep with him, right?"

Kenneth opened his mouth, but at the sight of Emily's earnest, serious face, he found himself at a loss for words.

"I made it very clear last time. The reason I agreed to sleep with you and have a child was because of special circumstances. Now that my husband is back, I won't do such a thing again. You may think once or twice makes no difference, but to me, it makes a world of difference."

Emily paused before continuing, "As for my photos, do as you please. If you want to leak them, there's nothing I can do. But leaking someone's private photos without their consent is illegal. I may not have money or power, but if you infringe on my rights, I won't let it go easily!"

With that, Emily stood up, took out her wallet from her pocket, and after rummaging through it for a while, she finally pulled out some money and placed it on the table.

"You saved me, so I'll treat you to a meal." She put the scattered bills on the table and left.

"Hey! You're no fun at all!" Kenneth called out, but Emily didn't look back.

Kenneth looked at the pile of bills in frustration. The largest denomination was twenty dollars, with the rest being tens and fives, totaling a hundred dollars.

"So, you really are dirt poor, huh?"

Kenneth chuckled helplessly. To be honest, he rarely saw bills of such small denominations.

After some thought, he made a call to Zoey. Just as he was about to leave, Lionel Mendez's call came in.

Emily took the last bus home. As she reached her doorstep, she remembered she had forgotten to buy medicine.

Since there were only a few households in the neighborhood, the surrounding shops had gradually closed down. The nearest pharmacy was probably several miles away.

"Forget it," Emily muttered as she unlocked the door and stepped into her home.

Zoey was still lounging on the couch, engrossed in her favorite pastime-watching TV dramas, especially those Korean ones.

Emily didn't pay her any mind and headed straight to the kitchen. As usual, there was no dinner waiting for her. Feeling a bit worn out, she decided to cook herself a bowl of instant noodles and sat down in the dining room to eat.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Emily was about to head upstairs when she suddenly remembered she might need some antiseptic. She was due to join a film crew soon, and her arms and legs were covered in scrapes. With the current season, infections were easy to catch, and she couldn't afford to let them get worse.

"Zoey, do we have any antiseptic? I scraped myself today," Emily asked politely, knowing she needed a favor.

Zoey glanced at her, then pulled a plastic bag from under the coffee table and handed it to her. "See how good I am to you? You don't know how lucky you are!"

Julia opened the bag and found it filled with antiseptics and wound-cleaning supplies, all brand new.

"Thanks!" she said, taking the bag and heading upstairs.

---

At the bar, the place was alive with vibrant lights and pulsating music, another night full of excitement.

In the center of the stage, a pole dancer was performing, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Way to go!" shouted a fair-skinned, handsome young man with strikingly large, bright eyes that gleamed mischievously as he squinted.

This was Lionel Mendez, known to many as Mr. Lionel.

He took a swig from his bottle, then turned and draped an arm over Kenneth's shoulder.

"Kenneth, are you telling me that your fling that day was actually with your own wife? Your wife wants to have a baby by borrowing someone else's seed and cuckolding you?"

Kenneth glanced at him but remained silent, continuing to sip his drink.

"I'm telling you, a woman like that, if she does it once, she'll do it again.

And if she does it again, she'll do it a third time, and then a fourth, and so on. I can already see a green glow on your head! Hahaha!" Lionel Mendez said, patting Kenneth's head.

"Get lost!" Kenneth Butler glared at Lionel. After a moment of silence, he said, "I threatened her with her own photos, and she still wouldn't sleep with me. Plus, I saved her. It's a double test."

"Double test, my foot! You just haven't been around enough women! Women say no with their mouths, but their bodies tell the truth. Don't listen to what they say; listen to what they really mean."

Kenneth Butler pondered this. To be honest, when Emily Avery refused him today, he felt a secret joy. He had planned to reveal his identity to her, but after hearing Lionel Mendez's words, he thought there might be some truth to them.

Kenneth Butler suddenly turned his head. "Then why do you think she, being so young, wants to have a baby?"

"Who knows! Your wife is quite the odd one!" Lionel Mendez rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "But maybe she just wants an excuse to fool around!"

Kenneth narrowed his eyes.

"Who can say for sure! I can't imagine any young girl wanting to have a baby these days. Even women in their thirties, who are already successful in their careers, don't want to get married and have kids!"

Kenneth Butler nodded.

"Looks like I need to test her a bit more."

Lionel Mendez patted Kenneth Butler's shoulder. "Alright, stop thinking about your unlucky wife. Which chick caught your eye today? I'll help you get her! You deserve a break. Let's make sure you have a good time tonight!"

Kenneth pushed Lionel Mendez's hand away in disgust. "I'm leaving."

"Hey, don't go! You've already lost your innocence, why pretend to be pure now?"

Kenneth didn't say anything and strode out of the bar with determined steps.

He couldn't understand why all the women here wore heavy makeup and revealing clothes, but it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Soon, Emily would be joining a film crew to start shooting. Although her role as the third female lead wasn't extensive, it would still take about a month. She needed to arrange everything for Oliver before leaving and also finish his graduation thesis.

This week seemed to be the busiest week for Emily Avery.

To be honest, after her last separation from Kenneth, Emily felt a bit anxious. If he got angry and decided to release her photos, she would be in big trouble.

However, a few days passed without incident, and she gradually relaxed.

After finishing her thesis and making sure Oliver was settled, Emily finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tomorrow was the day she would join the film crew, so she needed to pack her things tonight.

As soon as she walked through the door, Zoey ran up to her. "Why are you so late? Sir is coming back today! You need to get ready!"